Donut company apologises for blackface advert

Dunkin' Donuts has apologised for the "insensitivity" of an advertising campaign in Thailand featuring a woman in blackface makeup to promote a new chocolate flavoured doughnut.

The Dunkin' Donuts franchise in Thailand came under criticism after Human Rights Watch called the advertisements "bizarre and racist."

The company's chief executive in Thailand initially defended the campaign, but the U.S. headquarters quickly followed up with an apology.

"We are working with our Thailand franchisee to immediately pull the ad. DD recognizes the insensitivity of this spot," Dunkin' Donuts said in a tweet posted on its official U.S. website after complaints erupted on Twitter and social media.

The local franchise launched the advertisement earlier this month to promote its new "Charcoal Donut." In posters, TV commercials and on Facebook, the campaign shows a smiling woman with blackface makeup, bright pink lipstick and a jet black 1950s-style beehive hairdo holding up a bitten black doughnut. The slogan in Thai reads: "Break every rule of deliciousness."

Critics say the image is reminiscent of 19th and early 20th century American stereotypes for black people that are now considered offensive symbols of a racist era.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said it was shocked to see an American brand name running an advertising campaign that would draw "howls of outrage" if released in the United States.

"It's both bizarre and racist that Dunkin' Donuts thinks that it must color a woman's skin black and accentuate her lips with bright pink lipstick to sell a chocolate doughnut," said Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. "Dunkin' Donuts should immediately withdraw this ad, publicly apologize to those it's offended and ensure this never happens again."

(Article)

I just read this article and cannot believe my eyes. Seriously? There are human beings that are offended by the advertisement? The lengths that some people go through to find offence is nothing short of breathtaking. Surely taking Political Correctness to such an extreme will negatively affect humanity's development in the long-term.

What do you think ATS?

reply to post by Dark Ghost



I guess your ancestors were never enslaved, tortured and killed. It still goes on today as we speak. But hey! It's all about political correctness after all. I believe you're wrong on this topic and need to realize why it's so controversial and wrong.

reply to post by RamblinCheese666

I believe you're wrong on this topic and need to realize why it's so controversial and wrong.

Nah.. Youre wrong and its people like you and whoever caused the uproar over this ad that are holding relations back

reply to post by Sharingan



To me the add is racist and I feel people need to see it for what it is. Rather then what it's not. One love to ya all. But we need to eradicate racism and hate.

reply to post by RamblinCheese666


lol.. hey, heres a tip.. grow a new layer of skin because as it is now, yours is way to thin.. If you ever get a paper cut, you would probably bleed to death.
Im so glad I dont meet people like you in REAL LIFE

reply to post by Dark Ghost


You don't find caricatured, stereotypical, demeaning representations of people as a race of buffoons offensive

Why not?

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
You don't find caricatured, stereotypical, demeaning representations of people as a race of buffoons offensive

How on Earth did you arrive at such a conclusion? :O

I see a picture of a smiling woman wearing black make-up, bright pink lipstick and 1950s hairstyle holding a bitten black doughnut. Nothing more, nothing less.

Not everything is about race for heaven's sake!

No, there's nothing wrong with blackface at all. The lengths some people go to uphold insensitivity astounds me!

I can't view the advertizement but the word description was good enough. I can see where people in the US might find it not politically correct but this is Thailand NOT the US so if your in the US you have nothing to say. If the Thai's do not find it offensive what does it have to do with people in the US...Oh that's right, nothing.

Should you be a tourist in a foreign country it would be well for you to remember, it is "their" country not yours so quit your crying about "their" adds, "their" customs, "their" dress or anything else you don't like. If you don't like it please go home and stay there.

DD US goes and apologizes for a Thai add, I can only presume the apology was to the Black people in the US for the another countries advert which makes zero sense. Sounds like somebody needs a nappy and a suitor.

I presume everyone has looked at the advertisment before commenting?

the woman is painted black, not like black face black, not like old rascist facepaint,

everything you can see in the picture, her neck, the top of her chest her face etc. and it is advertisment for a "charcoal donut" the woman is paited in charcoal, the only thing not paited is her lips which are bright red...

this is not the same as "black face" face painting... its really trying to make this rasicist, for a start its a picture, no movement, singing dancing etc, this is not the black and white mintrels this is just an advertising campaign that you would activley have to make racist.

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


Have you looked at the advert in question?

it is so far from this i find it difficult to draw any kind of comparison....

It's getting so you can't use the color black anymore. Personally I'm ready to boycott the color altogether. It will be easier to get through life without it. It causes too much controversy over nothing at all.

Boycott black.

reply to post by RamblinCheese666


why can black people do whiteface?????? and its not a problem?

This is a non issue by the way, walk away people

There is nothing about that advert that is even remotely racist. What is racist is all the so-called politically correct people, so afraid they are going to hurt someones feelings that they could even think of calling this advert racist.

For those of you that are so determined to live in the past and throw out the race card every time you think your feelings should be hurt, please grow up.

reply to post by Dark Ghost


I saw this on facebook and thought it was ridiculous how people reacted.

People need to stop getting so damn offended over every little thing. This was in THAILAND ffs not the US and even if it was who cares!

i don't care about what happened hundreds of years ago. Everyones ancestors at one time were slaves or discriminated against. It's LIFE and it will always be that way as long as people keep making it an issue.

I didn't see anything racist about this ad. Those who see racism in everything need to get a life and find something else to complain about that is relevant.

I guess I was one of the only ones raised with the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." I can't tell you how many times i've had racial slurs thrown at me or how many times I have been accused of being racist just because the check system denied someones check, yea that happened A LOT yet it was my fault. Did I get mad and cry racism? NO I laughed in their face!

Get over it people and move on.

My question is: Why the hell are people such big cry babies these days?

I understand getting offended if someone uses a racist word or comment, I really do and I resent that. This is something else entirely and I feel it should be dealt with. People are looking for things to consider to be racist just to say someone/some company/some anything is racist!

I have witnessed so many occasions where there was nothing remotely to do with race and yet someone will say, "That's racist!".

For instance, I was talking to a friend about how much I loved some good fried chicken, okra, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. Then before I know it someone's like, "That's just wrong." when race was never part of the conversation and it was genuinely about my favorite meal!

So why is everyone so damn sensitive to the point where we have to be careful what we say for fear of offending someone in any way, shape, or fashion? What has America come to?

N/A

reply to post by Dark Ghost


racism like religion is a tool, used to get special concessions and access,,,, should mickey mouse be white??? thats where we are all at now............. be so so glad when I can leave humans behind me ......

I want to apologize for my cowardice earlier. Yes, people probably took it too far. But I digest racism and feel we need to stop it. Which is why I was angry about the topic.

Originally posted by RamblinCheese666
I want to apologize for my cowardice earlier. Yes, people probably took it too far. But I digest racism and feel we need to stop it. Which is why I was angry about the topic.

You digest racism?

No wonder you want to make everything about race! It all makes sense!

Unless you, the poster, have been a victim off institutional racism, sexism or similar types of discrimination i do not believe you should ever try to decide what qualifies and what does not. The standard is and should be that any advertising that can give offense ( and frankly sensible people should be offended by most advertising which generally presumes stupidity and vanity in it's audience) should be discarded. These advertising folk get paid just fine so lets not reward them for propagating racial and sexist bigotry.

Since i was raised in a racist society i would not trust myself to be the final judge on what constitutes racism and what does not and i do not believe most of the commentators are form vastly more enlightened societies...

I know it takes getting of your high horse to let the victims of our ( or our fathers) crimes be the judge of our actions but if you can make even this connection you in my opinion no business being a judge of such matters.

Stellar