KFC accused of racism over Australian advertisement

[Violet_Crumble]

Source: The Guardian

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.



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

[bigworld]

1. I'm the first to bash KFC

but in the circumstances I don't see this as racist. From what I understand, this was shown during an Australia v. West Indies cricket game. Insensitive to American views on racism and fried chicken? yes. But apparently other countries don't have the same weird blacks-love-fried-chicken thing as we do. Of course black people love fried chicken... everybody loves fried chicken.

[struggle4progress]

2. Curious that they didn't show a poor isolated Afro-Caribbean handing out fried chicken to appease

a surrounding mob of noisy Ozzies

[Nihil]

6. Maybe Aussies wouldn't quieten down for Kentucky Fried Wombat ...

... but it has probably sown the seed for a Foster's ad campaign ...
:evilgrin:

[depakid]

8. Foster's is primarily for export

Like Yellowtail.

;-)

[petronius]

10. Perhaps they would have it had been the Caribbean branch of KFC,

but this ad was aimed at Australians. It makes a lot more sense for the target of the ad to be the hero of the spot.

I don't see anything wrong with this based on the description - opposing sports fans are frequently the boogeyman - unless there's something specifically racist and not mentioned here about how the crowd is depicted...

[Tutankhamun]

3. Antipodean=places diametrically opposed each other on the globe.

Courtesy of Dictionary.com (I had to look it up.)

Since this was intended for an audience unaware of American stereotypes about chicken, people need to chill.

[SpiralHawk]

7. But what about American sterotypes about republicon chickenhawks?

[Randall Flagg]

11. Thank you.

You saved me from having to Google it as well.

[Tutankhamun]

12. Glad to help! I figured people would wonder just as I did. It's not exactly a common word.

Imagine trying to work that one into a conversation!

[WriteDown]

4. I wish someone would hand me free Colonel. nt

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. you guys should see KFC advertising in the Caribbean and Africa

If they ran the same ads in the US somebody would have to make a tearful apology on TV and go to rehab, yet they don't seem to offend anyone there.

[jberryhill]

9. Or ads for "skin lightening cream" in India /nt