Thursday, May 29, 2008
Michelle Malkin is a freakin' idiot:AP: Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism. ...
Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.
The kaffiyeh, Malkin wrote in a column posted online last Friday, "has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not-so-ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."
A statement issued Wednesday by Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Brands Inc., however, said the scarf had a paisley design, and was selected by a stylist for the advertising shoot.
 Malkin is looking for ways to be offended, no matter how stupid the case. But that's because she trades in hate. That's the fuel for her blog. Too bad Dunkin' Donuts capitulated. UPDATE: Related post here.
posted by Quiddity at 5/29/2008 10:13:00 AM
5 comments
We already knew that "Michelle Malkin is a freakin' idiot." But what does that make the suits at Dunkin Donuts that caved to her paranoia?
The big shame of all this is that my wife and I just tried the Dunkin Donuts coffee (Costco carries it.) We like it as a breakfast brew. Now we have to continue our seach for another coffe.
I must tut tut the freakin' idiot part. You are much too kind.
Pulling the ad is nothing more than business sense. Dunkin Donuts is in the business of selling coffee and donuts, not in the business of taking sides in Israeli/Palestinian politics.
It isn't as if Dunkin Donuts has some principle to uphold by sticking to their guns and refusing to pull the ad. Why on earth would they double down on an unintentional mistake that misrepresents their corporation?
To me, this picture doesn't even rise to the level of an unintentional mistake. It's a paisley scarf with fringe-- nothing Arab-influenced about it at all.
It's literally impossible to create marketing and advertising images that are so sterile that the outrage machine won't eventually grind into gear, however ridiculously. Their point isn't to influence anything really, but just to be outraged.
In this world if you're looking for things to be falsely outraged about, you're gonna find them.
I just hope them yanking it costs them more money than keeping it would have. I'd also like for them to say "Wow, Michelle Malkin is a total idiot," but I guess I can't blame them for not saying that.
Maybe Dunkin' Donuts will do a promotional giving away paisley scarfs with the purchase of a latte after more exposure of Malkin's idiocy.
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