Nah. A beaner is an accountant–short for bean counter.
(There are lots of meanings to that word.)
TWEEEEEEEEET!!
All right. Enough with the derogatory comments about persons (particularly specific posters) from country X being too [negative adjective] to either recognize aspects of or to admit ignorance of country Q.
If this is going to be nothing but a slam fest, I’m going to shut it down and tell you all to open a new thread in the Pit.
[ /Moderating ]
According to my ex, Mexican illegal immigrants are called beaners because they often get hired for jobs like picking beans. Wikipedia says it refers to the prevalence of beans in their food.
And here ignrant ole me thinking they were wetbacks or spics…
Coolness - I learnt a new derogatory word today 
For Martini Enfield, this is** Finn Again’s** first substantive quote in the thread. Presumably it contains his main points:
I think they are
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People who apply stereotypes to blacks will apply them based on skin colour, not country of origin.
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Australians can be racist
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Racists are often racist against more than one type of people.
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Australians have knowledge (undefined amount) of American cultural stereotypes.
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A mildly racist commercial might appeal to some people (I think that’s what he’s saying).
Which, I think, adds up to the idea that racist Australians may recognise the subtle racism of the KFC ad, and enjoy it, even though there is no history of African-Australians enjoying fried chicken. (I’m not gonna touch the rest of it, about the polo shirts and the Aborigines.)
Thanks for the summary; after 7 pages it was definitely getting very convoluted and unclear (IMHO) exactly what he was getting at. I believe every single one of those points has been addressed by either myself or the other Antipodean posters at some point in the thread and generally found to be either invalid or generalisations so broad they’re true of pretty much any group of nationality/people.
There’s no such thing as an “African-Australian” in the same way there’s “African-Americans”, if that makes sense. Most of the African people in Australia tend to be either refugees from places like the Sudan or White South Africans. The Black people in this country were either here first (Aborigines) or Pacific Islanders, IME.
Honestly, I don’t think even the most beer-swilling, uneducated, bogan (redneck) would see that ad as “Racist”, and frankly in our culture (Australian) the mental gymnastics required to see it that way are… difficult to follow; hence the confusion, eye-rolling, and “why don’t you Americans fuck off and mind your own damn business?”-ish reactions from many of the Australasians here.
But but but American culture is the bestest in teh whole world and they are absolutely always truly and absolutely correctest in any matter regarding race and enlightenment and how people should be treated after all there is the constitution and military and they can carry guns god-dammit…
ETA - this is a joke and only directed at certain posters, not those that have added a reasoned response…
Well, this thread exploded…
as I said in my first post, I don’t think the ad is at all racist* in context*(I think FI and FA are reaching and purposely taking the most cynical view possible of KFCAus’ ad agency’s motives), but a responsible advertiser might have thought about how it could be seen out of context and done something to minimise misperceptions. For instance, throw a (yes, token) couple S-Asian & White Windies supporters in there (I know they must exist - we get them here, too, just like we have local Black Ozzie supporters, the traitorous scum!).
Basically, while I fundamentally agree that for its intended audience, this ad is perfectly seemly and appropriate, it is a leeeetle naive and technomoronic for a modern ad agency not to consider YouTube collateral damage in their marketing strategy.
That’s a point I can agree with, though the unfortunate side-effect of such tech-savvy marketing strategies will be a further homogenisation towards US-centric cultural values. Had an Australian ad hit Youtube and potentially offended the sensibilities of random country X, I doubt anyone would have noticed or really cared.
I agree, it will probably happen and it will be unfortunate. Damn, but there are some hangups there. I mean, Apartheid certainly left some scars here, but we’re not generally so damn touchy about it. An ad about some (White) England fans being initially uncomfortable, then settling in, in the local (Black) section of a soccer stadium flighted here when Man U toured, with nary a comment.
This is the New Empire, after all.
To those Americans who think this ad was racist, I say this:
Be sure to send me a postcard from when you visit Abo in New Mexico, insisting that they change the name. After all, “abo” is an unambiguously racist term here in Australia, and since culture is completely independent of context I am sure you wont be sleeping til this situation is resolved.
While your at it, continue to fight racism while at the same time assuming all black people are African American, and all cultures on Earth should conform to the clearly superior seppo standard. For this delicious irony, the world thanks you.
By the way, we also have a brand name called Coon Cheese. Yeah, we’re evil down under.
Finally, a negative comment that is actually substantive and adds to the debate, rather than flailing ethnocentric nonsense. Well done!
Take a look at this racist Australian Coon commercial!
OMG, I can’t believe that the executives at Kraft Foods, Inc.'s head office in Northfield, IL, allowed that commercial to progress in Australia without consideration of the sensitivity of the connotations of the cheese’s brand name in the United States!
One would almost think that Australia was a different country with a different history or something.
Clearly the malevolent and conspiratorial advertisers working for Kraft Australia are hoping subliminally to appeal to Australia’s racist-based-on-comprehension-of-historical-American-culture demographic - just like KFC did with that racist West Indian one. The clever bastards.
For those arguing that the KFC ad was racist (or racialist, or steeped in racist undertones with a side order of xenophobia or whatever the hell else you want to claim), fine. Australians should pull the ad and be ashamed of themselves.
As an Irish citizen, I likewise demand that these American ads, and many others of their ilk, be withdrawn from broadcast as well.
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and a major historical figure here, and his feast day certainly has fuck all to do with stupid horseshit like green hats, leprechauns, or Shamrock Shakes. Furthermore, Irish people don’t sound like helium-impaired imbeciles.
You lot should be aware that many over here would find these ads highly offensive.
Good thing, then, that these ads are for American viewers and not Irish ones. Otherwise, there might be a global uproar. :rolleyes:
So many straight lines, so little time.
Oh, come on. Say what you want to say. I’m all ears…
They’re certainly confusing. 
What’s the deal with the haka and handbags??
As an aside, and I know I’ve mentioned it around here before, but for this thread a re-mentioning seems particularly apropos; an ex-colleague of mine (a fellow NZer) was confronted once while she was working out in a Portland, OR gym, and told that her “All Blacks” cap was racist. (She’s a feisty kiwi lass that you wouldn’t want to do that to, and I understand the American got his ear well chewed). 
Racism is a weird thing and makes no sense.
But this treat about this particular ad being racist is just plain ridicules to me… it sounds like something a native Irish girl told me some 10 years ago as a matter of fact - “Soccer is a protestant sport”
This was all new to me, being catholic and playing soccer during my youth and properly is to every Italian, Brasilian, Mexican etc… you get my drift… it is/was Protestant here (Ireland), because the "English " are playing it…
Which is PROFOUNDLY ignorant, but it made sense to her.
This ad was an Australian TV-Ad, why are Americans getting all upset about it is beyond me.
This is like the thing they always say “God bless America” and what is God suppoessed to do with the rest of the world, take a crap on it? Why do they never mention the rest of the world? Because, that person is addressing an American Public.
And it was a joke posted in direct violation of the Moderator instructions posted an hour and ten minutes previous to your post.
Knock it off or take it to the Pit.
[ /Moderating ]