Beloved chicken
I don’t believe what they say
You wouldn’t hurt me
But I really want
To get better without drugs
No meat for EJ
I bought tofurkey
It will never take your place
A bad impostor
Maybe one day soon
We can be reunited
Arthritis sucks balls
I love chicken.
I didn’t always; in fact, you couldn’t pay me to eat chicken before I went away to college. Damn HBCU’s will do it to you every time… Now, chicken is one of my very favorite things. If you put a chicken dish in front of me, even if I’m not that hungry I will pick all the chicken out of it. I can’t stop myself. I have zero willpower when it comes to chicken. And yes, I realize how ignorant-ly this post is trending.
Every now and then, when I order a chicken dish in a restaurant, I let the server take my plate with a little chicken still left on it, just to prove to myself I can let it go. But it’s always painful. Last nite I ordered a chicken caesar at Applebee’s and when it looked like I was done with my salad (’cause I was done with the salad; I just wasn’t done with the chicken), my server, Hannah asked if she could clear my plate. I quickly replied, “NO!” But then I thought, “maybe I should just let her take it. It’s been a while…” I took a photo of it — so I’d never forget it — and then asked her to take it away. It’s almost 24 hours later and I’m still thinking about those three strips of chicken, but I’m glad I did what I did. It’s the proudest I’ve been of myself in quite some time.
Don’t you judge my truth.
I tried to stay quiet about this ”McNugget Lovin” ish. Really I did. But I can no longer hold my tongue… I don’t know which commercial I hate more, this new McNugget commercial or the “You better don’t” McDonald’s chicken strip commercials from a few years back. But I’m seeing a pattern that when Mickey D’s is trying to sell chicken, they get extremely stereotypical with it. I don’t want to call their marketing campaigns racist, but their marketing campaigns are pretty freaking racist. Before I continue with this blog, I need each of you to watch this clip below of my good friend Vince Morris on Def Jam a couple seasons ago… And then we’ll talk on the other side.
Vince is so right about the way ad agencies market things to and within the Black community. It really is laughable that they think they have the formula figured out — that all it takes is some random brown person shuckin’ and jivin’ to get us out to the stores. Because for so many of us, these stereotypical-ass commercials have the complete opposite effect. In light of what went on during the past year in this country — the way all kinds of minorities came together and disproved the belief that we are monolithic. One dimensional. In light of the fact that the next president of the United States is a Black man… I am offended by commercials like these, and I question how the actors involved can righteously accept these roles. Sure I understand the need to make a living as a performer. But damn…
I’m not a fan of the Hilshire Farms “GO MEAT” commercials either.
But at least the ones in video form are… diverse (this is my best attempt at the ‘say something nice’ challenge). But the ads that come on Black radio… Puhleeze. No really, I’m going back to my Sarah Palin “Bitch Please” face. I mean, “Go mama. (YEAH!) Hilshire Farms, mama… (YEAH!)” Really? If I were a radio station program director with an ounce of social responsibility, I’d have a really hard time running those ads.
Exhale. I could go on about this forever. How do y’all feel? Do you think these commercials are offensive? Or just silly? Am I overreacting? Gimme a holler and let me know.