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UPDATE: KFC have withdrawn the advertisement — Personally I think cultural differences between the US and Oz are to blame here and that the producers of the ad didn’t intend a racist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.
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I don’t get it. Why would this be considered racist?
Now Fries? This must be Fat Republican week?
Ahhhh. I guess Republicans do make their annual pilgrimage to the gym in January. We all know they’re gone by April.
But hey, that’s how gym’s make their money, right? Unused memberships my early spring.
I guess it’s the old “blacks like chicken” thing.
It’s a very weird racial myth though. It has no point. Everyone likes chicken.
Perhaps it’s point is to be subversive. Like “Blacks like chicken and are stupid” which would than make a black person think, “Hey, I do like chicken, maybe I am stupid?” But the people who perpetuate these myths probably are not that subtle.
More about the awkward situation than the chicken.
KFC have always had chips (“fries”) in Australia. They don’t in the US?
In Australia republicans are people who wish the country to become a republic rather than have the Queen of England as head of state as a constitutional monarchy. There is no prominent republican political party here. Republicanism is generally a bipartisan issue.
I’ve never heard of any “blacks like chicken” myth. Is that the issue? What does that have to do with an Australian ad portraying a crowd at a cricket match I wonder. The people appear to be from the West Indies, not the US. The phrase “butt the fuck out” comes to mind…
Perhaps the people who believe this is racist need to step outside their own cultural stereotypes ever now and again. Speaking of which, I’ve always wondered why professional baseball players appear to have such fat arses. Too much chicken or unflattering uniforms?
You mean the whole world isn’t consumed by the history of the Southern USA?
Or maybe sometimes fried chicken is just fried chicken.
RBG
Its definitely not a racist commercial. The West Indian cricket is/was currently in the country playing against Australia and their supporters are known (and loved) for the party atmosphere they create. The idea behind the commercial is if you want those around you to be quite, give them KFC. There is another commercial where he gives his house mates KFC in order to stop them talking during the cricket.
Sure that wasn’t a Church’s Chicken bucket?
No, not racist at all to suggest the presence of “black people” creates an “awkward situation” for the poor white guy.
Idiots.
Wretched Gnu: The “awkward situation” is an Australian supporter surrounded by West Indies supporters at a cricket match, presumably between Australia and the West Indies. Just like if an Essendon supporter was surrounded by Collingwood supporters.
Idiot.
White guy calms rowdy blacks by giving them fried chicken?
Good thing he didn’t bring in a dozen water mellons eh?
Seriously though, anyone who thinks that the ad is even slightly racist is a total douche. Its clearly about awkward situations and if you can’t see that then you can always change the channel or go out to the woodshed and beat yourself up with an ax handle you thin skinned tards!
The commerical was designed for Australian television where 99% of the population would understand it. I doubt the makers ever thought it would be seen outside of Aus. Australians don’t consider fried chicken to be a race-specific food and as such this commercial needs to be view in the correct context.
And what is it with NO BISCUITS except in the USA? I have eaten KFC in Canada, No Biscuits, in London (No Biscuits), Nederlands, and Mexico…..NO BISCUITS…..
Is this a culture thing, where they feel they should NOT sell a Biscuit?
Back on topic:
Its only racist to a racist, or someone looking to cause a fuss.
This just shows how insular our pro sports tend to be. Events involving foreign teams (that are predominantly one race) do not seem very popular here.
Dennis, to these folks, a biscuit is what we call a cookie.
I would feel very uncomfortable around those blacks too.
Yes, but Father, had I said any other descriptive phrase, none of the Americans would have understood. They also call Chips crisps, and Fries = Chips. I get the lingo…I am just wondering why the Flour Biscuit is solely sold in the USA. I was soooooo craving KFC with a Biscuit while I was there….sad really…I think it had to do with the secret 7 herbs …making me crave them every fortnight!
For the cricket novices, there are around 10 countries that play international cricket. Of those only 2 have any identifiable supporter groups. The English have the Barmy Army, and the West Indies have their steel drums section. Both groups are identifiable by the amount of (generally musical) noise they make.
Since the Windies toured Aus and the Poms didn’t no wonder they were chosen for the ad.
On the racism scale it rates about as high as asking a Canadian to say “about”.
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.
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.