So an Australian KFC ad showing only in Australia is removed because Americans who were not the target were offended by the stereotypical implication that African Americans- who do not appear in the ad- eat too much fried chicken?
I sometimes wonder what sort of crazy planet we live in- and then I read the Bible and I remember what kind of crazy, demented planet we live on.
The ad, for those who haven't seen it, shows a white guy at the cricket surrounded by people clearly meant to be West Indians. In the potentially uncomfortable situation, he offers KFC to the "opposition" fans as a kind of peace offering.
The context which Australians would be familiar with is sporting rivalry between two of the world's great cricket teams. So we see the ad and it's funny because of the rivalry. Americans see the ad out of context and assume African-Americans and some see racism that wasn't ever intended. We know that the ad isn't racist because if you substitute white English fans such as the Barmy Army the ad still works- or with Indians, or South Africans.
In fact, having seen the ad again the number of visual clues about the context is amazing: the green and gold cricket shirt on the white guy, the reggae music. How many African-Americans go to cricket matches for goodness sake?
But because Americans think their culture is the only culture, and because people who were never the intended audience might be offended by taking the ad out of the cultural context in which it was intended to be seen, the ad gets removed by the American parent company.
I actually think that's a form of racism that is far more offensive than the perceived racism that the protectors of victims are afraid of.
You cannot take any statement out of the context in which it is made and judge the intent of the person making the statement. It is even worse to project your own assumptions about the context, get it completely wrong and then make accusations.
BTW as far as I know there is no common belief that West Indians eat too much fried chicken. I think when Australians think of the West Indies they think of reggae and very good cricket- both of which carry great respect. And all of those people are thin- nobody could accuse them of over-eating fried chicken
"Americans think their culture is the only culture" That is very true. I think the reason is that here there are 3 groups only; black, white and hispanic. You pick where you belong and that's the end of it. If Americans had other cultures forced on them to the extent that they either accept other people's ideas and differences, or go through life alone, it would help to be more open minded about things. My uncle in California used to joke that even weather ended at the 49th parallel and the Mexican border. :D
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ReplyDeleteDoesn't it actually show him being nice to other people - surely not racist!
ReplyDeleteWhite people are always racist regardless of their actions or intentions.
ReplyDeleteDamn straight. I can't even tell a simple joke involving a Japanese person without being called racist.
ReplyDeleteIt's safe here Phil. Cathy doesn't read this, as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteReally Keith? "White people are always racist". I'm not sure I agree unless I've misunderstood.I'll have to think about that for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Lois. I didn't communicate that clearly. It was a response to Rozina's comment. To fill in the gaps, perhaps I should have written "According to predominant liberal political philosophy, white people are always racist."I didn't mean to suggest that's my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAhhh..... I thought I had missed something! :)
ReplyDeleteEnglish is such a difficult language- especially when you have to read between the lines :)
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