Racial hoax causes PR headache for McDonald’s

[ScottThuy 140]

ah right, you're too young to remember:

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 US states. However, in the late-1970s, controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in the Northeastern states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits.[1] In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's".[2] By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy.[3] Neither the name change nor bankruptcy protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.[4] 618 of the locations were renamed Season's Friendly Eating by February 1983.[5] Several locations were sold to Denny's.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s

Original Sambo's still open... beachside...

[SMOKE 1,426]

The people who thought that the sign was real are derps. Does any rational person actually believe a multinational corporation would jeopardize it's margins with a blatantly racist sign like that?

i'd say the people that thought that sign up got exactly what they were fishing for. the derps would be the ones that fell for it.

oh man. i want some lemon creme pie now....when they changed the name to seasons they dropped it from the menu.

[Darnell 8,479]

so, if any legal battle, will mean price of food at McD will increase to cover court costs?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

so, if any legal battle, will mean price of food at McD will increase to cover court costs?

There won't be a court "battle" - if the image is proven to be fake. The case will be thrown out of court.

The only legal action could come from McD's suing whoever created the picture or posted it on twitter.

Edited June 13, 2011 by fishdude

[SMOKE 1,426]

i'd say the people that thought that sign up got exactly what they were fishing for. the derps would be the ones that fell for it.

ok i'm a derp. i miss read what rob said.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

ah right, you're too young to remember:

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 US states. However, in the late-1970s, controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in the Northeastern states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits.[1] In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's".[2] By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy.[3] Neither the name change nor bankruptcy protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.[4] 618 of the locations were renamed Season's Friendly Eating by February 1983.[5] Several locations were sold to Denny's.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s

I believe the argument you are responding to included the phrase "blatantly racist image".

From what I read here - the racism in the name of that restaurant arises from a coincidental association of the name of the restaurant with a children's book with a controversial title where the racism is similarly coincidental.

[scandal 951]

ah right, you're too young to remember:

By 1979, Sambo's had 1,200 outlets in 47 US states. However, in the late-1970s, controversy over the chain's name drew protests and lawsuits in communities that viewed the term Sambo as pejorative towards African-Americans, particularly in the Northeastern states. Several of the restaurants were opened as or renamed to "The Jolly Tiger" in locations where the local community passed resolutions forbidding the use of the original name or refused to grant the chain permits.[1] In March 1981, in a further attempt to give the chain a new image the company again renamed some locations, this time to "No Place Like Sam's".[2] By November 1981, the company filed for bankruptcy.[3] Neither the name change nor bankruptcy protection reversed the downward trend, and in 1982 all but the original Sambo's at 216 West Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, California, closed their doors.[4] 618 of the locations were renamed Season's Friendly Eating by February 1983.[5] Several locations were sold to Denny's.[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo%27s

I miss the original orange-roof Howard Johnsons, now nothing but a memory of what motoring in America used to be. 28 flavors of ice cream. Mmm.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The people who thought that the sign was real are derps. Does any rational person actually believe a multinational corporation would jeopardize it's margins with a blatantly racist sign like that?

Well to be fair - if you consider that segregation is still within living memory and back then such things were relatively commonplace, you can see why some people might believe it to be real.

Firstly - people rely too much on the internet and there is a tendency among too many people that if they see something on the internet, that it automatically follows that it is true.

Secondly - you have the issue that some, sadly ignorant people want to believe these things because they subscribe to the idea that the establishment (or more specifically, the white establishment) is out to get them.

Thirdly, you have the combination of social media (like Twitter) that connects these ignorant people in a way that was not previously possible. So rather than scattered pockets of people believing crackpot things, you essentially have a large movement of people. A bit like the Tea Party

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Well to be fair - if you consider that segregation is still within living memory and back then such things were relatively commonplace, you can see why some people might believe it to be real.

Firstly - people rely too much on the internet and there is a tendency among too many people that if they see something on the internet, that it automatically follows that it is true.

Secondly - you have the issue that some, sadly ignorant people want to believe these things because they subscribe to the idea that the establishment (or more specifically, the white establishment) is out to get them.

Thirdly, you have the combination of social media (like Twitter) that connects these ignorant people in a way that was not previously possible. So rather than scattered pockets of people believing crackpot things, you essentially have a large movement of people. A bit like the Tea Party

Well put, D. I agree that the only likely legal action here is going to be brought by McDonalds against (at the very least) the person who initially published this on the internet, though theoretically any retweeters or those who distributed the image might be liable too, depending on local law. And I think they'd be far more justified in bringing action than they were in the McLibel case, for instance.

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

I believe the argument you are responding to included the phrase "blatantly racist image".

tell that to the ones that took offense to sambo's and their sign.

fwiw, sambo was a racial term in the south in the 70's

From what I read here - the racism in the name of that restaurant arises from a coincidental association of the name of the restaurant with a children's book with a controversial title where the racism is similarly coincidental.

very good

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Tell what to who? That people kneejerk and can't separate one context from another?

[ScottThuy 140]

I am having flashbacks of Sundays 60 minutes story on Huckelberry Finn and the N word the argument was, if the text is edited to remove the word in question, does the discussion of racism lose traction/context?

One teacher said that he has the entire class say it a number of times before they discuss the text so the word is no longer the issue in question... others wer affraid to even say the word...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I am having flashbacks of Sundays 60 minutes story on Huckelberry Finn and the N word the argument was, if the text is edited to remove the word in question, does the discussion of racism lose traction/context?

One teacher said that he has the entire class say it a number of times before they discuss the text so the word is no longer the issue in question... others wer affraid to even say the word...

Editing the content of books after publication is dubious. The fact is, the racist association with the Sambo book has nothing to do with the story.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Editing the content of books after publication is dubious. The fact is, the racist association with the Sambo book has nothing to do with the story.

Sambo restaurants used to have pics on the wall...like a bunch of them to form a scene (at least the ones in Washington state did), and I believe some peeps found those pics offensive. They might have been pics out of the book you refer to "Little Black Sambo".

Edited June 14, 2011 by Why_Me

[Ban Hammer 13,491]

Sambo restaurants used to have pics on the wall...like a bunch of them to form a scene (at least the ones in Washington state did), and I believe some peeps found those pics offensive. They might have been pics out of the book you refer to "Little Black Sambo".

bingo

yes, they were supposedly pics from the book - but even at 16 when i worked in a sambo's i thought the pics were offensive.