Australian KFC Ad called Racist by American commentators

[Dave]

Australian KFC ad labelled racist by U.S. commentators

AN ad by KFC Australia showing a man giving fried chicken to West Indies fans has been labelled racist in the United States.

In the ad titled "cricket survival guide", an Australian fan named Mick asks viewers "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" as he is surrounded by cheering West Indies fans.

He then shares a bucket of KFC chicken with those around him to calm the situation.

The video caused a huge stir in the States after it was posted on YouTube.

It was seen by some as a reference to a racial stereotype that African Americans eat fried chicken.

A user called "ThunderCurls" posted the ad on the video-sharing website with the title "Racist KFC advertisement?"

The description states "How do you survive a crowd of "awkward" black people? According to KFC's latest advertisement a bucket of fried chicken will do the trick."

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The video caused a lot of debate, attracting more than 200,000 views and 2900 comments.

KFC Australia acknowledged that the ad could be perceived as racist. It said the ad had been "misinterpreted by a segment of people in the U.S." in a statement.

"It is a light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team," KFC said.

"The ad was reproduced online in the U.S. 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."

Media commentary sites in the U.S. blasted the ad, claiming that it supported stereotypes, according to The Huffington Post.

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."

Buzzfeed's Jack Shephard introduced 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."

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is the ad racist or is the reading of the ad racist? what do you think?

 

[j funk]

I thought they ate eachother.

I read this week of accusions that the film 'Avatar' was racist.

 

[Emotional Guide Dog]

Erm...

WHAT?!!!

 

[M-in-Oz]

I just knew this would be posted here somehow.

 

[Dave]

I just knew this would be posted here somehow.

I told you guys the other day to post more.

 

[M-in-Oz]

I told you guys the other day to post more.

I must have missed that. Who did you tell, Australians? Or others in general?

 

[Dave]

I must have missed that. Who did you tell, Australians? Or others in general?

Pigsty fans, specifically and everyone at the site in general. I didn't post it to put down Australians or anyone. I just thought it would generate some opinions.

 

[M-in-Oz]

Well, I will say that I was surprised at how the ad could also be interpreted as racist, as I didn't see it as anything other than an annoying ad - one that referenced the West Indian cricket team.

 

[Dave]

Well, I will say that I was surprised at how the ad could also be interpreted as racist, as I didn't see it as anything other than an annoying ad - one that referenced the West Indian cricket team.

Well, it looks racist to Americans, but that was why I asked the question, "is the ad racist or is the reading of the ad racist?" What I mean is, are we seeing something in it that is not there, and if so, why?

Another point is that this was a huge deal on blogs today, and bloggers need content. It is too easy for them to point at something like this that might potentially be controversial, in order to get new readers.

 

[M-in-Oz]

I agree that the ad would look racist to Americans & that was a different reading to the one I had when seeing the ad here. For me it's context was that KFC always does summer advertising to tie in with the cricket season and this was one in a series and played on the rowdiness of the West Indian supporters. So I am glad that I became aware of other potential readings.