16907: Culturally Clueless Ketchup, Kicks, And KKKandles…?

 

Advertising Age spotlighted The Biggest Brand Fails Of 2024, including culturally clueless contenders. In addition to Kraft Heinz—which could’ve nabbed two awards—Ad Age called out the following brands:

 

Adidas, SL 72 shoes

 

The sports brand in July was forced to apologize for “any upset or distress caused” over its release of a remake of its SL 72 shoes, which originally debuted during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Critics, including the StopAntisemitism group, pointed out that the games are known for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists. The brand also drew complaints for making model Bella Hadid, a prominent critic of the Israeli government, the face of the campaign. Hadid in an Instagram post later said that “I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign,” adding that “my team should have known. Adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.”

 

Bath & Body Works, “Snowed In”

 

The retailer in October came under fire for a design on packaging that resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods. The packaging for the Snowed In winter candle included snowflake of white cutouts, a style that drew comparisons to the hoods with eye holes worn by the KKK. Bath & Body Works pulled the candle from store shelves after social media complaints. In a statement it said it is “committed to fixing any mistakes we make—even those that are unintentional like this one.”

 

 

Gee, the Snowed In candle is perfect for igniting cross-burning events.

14502: BHM 2019—Republicans And Democrats Display Bipartisan Bullshit.

The GOP took heat for its Black History Month tweet. The Democrats’ inadvertent BHM message wasn’t much better.

13807: High-Tech Hatemongers…?

This Lenovo video seems potentially insensitive given the increase of organized hate groups in places such as Charlottesville and beyond. Why, the Legion looks downright Klan-like with their high-tech hoods. And it doesn’t help that the creative co-conspirators include the ever-White advertising agency Ogilvy and Gentleman Scholar, a production company whose gentlemen-led staff appears to be typically exclusive.

12566: KKKrazy Selma Billboard.

From The New York Daily News…

Billboard honoring KKK founder on display near Selma bridge on anniversary of historic march

By Rich Schapiro

WelKKKome to Selma!

Within sight of the bridge where President Obama will commemorate the 1965 Bloody Sunday march is a billboard set up by a group dedicated to honoring Ku Klux Klan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The sign, set up in recent days, invites visitors to see “Selma’s War Between The States Historic Sites.” But it also features a picture of the Confederate flag and an image of Forrest, who was also a Confederate general.

Beside Forrest’s picture is a quote adopted by his men: “Keep the skeer on ‘em.”

In a bizarre twist, the other side of the billboard — a straight shot and about a half-mile east of the Edmund Pettus Bridge — contains a welcome message to President Obama.

“Selmapostherald.com Welcomes President Barack Obama and you to Selma,” it reads.

The Forrest billboard irked several Selma residents and visitors in town to celebrate the events that inspired the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

“It should be taken down,” said Flossie Menifee, 67, who grew up in Selma. “The Ku Klux Klan, the hatred, the prejudice, I think it’s always going to be in Selma.”

Kirsten Muller, of San Francisco, said she was “shocked” by the sight of the billboard.

“It feels threatening because we think of Forrest as the founder of the KKK and that reminds us of the violence,” said Muller, 59, co-founder of international human rights organization Global Exchange.

The head of the group behind the controversial billboard scoffed at the suggestion that some might find it offensive.

“That billboard was put there with positive intent to ask people who come to Selma to explore and enjoy our 19th century history,” said Patricia Goodwin, head of the group Friends of Forrest Inc.

“Does it say anything in the Constitution where a certain faction of people cannot be offended?” she added. “I’m offended by all these people walking around with their pants hanging around their knees.”

Goodwin said she chose the location because it was highly visible to visitors. She insisted that it has nothing to do with the KKK or Forrest’s role in its founding.

Hundreds of protesters seeking to march to Montgomery were beaten with police whips and billy clubs atop the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7 — a day now known as Bloody Sunday.

Two weeks later, hundreds of protesters reached Montgomery after marching for five days from Selma.

President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination at the polls, on Aug. 6, 1965.

12521: Krispy Kreme KKK.

FOX News reported on a culturally clueless promotion cancelled by Krispy Kreme in the UK. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that a UK advertising agency was involved too.

Krispy Kreme cancels ‘KKK Wednesday’ promotion

By Fox News

A UK Krispy Kreme branch apologized for a promotion created to draw more kids into its store during Britain’s half-term, a short holiday for students in the middle of each the three periods into which the school year is divided.

The branch created a series of promotional events that included “KKK Wednesday,” which was planned to run at the Hull branch in Britain from noon to 5 p.m. However, the branch apparently did not realize what the acronym is synonymous with.

Facebook followers quickly pointed out that KKK stands for the Ku Klux Klan, a racially charged American hate group that has committed unspeakable crimes against African-Americans, among others.

The company originally planned to use KKK as the “Krispy Kreme Klub.” Other activities during the county’s half-term, which runs from Feb. 16 to 22, included Funday Monday, Coloring Tuesday, Face Painting Thursday, Balloon Madness and Board Games Galore.

A company spokeswoman told The Daily Mirror the company apologizes “unreservedly for the inappropriate name of a customer promotion at one of our stores.”

The spokeswoman also said the material for the promotion was withdrawn and “an internal investigation is currently under way.”

11487: Misogynists Meet Feminists.

Adweek reported Elle U.K. asked three advertising agencies—Brave, Mother and Wieden + Kennedy—to rebrand feminism. Um, asking ad shops to rebrand feminism is like assigning the heads of Barilla and Chick-fil-A to rebrand LGBT. Or charging the KKK with rebranding diversity. Or letting The Richards Group rebrand Summer’s Eve. Why, it’s a wonder no one thought to call in Neil French.

11358: Klandid Camera.

From The New York Daily News…

KKK photos capture hate group’s candid moments

Photojournalist Anthony Karen has taken pictures of the Ku Klux Klan since 2005.

By David Knowles / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

New York-based photojournalist Anthony Karen has a knack for getting inside of some of America’s most secretive organizations.

A former Marine, Karen is the author of The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan, and White Pride, both of which document white supremacist culture. In dozens of photo essays, Karen has dealt with American subcultures ranging from skinheads to Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church.

“I have a keen interest in religious ideology and marginalized subject matter. I prefer documenting long-term stories, because I feel a story can always be improved upon; there’s always some nuance that you’ll discover with subsequent trips. This methodology has proven helpful as I develop as a photojournalist,” Karen told Slate in an email.

Having honed the skill of putting his subjects at ease, Karen has gained access and become accepted by groups that many Americans have had little contact with.

“I think a lot of the credibility I’ve earned also stems from my basic philosophy that you need to give some of yourself in order to receive anything back,” Karen told FotoEvidence. “I spend time with people, I listen to what they have to say, and I treat each person as an individual. I don’t have to believe what they believe, but whenever I’m in someone’s space, I feel I’m obliged to observe without judgment. That's not to say I wouldn't intervene if I felt a situation called for it, but I choose to observe moment to moment and simply take in what I see and experience without presumption or pretext.”

Karen got his start as a photographer in Haiti, where he was able to shoot Vodou rituals and pilgrimages that few people outside the impoverished nation had ever witnessed. The transformative experience hooked him to the profession.

“I found myself being overly timid when approaching my subjects,” Karen told FotoEvidence. “I felt I needed to go back. With each return trip my images improved. Photojournalism quickly became as much a part of me as any of my physical characteristics and it continues to feed a unique side of me.”

11211: ReKKKruiting Patrick Ewing.

From The New York Daily News…

Georgetown and Knicks great Patrick Ewing says on UNC recruiting trip, area was hosting KKK rally

Ewing said he was considering teaming up with Michael Jordan and Dean Smith in Chapel Hill, but Klan rally at hotel was a deal breaker.

By Daniel O’leary / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Patrick Ewing, a North Carolina Tar Heel?

Hard to imagine, we know. But when you hear the Georgetown legend’s reasoning for not picking the Tar Heels, it would be hard to knock him for not teaming up with Michael Jordan under head coach Dean Smith.

Ewing appeared on “The Dan Patrick Show” and explained why he didn’t head to Chapel Hill.

“You know, I was close [to attending UNC]. I was close. North Carolina was a very good school but, you know, when I went down there they put me in that Carolina Inn and there was a big Ku Klux Klan rally in North Carolina when I was there,” Ewing said. “And I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m not coming down here. I’m staying my butt back in Boston.’”

“So the reason why you didn’t go (to UNC), or the major reason, is the KKK had a rally going on at the time?” Patrick asked.

“Big rally man. I was like… They stuck me in that Carolina Inn. And at night down in North Carolina it gets pitch black and I hear all the crickets and I’m jumping, I’m like ‘what the heck?’ I said, ‘Nah, I’m going home.’”

Ewing said that Georgetown was his first choice and his second choice was UCLA. And even that Hall of Fame Tar Heels coach Dean Smith advised him to go to Georgetown if he was not going to pick North Carolina.

The former Knicks center was named associate head coach of the Charlotte franchise recently. The Bobcats, who are in the middle of switching their name back to the Hornets, are owned by Ewing’s long time friend Michael Jordan.

Ewing has publicly stated his desire to be a head coach in the NBA.

After Jason Kidd was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday, the Hall of Famer’s son, Patrick Ewing Jr. tweeted: “For real though I’m mad J Kidd got a head coaching job a year after retiring n my pops been coaching 10 years n barely gets a look.”

11018: BHM 2013—Retronaut.

Find the perfect BHM gift in the Catalogue of Official Robes and Banners for Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

9772: KKKnockers.

Florida resident Sheyla Hershey (pictured above) insists her 38KKK breasts saved her life in a car crash by serving as additional air bags. The 38KKK knockers probably also get her a free pass into Klan rallies.

9752: Racists Really Are Stupid.

From The Huffington Post…

Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism

The Huffington Post | Rebecca Searles

Are racists dumb? Do conservatives tend to be less intelligent than liberals? A provocative new study from Brock University in Ontario suggests the answer to both questions may be a qualified yes.

The study, published in Psychological Science, showed that people who score low on I.Q. tests in childhood are more likely to develop prejudiced beliefs and socially conservative politics in adulthood.

I.Q., or intelligence quotient, is a score determined by standardized tests, but whether the tests truly reveal intelligence remains a topic of hot debate among psychologists.

Dr. Gordon Hodson, a professor of psychology at the university and the study’s lead author, said the finding represented evidence of a vicious cycle: People of low intelligence gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, which stress resistance to change and, in turn, prejudice, he told LiveScience.

Why might less intelligent people be drawn to conservative ideologies? Because such ideologies feature “structure and order” that make it easier to comprehend a complicated world, Dodson said. “Unfortunately, many of these features can also contribute to prejudice,” he added.

Dr. Brian Nosek, a University of Virginia psychologist, echoed those sentiments.

“Reality is complicated and messy,” he told The Huffington Post in an email. “Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies.”

But Nosek said less intelligent types might be attracted to liberal “simplifying ideologies” as well as conservative ones.

In any case, the study has taken the Internet by storm, with some outspoken liberals saying that it validates their suspicions about conservatives and conservatives arguing that the research has been misinterpreted.

9661: Cardinal Sorry For Gays-KKK Remark.

From The New York Daily News...

Chicago cardinal apologizes for comparing gay rights activists to Ku Klux Klan

Satisfied with apology, gay and civil rights activists call off protest in front of Cardinal Francis George’s church planned for Sunday

By Roque Planas / New York Daily News

Chicago Cardinal Francis George is sorry for comparing gay activists to the Ku Klux Klan in an interview on Christmas Day.

“I am truly sorry for the hurt my remarks have caused,” George said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune published Friday.

“When I was talking, I was speaking out of fear that I have for the church’s liberty and I was reaching for an analogy which was very inappropriate, for which I’m sorry.”

The controversy erupted back in October when George objected to next summer’s Gay Pride Parade passing by his Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on a Sunday during mass. Organizers agreed to push the start time of the parade to noon to avoid bothering morning worshippers, according to the Chicago Tribune.

But the compromise didn’t solve the dispute for George, who continued to rail against segments of the Chicago gay rights movement, arguing that they view Catholics as an enemy—which reminded George of the KKK.

“You don’t want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism,” George told Fox Chicago in an interview broadcast on Christmas day.

“That’s a little strong analogy, don’t you think? Ku Klux Klan?” the host asked George.

“It is, but you take a look at the rhetoric—the rhetoric of the Ku Klux Klan, the rhetoric of some of the gay liberation people. Who is the enemy? The Catholic Church.”

Days later, the cardinal doubled down, defending his comparison in a public statement.

“Organizers (of the pride parade) invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church,” the cardinal said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940s, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.”

The comments sparked a firestorm of criticism, while few leaders came forward to back George up. The Rainbow Sash Movement—a Catholic group that supports gay rights—demanded the Chicago cardinal to step down. Several gay and civil rights groups planned to show up at George’s Sunday mass for a protest if they didn’t get an apology.

But George’s apology satisfied most and the organizers called off Sunday’s protest, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

George’s public relations fiasco came just a month after he landed himself in hot water by blasting Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn for agreeing to present an award to rape survivor Jennie Goodman on behalf of pro-choice organization Personal PAC.

“Governor Quinn has gone beyond a political alignment with those supporting the legal right to kill children in their mother’s wombs to rewarding those deemed successful at this terrible work,” the Illinois bishops said in a public statement.

It turned out Goodman had never had an abortion, so the Catholic leaders backed down.

9077: DDB Likes KKK.

DDB, Buenos Aires, Argentina produced the ad above for Los Inrockuptibles. Guess DDB in Argentina is competing with DDB Brasil for the ignorance-masquerading-as-innovation award.

Via Ads of the World

8163: Ghost Stories.

Scary news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The chef at a Midtown Manhattan hotel resigned after being accused of pretending to be a Ku Klux Klansman and offending a Black coworker. The coworker charged the chef put a pillowcase over his head and said, “How does that make you feel? Do you feel insulted?” The chef denied the accusation, insisting he was being a ghost for Halloween. OK, KKKasper the friendly ghost, whatever you say.

• A new study revealed 17 percent of Americans have had sex at their workplace. And given the current unemployment rate, at least 9.6 percent of U.S. workers have been screwed by their former employer.

• Walmart and Sears announced extended hours for Black Friday sales. Why does Black Friday receive more attention than Black History Month?

7126: KKKontextual Advertising.

A USA TODAY story on University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl’s joke about the KKK is accompanied by a Wells Fargo ad featuring Black kid athletes.

5353: Law And Disorder.

Legal briefs and panties in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• As the R. Kelly trial date nears, the judge has been working hard to keep things confidential. Lawyers are under gag order to prohibit them from speaking with reporters, while numerous closed sessions have been held with the judge, lawyers and R. Kelly. Which probably means all parties are inking their deals for the inevitable reality TV series.

• Ohio troopers have been punished for a KKK prank held a day before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. One officer donned a KKK-style costume while another snapped a pic on his cell phone. The costumed cop received a five-day suspension, the picture taker was demoted and a third officer received a one-day suspension. The White officers insisted they were inspired by a comedy skit from Dave Chappelle. They also probably blame their racist actions on gangsta rap.