Americans...absolutely clueless about anything further away than the tip of their own nose...
dusty
Jees...
"Yeah, coming from the same people who almost singlehandedly wiped out
the whole race of aborogines (sic). You people are the worst. I've had
friends who visited Australia and they told me how it is over there".
KFC pulls controversial cricket ad
AAP
January 7, 2010, 3:10 pm
1373 Comments
Kentucky Fried Chicken's head office in the US has apologised for "any
misinterpretation" caused by a controversial Australian cricket ad as
furious debate raged in the American media about whether it was
racist.
The commercial, featuring a white Australian cricket fan offering
fried chicken to West Indies supporters, has been pulled from the air
in Australia.
Watch the YouTube video
"KFC Australia is removing the television advertisement that was being
run in conjunction with the Australian cricket season," the chicken
fast food giant announced in a statement.
"We apologise for any misinterpretation of the ad as it was not meant
to offend anyone."
The Australian TV commercial was picked up by the US media, including
the New York Daily News and Baltimore Sun, and drew heated debate,
with some Americans accusing Australians of being racist because it
perpetuates a stereotype that African Americans eat a lot of fried
chicken.
The ad is one in a series where a cricket lover quietens people around
him by giving them KFC to eat so he can enjoy the game.
Poll: Do you think the ad is racist?
The New York Daily News staged a poll on its website asking if the ad
was offensive.
The vote was almost split, with 51 per choosing "No, it's just
lighthearted and fun" while 42 per cent selected "Yes, it plays on
stereotypes".
Six per cent voted "I'm not sure".
Is it racist, or is it taken out of context when shown outside of
Australia? Leave your comment below
Readers inundated the newspaper websites with emotional posts.
"This was blatantly racist," one reader commented on the NY Daily News
website.
Another wrote: "Yeah, coming from the same people who almost
singlehandedly wiped out the whole race of aborogines (sic). You
people are the worst. I've had friends who visited Australia and they
told me how it is over there".
Australians, upset at the American response, bombarded US news
websites and blogs to defend the ad and attempt to explain Australian
humour.
"Oh dear," an Australian wrote on the Baltimore Sun site.
"Another shining example of how some Americans can be absolutely
clueless about anything further away than the tip of their own nose."
The furore began in the US after the ad was posted on YouTube,
attracting thousands of comments and sparking members of the public to
post their own video responses.
Meanwhile, acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard didn't weigh into the
debate, but she did admit to eating KFC.
She had seen the KFC logo emblazoned on cricketers' uniforms.
"I'm someone who's eaten the occasional bit of KFC, but I can't say
that I'm an expert in their current advertising strategy," Ms Gillard
told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday.
"My general world outlook is to take things on the lighter side, but
I'm not in a position to give a specific comment about that ad."