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The Kentucky Fried Chicken ad that showed blacks as extremely loud and unruly, who shut down on eating fried chicken had caused anguish among African-Americans.
The ad, featuring a white Australian cricket fan offering fried chicken to West Indies supporters, has been pulled from the air in Australia.
"KFC Australia is removing the television advertisement that was being run in conjunction with the Australian cricket season," the chicken fast food giant announced today.
Ahmar Mustikhan
Washington, District Of Columbia, United States
Barbara McPherson
Nanaimo, Canada
stejeb
United Kingdom
Susan Marie Kovalinsky
Ledgewood, New Jersey, United States
Jordan Yerman
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 07:16 on January 8th, 2010
I know the whole "fried chicken" stereotype isn't the same in Australia, but how could KFC not realize that no ad is local, and it could hurt them abroad?
This just keeps happening. If any of our readers wants a career in advertising, it looks like you could just walk into it off the couch. Let us know how it goes!
at 08:29 on January 8th, 2010
I don't find this ad as being racist. First of all, many blacks are fans of and love fried chicken, (as do I and I'm white) therefore the probable reason for targeting blacks (as well as non-blacks as shown by the centralized white guy) in this particular ad. Similarly as other groups are targeted in all sorts of advertising for all sorts of reasons, mainly... these are the desired customer groups as well as their actual audience and customer base. The people in this add all appear happy in celebrating, as they would normally in keeping with the culture and stopping to feast on the chicken and are not portrayed in any degrading or racist manner.
I also don't think this ad should be viewed as portraying blacks as being "loud or dumb," especially since the ad portrays a pretty smart cultural festival similar to Junkanoo, celebrated in the Bahamas as an expression of freedom and is supposed to be loud. I've participated in these Junkanoos myself, does that make me (a white man) a loud, dumb, fried food fan? Pepsi produces a fruit-flavored soda named "Junkanoo." Could this also be considered racist?
What if it weren't KFC and instead, some homegrown Bahamian restaurant advertising and catering to customers with some other cultural favorites such as peas, rice and guava dove or bone-fish stew? How about Austrailian native cuisines like 'bush tucker'? Would these also be considered racist?
What if the ad portrayed multi-ethnic children jumping up and down screaming and playing games at a birthday party when the cake and other goodies were served and they were suddenly "shut-down" upon receiving the treats. Wouldn't that make all children loud, dumb and birthday fans?
Lets get real for once and stop being so full of unpolitical incorrectness. This is really overboard in my opinion.
at 08:40 on January 8th, 2010
Considering the behaviour of your average Aussie - loud, generally drunk, racist and violent - I don't think the Aussies have much high ground to occupy. Aussies tend to be the feral English speakers, far less sophisticated than other English-speaking nations.
at 14:48 on January 8th, 2010
"Need a tip when you are stuck in an awkward situation/"
That is how the ad starts. Racist innuendo in my judgement. The "white" guy is surrounded by dancing "dark" West Indians.
The clip quickly switches to mundane fried chicken advertising.
Ambiguous perhaps - but the word ambiguous means isomething is capable of more than one meaning. Maybe not racist in Australia as one of the other video commentators notes, but arguably offensive.
Interesting story. KFC did the politically correct thing yanking the ad.