Thursday, October 18, 2012

I Can't Get Enough Fried Chicken!

A common stereotype affiliated with Black-Americans, is that all blacks love fried chicken and watermelon. This stereotype was taken too far when displayed in a newscast shown in 2009. The news update spoke of how the fast food chain Popeye's ran out of chicken on the day that they advertised to have a special deal.

Without seeing the video, this would sound like a completely appropriate news cast. However, when the news team interviewed those who went to Popeye's and left unhappy, I noticed something very interesting. Every single person interviewed was black. Black men, black women, black families, and not a single person of a different race.

Now, personally I love chicken and I'm about as white as one can be! I am pale with blonde hair...I am borderline albino. Yet I've been to Popeye's before! I found this newscast extremely racist because it portrayed the black community as the only people upset by the lack of chicken. I am sure that people of other races went to Popeye's that day, so why didn't the newscast interview them? Even if they did... why didn't they show their interviews to the public? 

My initial thought was that by interviewing black-Americans, the news cast would appeal more to those who eat chicken. Once again, this brings in the stereotype that all black people love chicken. Did anyone else find this newscast extremely racist?

Watch The Video Here!

2 comments:

  1. I do not know if I find it extremely racist, I think I see it as done unconsciously. It could have been at the time they were filming, it just so happened that only black people were there. It also depends on where the Popeye's that they were filming at was. It could have been in a more black dominant area. Below is a video called "Fried Chicken" on youtube and I think this is more of a sterotype towards black people and loving fried chicken
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrqW3nx5HM

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  2. I was just reading an article on this ironically! Except, it was from a different perspective. See, the article was written by a black woman saying how black people now feel ashamed to do things that fall into the stereotype. She explains that many black people don't want to eat fried chicken just because they don't want people to think "Oh well he/she's black, of course they're eating fried chicken." This author however, supports embracing the stereotype. She says "fried chicken came to be associated with black folks because no one can do it better." So this makes me question, is this a stereotype or giving credit almost? I don't really know. Here's the article if you're curious! http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/04/fried-chicken-black-fear-and-white-stereotypes/

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