This ad is causing a bit of a stir here in Oz and on the webitubes. Racist? Meh. Stupid? Definitely.
UPDATE: KFC have withdrawn the advertisement — Personally I think cultural differences between the US and Oz are to blame here and that the producers of the ad didn’t intend a racist subtext, if one actually exists.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is most definitely well versed in if not consumed by the history of the southern U.S. I just needed to point that out.
That being said, I think people need to lighten the fuck up.
KFC ran a fantastic series of racist commercials starring MC Hammer in the late 80s to early 90s, culminating in a pink-clad Hammer dancing and singing about chicken with his back-up singers in bright green suits all around him while in front of a white background: Black men dancing and singing about chicken while dressed like a watermelon! No one ever remembers this, but I still consider it one of the most overtly racist things I’ve ever seen.
To date, I’ve never seen the original ad on YouTube, but here’s a similar ad which shows the “colorful” suits worn by Hammer and his “half circle” of friends:
(the suits show up much brighter against the white background)
In case you thought there could be benign interpretations of these ads, here’s Paul Mooney laying into Hammer for it:
This is part of a series of ad’s based around getting to watch cricket. It has various situations (one at home with white friends who will not shut up during the telecast). The West Indies cricket team has (since I was born at least) come to Australia (or we go there) every couple of years and they are here now.
I have seen and heard the African-American chicken myth/partial fact/thing, partly from African-American comics, but I do not think this has anything to do with it.
By the way did you know white people seem to like fried chicken too?
I agree…this would be racist IF it was the United States. Not every country has OUR stereotypes or traditions. West Indies is not “African American”. The “blacks like fried chicken” thing is from the southern United States about African Americans. This wasn’t made for or played in America. I think people are just going over board applying OUR cultural f**k up to the rest of the world. Again, Americans being stupid and assuming EVERYONE and EVERYTHING is about us and could ONLY possibly exist in relation to US…couldn’t be something entirely different outside our culture…NO.
If I show a white person eating vanilla ice cream is that “racist?”
If a week later I show a black person eating chocolate ice cream is that racist?
Then if I show the two together with a question mark, is that racist?
Would it be any different if the ice cream were switched?
Would the question have any meaning at all if racism didn’t exist?
If racism exists, can the question of its applicability be far removed?
I like the subtlety of racism. My favorite: all blacks have huge schwantzenplungers. It gives the well hung blacks something to be overbearing about and the average and lesser hung blacks something to feel inadequate about. Don’t we all scream for ice cream?
Heh, heh. Silly Hoomans.
Yeah, it’s racist stereotyping. Some white people do have rhythm.
Obama loves fried chicken and watermelon. So do I. And I’m Italian. So what? Oh. Obama also loves Muslims. I don’t. So who is the racist? Me? Guess so.
From the article:
On Mediabistro, Kiran Aditham writes of the ad, “Here, a flustered white guy gets out of an “awkward situation” – which in this case appears to mean being stuck in a crowd of happy, cheering black people at a sporting event – by ordering in fried chicken.”
More like stuck in a crowd of happy cheering black people while wearing the other team’s colors!
Well that’s it then. Blacks throughout the world should be told not to eat fried chicken because it fosters racial stereotyping.
RBG
Listen closely to the very end of the advert, the background music sounds like the last two words are:
“bad taste”
Anyone else hear that as well?
#29 – it is “cant beat that taste” – the slogan used in Australia by KFC.
This fiasco has highlighted a very significant problem of ignorance.
It is amazing that in this day and age a group could be so culturally insensitive.
The group I am referring to is of course some American people who think this is about them and specifically African American people.
This is not about you – it is about a cricket supporter from one team (Australia)being caught in the middle of a group of supporters from another team (West Indies). Australia and the West Indies are about to play each other in an upcoming series. It may be stereo typical but Australian Cricket supporters are shown as white. The Caribbean team’s supporters are not. You might have also noticed they wear different coloured clothes too. They are sporting fans. And indeed it has nothing to do with race (unless you are looking desperately for something to take offence to) – it is about a supporter from one team being caught amongst a group from the ‘opposition’ and making friends with a food offering.
So people taking office it is not about you.
I referred to the culturally insensitive nature of the debate surrounding this matter. And that some in the US are offended by something that was generated for local consumption in Australia. What a lot commentators in the US must realise is that many things coming from your country could be considered offensive to other countries. We in other countries try to be culturally aware enough to understand that societies are different and you cannot always interpret things as you would do on a local basis. We dont howl down everything in the US. Well at least not all of us do.
We understand the differences between the US and us. Please do the same in return.
LDA said:
By the way did you know white people seem to like fried chicken too?
Since the vast majority of the Australian population is of Anglo Saxon heritage, they by default, are the majority of customers for KFC in Australia.
The Abos certainly couldn’t afford to buy any.
I’m amazed by the reaction to this.
An Australian cricket team supporter is sitting amongst West Indian cricket team supporter and guess what, they are black as are the majority of people in the West Indies.
I find the need to condemn this kind of ad is in itself racist.People of a dark skin colour can laugh too.
See the difference is that Australia doesn’t have a history of being the worst slave owning and abusing nation in the history of the world, whereas the US does. Making this commercial a normal person would not see the racial issues, but an American with all the weight of their hate-filled history and some slightly hidden racist ideologies would see it immediately.
Pretty funny video imo. I always have a good laugh when it comes to people, whether they are black or pink. Some people will do anything for chicken and apparently blacks do. FUNNY.
Oh, and those Terry Pryler or whatever his name is, black shows on TBS…fcking stupidest shows you will ever see of black people aside from talk shows. You really have to check them out just to see your jaw drop; not because they are funny mind you…but self degrading, plain stupid, and all that is to be of black people…I would assume.
If those shows don’t get you worked up like it did me, and I’m Asian, then you’re a small dck-less ahole for getting upset over this ad
Southern.
Fried.
Chicken.
The commercial and the chicken are fine. The people that are in it are fine. The people that are offended need help.
racist? No… helluva good idea though. Instead of carrying a gun on my next trip through compton, Ill just hit the KFC for a few buckets…
No, it’s not at all racist to suggest a bunch of black people create an “awkward situation” for the poor white guy –
– or that it is “too easy” to placate this crowd with this food…
Idiots.
Proof positive that racism is in the eye of the beholder