Kia Soul: Controversy out of nothing?

This commercial has been out for awhile. There’s been a lot said about it too. Basically, it depicts a number of hamsters of hip-hop flavor who thoroughly enjoy the Kia Toasters (BAM!)

Now let’s take a look at the comments on youtube. Not surprisingly, it has become a hotly debated topic of race.

You’re going to have to be very careful when drawing upon any archetype or minority for entertainment. As with any form of media, the message will perpetuate and reinforce whatever image you’re depicting. People are aware of the common themes of race and minorities in our culture.

Our society is currently in a hyper-sensitive state of self-awareness coupled with the need for political incorrectness. This results in some people being too sensitive, others calling out their over-sensitivity, and still others insensitively perpetuating harmful stereotypes.

That being said, I don’t buy into the argument of it being racist on account of equating urban lifestyles to being rodents. Come ON, that is REALLY stretching it. Arguments like this are the ones that make people angry about people finding race issues in every possible thing they can.

I DO understand the idea of it being insensitive by basically portraying a walkthrough of black or urban stereotypes (I mean come on: a barber shop? Really?). Again I hearken back to my education in a Minorities in the Media class. Even if images or portrayals aren’t necessarily negative, they still narrow the number of prominent archetypes in society. This limited number of archetypes is then pushed on people starting in their youth, which does in turn affect the minority.

Who knows. Maybe I’m being one of the ‘too-sensitive’ types. Here’s a blog dedicated to race issues from a black perspective that sees the commercial as smart, funny, and spot on.

Either way, I’m fairly certain it wasn’t their intention to spark racial controversy. That’s just how our society (or maybe just the Internet) is right now.

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