ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A Facebook ad for a St. Johns County lawn care company is drawing backlash online, with some accusing the business of racial stereotyping after it promoted a $99 “Patel’s Special” featuring an AI-generated Indian family dressed in traditional clothing.
Manisha Pardee was born in India.
She said the ad felt offensive and reduced Indian culture to a marketing gimmick.
“To me, the ad is not funny at all. It’s very hurtful,” Pardee said.
She said seeing a family dressed in Diwali attire used to sell lawn services was especially upsetting.
“This is a lawn service. The Indian family is dressed in beautiful Diwali clothing, which is our New Year’s. It’s a celebratory outfit... for a lawn service,” Pardee said.
For her, the campaign also taps into stereotypes Indian-Americans have faced for years.
“It stems back to even TV shows — the Indian 7/11 guy on The Simpsons. I get asked a lot, does your dad work at 7/11? Or, do you own a Patel Motel? That’s not funny to me,” she said.
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Many online commenters expressed similar concerns, prompting Action News Jax to track down the man behind the campaign, Liquid Lawn CEO Rick Wallace.
When asked whether he was Indian, Wallace replied: “No, it doesn’t look like it, does it? I’m not Indian.”
Wallace said the idea for the campaign came from his Indian marketing director.
“My marketing director is Indian, and it was his idea. And you can see his name,” Wallace said, showing us the full ad.
He insisted the campaign was centered around value, not mockery.
“Patels don’t chase cheap. They look for value. This is a great deal,” Wallace said.
Wallace also said he admires Indian culture.
“They’re the smartest, most hardworking people. That’s why I employ five of them in key roles in our company,” he said.
Even amid mounting criticism, Wallace defended the ad.
“One third of the people who respond and sign up for this offer are Indian. They’re not the ones taking offense to this,” Wallace said, adding, “It’s mainly white people who are offended on their behalf.”
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Pardee pushed back on that claim.
“It makes me feel really hurt. I’m so proud of being Indian,” she said.
When asked whether he would apologize, Wallace said no.
“No, because the thing is, I respect that culture,” Wallace said.
Wallace told Action News Jax the campaign was created by his Indian marketing director, who lives in India.
What Wallace describes as respect, some others in the community still see as disrespect.
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