The Failure of Addressing Intersectionality in the Heineken Commercial
“World’s Apart” will remain apart until we combat differences through the intersectional lens.
At first view, the Heineken commercial seems appealing. Through the form of an experiment, it combats differences by having opposing individuals first describe themselves to each other, prior to knowing anything about the other, then they are prompted to work on a common task, which forces them to work together. Finally, they are exposed to one another’s opposing viewpoints and are told that they can either discuss their differences over a beer or they can decide to walk out and continue on with their lives.
However, the world does not simply resolve its problems over a beer. While examining the commercial ad carefully, one can note many issues that arise within the language of the participants and within the choice of who is paired with who. For one, each individual is paired with the other that has completely opposing views but only on a single underlying issue (climate change, feminism, OR trans-phobia). Already, this creates a problem for individuals who might possibly identify themselves within multiple categories, for example, someone who is a trans feminist and pro-climate change. The Heineken commercial ultimately fails at addressing the intersectionality within these issues.
Kimberle Crenshaw, founder of the term “intersectionality,” explains how it is important to incorporate intersectional identities when discussing oppression and when dealing with marginalized groups. Not only is there differences between groups but there are also differences within groups, thus, dealing with oppression through an intersectional lens helps to better understand in-group and out-group differences. Crenshaw identifies three categories that should be observed through an intersectional lens: structural intersectionality, political intersectionality, and representational intersectionality. Structural intersectionality focuses on the oppression that people face through limited access to resources, political intersectionality focuses on the oppression that people face through experiencing divided loyalties within their community, and representational intersectionality focuses on the oppression that people experience through cultural constructions and being held to hegemonic standards.
That being said, DiDi Delgado acknowledges that a serious downfall in the Heineken commercial is that it failed to address racism within the realm of the issues, because racism is interconnected with every experience of oppression, just as gender is. For example, Delgado explains how the trans-phobic man seemed to only accept the trans woman because she was white and identified with the military, which is more socially acceptable than being non-white and anti-military. This would be a form of representational oppression. Delgado implies that the scenes might have played out differently if they were displayed through an intersectional lens and incorporated multiple aspects of identity politics and not just focusing on a single opposing issue. Similarly, it was easier for all of these men with opposing views on climate change, feminism, and trans-phobia to discuss issues with their pair because the focus was on a single issue.
Furthermore, another issue that arises can be easily understood through Mickey Desruisseaux’s analysis of the commercial. The men with opposing views cannot identify with those on the other side of the spectrum because of their position of privilege as white men. Aside from the climate change opposing viewpoints, these men do not have the same intersections as their counterparts, they do not experience any oppression nearly to the same degree as those women who are transgender, feminist, non-white, etc., especially those who identify as all of the above. Therefore, to truly discuss these issues, the men must apply strategy through considering the intersection of oppression . That is where the Heineken commercial fails, it is not how the world works, one does not simply solve their differences of issues through a beer and disregard structural, political, and representational intersectionality.
