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Is Volkswagen's new Super Bowl ad racist?

BY Jillian Raftery  on January 29, 2013 @ 2:01 pm (Updated: 3:57 pm - 1/29/13 )


Is this Volkswagen Beetle ad racist? Some commentators on The Today Show say it's the worst they've seen in years, but Dori thinks it's just playing on harmless stereotypes.

The ad walks viewers through a dismal office environment, where one Caucasian man with a Jamaican accent just can't stop smiling - all because of his new VW bug.

"The guy with the Jamaican accent is just a big 30-something white guy," said Dori, "and this ad is being decried as racist now."

Everyone in the office appears to have a serious case of the Mondays - until the man with the Jamaican accent takes them for a ride in his VW Beetle.

"The thing I don't understand - every single commercial on television today is about the mom and teenage kids making fun of the Phil Dunphy-type dad," said Dori. "The white dad is middle-aged and a dope, and the mom and dad are always making fun of him. We can have the most blatant, stereotypical, ridiculous caricatures of 40-year-old white dads in every single commercial on the air. But heaven forbid we have a guy talking in a Jamaican accent."

Guests on The Today Show were adamant. They had a half-hour discussion about the flaws of the commercial, featuring advertising experts.

"I was shocked. Didn't anyone look at this? This is so racist," said Today Show guest Barbara Lippman. "And maybe Jamaicans don't find it offensive, but it's just saying that black people are happy."

One commentator was able to see past some of the well-intentioned stereotypes.

"I see positivity and happiness in this ad. I love it," said Today Show guest Michelle Stalling.

Despite criticism, Volkswagen is defending the commercial. The makers of the ad said they had gone to great lengths to make sure the commercial wasn't offensive. Volkswagen of America Executive Vice President Tim Mahoney said they hired a speaking coach to make sure accents were authentic, and consulted 100 Jamaicans to make sure the ad wasn't offensive.

Jillian Raftery, Social Media Captain
Jillian Raftery is a social media captain for the Dori Monson Show. She loves the neighborly vibe of the Pacific Northwest and spends as much time as possible outdoors.
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Comments (22)


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  • mitchello wrote...
    not racist at all....perhaps culture"ist" i suppose
    January 29, 2013 10:36 pm
    An accent is a part of culture, not any race. Frankly race is a social construct anyway, there is only one species of human.
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  • joshuahernandez wrote...
    We sound more like the movie Fargo, eh.
    January 29, 2013 11:15 pm
    I'm more offended that he's suppose to be from Minnesota, but he clearly doesn't have an accurate Minnesota accent. Everyone that has seen the movie Fargo knows that he have a completely different accent than this fraud. If anything, this guys from south Minneapolis. The nerve of this commercial.
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  • Snout wrote...
    Huh, Jamaican is a race now?
    January 30, 2013 5:26 am
    I did not know that, Ed. that is some weird and wild stuff.
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  • WSeattleDrummr wrote...
    Oh, C'mon!
    January 30, 2013 7:03 am
    I don't have it on my calendar. When exactly did Jamaican become a race? I need to update my records. And while we're at it, don't forget to add the Discovery channel as being one of the most racist networks ever for adding subtitles to shows like Moonshiners and Swamp People, whose characters speak with such strong accents that many English speaking people can't understand them. How insensitive. And let's not forget Johnny Depp who could possibly be the most racist actor in the business for speaking with a British accent in about half of his most recent movies. Don't even get me started on Hugh Laurie.
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  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ WSeattleDrummr
    January 30, 2013 9:23 am
    Don't forget to add Madonna to that list...
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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    Racist?
    January 30, 2013 11:00 am
    So when did it become racist to mock someone who is from Ballard in a commercial?
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  • awbitf wrote...
    I see Dori is borrowing from
    January 30, 2013 11:08 am
    Tom Leykis again
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  • Rich the Marine wrote...
    Not only is it not racist ...
    January 30, 2013 11:47 am
    ... it's not particularly clever or funny.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • monroemad wrote...
    JAMAICAN IS NOT A RACE!
    January 30, 2013 2:47 pm
    Jamaican is not a race it it is a nationality. Actually the funny accent has a lot of British influence which at last check were mostly white. Some people just need to get a job. Oh. Ya. There aren't any!
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  • irony wrote...
    love it, funny to heck and back
    February 5, 2013 11:27 am
    i wish there were more like this one, because i think the rasta man version is stupid.
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