Advertising to a Black audience, encouraging alliance between non-whites

During the past week we have been exploring the relationship between the Blacks and the Japanese during WWII and the Korean War. We talked about the situations regarding how some of the Black population encouraged Blacks to stay on the same side of the "color-line," and how one subhuman communicates/sympathizes with another subhuman. To further explore this relationship, I decided to examine an advertising image brought to my attention by a friend who posted it on her Instagram a few days ago (what a weirdly convenient coincidence!).
To start I want to make note of the date this advertisement was published: November 12, 1953. This occurs during the armistice of the Korean war, after Black soldiers have already been sent to fight in integrated armies, and after Black soldiers have begun developing an alliance with Japan. Although it is not exclusively so, the advertisement appears directed at a Black male audience, by picturing one here. And, my favorite aspect of the advertisement: the text, which first asks "Do Japanese women make better wives?" and following that headline with a smaller caption that takes the form of a statement, "James and Teruko Miller: Indianapolis couple has found happy marriage life since wedding three years ago in Japan." The advertisement implies a safe alliance, one that involves a situation where a Black man can feel like he is in a position of some sort of dominance. In a time where Black men were still being publicly  mistreated and made to feel lesser, this sort of advertisement allowed thoughts of a better life and a happier living situation.

There is also the discussion of the communication between two "sub-humans" or two people not in privileged positions in their society. The Japanese woman in American society in the 50's is still a foreigner, an 'other,' and a lesser being by default since she is a woman, and can be viewed for this purpose as a sub-human. The advertisement is not only directing the idea of a happy living situation at Black males, but also to Japanese women who, like we see in Memories of My Ghost Brother, may be trying to find support from a relationship with an American man. The image states that the couple has experienced "happy marriage life since wedding three years ago" which also implies stability in addition to happiness. So, according to the image, between the two sub-humans they can create a better, happier living situation for themselves.

This image reflects common desires shared by these two groups, Black men and Japanese women, in this time period. For Black men, it reflects the desire to live the respectable home life of an American man in society. For Japanese women, it reflects the desire to seek a committed American man who will support her and her family. By targeting these two groups with these specific questions, it encourages them to stay on the same side of the "color-line" and that by doing so, they will have happier lives.