Lots of fun down under
Posted on | January 9, 2010 | 2 Comments
Australia is in the news yet again for a race related story- this time over fried chicken.
KFC has pulled a controversial advert from down under after complaints that it was racist.The ad features a white Australian cricket fan looking exasperated as black supporters- supposedly West Indian- are loudly cheering. The white fan asks aloud how to get out of an “awkward situation.” He then whips out a bucket of KFC chicken, and the black fans greedily stuff their faces.
The white guy then says: “Too easy.”
The racist stereotype of black people and fried chicken is pretty well known.
Some people, outraged at the outrage, have defended the international corporation, arguing that if it was Australia playing England, the ad would have shown the Barmy Army stuffing their faces. Somehow I just don’t see that happening. The ad works because it plays to the stereotype of black people loving fried chicken. In order to work in a Barmy Army context, it would need to be promoting tea, or some other English stereotype.
At the end of 2009, it was predicted that Australia would see a 20% drop in the number of Indian students choosing to study there, following perceived racist attacks. The Australian economy is expeced to lose about $70m (44m) in revenue.
And if that wasn’t enough,who could forget Harry Connick Jr speaking out against racist stereotyping in October 2009 on a highly rated Australian TV show.
On the judging panel for Hey Hey It’s Saturday, he was forced to endure an act by the ‘Jackson Jive’—six dancing white men in blackface.
Connick was less than amused, giving them a zero out of ten.
Host Daryl Somers apologized later in the show, noting “I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show.” Connick responded, “I just wanted to say on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart. I know it was in good fun, and the last thing I want to do is take this show to a down level—because you know how much I love this show and this country—but I feel like I’m at home here, and if I knew that was going to be part of the show, I probably—I definitely wouldn’t have done it.”
Looks like it’s all fun down in Oz.
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2 Responses to “Lots of fun down under”
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January 9th, 2010 @ 10:06 AM
This fiasco has highlighted a very significant problem of ignorance. It is amazing that in this day and age a group could be so culturally insensitive.
The group I am referring to is of course the American people who think this is about them and specifically African American people.
This is not about them – it is about a cricket supporter from one team (Australia)being caught in the middle of a group of supporters from another team (West Indies).
It has nothing to do with race (unless you are looking desperately for something to take offence to) – it is about a supporter from one team being caught amongst a group from the ‘opposition’ and making friends with a food offering.
The cultural stereotype of African Americans liking fried chicken is unknown in Australia (and irrelevant as the people in the ad are NOT African Americans)
Your suggestion that the same ad could not have been made involving the Barmy Army is absurd. If you bothered to look at http://www.kfc.com.au you would see that this ad is one of a series of ads along a similar vein.
January 9th, 2010 @ 9:34 PM
Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I find your assertion that the stereotype of African Americans liking fried chicken is unknown in Australia to be rather unlikely. The sheer dominance of American cultural influence in film, television, and music means that some stereotypes, or at least knowledge about such stereotypes, have been transported to different societies. You may not have known about the stereotype yourself, but I’m sure there are black Australians who are well aware of it. The fact that KFC pulled the advert is a welcome step in demonstrating that they recognise offence could be taken.
You are correct that the people in the advert aren’t African American- they’re meant to be West Indian. As a West Indian myself, I can tell you pretty confidently that the fried chicken stereotype is known there too.
My point about using the Barmy Army, isn’t that the ad couldn’t have included them, but rather that the stereotype of the ad worked with the black/West Indian team.
You are also right in saying that I should have looked at the Australian KFC site- I have now, but it hasn’t changed my view. Claiming to not know about this stereotype is no excuse- responding to complaints was a responsible step by KFC.