Is This New Volkswagen Super Bowl Ad Using “Blackface With Voices?”

New York Times columnist Charles Blow thinks so. On a segment with CNN this is what he said regarding Volkswagen’s new ad set to air this weekend. CNN however in the title of their segment doesn’t go quite that far. They ask if the commercial is funny or awkward, opting to shy away from other commentary that asks if the commercial is blatantly racist.

For instance, John Farley of the Wall Street Journal referred to the ad as reminiscent of Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars. Good gracious, there’s no getting around the meaning of that. If you’ll recall, Jar Jar Binks was the fictional creation made by George Lucas who spoke in his own version of gobbledygook goof-speak that to many seemed to be a direct play on Ebonics. To that end, it was seen as an insult to the black community where it was universally panned for that reason. The question here remains if in this ad Americans (white Americans specifically) affecting the Jamaican patois in this particular way is so different than Lucas’ “Jar Jar-ing,” or the vernacular used while one wore blackface once upon a time?

For their part, Volkswagen says:

“His accent is intended to convey a relaxed, cheerful demeanor while encouraging a positive attitude as the antidote to a tough Monday. Everyone can relate to being in an office and being ground down by the pressures of work and ‘Get Happy’ brings an optimistic, bright spirit into an otherwise mundane day.”

Oomph. It’s possible even in this explanation the notion of “Get Happy” can be viewed as a bit derivative of minstrelsy even in the phrasing.

They also note that they brought in a professional speech coach to ensure the accent’s authenticity.

So what do you think? Could the ad be considered racist or at worst fall along the lines of merely awkward?

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