One word: Why?

Fuccillo Kia — yes, he of the “Huge” — has released this racially sensitive, culturally uplifting commercial spot. What do you think?

This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2013.

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7 replies on “Is Fuccillo ad offensive?”

  2. Seriously? You’re offended by that?

    Since now the simple wearing of a black fright wig is going to get you labelled a racist? There was NO use of any “hot words”, no fake “ebonic” accent, nothing at all but one guy wearing an exaggeratedly curly wig. It wasn’t exactly tightly “Afro,” it was loose.

    Had there been any sort of other loaded references or terms, I might be with you, but to be offended by that AND to bring it to the public’s attention in this way just screams “knee-jerk liberal” as well as over-the-top political correctness.

    At some point you just gotta let it go. It’s not like they are known for Cleo-winning, slickly-produced, well-thought-out ads. It’s quick, cheap ads done almost amateurishly. Due to the sheer number of ads they produce every year, somewhere there’s going to be something you don’t like. Wait a week or two… they’ll move on to some other dumb, loud ad.

  3. I don’t think so. I think it’s a bad joke though. “White guy basketball player with an afro” was funny when it was in Fletch in 1986. Now, it’s a dated joke. Seriously, how prevalent is the blown out afro anymore? As sloppy as it looks, it’s almost like parody of “white guy basketball player with an afro”.

    However, I think reflecting on this kind of stuff IS important and it is to be expected. This country is moving in a post racial phase. We can debate the speed at which it is happening. but it is happening. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask ourselves whether something is racist. Just as we shouldn’t be afraid to make a distinction between cultural insensitivity and cultural humor.

    Asking if something is offensive is not the same as being offensive.

  4. All of their stuff is junk. If not offensive, just truly tasteless. Kind of like, “really, you wanna’ go there?”. Why not just put on black face. Shakin’ my head.

  5. On the topic of offensive TV ads, what about the incredibly tastless Time Warner spot in which a zombie is shot in the head with an arrow splattering blood across a door? Great family viewing for the kiddies to watch again and again and again and again.

  6. So he’s wearing a big curly wig. He’s not speaking in any dialect that could be mocking anyone. I used to hate those old ‘Irond-a Quoit-a’ Dodge commercials with ‘Vinnie’ and ‘Angelo’. Talk about stereotyping. But everyone seemed OK with that.

  7. He is a huge as-s whole. His commercials should be shut down by the FCC. There is also a big problem with his recording equipment, as he comes through all my televisions sounding muffled and distorted to a point where I think he is ruining my TV speakers. He is blowing them, not good. There is no reason to yell and scream like that. He is pathetic and a disgrace. He should be shut down immediately, or at least be forced to record a commercial without screaming. Get your equipment fixed already, it sucks. You’re redundant too. Did I leave anything out?

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