No, you ignoramuses, this *isn't* racist (or, "Here we go again..")

Great Debates
421

Another American chiming in here. Am I the only American on the thread who doesn’t think it’s racist?

I did at first, actually. I couldn’t see any way to read the commercial as not trading off on some negative stereotype or other. When an Australian in this thread said near the beginning “You have to understand, people from the West Indies have a long history of being boistrous at Cricket games” that didn’t help. Sounded like more stereotyping to me.

But now that I’ve understood that what Australians see here isn’t black/white but this team/that team, I agree that the spot isn’t racist. There is a stereotype involved, but it’s not a negative one. The “awkwardness” isn’t because the guy doesn’t like these people because of “how they act,” but rather because he’s in the middle of a bunch of people cheering for the other team.

422

(I didnt read the whole thread so this may have been covered but…)

Aren’t the American’s being a little bit racist in saying that this is an example of the “black = loves chicken” stereotype when we aren’t even talking about African Americans? Or are all blacks the same?

423

Not at all. I and quite a number of other Americans don’t think it’s racist.

424

I don’t either, but I’m an immigrant.

425

US: fried chicken = Australia: deepfried chicken
US: panfried chicken = Australia: fried chicken

US: malt liquor = poor
Australia: malt liquor = luxury

426

Add me to that list. Though I guess officially resident alien not immigrant, but I have been here a long time and have no intention of going home.

I guess Fear Itself isn’t going to take me up on my “put up or shut up” offer of dinner in exchange for evidence of KFC nefarious intent. Oh well.

427

If you’re not going home, you’re an immigrant, regardless of whether you apply for citizenship. I haven’t either - though mostly because it’s so fucking expensive.

428

And the form is really freaking difficult! I am meant to know the exact dates of every time I have left the US over the last 15 years?

429

Not to mention the specific ports of entry, and all the places you went when you were gone.

430

No, sir. Even if someone knows little about cricket or Australia, or race relations in Australia, all of this has been made clear in page one. The Americans who nonetheless continue to shriek racism are trapped by some infallible mathematical equation that fried chicken + Black people = racist. No matter what.

This thread is amusing and maddening.

431

I wonder if Fear Itself is going to drop by his local KFC today and tell any black people in there they must be racist.

432

Well aren’t they? :dubious:

433

Well, not if they only order coleslaw.

434

Man, fuck KFC. Let’s go to Popeye’s. They know how to treat a brother.

435

You should see the Popeye’s polo ad airing in Argentina right now.

436

And check out this stinging political commentary from Spain about the Basque separatists… Swarthy guy with long memory fondly recalls loud bangs! What else could it mean?

437

Thank you, yes, that was my point. I got the Wiki article straight off the bat but it took more searching to get from “High alcohol beer” (which is what Malt Liquor apparently is) to “Drink of choice of poor black people”.

Which is, I think, further evidence that not every US Cultural Stereotype has been exported to the entire planet and is immediately familiar to all and sundry…

438

For the record, I’ve been following this since the beginning.

As a USAnian, my jaw dropped when I first watched the video (which I did before reading any of the thread). That commercial would absolutely be completely and totally outrageous here. (Well, I did love the Dave Chappelle image - he would do that and it would be outrageously funny. It’s a weird place, here, sometimes.)

Then I read the thread (one page at that point), had no problems following the Aussie points, and quickly came to the understanding that in the Oz cultural context, this advert wasn’t a problem. I never did bother to watch the Young Turks commentary, as they were just idjits.

I’ve been following the thread since, alternately giggling and eye-rolling at certain posters.

I’m currently having the same argument with some friends of mine (my fault, I provoked it) who, due to their job environment, are extremely sensitive to racial issues. We’ll see how that goes. :smiley:

By the way, much thanks for the “wine cask” analogy. That helped make something click for me.

The parallel in the Americas to the Aboriginal situation in Australia is NOT blacks. It is the native tribes (American Indians/Native Americans/First People/etc.), who were force-assimilated (including having children “kidnapped” off to boarding schools) as well as various other nastinesses, and who have similar problems today, including rampant alcoholism.

The only reason Americans associate Aboriginals with African-Americans is because of somewhat similar skin tones, facial features, and hair textures. It’s a Yank thing. I have hopes that someday we may mostly get over it.

At any rate, thanks all for the very informative cross-cultural discussion. Some ignorance has been dispelled, at least!

439

As an Umerikin I see nothing wrong with the ad. All it shows is a bunch of Aferkin Umerikins dancing around who can’t even feed themselves without the help/enlightened benevolence of whitey.

Now thats racist!

440

For the record, “soul food” isn’t racist – its a long-accepted term for Black American / Southern cuisine. That said, I’m guessing it could be perceived as such. Does KFC in the UK actually use the phrase?