I feel a bit conflicted about the latest stamp release from Correos, which was launched today…
Here’s their promo:
At Correos we stand firmly against racial discrimination. Therefore, as part of #EuropeanDiversityMonth, and coinciding with the first anniversary of the murder of #GeorgeFloyd, we are launching #EqualityStamps; a collection reflecting an unjust reality that should not exist, in an effort to raise awareness of diversity, inclusion and equal rights.
On one hand, it’s a powerful visual metaphor, and a clear way to get a message across. On the other hand, I feel like it’s perpetuating the same inequality idea, with an organisation standing behind it… I guess it comes down to how they market the stamps, but it feels like it could be easily used to send the wrong message.
How the darkest stamp is the lowest value… it makes me feel really strange uncomfortable about these stamps… I saw the video with the explanation why, but many people won’t watch it… the stamp should speak for itself with no extra source for the explanation.
The idea is interesting, but since these stamps don’t look to have any text on them I wonder if people receiving them will get the message if they are not familiar with the campaign? Especially if you are receiving just one stamp of the set, it has no context.
I think the different values should make people uncomfortable, that is the whole point. But again, receiving one of these stamps with no context, the message is missing.
That the darkest stamp is the lowest value, is the thing I remembered. I watched twice to understand it. Yes, the stamp are there to raise awareness of racism because of skin colour, good intentions, though I´m not sure if it will work like correos had wished.
In my opinion, all stamps should have a equal value like humans have equal rights.
I saw the video and I can say that it felt a bit weird to me. If they wanted to show they are against discrimination, then why not all stamps cost the same? I think the message for equality, would have passed better
We discussed about this in a group of spanish postcrossers this morning, and while we agree that the initiative has good intentions, we believe that the execution is completely wrong.
For me personally, I think that the stamps should have something more about them in order to clarify the point and the intent of the campaign; if a person only sees the stamp, with no context, it tells nothing. If you need to rely on the video so that people understand the message, that’s no bueno. Primarily, because the stamp should speak completely by itself, because no one is going to go search for the video to understand it. Moreover when there’s no reference to the video or the campaign in the stamp. Given all the resources that we have nowadays, they could have used something like a QR code so you can inform yourself about this issue!
It’s a good thing that Correos España wants to be positioned about this matter, but they could have done it a million different ways. The way this campaign is designed, sends the complete opposite message they intent to deliver.
I’m with all the above comments about having all stamps of equal value.
I feel that more often than not, trying too hard to highlight to people that there shouldn’t be differences actually places more emphasis on the differences instead. People might not have paid much attention to racial differences, but with a campaign like this it seems to bring more attention to people that these differences exist.
Topics like these should be carefully treaded, but unfortunately in this case I think the execution was really not the best way to go forth.
It would have been a better idea perhaps if the 4 colors were on the same stamp.
No letter is going to be sent with all 4 stamps and I doubt anyone in the world will understand what they stand for.
My first thought when I saw them was: “Why is the Spanish postal service issuing pantone swatches on stamps?”
I’m starting to think that making people uncomfortable was indeed the whole point of the campaign — not just bringing awareness to the issue, but making one feel conflicted and distressed when using the stamps. And judging by all our reactions, I think they might have made a better job of it than we would like to admit.
Because in the end, I’m not sure we would be talking about these stamps at all if the values were all equal, as we feel would be right. I think we would probably think “This is a nice idea”… and then forget about them. But if we feel something (even if that feeling isn’t a very happy one), we’re more likely to remember them.
The message might not be clear to the recipients who will maybe receive just a single stamp, without context… but to the sender who buys them in a set, it is loud and clear… and bitter.
this yes. i guess the thought behind it was good, but the execution is pretty bad. and like people have said, if one would receive only one stamp it wouldn’t make any sense. there are so many wonderful ideas to show equality, this is not one of them.
Maybe, but Postcrossers are not the majority of people concerning stamps. Postcrossers (and of course philatelists) are more informed about upcoming stamp releases. We often buy a variety of stamps to match them with our recipients, while the vast majority just buy the stamp they first got offered at their local post office, which most often are definitive stamps.
May I disagree a bit? As mentioned before, postcrossers and philatelists are more informed on stamps and honestly, if it hadn’t been for the video, nobody would have understood that the stamps are issued to promote equality. Not even us postcrossers. And the Postal Services of a country are not just for us. Do you think/believe that anybody else will pay any kind of attention? For me, I don’t think. It would have been better if they issued a “No to racism” or “stop discrimination” or something like that,stamp. A message would have had a better impact.
The Spanish equality stamp concept is definitely unique, but like some of us have said, it’s so complicated that it needs its own promotional video to explain what it’s about (in English?). The United Nations issued its Anti-Racism stamps this year, as well, but the message is much more obvious. It’s hard to say which concept is more effective.
I just found out now through your thread, I am shocked and I disagree with this campaign It looks like a campaign for social inequality. I at least will not use them. I always try to put stamps on postcards that are not for the propaganda of certain groups or opinions.
For a visual effect all 4 stamps should be on one shipment. I guess that will be overpaid. But it certainly will take place first day of issue (either all at same time or when last is released). This is a philaletic collectors thing. What is needed to make sence? That will only come to surface if the cansellation contains word(s) of event or intent. Philaletic object will be in a “vignet” (FDC). If not the stamps seems to be a “blow in the dark”.
But the stamps don’t have to be bought in a set eh? And I will bet you that the sales of the individual stamps will likely replicate the inequality Correos is trying to stop.
It’s one thing to talk about the campaign with the video - that has some positive impact on the issue, but the use of these stamps will mostly be without any context & so I think they missed a huge opportunity to make a bigger impact for ending racial discrimination & injustice with some new stamps.
I also think they could have used a clearer image - like an outline of a person or their head with those colours - my first thought was also, “why are they putting pantones on stamps?”
Given that stamps are a small canvas, the image needs to be clear, not ambiguous or not understandable. I also think campaigns that put forward solutions to racial inequity are a stronger bet when working with such a small visual space.
Probably this was their intention, but I think it’s not good to use this feeling to make people remember this equality campaign.
At least, a side band to each stamp with explaination of the meaning would have been needed, without rely only on the video, that people not strictly interested to stamps may have not seen.
It would have been better to make equal value stamps, each with a low value, studied to require to put all the set to send a letter (or more sets for heavier and abroad shipments), perhaps giving each stamp a shape that has to be combined with the others to make a unique figure.
Without the campaign to go with it, I guess the message of these stamps may be hard to understand - especialyy as you will rarely receive (or buy - unconscious of the idea behind them) all four of them, but most likely only one…
However, I very much doubt that anybody would interpret them the other way round - thinking “Yeah, right, a white person is certainly worth more than 2 blacks!” Because the stamp for “white” skin colour is actually not white, but pink - a colour white supremacists won’t readily identify with…
It looks like a campaign for social inequality. I at least will not use them. I always try to put stamps on postcards that are not for the propaganda of certain groups or opinions.
