Umm did I miss something? Racist???? WT?

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:23 pm

A KFC ad in Australia has led some on the Internet to accuse the company of being racially insensitive.

The ad, part of the company's "Cricket Survival Guide" promotional series, features a young white Australian at a cricket match sitting in a sea of dark-skinned fans loudly cheering, presumably for the opposition. The Australian, known as Mick in the ads, remarks, "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?"

He then shares a big bucket of KFC with them, which seems to help matters. He ends by telling the camera approvingly, "Too easy."

The ad, which has been viewed over 200,000 times on YouTube and generated over 2,000 comments, is presented on that site with the leading title "Racist KFC Advertisement?" For what it's worth, the ad's title on KFC's website is "How to Silence a Noisy Crowd."

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."

Meanwhile Buzzfeed's Jack Shephard, who decided to drop the question mark and title his post "KFC's Racist Cricket Ad," introduces the video by saying, "What's a white guy to do when he awkwardly finds himself in a crowd full of black folks? KFC has the answer."

Is there a cultural context here that Americans are missing? One user writes on YouTube:

Americans might think this is racist because black people eating fried chicken is a stereotype that exists in their country. This ad was shown during cricket matches between Australia and the West Indies. If England had been playing at the time, the ad would have shown the bloke feeding chicken to the Barmy Army to make them sit down and shut up. There's no racism intended or perceived in Australia. The complaints I've seen have come from Americans guilty about they treat people in their country

What do you think? Is the ad offensive, or is this a case of overreaction?

UPDATE: 01/06: KFC issued the following statement Wednesday: "KFC Australia is removing the television advertisement that was being run in conjunction with the Australian cricket season. We apologize for any misinterpretation of the ad as it was not meant to offend anyone."

KFC's Racist Ad? (VIDEO) Australian Advert Accused Of Being Offensive

I don't get it???????:-5:-5:-5:-5:-5:-5

They're Black? I thought they were West Indian?????

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:25 pm

Perhaps they didn't notice the white people amongst the crowd ??? !!!!

What's the matter with people ????? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:32 pm

Hell I'd shut up if someone offered me a piece of KFC at the cricket. :yh_rotfl

Post by **LarsMac** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:50 pm

So, I am curious. Any Aussies get their shorts in a twist over the add?

Any West Indies folks? (West Indians?)

Some folks got too much time on their hands, if you ask me?

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:55 pm

Not that I know about . Cricket commercials have always had a mix of humour in them. It's Cricket . There's always been commercials where the rivals put each other down. I'ts not racist it's just rivalry . I guess you have to go a Test cricket match to understand.

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:09 pm

Compare the series of commercials.

YouTube - Muttiah 'Murali' Muralitharan - KFC commercial

YouTube - KFC Cricket Ad - Clarke Has A Go At The Umpire

YouTube - KFC Cricket Ad - Roy Ate Punter's Filler

bloody funny

Post by **LarsMac** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:16 pm

Yeah, I was looking at some of the series.

Can't say I know squat about Cricket, but I can get the point of the ads.

Like I said. some folks got too much time on their hands. They oughta get a hobby or sumpin.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:19 pm

Now if they had used watermelon instead of KFC, hmmm:wah:

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:24 am

watermelon????

I assume there's some stereotype being picked up on here, but as a Brit, it completely passes me by.

Thinking about that, is that what has happened in this case? In Australian culture, that crowd thing isn't seen as racist, but in the USA it is? Is the advert being shown internationally? Yes, I suppose Sky means it is.

It's all a bit silly, but I suppose I can see ways it might cause trouble. I've long thought we'll be over racism when we CAN make jokes about racial difference and it's just an amusing comment about difference without being insulting or demeaning. Long way to go yet.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:18 am

so is this racist or just very funny?

YouTube - Stephen K Amos Live At The Apollo - Part 2

Post by **spot** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:09 am

The BBC comments on the KFC advert today:The fast food chain's head office in America said it was withdrawing the advertisement, and apologised for what it called "any misrepresentation" which might have caused offence. It is the second time in three months that something broadcast in Australia has caused a racial stir in America.

The last flare-up was over an entertainment show on the Australian network Channel Nine in which a group of singers appeared with blacked-up faces to impersonate the Jackson Five.

BBC News - KFC advertisement in Australia sparks race row

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 5:18 am

gmc;1280244 wrote: so is this racist or just very funny?

YouTube - Stephen K Amos Live At The Apollo - Part 2

Very funny.

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 2:26 pm

COON - Dairy Farmers

COON is the trademark of a Cheddar cheese produced by the Dairy Farmers company in Australia. It was first launched in 1931 by Fred Walker.[1]

The cheese is said to be named after its American creator Edward Coon who patented a method,[2] subsequently known as the Cooning process, for fast maturation of cheese via high temperature and humidity.[1] Former manufacturer Kraft, and later Dairy Farmers, have vigorously defended the trademark.

The accuracy of Dairy Farmers' account of the origin of the brand has been challenged. Anti-racism campaigner Stephen Hagan has said that he has been unable to find evidence that Edward Coon was a famous cheese maker, contending that the name came instead from the black wraparound in which it was originally sold.[3] Hagan says that Edward Coon was an obscure factory hand who was induced to subscribe his name to the patent for cheese manufacture some time after the brand had been in use.[4]

From 1933 the cheese was marketed as Red Coon, as at the time the cheese was coated with red wax. The wax was later replaced with cellophane and the red stripe in the logo is a residual reference to the original packaging

Wikipedia

So as you can see Coon Cheese is named after a white man.

GMC that was very funny ..............very very funny:yh_rotfl

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 2:35 pm

I saw the ad. It's the rivalry between two countries of good cricketers. Nothing to do with race or colour, for heaven's sake!!! Like one Man United fan suddenly finding himself among a bunch of Arsenal supporters... GEESCH. I didn't notice the colour thing till you lot pointed it out...

As fer Coon cheese, wtf? I grew up on it and before American soapies swamped our language, "coon" just meant the cheese here.

This is what I meant the other day about pc going totally mad. Looking for problems where there aren;t any because we're terrified of causing possible offence to a redhaired lesbo anteater in upper Iceland. Like the shopping center in a predominantly Muslim area here which banned Christmas decorations without consulting the locals who were all intending to celebrate Aussie Chrissie in the usual non religious, folk acceptable local way.... Santa, Chrissie trees and fake snow.

Fuzzy - it's bloody hot here today. Let's go to the beach!!!! I won't mention working on our tan - as that could be culturally insensitive...

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 2:45 pm

Do you know that I was called a racist because I don't want to get a tan, I like the look of my fair skin. Seriously I was called a racist..........I'm thinking ..No, I just don't want the white Tshirt look or cancer.

It is hot though, we've only got around 35 - 38 today but tommorow will be in the forties.

perusing the Web I found this

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but can nicknames ever hurt me? It's a debate which has raged for years in the Queensland town of Toowoomba over the name of a grandstand at the city sports ground. The stand was named after ES 'Nigger' Brown, a famous footballer and city councillor from the 1920s who acquired the ironic moniker as a result of his fair complexion. But when writer and academic Stephen Hagan took his family to watch a rugby match, he was shocked by the 'n-word' and set out to have it removed. The campaign, which took him to the High Court and the United Nations and, finally, the redevelopment of the sports ground, brought him victory. Many locals still argue that taking offence at a nickname is political correctness gone mad. Yet the campaign continues: Mr Hagan is questioning the makers of Coon cheese about the origin of the brand name.

I mean it's like calling a black man 'snowy' , or a redhead 'bluey'. Sadly, I fear we are seeing the decline of a culture,. It's not like we have much of a culture but the little there is we need to keep......... JMO

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:22 pm

I was very pleased to see, Fuzzy, when street names etc were all changed to fit some nondescript PC criterion to avoid all possible offence potention - 'Black Sally Lane' remained on the road between Canberra and the South Coast. I have no idea who Black Sally was, but I salute her, respectfully, every time I drive past. Onya Sal !!!!

Off now to beach...

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:45 pm

Dave Bishop sings a song called 'black sally lane'. I think he's a Canberrian, could be the came place you're talking about.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 8:34 pm

That would be just too much of a coincidence, Fuzz. I'll check it out!!! Thanks!!!

Personally, it seems odd to me that 'black' should have nasty connotations. It's been used nastily at times for sure, but so have other colours.

We're just colourful, yellow bellied, white feathered, silver tongued, red blooded, pinko, greenie, rainbow hugging, black hearted, true blue, scarlet woman type golden girsl.