Mastication for the Nation

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apparently this chewing gum add has been pulled as it was racially offensive.

do you find it so?

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:08 (eighteen years ago)

If by "racially offensive" you mean "fucking shit", then yeah, totally.

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:09 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, but 99% of ads are fucking shit. How could this ad be described as racially offensive?

― Tom D., Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:28 (eighteen years ago)

Show it to Ethan, I'm sure he'll explain

― Mark C, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:29 (eighteen years ago)

Racist ads can be great though! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LvLn9PWln8

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:30 (eighteen years ago)

I feel I should know who Ethan is, but I don't.

on Radio 5 Live there was a debate along the lines of why is this not ok but "ooh aah it's Ambrosiaah" is.

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:31 (eighteen years ago)

So what's the ad like?

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

Who's Ethan?

― Tom D., Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:33 (eighteen years ago)

Early 80s style Jamaican street poet rhapsodising about chewing gum.

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:33 (eighteen years ago)

Early 80s style Jamaican street poet

Haha he wishes

― Mark C, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:34 (eighteen years ago)

Followed by some stuffy white people doing the same thing - in Jamaican accents - SHOCKAH!

― Tom D., Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:34 (eighteen years ago)

x-post based comedy: it's what nu-ilx was made for

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:34 (eighteen years ago)

It struck me as being very dated this ad (West Indian accents are soooooooo 80s surely?), but not very racist

― Tom D., Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:36 (eighteen years ago)

How many of the 519 complaints do you reckon were because those people didn't know what mastication is?

Maybe Lenny Henry should be pulled up for being racist for Delbert Wilkins?

― T B, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:37 (eighteen years ago)

or that guy with the leopardskin on his jacket who went Gadanga!

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:38 (eighteen years ago)

Not as offensive as 25 Grandpont Genie threads a day.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:38 (eighteen years ago)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhkaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!

― Tom D., Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:39 (eighteen years ago)

Noodle Vague just revealed himself to be the most easily offended person on the board. Look mate, start 26 Noodle Vague threads and I really won't mind, old chap.

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:41 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, cos it's just me.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:42 (eighteen years ago)

fraid so.

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:43 (eighteen years ago)

23 would be okay. Maybe even 24. But 25? Unspeakable.

― blueski, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:47 (eighteen years ago)

Who would have thought a race thread involving British posters could degenerate into unpleasantness?

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 10:49 (eighteen years ago)

i have seen these ads and they made sure i will NEVER buy this chewing gum. not because they're racist; because they're fucking dreadful ads.

― emsk, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:00 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah seriously, I'm v happy they've been banned just because they're so fucking annoying.

― Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:02 (eighteen years ago)

Do youse guys not have a remote control or sump'n?

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:04 (eighteen years ago)

i barely watch tv so when it is on i am glued to it like a space alien trying to understand joe cocker. also i think the baby ate the batteries from the remote.

― emsk, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:05 (eighteen years ago)

I channel-hop like crazy during the ad breaks. I think I've only seen this mastication thing once.

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:09 (eighteen years ago)

My wife's in charge of the remote.

― Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 11:14 (eighteen years ago)

I've only seen it once at the cinema before Hot Fuzz and I did think a little "Oh, isn't that a bit of a lazy race-based stereotype?", but after about a minute that thought was replaced with "THIS IS THE WORST AD EVER OMG CLAW MY EYEZ!11!!! ETC"

― The Wayward Johnny B, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 12:45 (eighteen years ago)

Responding to the commercials, one viewer commented: "This near 'Driving Miss Daisy' degradation of singing songs for the whites sickens me."

The ASA said some viewers saw the white characters' imitation of the Caribbean accent as "insulting, derogatory and demeaning to people of black or Caribbean heritage."

It said the commercials did not incite racial intolerance or discrimination but added: "We also noted the stereotype depicted in the ads had, unintentionally, caused deep offence to a significant minority of viewers and that many of those who complained to us were concerned that the negative stereotype would be perpetuated."

It criticised Trident owner Cadbury for playing on Caribbean stereotypes and ordered the company not to show the adverts again.

Cadbury said the campaign was meant to show a humorous chewing gum "revolution" featuring dub poetry.

The confectionery giant did consumer research before its launch and consulted members of the British African Caribbean community - around one in five of whom had found the adverts offensive.

Responding to the ASA's ruling, Cadbury said the TV adverts had already finished and it accepted the watchdog's decision.

"We would never seek to cause offence to anyone and regret if any member of the public felt this was the case," said a spokesman.

20% of British African Caribbeans questioned by Cadbury before the ads were broadcast said it was offensive yet they went ahead with the campaign.

― onimo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:10 (eighteen years ago)

let's phrase that slightly differently shall we?

80% of British African Caribbeans questioned by Cadbury before the ads were broadcast said it was not offensive so they went ahead with the campaign.

― Grandpont Genie, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:18 (eighteen years ago)

Cadbury said the campaign was meant to show a humorous chewing gum "revolution" featuring dub poetry.

see there's your problem right there

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:20 (eighteen years ago)

80% of British African Caribbeans questioned by Cadbury before the ads were broadcast said it was not offensive so they went ahead with the campaign.

No that's phrasing it the exact same way. 80% is hardly overwhelming here.

Let's try again

After undertaking research into the subject Cabdury's said "Only one in five blacks don't like it, fuck 'em!"

― onimo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:25 (eighteen years ago)

yay, ilx + racism.

― g-kit, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:26 (eighteen years ago)

= gold

― onimo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:27 (eighteen years ago)

Has anyone asked 80% of blacks what they think about Ronaldinho bottle openers?

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:29 (eighteen years ago)

I see what you did there.

― Matt DC, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:29 (eighteen years ago)

80% of Ronaldinho covers everything but the neck up.

― blueski, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:32 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.crueltyfree.org.uk/cfl/199901/trident.jpg

Personally I had no idea it was such a political hot potato.

― Matt DC, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:38 (eighteen years ago)

Personally, the fact that two out of ten cats would rather starve than eat Whiskas means a lot more to me.

― peteR, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

xpost personally repetition

― peteR, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

I thought this thread was going to be about Fletcherism.

― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Wednesday, 28 March 2007 16:55 (eighteen years ago)

"Now, before Celia shows us her slides of the arctic puffins, here's Marjory to talk about late-summer chutnies!"

"FORGET DE CHUTNEY AND DE JAM
DIS AIN'T ON MY CURRICUL-AM
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A NEW TASTE SENSA-ITION
TRIDENT SPLASH - IT A NEW GUM CREA-ITION!
ITS STRAWBERRY FLAVA WID A LIQUID LIME TI-ASTIN' CENTRE
ME TINK YOU FIND IT A REAL BELTER!
ME TONGUE GONE TO HEAVEN, DAT NO EXAGGERA-ITION!
SO SPREAD DE WORD, SISTAS! MASTICA-ITION FOR DE NA-ITION!"

O God.

― JTS, Thursday, 29 March 2007 19:10 (eighteen years ago)

look mate

― RJG, Thursday, 29 March 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

Haha okay rough demographic research suggests that the Caribbean or part-Caribbean population of the UK is about 800,000 or so. So if one in five finds the ad offensive, and your awesome ad campaign achieves the total unavoidable saturation you naturally want it to, that's about 160,000 people who'll be offended. Of course, in the focus group you're asking if people are offended, so you might get "yes" responses from people who normally wouldn't spend time worrying about it. So let's assume only one in five of them would be seriously, meaningfully offended. So ... oh, only THIRTY-TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE would feel personally insulted and offended by the ad, even ignoring other non-Caribbean people who might find it offensive or just tacky and irritating! Hahaha what could possibly go wrong with 32,000 people being racially offended by your ad?

― nabisco, Thursday, 29 March 2007 20:52 (eighteen years ago)

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