I’m not sure of the extent to which Popeye’s is a regional thing, so I hope most people know what I’m talking about.
Has anyone seen these commercials? The premise is that it’s “Popeye’s Chicken Presents Comedy Night” or something, and “Bruce Bruce” - a morbidly-obese black man - is doing standup comedy, which works out to be the advertisement for chicken products. He also breaks into Al Jolson-esque singing and minstrelsy on occasion.
Am I the only one that’s not insane here? Tthese commercials are so racist and insulting that I’m shocked - and believe me, I’m not “Mr. Politically Correct.” In fact, I think that adopting a sort of ironic “casual racism” is the real antidote to racism and the schism between different races and cultures. Trust me when I say that I’m not the type of person to get their panties in a bunch over something like this.
But what “Bruce Bruce” is doing is just straight-up minstrelsy; there’s no other word for it. He’s a living, breathing sambo, a wide-eyed Aunt Jemima, hysterical for the chicken (with watermelon presumably just out of the camera’s eye) that he gorges himself on. These commercials are like deleted scenes from Birth of a Nation - I’m expecting “Bruce Bruce” to be tarred and feathered (if not simply hung onstage) at any moment.
This shit is insane! Why isn’t the black establishment angry about this? Where are the boycotts? Where are the protests? Where’s the self-respect?
Is it simply going to take Savion Glover or Bernie Mac appearing in blackface, in a cotton field, before anyone notices?
I’ve not seen this commercial, but I think Bruce Bruce’s stand-up routine is pretty funny. Come to think of it, I think he mentions Popeye’s during his act, though I can’t recall the exact joke.
Haven’t seen the commercial myself, but at least here in Southern California, Popeye’s franchises tend to be in predominantly black/African-American neighborhoods. I can only assume they cater to black diners, which means the corporate bosses are probably a lot more sensitive about racial stereotyping than you may suspect.
My money is that the commercial is a big whoosh of some sort.
But I have noticed that the closer to Louisiana you are, the spicier it is. Still, any outfit that can make red-beans-and-rice that places in New Orleans cook-offs can get my dollar.
Mmm, Popeye’s. They have awesome spicy fried chicken, red beans and rice, and biscuits. In Florida, they are almost exclusively in African-American neighborhoods, so I also doubt the commercial was meant to be insulting to their main customer base.
The black establishment? Boycotts? Protests? Christ almighty, are you serious?
Bruce Bruce, who’s stand-up routine on Comedy Central I found to be funny (Let’s get one thing straight, my name is Bruce Bruce, not Big Bruce, not Big Swoll’, etc. Ha!), is perfect for hocking Popeye’s chicken. I’m sure he didn’t get to be the size he is from eating steamed vegetables and lean proteins, and I’m pretty sure Popeye’s corporate image isn’t about being purveyors of health food. Hell, I’m happy to see the guy getting some work before he keels over from a massive heart attack.
Would the white establishment resort to boycotts and protests if Larry the Cable Guy were shilling for Kraft Singles?
…Yeah… I can see how it could make people uncomfortable… seeing a black man shilling fried chicken… And by people I mean… “white” people… Come on! It’s no secret that black people like fried chicken. So do whites… whites have KFC… blacks have Popeyes and Chicken and Waffles.
Now if they tried selling me on asian people going hog wild for fried chicken… it might be a little weird.
(Countdown to someone posting a link to the Japanese KFC website… 3…2…1…)
This provides me with an opportunity to solicit for opinions about a commercial that puts a hair up my ass, but which doesn’t seem to raise any eyebrows from folks I’ve talked to:
Dairy Queen’s “Moolatte” commercial. Every time I see this, I think, “What the hell are they thinking?”
First of all, the punny name is stupid on the most practical level, because “latte” means milk, and “moo” is presumably meant to allude to milk, too. Sloppy.
That’s not it, though. If you’ve got a coffee-and-milk combo dessert, what the frick are you thinking giving it a nonsensical name that’s only one drifting-syllable away from “mulatto,” an offensive word with bestial undertones.
And if you’re promoting this confection, are you sure it’s a great idea to use an extremely light-skinned black man trying to wrap his tongue around a straw that’s just a bit out of reach, without using his hands? (This may not be a great image if people are already thinking about mules.)
Goddamn, this commercial bugs me – but seeing as it’s still running after months, I gotta wonder: Am I being oversensitive about this?
Moolatte and Mulatto… kind of a stretch. That’s like saying you should not say Niger because it might remind some people of the same word with an extra ‘g’ in there.
As an aside- I understand that “mulatto” is considered anathema in North America…but since it is still widely used throughout the world, I have a hard time getting up in arms about it.
Look, I’m not offended by the ad campaign - I’m just shocked that black people aren’t offended by it, as it caters to and reinforces minstrel show stereotypes.
That’s cool - I can’t wait to see Cedric the Entertainer in a chicken suit, being lynched to sell McDonalds.
I’m with on this one, too. I’m not offended by it, but it definitely gives me the “who were the marketing geniuses that approved this?” vibe. Everytime I hear it, I think “mulatto.”
While we’re at it, has anyone noticed Starbucks adding an “Affaggoto style” option to their menu? That one got a gigantic “Wha?” when the barista chick suggested it.
You know, this type of mentality crops up every now and again on the Boards and I’m not quite sure why. I mean, what do you want? Would you be satisfied if there were a nation-wide call-to-arms boycott of Popeye’s restaurants advertised in Ebony magazine? Would you feel better if Revernds Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were on DL Hughley’s Comedy Central show expressing their outrage of how brother Bruce Bruce is leading our people astray? Would all be right with your world if Zombie Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. lurched his way to Popeye’s headquarters and started feasting on the gooey cranial goodness of their marketing VPs?
For all you know some black people are offended by the commericals. Are you surprised they haven’t jingled your phone to tell you they’re angry? Should those who are have sent you an email to make sure you’re kept in the loop? Would a text message would have sufficed? A hand-written letter on mudcloth stationary? Smoke signals?
