Is this Ad racist?

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deception

deception

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/06/kfc-advertisement-accused-of-racism



The Australian arm of the fast-food chain KFC has been accused of racial insensitivity over a television commercial showing an outnumbered white cricket fan handing out pieces of fried chicken to appease a dancing, drumming and singing group of black West Indian supporters.

Aired as part of a series called "KFC's cricket survival guide", the 30-second clip depicts an uncomfortable looking man named Mick wearing a green and yellow Australian cricket shirt, surrounded on all sides in a cricket stand by high spirited Caribbean fans.

"Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" Mick asks. He then passes round a bucket of KFC chicken, the drumming stops and he remarks: "Too easy."

Although intended only for an Antipodean audience, the clip has quickly found its way around the world on the internet, prompting stinging criticism in the US where fried chicken remains closely associated with age-old racist stereotypes about black people in the once segregated south.

A writer at one US newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, questioned whether the ad was a spoof, remarking: "If it is a genuine KFC advertisement, it could be seen as racially insensitive."

Another on-line commentator, Jack Shepherd of BuzzFeed, asks: "What's a white guy to do when he finds himself in a crowd full of black folks? KFC has the answer."

KFC Australia has come out fighting, saying that the commercial was a "light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team" that had been "misinterpreted by a segment of people in the US."

The company said: "The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism.

"We unequivocally condemn discrimination of any type and have a proud history as one of the world's leading employers for diversity."

In the Australian media, the reaction has been mixed, with some commentators accusing Americans of "insularity". Brendon O'Connor, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told 9 Network News that the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly US issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries."

The flare-up comes three months after another racial controversy between Australia and the US in which the American singer Harry Connick Jr, appearing as a judge on an Australian television talent show, reacted strongly to a skit in which a group of singers appeared with blacked up faces to emulate the Jackson Five.

On the show, called "Hey, Hey It's Saturday", Connick gave the group zero points and demanded an apology from the broadcaster, remarking: "If they turned up looking like that in the United States, it would be like 'hey, hey, there's no more show'."
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I don't know enough about Australian culture to say, but for sure it's racist if it were aired here. Certainly a bad stereotype.
 
DaRizzle said:
except for you....just the 2x2 foot space that deception inhabits in canada:cheers:
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why are u obsessed with me? u need to quit me and move on. in fact, i really dont know why u feel inclined to reply randomly to my posts with nothing substantive to offer the thread. i hope the mods review your trolling and your general disregard for the rules and regulations of the forum.
 
deception said:
why are u obsessed with me? u need to quit me and move on. in fact, i really dont know why u feel inclined to reply randomly to my posts with nothing substantive to offer the thread. i hope the mods review your trolling and your general disregard for the rules and regulations of the forum.
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i love you too
 
No it isn't.

Most black people love chicken. I don't see anything wrong with it.
 
Oh i love when ma mam cock us a chicken with many different ways , Oh good god
 
You must not know how much black people like chicken, then.
 
Wow.

Impressive.

Teach me to like chicken that much?
 
Its hard to call that ad racist, because the camera doesn't pull back far enough to make that judgement.

1. The camera should have pulled back showing that the guy is stuck in the middle of a big cultural dance and he doesn't fit in. Then the ad would makes more sense.

2. Is it a winning team celebrating in a soccer match and he is the lone guy for the other team in the crowd? Then the ad would make more sense.

I'm judging this ad is incomplete and the catch phrase doesn't really have a meaning to me. What is the guy awkward with? Not wearing the right outfit for the situation? I'm confused.
 
Nate Dogg said:
Its hard to call that ad racist, because the camera doesn't pull back far enough to make that judgement.

1. The camera should have pulled back showing that the guy is stuck in the middle of a big cultural dance and he doesn't fit in. Then the ad would makes more sense.

2. Is it a winning team celebrating in a soccer match and he is the lone guy for the other team in the crowd? Then the ad would make more sense.

I'm judging this ad is incomplete and the catch phrase doesn't really have a meaning to me. What is the guy awkward with? Not wearing the right outfit for the situation? I'm confused.
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It is for a cricket advertisement.

Australia are playing West Indies in cricket and KFC Sponsor the event.

The white dude (Australian) is sitting in the opponent's section (West Indies, predominantly black population) and feels awkward because he is around a bunch of fans of the other team and they seem to be celebrating a win or whatever. Like Dub said before, if Burger King was the sponsor of the game/tournament, he would probably be giving them a tray of burgers, not fried chicken.

Also, Dub said that the whole black people and chicken stereotype is an American thing and that racist part of the ad wouldn't translate to the Australian audience. Additionally, I do think that the white guy is feeling awkward because he's sitting around a bunch of black people, but that doesn't make it racist.

Even with this argument, I still think they're implying that black people like chicken! Haha.
 
Black people like fried chicken, it's a sterotype..it's also true, who cares? People need to quit being so sensitive. If it was a black man in a sea of rednecks and he passed out a case of Bud, I would find that just as hilarious.
 
If it was an Aussie company, maybe they get a pass. KFC shouldn't. They know better.
 
speeds said:
If it was an Aussie company, maybe they get a pass. KFC shouldn't. They know better.
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most race relations scholars consider australia the most racist western society. historically, u can point to the "stolen generation" where 60, 000 children were taken from their homes and put under the care of some dodgy ppl. abuse: sexual, physical and mental have all been well documented in many cases with this kids. also, there was the treatment of chinese coal miners many years ago. recently, there have been race riots between bigoted white kids and angry lebanese ones. moreover, there was an embarrassing incident where a boat load of afghani's fleeing after the 2001 invasion of their country were denied refuge by australia- that move received international condemnation from the world community, george bush included- who was one of the most vociferous in expressing his disgust.
 
It's racist cause the guy in the commercial is so smug about what he just did. You can see it in his eyes he's thinking "yeah, black people love chicken. Everyone knows it"
 
deception said:
most race relations scholars consider australia the most racist western society. historically, u can point to the "stolen generation" where 60, 000 children were taken from their homes and put under the care of some dodgy ppl. abuse: sexual, physical and mental have all been well documented in many cases with this kids. also, there was the treatment of chinese coal miners many years ago. recently, there have been race riots between bigoted white kids and angry lebanese ones. moreover, there was an embarrassing incident where a boat load of afghani's fleeing after the 2001 invasion of their country were denied refuge by australia- that move received international condemnation from the world community, george bush included- who was one of the most vociferous in expressing his disgust.
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Well my contention was that if the blacks & fried chicken stereotype doesn't exist in Australia, or at least is generally unknown, then an Aussie company could make the mistake unwittingly. KFC (of all companies) shouldn't.
 
Chocolove said:
It's racist cause the guy in the commercial is so smug about what he just did. You can see it in his eyes he's thinking "yeah, black people love chicken. Everyone knows it"
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Not sure if this was supposed to be funny, but I lol'd.
 
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