KFC accused of racism over Australian advertisement

[Al-khiyal]

KFC accused of racism over Australian advertisement

January 6, 2010 -- The Australian arm of the fast-food chain KFC has been accused of racial insensitivity over a television commercial showing an outnumbered white cricket fan handing out pieces of fried chicken to appease a dancing, drumming and singing group of black West Indian supporters. Aired as part of a series called "KFC's cricket survival guide", the 30-second clip depicts an uncomfortable looking man named Mick wearing a green and yellow Australian cricket shirt, surrounded on all sides in a cricket stand by high spirited Caribbean fans. "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" Mick asks. He then passes round a bucket of KFC chicken, the drumming stops and he remarks: "Too easy."

Although intended only for an Antipodean audience, the clip has quickly found its way around the world on the internet, prompting stinging criticism in the U.S. where fried chicken remains closely associated with age-old racist stereotypes about black people in the once segregated south. A writer at one U.S. newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, questioned whether the ad was a spoof, remarking: "If it is a genuine KFC advertisement, it could be seen as racially insensitive." Another on-line commentator, Jack Shepherd of BuzzFeed, asks: "What's a white guy to do when he finds himself in a crowd full of black folks? KFC has the answer."

KFC Australia has come out fighting, saying that the commercial was a "light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team" that had been "misinterpreted by a segment of people in the U.S." The company said: "The ad was reproduced online in the U.S. without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism. "We unequivocally condemn discrimination of any type and have a proud history as one of the world's leading employers for diversity."

In the Australian media, the reaction has been mixed, with some commentators accusing Americans of "insularity". Brendon O'Connor, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told 9 Network News that the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly U.S. issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries."

The flare-up comes three months after another racial controversy between Australia and the U.S. in which the American singer Harry Connick Jr, appearing as a judge on an Australian television talent show, reacted strongly to a skit in which a group of singers appeared with blacked up faces to emulate the Jackson Five. On the show, called "Hey, Hey It's Saturday", Connick gave the group zero points and demanded an apology from the broadcaster, remarking: "If they turned up looking like that in the United States, it would be like 'hey, hey, there's no more show'."

[Al-khiyal]

KFC Australia pulls controversial ad

January 7, 2010 -- KFC Australia has pulled an ad that sparked cries of racism around the globe. The fast food chicken joint became embroiled in controversy after a commercial showing a lone white Australian man surrounded by a raucous crowd of black West Indies supporters at a cricket match. He asks “Need a tip when you’re stuck in an awkward situation?” and proceeds to share a bucket of fried chicken with the crowd. In a statement on its Web site, the company called its "Cricket Survival" ad campaign "tongue-in-cheek," but said after being "made aware that a KFC commercial being shown on Australian television has apparently caused offense, particularly in the United States ... KFC will cease running the commercial immediately." The company also said that the ad was reproduced in the U.S. "without KFC's permission" and was "intended for Australian audiences only." In a Daily News online poll, more than 65% of respondents thought the ad was "just lighthearted and fun." KFC Australia apologized for any offense taken by the ad and noted that Yum! Brands (the owner of KFC) was named as one of Black Enterprise magazine’s ’40 Best Companies for Diversity’ for the fifth consecutive year in 2009.