Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Coke Chase

Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Arabian Coke Chase – Is It Racist?

Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Coke Chase

Some people called the Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial racist, and this Coke Chase commercial is getting the same treatment.

According to a report over at Reuters, Arab-American groups have sharply criticized the ad depicting an Arab walking through the desert with a camel. “Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?” said Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Coca-Cola released a teaser of the ad last week, showing an Arab walking through a desert. He soon sees cowboys, Las Vegas showgirls and a rag-tag group of marauders a la “Mad Max.” They’re all racing towards a giant bottle of Coke, and viewers are asked to vote online on which character should win the race (but the online site doesn’t allow a vote for the Arab character).

“The Coke commercial for the Super Bowl is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world,” Imam Ali Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said in an email.

“What message is Coke sending with this?” asked Abed Ayoub, ADC’s director of legal and policy affairs. “By not including the Arab in the race, it is clear that the Arab is held to a different standard when compared to the other characters in the commercial,” he said.

I’m kind of with Coke on this one. Coke spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said they took a “cinematic” approach with the ad, using the characters as a nod to movies of the past. The ad DOES give off a “Laurence of Arabia” vibe, doesn’t it? It doesn’t bother me, but then, I’m not Arabian.

What do you think? Is this ad racist? Does it bother you? 

Comments

4 responses to “Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Arabian Coke Chase – Is It Racist?”

  1. Lila Avatar
    Lila

    I don’t think this commercial is racist. It would look kind of funny to see an Asian, German, or African American…as a “camel jockey”. Oops! Am I racist because I left someone out? I’m not implying that racism doesn’t exist, I just think that some people go out of their way to look for racism when it doesn’t exist. Think about it! Why would Coke do that? They sell their products all around the world.

  2. HPM Avatar
    HPM

    Sort of irrelevant since no one can vote anyway — website crashed as soon as the ad aired.

  3. Isabella Avatar
    Isabella

    Should we stop depicting Irish as people who wear a lot of green and have red hair? Should we stop depicting Italians as pizza eating mobsters? Should we stop depicting the French as a bunch of stuck up artists? Stereotypes exist. Get over it.

  4. Jael Avatar
    Jael

    We should be able to vote for the Arab!!
    Why did they not allow voting for only one character in the ad.
    My husband (who is Arab) and I won’t vote for anyone but the Arab. And frankly, I won’t drink Coke. Really, go out of your way to offend, Coke.

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