Mountain Dew Pulls 'Most Racist Commercial in History'

[John1956PA]

84. Thanks for your answer to my question whether more Mountain Dew goat advertisements were planned.

Yesterday evening, after I posted my question, I noticed that you provided an answer a few hours later up the thread. I am glad that you took time today to post that same answer in response to my post.

There is controversy as to whether the humor (or attempted humor) in the advertisement constitutes satire. In a similar vein, Saturday Night Live aired two sketches this season entitled "Maine Justice." The sketches presented a "Peoples' Court" or "Judge Judy" venue wherein the judge, one of the litigants, the tipstaff, and the courtroom spectators were comical characters of an exaggerated stereotype of Louisiana cajun/bayou residents. If the setting of the sketch would have been Louisiana, then residents of that state would have grounds to complain that the sketch constituted a slur on them. However, since the sketch was set in Maine, the premise of the sketch took on a Bizarro World flavor, and the would-be slur was blunted under the guise of satire.

As for the Mountain Dew goat advertisement, by having the goat-criminal take on the dialog (and voice characteristics) associated with African-American youths, the creators could argue that the advertisement constitutes harmless satire and that those of us who complain about the advertisement "don't get it." The males in the lineup are from a singing group, and they enjoy satirizing the images which certain critics hold of the fans of the group's brand of music. Regardless. I still find the advertisement to be highly offensive.