Those donuts are racist!

[Rocopurr]

Not Racist,


Stupid, yes. Racist, no.

I'm not sure how it's stupid?

[Ainin]

Well for starters that donut looks like shit.

[Neoconstantius]

Given the EXTENSIVE historical use of blackface as derogatory racial comedy in Thailand, I have no choice but to conclude this is racist.

Come on, people. Context is everything.

[Rocopurr]

Well for starters that donut looks like shit.

Don't judge a donut by its looks.

Speaking of the donut, what exactly is a charcoal donut supposed to taste like?

[Ainin]

Well for starters that donut looks like shit.

Don't judge a donut by its looks.

Speaking of the donut, what exactly is a charcoal donut supposed to taste like?

Burnt wood?

[Gauthier]

Don't judge a donut by its looks.

Speaking of the donut, what exactly is a charcoal donut supposed to taste like?

Burnt wood?

Maybe it's Activated Charcoal donuts. Great for when you've had too much booze.

[Warda]

Burnt wood?

Maybe it's Activated Charcoal donuts. Great for when you've had too much booze.

or liek maybe its dark chocolate

[Ainin]

Maybe it's Activated Charcoal donuts. Great for when you've had too much booze.

or liek maybe its dark chocolate

Heresy.

[Dakini]

Given the EXTENSIVE historical use of blackface as derogatory racial comedy in Thailand, I have no choice but to conclude this is racist.

Come on, people. Context is everything.

Oh, so contrary to the claims of all the people who were complaining about how it's not racist because blackface isn't a thing outside North America, it's actually a thing in Thailand?

I'm unfamiliar with Thai media, but that's useful information.

[Warda]

Given the EXTENSIVE historical use of blackface as derogatory racial comedy in Thailand, I have no choice but to conclude this is racist.

Come on, people. Context is everything.

Oh, so contrary to the claims of all the people who were complaining about how it's not racist because blackface isn't a thing outside North America, it's actually a thing in Thailand?

I'm unfamiliar with Thai media, but that's useful information.

i know this may be shocking, but body paint isnt a new thing.

[Neoconstantius]

Given the EXTENSIVE historical use of blackface as derogatory racial comedy in Thailand, I have no choice but to conclude this is racist.

Come on, people. Context is everything.

Oh, so contrary to the claims of all the people who were complaining about how it's not racist because blackface isn't a thing outside North America, it's actually a thing in Thailand?

I'm unfamiliar with Thai media, but that's useful information.

...that was sarcasm.

[Rocopurr]

Burnt wood?

Maybe it's Activated Charcoal donuts. Great for when you've had too much booze.

Do you think this is a joke? Donuts are a serious matter, and I'd appreciate if you two treated them as such.

[Warda]

Guys what if she was trying to look like a ninja?

[Ainin]

Guys what if she was trying to look like a ninja? :shock:

Then Dunkin Donuts needs a new makeup department.

[Dakini]

Oh, so contrary to the claims of all the people who were complaining about how it's not racist because blackface isn't a thing outside North America, it's actually a thing in Thailand?

I'm unfamiliar with Thai media, but that's useful information.

i know this may be shocking, but body paint isnt a new thing.

...because the only use of body paint is blackface and minstrel shows. Thanks.

[Dakini]

Oh, so contrary to the claims of all the people who were complaining about how it's not racist because blackface isn't a thing outside North America, it's actually a thing in Thailand?

I'm unfamiliar with Thai media, but that's useful information.

...that was sarcasm.

Right. So you're claiming that it's okay for a US-based company is in the right for featuring blackface in their advertisements overseas?


That's what you're going with here?

[Dakini]

Guys what if she was trying to look like a ninja?

Then she failed miserably.

Ninja typically dressed like civilians.

[The North Polish Union]

Could I just point out that (1) Thai culture is different than American culture and things considered racist and/or offensive in America may not be considered as such in Thailand, (2) Thai standards of what is and is not offensive in an advertisement are not taken into account in America so why should American standards be forced onto Thai advertising, (3) thais may be unaware of American standards of racism and vice versa, and (4) no Thais (who would actually be the ones seeing the ad) complained about it.

Standards for what does and does not constitute racism vary throughout the world. There is usually very little reason to attempt to impose one country's standards of racism on another country (Apartheid South Africa would be an exception), and especially not over an advertisement that was in no way intended to offend or otherwise slight a group of people and is only under attack because it fails to adhere to the cultural standards of a country halfway around the world.

[Neoconstantius]

...that was sarcasm.

Right. So you're claiming that it's okay for a US-based company is in the right for featuring blackface in their advertisements overseas?


That's what you're going with here?

Yep, pretty much.

When marketing to a population, one does not necessarily need to worry about offending the apparent cultural sensitivities of another. It doesn't make any sense. Had this ad been targeted at a US audience, then there's certainly reason to question it (I wouldn't venture so far as to beat the racism drum, however). But in this context, there was no outcry among the Thai population, nor is there any historical background of blackface being applied as a means of dehumanization in the country. Furthermore, I fail to see any implication or intent of racism in the aforementioned advertisement. Ergo, not racist.

Are we done here?

[Dakini]

Right. So you're claiming that it's okay for a US-based company is in the right for featuring blackface in their advertisements overseas?


That's what you're going with here?

Yep, pretty much.

When marketing to a population, one does not necessarily need to adhere to the apparent cultural sensitivities of another. It doesn't make any sense. Had this ad been targeted at a US audience, then there's certainly reason to question it (I wouldn't venture so far as to beat the racism drum, however). But in this context, there was no outcry among the Thai population, nor is there any historical background of blackface being applied as a means of dehumanization in the country. Ergo, not racist.

I don't think anyone has been claiming that the intent was to be racist. The ad is clearly problematic for a US-based company to produce anywhere and was rightly pulled in the same way a Chinese advert for BMW full of swastikas would be pulled.

[The North Polish Union]

Yep, pretty much.

When marketing to a population, one does not necessarily need to adhere to the apparent cultural sensitivities of another. It doesn't make any sense. Had this ad been targeted at a US audience, then there's certainly reason to question it (I wouldn't venture so far as to beat the racism drum, however). But in this context, there was no outcry among the Thai population, nor is there any historical background of blackface being applied as a means of dehumanization in the country. Ergo, not racist.

I don't think anyone has been claiming that the intent was to be racist. The ad is clearly problematic for a US-based company to produce anywhere and was rightly pulled in the same way a Chinese advert for BMW full of swastikas would be pulled.

Given that Buddhism is (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) relatively popular in China, and that the swastika is a symbol of peace in Buddhism, I don't see why that should be a problem either. The ad would probably be written by the head of BMW in China. Just as this was probably written by the advertising department of Dunkin' Donuts Thailand.

Of course, given that BMW is a German company, the BMW HQ would probably never allow the example ad to be aired for obvious reasons (if the BMW HQ heard about it from BMW's Chinese headquarters, that is). But still it could be entirely acceptable in Chinese culture, thus I would see no problem with it.

If Dunkin' Donuts administration had pulled the ad of their own accord I would see no problem with this. When they're being coerced by outside groups to pull an ad that offends none of the actual target population, then I have a problem with that.

And you really can't compare the actions of Nazi Germany to those in the post-Reconstruction era US southeast. There's a major difference between the state-sponsored elimination of entire ethnic/religious groups and a long-standing cultural bias (admittedly an extreme one) against a people group.

[Dakini]

I don't think anyone has been claiming that the intent was to be racist. The ad is clearly problematic for a US-based company to produce anywhere and was rightly pulled in the same way a Chinese advert for BMW full of swastikas would be pulled.

Given that Buddhism is (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) relatively popular in China, and that the swastika is a symbol of peace in Buddhism, I don't see why that should be a problem either. The ad would probably be written by the head of BMW in China. Just as this was probably written by the advertising department of Dunkin' Donuts Thailand.

Of course, given that BMW is a German company, the BMW HQ would probably never allow the example ad to be aired for obvious reasons (if the BMW HQ heard about it from BMW's Chinese headquarters, that is). But still it could be entirely acceptable in Chinese culture, thus I would see no problem with it.

If Dunkin' Donuts administration had pulled the ad of their own accord I would see no problem with this. When they're being coerced by outside groups to pull an ad that offends none of the actual target population, then I have a problem with that.

What.

They did pull the ad of their own accord. Did you just read the OP which presented this ad as a "dark skinned person" and skip to the end of the thread or...?

And you really can't compare the actions of Nazi Germany to those in the post-Reconstruction era US southeast. There's a major difference between the state-sponsored elimination of entire ethnic/religious groups and a long-standing cultural bias (admittedly an extreme one) against a people group.

...I wasn't comparing to post-reconstruction era. If anything, the roots of blackface and minstrel shows are in slavery which involved abduction, cultural genocide, forced work and extensive abuse. Followed, of course, by widespread discrimination which persists to this day.

But you know, thanks for trying to pretend you know what I'm talking about.

[Regnum Dominae]

Hippo,

You have said in the past that the sole responsibility of a business is to generate profit:

Additionally, a company's prime obligation is not producing maximum profit to shareholders.

Yes it is. Everything else is secondary.

And that's exactly what this business was doing. Consumers complained, and the company responded by doing what the consumers asked of them. If they had ignored the consumers, their bottom line would have suffered, and the company would have failed to generate maximum profit for its shareholders. To ignore the demands of these consumers would have been a blatantly anti-profit move, and you know it.

Stop being so hypocritical - or, should I say, hippocritical, and stop ignoring your own principles when it suits your "EVIL AMERICA-HATING LIBERALS" narrative.

But that's just the commie's two cents.

[Christmahanikwanzikah]

Burnt wood?

Maybe it's Activated Charcoal donuts. Great for when you've had too much booze.

Activated Carbon does everything!

[The North Polish Union]

Given that Buddhism is (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) relatively popular in China, and that the swastika is a symbol of peace in Buddhism, I don't see why that should be a problem either. The ad would probably be written by the head of BMW in China. Just as this was probably written by the advertising department of Dunkin' Donuts Thailand.

Of course, given that BMW is a German company, the BMW HQ would probably never allow the example ad to be aired for obvious reasons (if the BMW HQ heard about it from BMW's Chinese headquarters, that is). But still it could be entirely acceptable in Chinese culture, thus I would see no problem with it.

If Dunkin' Donuts administration had pulled the ad of their own accord I would see no problem with this. When they're being coerced by outside groups to pull an ad that offends none of the actual target population, then I have a problem with that.

What.

They did pull the ad of their own accord. Did you just read the OP which presented this ad as a "dark skinned person" and skip to the end of the thread or...?

Having read the whole OP before posting in the thread and having just re-read it after seeing your post, I got the impression that Dunkin' Donuts Thailand HQ was essentially coerced by Western groups into removing an ad that no one in Thailand viewed as offensive. That is not "pulling the ad of their own accord."

And you really can't compare the actions of Nazi Germany to those in the post-Reconstruction era US southeast. There's a major difference between the state-sponsored elimination of entire ethnic/religious groups and a long-standing cultural bias (admittedly an extreme one) against a people group.

...I wasn't comparing to post-reconstruction era. If anything, the roots of blackface and minstrel shows are in slavery which involved abduction, cultural genocide, forced work and extensive abuse. Followed, of course, by widespread discrimination which persists to this day.

I'm still not quite seeing that as quite equal to the actions of Nazi Germany. Point taken however.

But you know, thanks for trying to pretend you know what I'm talking about.

Oh gee, you're welcome.