Fear Itself…no response to post #140 at all?
I’m surprised that anyone would consider it racist because there’s no racist implication in it.
It’s a white guy sharing his chicken with some black people. I guess the black/chicken think might come to mind, but there’s no reason why an American should expect foreigners to associate black people with fried chicken. Anyway, KFC’s core business is… fried chicken. I doubt it would do much to enhance their brand image if whitey shared some coleslaw or potato wedges with the black people.
Now, Fear Itself has decided that a white guy alone in a crowd of black people must automatically be afraid of them. To me, that says more about FI’s personal terror of crowds and/or black people than it does about anything else, but simply watching the ad makes it pretty obvious that the guy is in no way attempting to depict fear. He looks a tad bored, maybe unhappy or frustrated, but there’s no hint of fear or even nervousness.
Somehow I suspect KFC America is not terribly worried about losing its Australian-African-American customers.
Apparently the OP does, so you yourself might do a little re-reading.
And – cricket, soccer, WTF?
It’s currently the second most popular news story on Australia’s most popular news website.
The Huffington Post also has an article on it.
This, in combination with your attitude that if something might be offensive in the US, it shouldn’t be run by a multinational in other countries where is clearly isn’t offensive, kind of gives you a whole “ugly american” vibe, there.
Eh? I’m not the OP, my point still stands.
Oh, and nice one. Bit too foreign for you?
Did I say it shouldn’t be run? I said if the American parent company saw it, they probably wouldn’t have allowed it to be run. And as for the soccer/cricket ‘issue’, what I was trying to say was that the sport was not relevant. It could have been baseball or hurling for that matter, except there might not be masses of people watching either in Australia.
And if Australians don’t care what Americans think of their media programs, then don’t ask us, and don’t tell us how wrong we are when we give our opinions. KelleyCriterion’s link say the Aussie KFC has acknowledged that they understand why many Americans might perceive it as racist.
The sport is quite relevant, in this case, since there’s no West Indian association football team.
The sport is massively relevant. Anyone who has been to a test match with West Indian fans understands why it is relevant, and understands the ad. People who haven’t are presuming racism in something they simply don’t understand.
I thought I covered most of it, but I will sum up.
Yes, I do.
First, I don’t think is a blatantly racist message, I think it is a subtle appeal to racial stereotypes. Second, I don’t think it is a few racist stragglers that hold that opinion in Australia, I think it is far more widespread than you want to admit. Last, I think a lot of people won’t even realize the racial message, yet will be moved by it subconsciously.
You and others have tried to portray me as making charges of blatant racism. I am not. I think there is subtle racial content in the ad that appeals to racial stereotypes. That doesn’t make it raging racism. That you cannot allow for the existence of any kind of racial discrimination in Australian culture and the possibility that advertisers might appeal to it is just being naive.
My point is the OP seems to care what Americans think about the ad, or this thread wouldn’t exist.
That’s still completely nothing to do with my post. I’ll quote it again to make it easier for you:
The relevant part is:
Do you see now? I’ll give you a hint: the OP is included in the scope of this statement. Hope this helps.
You’re attributing statements to me that I never made – something I made a point of not doing to you. Oh, well.
At any rate, I don’t have any reason to think that racism is non-existent in Australian culture or any other culture. I’ve also haven’t said that the only type of racism that exists is overt, or “raging” – as you put it – racism. The point that I was getting at is that the idea of KFC making even the most subtle of appeals to a negative stereotype offers little to zero reward for them. Is the thinking that, had the ad featured a rainbow of skin tones, a certain segment of consumers would not have spent money there, whereas now, thanks to the racial overtones, those same consumers are willing to spend? And the potential risk, no matter how clever they might have thought they were being, is tremendous if any sort of backlash – justified or not – was to arise from people feeling like there was a racial motivation for portraying events as they did in the commercial.
So I’m asking you to explain to me WHY the company would be motivated to take that chance? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
I disagree. I think it does provide a marketing advantage if they can appeal to those can identify with the discomfort they actor is displaying, even if they don’t think they are overtly racist. The degree of that advantage obviously hinges on how strongly each of us believes the white/non-white dynamic is in Australian culture. Clearly, you disagree with me. S’OK
As an Australian, I don’t get why the OP, or anyone, cares what Americans think of the ad. So they don’t understand, so what? It’s just a storm in a teacup, because it’s the silly season here.
I do understand what Fear Itself is saying about racial overtones, but I don’t see how that would make the ad racist. What bad things are being said (or implied) about any race here? It’s possibly unPC to say that someone might be uncomfortable in a group of people who are not like them, whether that’s because of race, or because they barrack for a different sports team, but where is the racism, exactly?
The fact that we disagree over the level of racial dynamics in Australia is not a problem for me. You think there’s a marketing advantage to be gained, and while I don’t really agree, it doesn’t change the rest of my question. Do you think that there is any realistic level of advantage to be gained that would make the risk of a backlash worthwhile? Or do you just not think there’s any risk? (And since someone upthread mentioned that this was apparently the #2 hot topic in Australia at the moment, I stand by the idea that this would be a risky strategy for a company to take.)
The way I see it, here are the facts:
[ol]
[li]the ad was played during a match between Australia and the West Indies[/li][li]international cricket, by its very nature, encourages friendly rivalry between culturally- and regionally-distinct groups[/li][li]there is no racist stereotype associating black people and fried chicken in Australia[/li][li]this is, however, one of a series of ads with the theme of “KFC gets guy out of an awkward situation”[/li][/ol]
These points alone explain the ad’s intended meaning – injecting further assumptions is totally unwarranted. Had Australia been playing against England, and the opposing team’s supporters were all white but similarly crowding-out the ad’s hero, would the ad suddenly stop being racist?
What’s annoying is the cultural chauvinism on display from some Americans here and elsewhere. I want to repeat the point yojimbo made earlier because I think it gets to the heart of things:
Seriously, why should we bow to the US’s cultural frame-of-reference as the arbiter of what’s in bad taste? By claiming that the ad is inherently racist – not that any perceived racism is merely the result of viewing another culture through an American cultural lens – the implication seems to be that American culture represents an objective standard by which all other cultures should be judged.
Anyone thinking this is racist is projecting their own racial internal conflicts all over it.
That’s the problem isn’t it? You have no idea about KFC outside of the US, you have no idea about cricket, you have no idea about Australia, and you have no idea about the West Indies. You are commenting from a position of extreme ignorance.
Edit: Ditto to what kingbighair said, anyone who has a problem with this ad portraying a scared white guy surrounded by unruly African Americans and taming them with their favourite food, fried chicken, is simply projecting their own country’s problems and prejudices on to something that is totally unrelated.