Earlier this week, an ad for something called PopChips was uploaded to YouTube. The ad featured “Two and a Half Men” star Ashton Kutcher doing a series of fake dating profile videos. Some of the “characters” he was doing included a biker, a Bollywood producer named Raj who he portrayed by doing a broad Indian stereotype and painting his face brown, and a white dude with dreadloWAIT WHAT ASHTON KUTCHER APPEARED IN BROWNFACE IN A COMMERCIAL FOR SNACKS? Holy moley.
There was an almost immediate public outcry over the video, mainly due to the fact that a dipsh-t white dude most notable for playing d-pshit white dudes on shows aimed at d-pshit white people painting his face and mocking another culture in an attempt to sell potato chips is about eight kinds of dumb and three kinds of racist. After initially standing by the ad, PopChips pulled the spot and issued an apology this morning.
My biggest issue with the whole thing isn’t that Kelso from “That ’70s Show” did a stupid accent and played up a dumb stereotype, it’s how many gatekeepers had to sign off on this before it saw the light of day. The always delightful Andrew Ti of Yo, Is This Racist? summed it up thusly:
Ok, for real, when you’re pitching, writing, and producing this, and you’re sitting in a room with Ashton Kutcher as he does his f-cking racist and incredibly wack impression, is there literally no one at any point in this process who is like, “hey dogg, this might be kind of racist.”
In summation, Ashton Kutcher is still a dingus and a bunch of people need to get fired.
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I’m not offended by this, but if it’ll get Kutcher fired, I could pretend to be.
You forgot to add “out of a cannon, into the sun” after fired.
I wanted to leave it open to interpretation.
If they want to fire him by dousing him with kerosene and striking a match, I’m down with that too.
Too protest monk for my tastes.
Compromise?
Perfect!
My other idea would have Richard Branson incinerate him with his rocket ship engines next time he goes into space. But flamethrower + maniacal laughter = doubleplus good
Robert Downey Jr. would’ve made it work.
What do you mean, you people?
Yeah I’m way more offended that it’s Ashton Kutcher.
Can we trade Ashton Kutcher to China for that blind dissident dude?
Is there any chance PopChips did this to get publicity? I had no idea what or who PopChips were before today.
They’re just some kind of potato chip that has lots of air in them. So, basically about half as satisfying as regular chips and twice as expensive.
They’re an abomination. They’ are the rice cakes of potato chips. I accidentally ate one last year and I just about had to rinse my mouth out with bleach.
I’d rather lick my own ass than eat another PopChip.
I think the bigger issue isn’t that this dumb idea got the okay from so many people, but that Ashton Kutcher is still a viable advertising tool.
To be fair he is a tool
Maybe that’s the solution. Don’t pull the ad or issue an insincere apology. Just hit Ashton Kutcher in the head with a pipe wrench.
I see that Ashton Kutcher is continuing his quest to be the worst.
To be fair, PopChips happen to be awesome
Counterpoint: No they’re not. They’re gross. It’s like accidentally biting into a vegetarian hot dog that nobody told you was vegetarian.
This is awful. Not the unfunny brownface, the idea that a chip as fantastic as Pop Chips would pick Ashton Kutcher as their spokesperson.
I have a strong suspicion who gave the final greenlight to permit this…
I have the feeling this guy might have been involved too.
/hyperventilates over finally having picture privileges, resolves to not abuse them.
not racist. just dumb.
to be honest the guy behind pop chips is just a douchy as AK.
If you’re offended by this you need to reevaluate things. David Duke was offensive, this is just crap. Everyone off their high horses, nothing to see here.
So you’d by PopChips if David Duke was shilling for them?
……how good are these PopChips?
What a doofus. This would have played in the 60s. It’s totally the stoopid.
I just watched the ad and OH MY GOD I WANT CHIPS NOW!!!
The Indian dude from Big Bang Theory is a more racist portrayal of Indian people than Asshat Cooter
As an Indian, I’m more offended by the idea that Ashton Kutcher has a career than the brownface.
I think it’s funny that he can insult all those different cultures, but it’s like he’s not qualified to joke about Indians because of his skin color. Nobody would have complained if Carlos Mencia had done it (except if they didn’t like him), cause he’s “brown enough”. Wouldn’t have made any damned sense without the paint anyway.
And I call bullshit on anyone, actual Indians included, who says that’s not a reasonable representation of an Indian person. I’ve seen your television shows and if you can’t be expected to represent yourself better, no way we should feel obligated to.
You sound like a lovely fellow. Please come around more often.
This is absolute crap. Please never let anyone play any other race than what they are. Fire the Voice of Apu from the Simpsons. Ooh also don’t let attractive people play ugly people or skinny people wear fat suits as it offensive to the ugly and fatties.