PepsiCo had to pull an online ad for Mountain Dew after it was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and violence toward women.
The 60-second video developed by African-American rapper Tyler, the Creator. It shows a battered white lady on crutches identifying a suspect out of a lineup of all black men. The suspects are wearing bandanas, eye patches and oversized t-shirts. They also portray a thuggish demeanor and numerous other stereotypes pinned on African-American males.
There is also a goat character included in the lineup. The goat, called Felicia, makes threatening remarks to the woman such as "Ya better not snitch on a player" and "Keep ya mouth shut," in a male voice, according to the Associated Press.
In the ad, the woman screams "I can't do this, no no no!" and runs away. The words "I can't do this" were a reference to Mountain Dew's slogan, Dew It. The commercial was the third in a series by the rapper which tracked the adventure of the goat who becomes a rebellious outlaw after drinking Mountain Dew.
In his review of the ad, a blogger Dr. Boyce Watkins, noted that all the suspects are black and they're "not just regular black people, but the kinds of ratchety negroes you might find in the middle of any hip-hop minstrel show," and called it, "arguably the most racist ad in history."
PepsiCo, in a statement released Wednesday, said, "We understand how this video could be perceived by some as offensive, and we apologize to those who were offended. We have removed the video from all Mountain Dew channels and have been informed that Tyler is removing it from his channels as well."
Mountain Dew recently came under fire for its partnership the rapper Lil' Wayne. The company was asked to drop its endorsement deals with the rapper after he made a derogatory reference to the brutal slaying of Emmett Till in his song Karate Chop (Remix). Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in 1955 after allegedly harassing a white woman. The rapper later apologized for his use of the boy's name.
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