Send Feedback
 

JUST CURIOUS: DeLexus Hennessey, At Your Service

Written by Nazneen Patel on August 25, 2009 4:17 pm

Have you heard the news? If you’ve got any plans to drive down Desolation Row, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan might help guide your way. Dylan is set to voice a GPS system and companies are currently bidding to be his host.

Naturally, this got us thinking about similarly unmistakable black voices of yore, and what it might be like to have them telling you to turn left: voices like Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, James Earl Jones and….. DeLexus Hennessy.

picture-4
Yes, you read right. In an inexplicable campaign by Garmin, leading manufacturer of in-car navigation systems, a custom character has been created to lead you to your destination. DeLexus is just your average “loveable ghetto fabulous street queen,” who promises you sass, street smarts and terrible enunciation, ie “Turn lef’”.

I can’t begin to imagine the amount of sheer, unbridled, astronomical stupidity it requires to come up with something quite this idiotic and distasteful. This, too, from an otherwise well-known, nearly household name, Garmin. But, alas… This is America, land of opportunity.

CLICK HERE to play the sample. Try to contain your rage as she opens with, “Wasssuuuppppp??!!! You clicked on me?!”

If you like this product, you’re in luck: it also comes in a spicy Latin flavor.

What do you think?

Tags: Black Women, just curious, Racism, Stereotypes
Recommend to friends!
  • BlackPlanet
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • email

News One Links

 
  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Complex_Crazy_Beauty/ Complex_Crazy_Beauty

    AHAHAAAAA!! “WASSUP! TURN LEF :)” TOO FUNNY!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/blacktino007/ blacktino007

    ahhh nazneen we have missed you LOL …. As i listened to Delexus a small part of me died…from laughter! good find lol

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/MsHennessey/ MsHennessey

    Hi Nazneen,

    Thanks for the ink on my GPS voice. Thought I’d point out a few issues I have with this. Firstly, my voice is being put out for GPS systems by an independent company called NavTones, not Garmin. This is pretty obvious from the website, but I realize that it helps you sell your story by pinning what you deem to be an offensive product on a “nearly household name” such as Garmin.

    Secondly, I take issue with the presumption of racism as evidenced by your tone and the tags associated with this story. What’s racist? Have you heard the product? Do you think that I, as a black woman, would sit down in a booth and read off a bunch of racial epithets for the sake of a check? Or do you take issue with the existence of such a product as a whole? Even if you think I would sell out myself and my heritage, is that racism or reality?

    Look at the comments here. It’s a funny product and I’m glad the readership at large agrees that racial is not always racist. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.

    -MsHennessey

    P.S. I tried to register under ‘DeLexus’ but it said “DeLexus is unavailable. Please try DeLexus2.” That made me LOL.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/SmokeSygnal/ SmokeSygnal

    And DeLexus Hennessey is famous for…?

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/PiMpInShAwTy_08/ PiMpInShAwTy_08

    lol i love it! it’d be a lot more fun using GPS with a voice like this. that monotone white lady voice gets boring after a while. maybe DeLexus could actually warn me ahead of time that i need to “turn lef” instead of tellin me to “make a u-turn” because she told me too “turn left” a little too late

blog comments powered by Disqus
?>