Amusingly racist commercial

[dustintv]

There's a K-Mart/Sears commercial highlighting right Black Friday with a couple all excited and trying to figure out what's going on exclaiming how its Black Friday. Now I've seen this commercial a couple times now and didn't think of it much until I noticed the couple are black themselves. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I find it very amusing nonetheless.

 

[Robnoxious]

Reminds me of the joke about the difference between K-Mart and Target.

The punchline is something about the requirement of wearing shirts in Target.

You can insert the ethnicity of your choice for the joke to work.

 

[Skynet74]

There's a K-Mart/Sears commercial highlighting right Black Friday with a couple all excited and trying to figure out what's going on exclaiming how its Black Friday. Now I've seen this commercial a couple times now and didn't think of it much until I noticed the couple are black themselves. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I find it very amusing nonetheless.

My girlfriend is Black and I still find that very funny! ;D

 

[DToTheJ]

Reminds me of the joke about the difference between K-Mart and Target.

The punchline is something about the requirement of wearing shirts in Target.

I thought it involved Amy Fisher...

 

[imhomerjay]

Funny commercial, but not at all racist.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Gee, I don't think "amusing" and "racist" have been used in the same sentence since CBS pulled Amos 'n Andy from their lineup...

 

[LKellerIII]

It's not racist, and I doubt they specifically chose an African American couple to make some stupid play on words with "Black" Friday.

If people took this seriously, advertisers would have to stop using African American actors and spokespeople for many commercials or products, ln fear that people would charge racism. I don't think anybody wants to go there.

 

[formeraa]

It's not racist, and I doubt they specifically chose an African American couple to make some stupid play on words with "Black" Friday.

If people took this seriously, advertisers would have to stop using African American actors and spokespeople for many commercials or products, ln fear that people would charge racism. I don't think anybody wants to go there.

On the contrary, it sounds like Kmart's ad agency has a healthy sense of humor. I agree that it's not racist, but a play on words. It says something positive about today's society that they actually felt comfortable running the commercial.

 

[imhomerjay]

A play on words because...why, exactly? Black people can't use the word "black" without it being linked to race? What reason would there be to feel uncomfortable about having the actors use the word "black?"

 

[Yeziknoradio]

??? ??? ??? I thought K mart decided to call it BLUE FRIDAY!

"They're not calling it Black Friday, Kmart is calling it BLUE Friday"

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fft_aUVeQXc

 

[mjlarochelle]

I wouldn't call it racist at all.

Now as a side note, this reminds me that Black Friday translated into Spanish would be "viernes negro", since negro is the Spanish word for black, the colour. Imagine that being used in one of these commercials on a Spanish channel...

 

[bpatrick]

I saw that commercial last night and can't find any cause
for complaint either. And unless I've missed something I
haven't heard any complaints from the black community.

 

[dhett]

Just because the subject of the joke is about race doesn't make it racist. Unfortunate choice of words.

On a related note, K-Mart had planned to use the phrase "Blue Friday" until Blue Man Group objected on racial grounds.