I don’t usually cover cruises much here at OMAAT, but I simply can’t get over this…
In this post:
P&O Cruises staff dress up as… KKK members?
P&O Cruises is an Australian cruise line that’s part of Carnival Corporation. The cruise line is now getting quite a bit of publicity for a very bad reason. During a December 2024 cruise, staff on one of the company’s ships had a Christmas-themed event. During this, eight of the ship’s cleaners paraded in front of passengers dressed as… umm…
Well, according to the cruise line, they were dressed as “upside down snow cones.” They were wearing all-white outfits, including pointed hoods covering their faces, with little holes for their eyes.
In the video footage of staff parading on the deck dressed like this, you can see the shock on the faces of many passengers, given the uncanny resemblance to the outfits of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
P&O Cruises apologizes for incident, sort of
P&O Cruises has apologized for this incident… in a way. The company has apologized “if a recent incident on a Pacific Explorer cruise offended any guests.”
As P&O Cruises’ communications director explained, “c’mon… don’t… no one can seriously think that was their intention, our housekeeping crew were dressed as snow cones.” She went on to explain that “they’ve got to make do with what they’ve got, and they were wearing their cleaning uniforms, and they’ve put something on their head that looks like a snow cone.”
The company also emphasized that crew are from different cultures, and had never heard of the KKK before.
Look, I completely believe that the cruise staff didn’t realize what they were doing, and this wasn’t their intention. But what shocks me is that not a single person who saw these “costumes” prior to them stepping into public voiced concerns.
Presumably they got those “hoods” from somewhere, and were all trying them on before going into public. No one — not a single person — thought “hmmm, that doesn’t quite look right?”
Also, even if they had no clue about the KKK, these are some of the worst “costumes” I’ve ever seen. I mean, on what planet does this look like an “upside down snow cone?” If you ask me, don’t bother with a parade, if this is what the costumes are going to be like. This certainly doesn’t instill much confidence in the professionalism of this operation.
Bottom line
During a December 2024 cruise in Australia, ship staff were seen participating in a Christmas parade, dressed as “upside down snow cones.” I 100% trust this wasn’t the intention of the hardworking housekeeping staff, but I’m just surprised that not a single staff member who saw this decided to voice concerns.
What do you make of this P&O Cruises Christmas parade?
Why should they apologize because they did something that offended people literally across the globe? And why should they know what offends people who live 20,000 km away? No one expects USians to know what is offensive to every other culture in the world
Ben, the world doesn’t revolve around the US. I’m saying this as a brown person.
Americans not realising that people from other countries exist is always fun, lol. For 95% of people in the world there's nothing problematic about those costumes, and any reasonable person understands that instead of getting offended just for the sake of it.
Most of the service based employees of a cruise ship are from The Philippines. They like to sing and dance and dress up.
Wow. Im really amazed at the racists comments by the people hear. I'm sure many of you that make these racists comments are either racists or hate mongers and just plain ignorant. Stay in your own country amongst your own. Dont socialize with people who aren't like or believe what you believe. It's pretty simple. Stay in your cave. The world has moved on and you stupid fu**ers are not invited.
P&O is British, not Australian. The tweet twice refers to an Australian subsidiary though, P&O Cruises Australia.
Hey Ben, agree with the majority of comments regarding US "Cultural Superiority Complex".
I remember an Australian KFC TV commercial being taken off air for offending US sensibilities: As sponsors of cricket in Australia, KFC created an advert about sharing, the issue being, at the time the international series was Australia versus West Indies (i.e. a conglomeration of cricket playing Caribbean nations.)
So the sharing image was of Caribbean supporters in one section and...
Hey Ben, agree with the majority of comments regarding US "Cultural Superiority Complex".
I remember an Australian KFC TV commercial being taken off air for offending US sensibilities: As sponsors of cricket in Australia, KFC created an advert about sharing, the issue being, at the time the international series was Australia versus West Indies (i.e. a conglomeration of cricket playing Caribbean nations.)
So the sharing image was of Caribbean supporters in one section and Australia supporters in another. As most cricket supporters in Australia tend to be of Anglo Saxon decent (with honourable mention to sub-continental Australians, who probably wouldn't turn up to an International unless; Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, or India were playing anyway), and most West Indies supporters have darker skin tones. I mean, obvious to an Australian...
But, completely baffling to an American audience, who saw racial segregation, rather than friendly national rivalry on the sports field.
This advert could quite easily have screened in cricket playing Caribbean nations (where KFC was trying to grow business) and had exactly the same respect and meaning as generated with an Australian audience. But alas, as a USA company, and one with Kentucky in the name, an unintended foreign audience (i.e. in the USA) completely misinterpreted the advert, based on US "Cultural Superiority Complex", and it was withdrawn.
Sad day for the planet.
It's ok for you to not cover the cruise industry again. Nobody here needed this.
Unsurprisingly,
We found yet another ignorant American.
This almost has nothing unique to the cruise industry. It can happen with airlines too. Just like that Eiffel tower stunt.
Keep downplaying it for your Klan.
USA isn't the world right? The fact that those hats have a bit of a connotation in the US seems hardly a reason why the rest of the world should be aware of it, let alone be concerned.
An Australian satirical website drew on the current political zeitgeist in the US to draw *an* obvious link by saying that the incident was 'in Roman costume'.
Others here have identified *the* obvious link to Filipino ship's company members, hundreds of years of the Philippines being a Catholic country colonised by Spain and Spanish apparel worn in Holy Week.
Methinks Ben has over-catered to American sensitivities to a history unique to them, that causes a...
An Australian satirical website drew on the current political zeitgeist in the US to draw *an* obvious link by saying that the incident was 'in Roman costume'.
Others here have identified *the* obvious link to Filipino ship's company members, hundreds of years of the Philippines being a Catholic country colonised by Spain and Spanish apparel worn in Holy Week.
Methinks Ben has over-catered to American sensitivities to a history unique to them, that causes a 'this looks like the Klan, so it must be' response when that is not likely the case.
People seem to love being outraged by things that appear accidentally coincidental. There have been many bad hat groups through history. The chances of making a random hat shape and be called out for unknowing insensitivity seems rather high these days !
So much blissful ignorance proudly on display here. You people are complete, knuckle-dragging simpletons.
The outfits causing so much outrage are traditional "capriote" garb, worn by religious devotees during celebrations around Holy Week across Europe, especially in Spain. Europeans immediately recognize this traditional dress.
Google "capriote" or just "pointy hats Spain" and you will see.
So much happy, proud ignorance...sigh.
It's obvious to me that he was referring to the comment section.
This is the problem with America.
Rise and shine on the wrong things.
Do you really think an underpaid Filipino or Indonesian who don't have a college degree working everyday for months with only a few hours break really cares about overly sensitive Americans?
And if they're mad, it's because you play them as a buffer pawn by discreetly occupying their islands and deploy military power. I even doubt any Klan ever made it...
This is the problem with America.
Rise and shine on the wrong things.
Do you really think an underpaid Filipino or Indonesian who don't have a college degree working everyday for months with only a few hours break really cares about overly sensitive Americans?
And if they're mad, it's because you play them as a buffer pawn by discreetly occupying their islands and deploy military power. I even doubt any Klan ever made it to the Far East.
If they are really out there to get you, I'd watch out for anything but their costumes. Consider they have access to you cabin and all you food. Chances are they spike your food with a 'special sauce' rather tormenting you by playing an Asian Klan.
Note that in Philippines KKK is a reference to the Katipunan, a group that fought for Philippine independence. There is no knowledge of the USA manifestation of the same three letter abbreviation.
Most people outside USA do not have a connection or understanding of what they do in this video and why a problem is here. In India we dress in white and it never causes such problem. But I looked at the image on the internet and the story is very bad from where the reference is drawn.
I had no idea so many people loved upside down snowcones this much. Almost as if they are defending this for different reasons
yeah everybody on the defense is a white supremacist. Do you find that asinine? This blog has primarily a Chinese and Indian American audience.
No maybe I am wrong, and upside down flavorless snowcones are just extremely popular costumes outside of the US. Clear example of the woke mindvirus
Maybe P&O Cruises wants to attract MAGA customers and Elon fans.
Performative outrage.
Why would you assume everybody on earth knows about (or cares about) America’s ugly history?
This is what America is sadly.
Every other culture on earth: “we do things a certain way, it is different from how others do it.”
American culture: “we do things a certain way, it is better than how others do it.”
Many of us do and know far more than your average Trump supporter, despite not being American nor living in the USA. Recommend watching the 1916 film Intolerance.
Woke snowflake Americans claim themselves to be open minded, but wouldn't accept the other cultures if they don't like it.
Meanwhile they call their opposition racist, while they "judge" other cultures based on how "they" perceive them, without going through the details.
Now I can't wait for them to cancel East Asia for having swastikas everywhere on their Buddhist temples.
Actually, it includes Japan so I guess it won't happen.
Why wouldn't...
Woke snowflake Americans claim themselves to be open minded, but wouldn't accept the other cultures if they don't like it.
Meanwhile they call their opposition racist, while they "judge" other cultures based on how "they" perceive them, without going through the details.
Now I can't wait for them to cancel East Asia for having swastikas everywhere on their Buddhist temples.
Actually, it includes Japan so I guess it won't happen.
Why wouldn't they pretend like they haven't seen it, when they even actively deny the experiments of Unit 731 and the massacre at Nanking?
This has to be the most asinine way to gaslight the people calling out racism for being racists.
@Aaron
Please care to explain why are blackwashing, DEI... not racist.
Because it appears that "this" woke group would justify any discrimination towards the white, male, Western world, etc.
Oh, and since you mentioned "gaslighting", don't even dare to talk about that.
You people always gaslight those who criticize the hypocrisy of "this" woke group as a racist, when they per se are the racists.
Hiring someone because of their skin...
@Aaron
Please care to explain why are blackwashing, DEI... not racist.
Because it appears that "this" woke group would justify any discrimination towards the white, male, Western world, etc.
Oh, and since you mentioned "gaslighting", don't even dare to talk about that.
You people always gaslight those who criticize the hypocrisy of "this" woke group as a racist, when they per se are the racists.
Hiring someone because of their skin color is no different from firing someone because of their skin color.
Hypocrisy is keep getting stronger than ever before.
@Aaron
Actually many people calling out racism are being racists.
That's why the race card is very effective everywhere under Western influence.
Can't fix brainwashing propaganda Mason.
You can only prove it exists.
The manjiri symbol used in Japan and Korea has prongs facing counterclockwise, so it is not the same as the swastika used by the Nazis.
I'm more offended by the fact that their "upside snowcones" are just ice. Unflavored ice. Assuming the shirt/pants are the "snow" part. They could AT LEAST put a modicum of effort into colored clothing that ACCURATELY reflect what a snowcose is and should be. Even Australians and SEAs should know THAT much even if they're not familiar with the 3K.
You are a very good example of self centered, ignorant to the world people.
How many people wearing them never ever actually see a real "snow" in their life.
"SEAs should know THAT much"
They don't. They just care about sending home money so their aunt can feed their grandchildren. They're caught in between snowflakes and first world problems.
You think they know what snow cones actually is?
Do you still believe Panda Express...
You are a very good example of self centered, ignorant to the world people.
How many people wearing them never ever actually see a real "snow" in their life.
"SEAs should know THAT much"
They don't. They just care about sending home money so their aunt can feed their grandchildren. They're caught in between snowflakes and first world problems.
You think they know what snow cones actually is?
Do you still believe Panda Express outsell McDonald's in Beijing because obviously locals prefer Orange chicken over hamburger right?
Maybe this was just the cruise line's way of congratulating Trump on his inauguration.
It’s not a big deal. Most people know that it wasn’t their intention, nor should we expect people to change their customs all over the world to avoid offending Americans. The KKK appropriated the capirote that is still in use during Holy Week in Spain and other Catholic countries. They weren’t wearing robes. It wasn’t in America. It didn’t have malicious intent. And I can understand why the apology was worded the way it was...
It’s not a big deal. Most people know that it wasn’t their intention, nor should we expect people to change their customs all over the world to avoid offending Americans. The KKK appropriated the capirote that is still in use during Holy Week in Spain and other Catholic countries. They weren’t wearing robes. It wasn’t in America. It didn’t have malicious intent. And I can understand why the apology was worded the way it was worded. There are swastikas in temples in Japan, I don’t expect an apology if I see one.
The swastika symbol can also be used in a benign fashion in South Asian cultures. Bottom line: different things have different meanings in different cultures. Americans uniquely get worked up by harmless things. Literally no person was harmed by this costume.
Since when is this - KKK-style uniforms - a part of Asian culture?
They’re not and that’s the point. These uniforms have no connotation whatsoever which is why nobody raised an eyebrow. It’s like if you went to a Halloween party dressed as a peanut butter jelly sandwich, in the infinity of universes and cultures out there, surely in at least one, the PB&J sandwich is a symbol of hate. But you are not going to care about that
They’re not and that’s the point. These uniforms have no connotation whatsoever which is why nobody raised an eyebrow. It’s like if you went to a Halloween party dressed as a peanut butter jelly sandwich, in the infinity of universes and cultures out there, surely in at least one, the PB&J sandwich is a symbol of hate. But you are not going to care about that
@Arps
How dare you.
Did you know what the peanut ancestors have to endure before becoming a butter?
You evict them from their shell.
Take away their shell and call it your holy land. Even if the most you do is mulching their problems with their holy shell.
You then roast them grind them and blend them into a different culture then you brainwashed them by telling them don't discriminate chunky...
@Arps
How dare you.
Did you know what the peanut ancestors have to endure before becoming a butter?
You evict them from their shell.
Take away their shell and call it your holy land. Even if the most you do is mulching their problems with their holy shell.
You then roast them grind them and blend them into a different culture then you brainwashed them by telling them don't discriminate chunky or creamy even if they are different.
But you also have peanut allergies and try to cancel them and blaming their migrations into your pantry as reasons that makes you sick and die. Rather than avoid peanuts yourself you deploy multiple EpiPen of mass reactions everywhere you go and blame others for your peanut problems.
Ann that's just the start, said the peanut.
The nuts are warmed.
Jelly hasn't even started yet.
Don't gaslight PB&J.
But who cares, it's just PB&J to you hypocrites.
Finland used to have KKK Supermarkets
Americans are notoriously ignorant of world geographies, cultures and histories but the world is quite knowledgeable of those of Americans. Ignorance is never the basis of excuses, especially in laws. Ignorance may not be the lack of knowledge but it can be the refusal to acknowledge facts or hypocricy. Management must green light everything before the rank and file can carry out. Why can't they discipline those at the top (the leaders) instead of targeting...
Americans are notoriously ignorant of world geographies, cultures and histories but the world is quite knowledgeable of those of Americans. Ignorance is never the basis of excuses, especially in laws. Ignorance may not be the lack of knowledge but it can be the refusal to acknowledge facts or hypocricy. Management must green light everything before the rank and file can carry out. Why can't they discipline those at the top (the leaders) instead of targeting and blaming those at the bottom (foot soldiers)? ADL CEO Greenbatt, Netanyahu and newly minted UN ambassador Stefanik defended Musk's Nazi salute in recent days. I need to educate myself more on the differences, if there is any, between the anti-semites and the white extremists/ right wingers.
Remind me of several Jimmy Kimmel skits.
It's not just an American problem. I'd say the Japanese are exponentially more ignorant than Americans.
I've seen similar outfits in Spain during Holy Week. Google it for images.
John T. Floores is rumored to have sold sheets on the family plan.
White sheets?! RACISTS!!!!!
It's a big world out there and most of it isn't America. No one knows what the KKK is and certainly wouldn't be offended by this.
Actually, many people outside of America know who what the KKK is.
Sure, but Indonesian and Filipino housekeeping staff are unlikely to have in-depth knowledge of American history.
Kruise Klux Klan
Seems innocent enough on the klan thing. But your point is a good one - who would want to see them dressed so stupidly on a cruise. Either get a real costume or just don't.
Not sure, but it might be likely that more patrons would think they looked not like klan hoods but capriote, the religious masks that are worn by Spanish (and some other) Catholics in penitential services during the Lenten season -...
Seems innocent enough on the klan thing. But your point is a good one - who would want to see them dressed so stupidly on a cruise. Either get a real costume or just don't.
Not sure, but it might be likely that more patrons would think they looked not like klan hoods but capriote, the religious masks that are worn by Spanish (and some other) Catholics in penitential services during the Lenten season - a custom that long pre-dates the klan but still shocks Americans who see them.
Agreed, I can give the benefit of the doubt given this is P&O Australia and a lot of rank and file cruise crew generally hail from SEA. If the cruise event staff didn't have any Americans on it, I can see how it never got flagged as looking like Klan dress-up.
Except many people outside of the US know what the KKK is. Even in SEA.
As much as I enjoy your airline reviews, I would love to see a cruise/ferry review for a change! Since Norway and Japan are on your list, they have some pretty nice cruises and ferries.
TPG is the site for you.
@UncleRonnie, but TPG doesn't have @Ben's style
Ben should up his YouTube game with some inflight videos.