Volkswagen Superbowl ad stirs controversy online
Volkswagen Superbowl ad equating happiness with Jamaican accent spurs controversy
NEW YORK (AP) -- A Volkswagen Super Bowl ad that hit the web Monday, featuring a white office worker showing his happiness with a Jamaican accent, is stirring up online controversy.
The ad shows a worker from Minnesota trying to cheer up co-workers in an accent often associated with black Jamaicans, because he has been made so happy by his Volkswagen. Pundits on NBC's The Today Show, a Wall Street Journal blog and elsewhere have questioned whether the ad is offensive.
Online comments on Youtube and elsewhere were split, with many saying they found the ad funny, not offensive.
Volkswagen says it intended the accent in the ad to portray a relaxed, cheerful demeanor.
The company says it has no plans to pull the ad.
On the Web: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9H0xPWAtaa8
