Princewill Pius
After the backlash, Popchips explained their motivation in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, writing, “The new popchips worldwide dating video and ad campaign featuring four characters was created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone. At popchips we embrace all types of shapes, flavors and colors, and appreciate all snackers, no matter their race or ethnicity. We hope people can enjoy this in the spirit it was intended.”
However, when that wasn’t enough, the company pulled the ad and apologized. “We received a lot feedback about the dating campaign parody we launched today and appreciate everyone who took the time to share their point of view,” Keith Belling, the founder and CEO of the company, wrote [via THR]. “I take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended.”
However, Kutcher remained silent amid the controversy. Two months after the debacle, writer Ling Woo Liu called him out via CNN, writing, “I’m starting to lose patience. It’s not like the guy doesn’t understand communication. Actor Ashton Kutcher has 11 million Twitter followers and nearly 13 million Facebook fans. Maybe he just forgot to put a stamp on the letter he should’ve written to America, saying, ‘I’m sorry I painted myself up in brown-face and spoke in a mock Indian accent in order to sell potato chips. I understand the serious impact this has on society, and I’m trying to undo the damage I’ve caused.'”
And yet, he still hasn’t apologized. Maybe he’s too busy investing in tech start-ups to figure out how.
Written by: Nicki
