Volkswagen says it's sticking by 'racist' Super Bowl ad
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Volkswagen of America said Tuesday it's going ahead with a Super Bowl ad that some critics are calling racist because it depicts a cheerful white office worker speaking in a Jamaican accent.
Titled "Get In, Get Happy," the 60-second spot has been seen more than 614,000 times since it went up on the German automaker's YouTube account ahead of Sunday's American football championship.
"No worries, mon, every-ding will be all right," Dave, the commercial's Beetle-driving lead character from Minnesota, tells his grumpy workmates. "Turn da frown dee other way around."
"I was shocked... This is so racist," said Barbara Lippert of Mediapost.com on NBC's Today show, while Charles Blow, a New York Times columnist who is black, told CNN the ad was "blackface with voices."
