Ashton Kutcher is known for his comedic acts, and for
pushing the envelope a bit. He has recently been charged with behaving in a
racist capacity in a new dating commercial. In Kutcher’s new commercial he plays a Bollywood producer named
Raj.
For the most part, it’s known that
having someone dress in black face will more than likely result in some uproar
from the African American community. If you don’t know what black face is it’s
when an actor, usually white, puts black theatrical makeup on to imitate and make
fun of blacks. Kutcher is being accused of participating in “brown face.” It’s
the same concept of black face, but dressing as someone of brown skin.
In the commercial Kutcher also
played a hippie, a biker and a fashionista of sorts.
The company behind the commercial
issued a statement to E! News saying, "The new Popchips worldwide dating
video and ad campaign featuring four characters was created to provoke a few
laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone. At Popchips we
embrace all types of shapes, flavors and colors, and appreciate all snackers,
no matter their race or ethnicity. We hope people can enjoy this in the spirit
it was intended." In addition to the apology the commercial has also been
pulled off the air.
Even though the ad was supposed to
be funny, I believe anyone in the film industry should be wary of an actor
playing someone of a different race. Those who belong to the race being portrayed
might ask (if it’s a serious role,) why couldn’t someone who actually is of
that race play that role? Why bring in someone else, an outsider?
If the role is supposed to be funny,
like in this commercial, the people who belong to the race being portrayed
might feel belittled, especially if it’s someone of another race playing the
role.
Racial issues are always something
to be wary of when distributing any type of media content. Anyone involved in
the production process should think about all possible outcomes when playing
with the idea of racial stereotypes.
