You're Black, So You Love Chicken.

A very common misconception is that all African Americans love chicken, especially when fried. The restaurant chain who is most famous for fried chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, apparently believe this myth. The company recently released a series of commercials called "KFC's Cricket Survival Guide", offering solutions to people who may find themselves in an awkward situation. In the commercial below, a white man who appears to be a soccer player is in the midst of a group of Jamaicans. He is the only white person in a predominately black setting. The man looks bored and out of place. To appease the group, he offers them a bucket of fried chicken. As they take the food, he adds the remark, "Too Easy". The problem with this commercial is that KFC is assuming that black people all over the world favor fried chicken; basically catering to the racial stereotype. However,  the commercial then goes on to call the particular meal combo being advertised a "Crowd Pleaser". That leaves the viewer to question whether or not the advertisement was intentionally being racially stereotypical. In my personal opinion, had the crowd been white and the man black, the commercial would went over a little less racist. Since the stereotype is already preconceived, there's no escaping it. As a result of painful experiences with racism, African Americans are very sensitive to the subject of race. Whether or not the stereotypical undertone was intentional is irrelevant. The question is was it offensive to blacks. Omi stated, "Since popular culture deals with the symbolic realm of social life, the images which it creates, represents, and disseminates contribute to the overall racial climate.". Omi's statement rings true when the integrity and character of an overall race is being related to something as simple as a bucket of chicken. KFC supposedly later released an apology for the commercial.