Lis sent us a link to an ad for Kia Ora, a British Orange drink from the 1980s. As the source describes it, it is a “literal parade of racial stereotypes”:
Comments
-
Jess
I don’t understand why they would give their product a Maori name, and then sell it with black/african stereotypes…
-
Shana
It may be because Kias are cheap cars, that they assumed this tripe would attract a less opulent clientele (which they assumed were all or mostly black). Although, I can’t see how this wasn’t offensive even in the 80’s.
-
Pat
Are you actually this stupid, or do you just play an idiot on TV?
-
Jamie
Kia Ora is a greeting. And a beverage. I don’t think you’re stupid, but that’s clearly not what the commercial even addresses…
-
Shana
LMAO You are so right! I play a stupid person from time to time. I thought it was odd for a car commercial… Had I read more carefully, I would have noticed the super obvious “orange drink” from the 80’s line. I apologize for my moment of stupidity. Although, I wouldn’t sink to calling names, it was a stupid mistake but not a good reflection of my overall intellect.
-
-
-
Anonymous
That is sickening >:(
-
JenniferRuth
Oh yeah, nearly everyone in my age group remembers this ad – the line “too orangey for crows” was repeated a lot in the school playground.
I look at it now and it is obviously full of horribly racist stereotypes which just totally went over my head when I was a child. But that is how racism works, right? These little bits of culture piling up day after day until it’s so ubiquitous you don’t even notice it.
-
Shiny
ARe they crows? They look like kiwi birds, the national bird of New Zealand, where the greeting “kia ora” comes from.
-
Lex
Kiwis look nothing like that.
-
Citizenparables
Exactly.
Kiwis much prefer earth tones in their leisurewear. Blends in with the leaf litter.
-
-
-
Ronia
They were crows alright. They ‘too orangey for crows – it’s just for me and my dog’ was repeated often in Irish schools back then too.
-
Jamie
Holy crap…
-
urbanmkr
Oh, I used to cringe at this even when I was a kid.
By the way, I don’t think the Kia cars existed back then.
I still can’t figure out what on earth the connection was between all these awful racial stereotypes and the drink is. Something to do with evoking a sunny warm climate and proper oranges?
But then where do the Maaori come in? I was really surprised to discover kia ora was a Maaori greeting just a few years ago. I’d always known it as a sickly UK orangeade sold with dodgy ads, and couldn’t figure out how it got from one place to the other. Must have just sounded cool. -
Jamie
I was reading around on some international message boards about Kia Ora just to satiate my curiosity as to the connection among Maori, black stereotypes, and orange drink.
I can’t find anything connecting them legitimately, but I have found more than a few people abroad who still have absolutely no idea why this “American-specific” racism is so offensive, despite the basketball, the “mammy,” and the crow characters. It’s surreal! Very interesting. I would love to understand why anyone would choose those images to sell pop.
-
KD
“…despite the basketball, the “mammy,” and the crow characters.”
Goodness, you don’t even need to look that far, either. One of the crows is dragging his knuckles on the ground! Human beings do not do that.
-
Jamie
LOL The whole advert is freakin strange and confusing!
-
KD
Whoops. I realize that was unclear. I mean, in the context of racial caricatures (and the Jim Crow birds are obviously that) one of them is dragging its knuckles on the ground, which is primitive monkey/neanderthal behavior. In other words, its a stereotype that dehumanizes as it entertains…which, of course, is what these cartoon types were meant to do. Helps with the conscience pangs that comes from treating an entire class of people like shit.
What’s really sad is that if you look this up on youtube, it’s titled “Vaguely racist” and the dozens of comments center around how it isn’t racist, or it’s racist but people need to get over it because it’s funny.
-
Jamie
I happened upon the same site and I was all, “VAGUELY!?”
-
-
-
-
Tee
As a Maori woman… I’m just really confused.
incoming linksSitemeter
© 2010 Sociological Images
