Was Delta’s World Cup Tweet Racist?

Was Delta’s World Cup Tweet Racist?

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Delta is taking some heat tonight after a Tweet they made related to the World Cup match between the United States and Ghana.

To celebrate a goal by the US team, they used pictures to represent each country. Of course they used the Statue of Liberty to represent the US, while they used… a giraffe to represent Ghana.

Delta-Racist-Tweet-1

They deleted that fairly quickly. A subsequent Tweet apologized for their “choice of photo.”

Delta-Racist-Tweet-3

I still think Korean Air outdid them when they launched service to Nairobi, Kenya, in 2012. They invited us to enjoy “the indigenous people full of primitive energy.”

What do you guys think? Racist, lapse in judgment, or no big deal?

Conversations (42)
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  1. Heather @ pass the dressing Guest

    @gobluetwo: I'm sorry but I think this comment is a little bit of a stretch. Before you looked it up, did you assume that giraffe's were native to Ghana. Do you assume that giraffes are native to any other country before looking it up?

  2. gobluetwo Guest

    Agree it was ignorance on their part, but I didn't know giraffes were not native to Ghana until I looked it up. But I'm sure every poster here who mentioned that fact knew immediately this was the case, right?

    For fun, should've shown the national animals for both the US and Ghana - both eagles.

  3. ermintrude Guest

    another vote for just plain ignorance.

  4. Kevin Guest

    Seriously? This is much better PC ad for Delta:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M86X73HkBo

    :-)

  5. mdtravel Guest

    Peetyrd - you can't define it...it's a feeling and if you're not part of the group that might feel offended you cannot opine. Learn the rules.

  6. Peetyrd Guest

    racism - "discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race."

    I don't see how using a giraffe as a symbol for Ghana falls in to the above.

  7. Dax Guest

    Oddly enough the only people who seem to be offended are the anti-PC people.

  8. Joe Guest

    I am surprised, Lucky, that you would ask the question at all. Do you REALLY want to know what your readers think on this topic? Especially given that you aren't interested in telling us your own opinion?

    These types of "are you offended" type questions brings out the worst in anonymous posters, and as the vast majority of the posters are unqualified to answer whether a picture of a giraffe is offensive to Ghanians, it seems a pointless exercise in "click bait".

  9. Jose Guest

    Ignorant, but not racist (Jackson-Sharpton circus be damned). The second gaffe (i.e., "sorry for our precious tweet") leads me to believe that carelessness (and not racism) is to blame. As for the Korean ad, those folks know a thing or two about being on the receiving end of racism (read up on Korean/Japanese history, past and present). I don't know Koreans to be racists. I would instead write their ad off to a poor command...

    Ignorant, but not racist (Jackson-Sharpton circus be damned). The second gaffe (i.e., "sorry for our precious tweet") leads me to believe that carelessness (and not racism) is to blame. As for the Korean ad, those folks know a thing or two about being on the receiving end of racism (read up on Korean/Japanese history, past and present). I don't know Koreans to be racists. I would instead write their ad off to a poor command of the English language. "Primitive energy" probably doesn't sound wrong to a non-native speaker.

    I am so utterly tired of people who play the race card at every opportunity. I didn't vote for Obama, but I was very optimistic that he might help to end this madness (something about breaking glass ceilings...) I should have known better. American society rewards people who advocate this sort of B.S. We can thank the likes of CNN/NBC/ABC/CBS, et al, for propagating racial tensions in this country.

  10. Brian L. Gold

    Stupid, yes. Insensitive, perhaps. Racist, hell no.

  11. Heather @ pass the dressing Guest

    Black woman here. Haha. I just chuckled that I said that. I don't think it's racist aka promoting racial hatred. It is hella ignorant though.

  12. JP2 Guest

    Do they have giraffe sitters in Ghana? As I am a diamond guest.

  13. Matt Guest

    If I was Ghanian I think I would be upset by this. First, we lose in the final minutes of our opening World Cup match. Then - when I'm already sad about the loss and just wanna drown my sorrows with a cold Star beer and a warm hug from my pet giraffe - those pompous jerks over at Delta remind me that I don't even have a giraffe. Talk about salt on an open wound.

  14. Juno Guest

    I am sure the social media division of Delta are all run by 20 somethings who have never been to anywhere.. and all they know of Africa is from the Disney movie "The Lion King" (1994) they saw when they were babes and of course they naturally think all African countries have Giraffes... imbeciles! (but not racist)

  15. mdtravel Guest

    Funny. Love how the stage is set that what any buffoon calls racist cannot be debated and called crap. This one is crap, and it is the race card being invoked, and it is but a small example of the race industry in the country. I state this as fact just as anyone can state as fact that anyone who calls bs is a racist: this isn't racist and anyone saying it is has demonstrated...

    Funny. Love how the stage is set that what any buffoon calls racist cannot be debated and called crap. This one is crap, and it is the race card being invoked, and it is but a small example of the race industry in the country. I state this as fact just as anyone can state as fact that anyone who calls bs is a racist: this isn't racist and anyone saying it is has demonstrated themselves to have zero credibility, and I really, really love the giraffe as Ghana's national symbol.

  16. Guwonder Guest

    mrredskin, it seems like you are raising a stink about this.

    Isn't the use of the term "red skin" in sports considered racist by some? I am sure there have been some protests against its use and that plenty of Native Americans have issues about the "redskin" football and other sports teams that use such labels and stereotyped representations in their logos/mascots.

    It's usually the racists who make the loudest stink about "race card".

  17. mdtravel Guest

    agree...tsk tsk tsk lucky.

  18. mrredskin Guest

    the only thing you're doing by posting this is enabling the idiots who use the race card every chance they get. absolutely ridiculous to raise any stink over this.

  19. Neil S. Guest

    Man I wish I had the free time to sit and worry about crap like this. Oh wait - just like the free time I have to post that I don't have the time to worry about this. Oops.

  20. mdtravel Guest

    What a load of crap. Anyone who is upset b/c they believe this to be racist has proven themselves to be whining, sniveling, little babies with nothing better to do than look for ways in which they can claim to be offended. Give me a break. It's a freaking giraffe.

  21. GUWonder Guest

    Racist or not, the message is a blatant sign of ignorance about Africa.

    That said, I expect the "fury" -- is there really any? -- would be more substantial if some non-human primate was used. Why? Because soccer has a racism problem -- at least in parts of Europe -- which has players of ethnic African backgrounds being taunted with monkey calls, bananas, being called monkeys, and things like that.

  22. JOHN Guest

    A mistake about giraffes, yes, but how can you possibly connect it to racism?

  23. Traveler Guest

    First relly stupid post here Lucky

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Traveler -- Not sure what was dumb about it? I'm not suggesting it was racist. I'm simply reporting the Tweet, mentioning that a lot of people are calling it racist, and am curious what you guys think. But I respect if you disagree.

  24. Sean M. Diamond

    Ghana doesn't care. They are too upset that they lost the game to worry about racism.

  25. HansGolden Guest

    Definitely not racist. Giraffes are symbol of Africa and a noble symbol at that. I would not be offended in the least to have a giraffe associated with and as a symbol for my country (or in the case of the US, a grizzly bear or a buffalo or an eagle). Using an indigenous creature as a symbol of a country is a dignified and long tradition.

    Unfortunately, it appears Delta's social media team is...

    Definitely not racist. Giraffes are symbol of Africa and a noble symbol at that. I would not be offended in the least to have a giraffe associated with and as a symbol for my country (or in the case of the US, a grizzly bear or a buffalo or an eagle). Using an indigenous creature as a symbol of a country is a dignified and long tradition.

    Unfortunately, it appears Delta's social media team is not very well educated on the different animals in various African countries.

  26. Sean Guest

    WW,
    LOL... love this comment.

  27. WW Guest

    WHAT?! They used a French woman to represent the USA? How racist and sexist is that!!!

  28. deltaplat Guest

    Please chalk my vote up with the growing consensus that it was biologically implausible but in no way racist. I mean seriously, can someone explain how this is possibly racist?

  29. Sunrise089 Guest

    It's dumb due to giraffes not living there, but otherwise I think the tweet is not racist and being offended (sincerely, rather than just attention seeking) is a little racist.

    Giraffes are essentially a universally recognized symbol for a specific location, no different than the Statue of Liberty they also used, or a kangaroo, or the Great Pyramid, or a London double decker bus. The fact that some ignorant people are racist towards people...

    It's dumb due to giraffes not living there, but otherwise I think the tweet is not racist and being offended (sincerely, rather than just attention seeking) is a little racist.

    Giraffes are essentially a universally recognized symbol for a specific location, no different than the Statue of Liberty they also used, or a kangaroo, or the Great Pyramid, or a London double decker bus. The fact that some ignorant people are racist towards people that live on a continent that contains giraffes is immaterial, just like the Eiffel Tower is a non-offensive symbol despite some Americans associating it with cowardice, arrogance, etc.

  30. Soltatio Member

    Ppl are oversensitive. As an african I see nothing wrong with this.

  31. Levy Flight Guest

    giraffes in Ghana. Hehe. Reminds me of that joke a out an american flying in to LHR and looking down on to Windsor Castle and saying "wonder they built that castle so close to the airport?"

  32. Sean Guest

    Not really racist... No big deal here

  33. PL Guest

    Not a big deal - way too overblown

  34. Sean Guest

    We have become so caught up with political correctness in America that even the most obscure interpretation is racist. I don't even understand how that ad can be interpreted as racist. I agree with Truth- dumb yes. Racist? I don't think so.

    The Korean Air ad on the other hand...

  35. Drew Guest

    We need to stop dissecting every sentence we write, every post we make, and every tweet we send for "political correctness."

  36. Truth Guest

    Dumb because apparently there aren't any giraffes in Ghana, but racist I don't see.

  37. Norman Guest

    No just American ignorance.

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Heather @ pass the dressing Guest

@gobluetwo: I'm sorry but I think this comment is a little bit of a stretch. Before you looked it up, did you assume that giraffe's were native to Ghana. Do you assume that giraffes are native to any other country before looking it up?

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gobluetwo Guest

Agree it was ignorance on their part, but I didn't know giraffes were not native to Ghana until I looked it up. But I'm sure every poster here who mentioned that fact knew immediately this was the case, right? For fun, should've shown the national animals for both the US and Ghana - both eagles.

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ermintrude Guest

another vote for just plain ignorance.

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