- Oct 19, 2012
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- Banned
- #1
"A leading human rights group has called on Dunkin' Donuts to withdraw a "bizarre and racist" advertisement for chocolate doughnuts in Thailand that shows a smiling woman with bright pink lips in blackface makeup.
The Dunkin' Donuts franchise in Thailand launched a campaign earlier this month for its new "Charcoal Donut" featuring the image, which is reminiscent of 19th and early 20th century American stereotypes for black people that are now considered offensive symbols of a racist era.
In posters and TV commercials, the campaign shows the woman with a shiny jet black, 1950s-style beehive hairdo holding a bitten black doughnut alongside the slogan: "Break every rule of deliciousness."
Human Rights Watch said it was shocked to see an American brand name running an advertising campaign that would draw "howls of outrage" if released in the United States."
Dunkin Donuts criticized for bizarre and racist ad campaign in Thailand - NY Daily News
"The CEO for Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand dismissed the criticism as "paranoid American thinking."
"It's absolutely ridiculous," said CEO Nadim Salhani. "We're not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don't get it. What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?"
Dunkin' Donuts Should Withdraw 'Racist' Charcoal Donut Ad: Human Rights Watch
I want to eat those donuts regardless of whether the ad is considered racist by some. The ad was clearly directed at the product and not intended as a racially based statement.
The Dunkin' Donuts franchise in Thailand launched a campaign earlier this month for its new "Charcoal Donut" featuring the image, which is reminiscent of 19th and early 20th century American stereotypes for black people that are now considered offensive symbols of a racist era.
In posters and TV commercials, the campaign shows the woman with a shiny jet black, 1950s-style beehive hairdo holding a bitten black doughnut alongside the slogan: "Break every rule of deliciousness."
Human Rights Watch said it was shocked to see an American brand name running an advertising campaign that would draw "howls of outrage" if released in the United States."
Dunkin Donuts criticized for bizarre and racist ad campaign in Thailand - NY Daily News
"The CEO for Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand dismissed the criticism as "paranoid American thinking."
"It's absolutely ridiculous," said CEO Nadim Salhani. "We're not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don't get it. What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?"
Dunkin' Donuts Should Withdraw 'Racist' Charcoal Donut Ad: Human Rights Watch
I want to eat those donuts regardless of whether the ad is considered racist by some. The ad was clearly directed at the product and not intended as a racially based statement.
