It’s not so much really stupid as it is ironically funny, which in the end makes it kind of stupid.
Summary: Rookie police officer hops into shotgun with superior officer, bringing a new KFC “Go Cup,” which contains fried chicken strips and potato wedges. Rookie officer is a young white male, commanding officer is rotund black male. Commanding officer looks with envy at the rookie officer’s snack. Suddenly the dispatch radio is announcing a 10-31, which is police code for crime in progress. Commanding officer eyes the rookie cop, and gives him his best “go get ’em, tiger,” and the rookie books it out of the car to go investigate. With the rookie cop now gone, the commanding officer leisurely helps himself to the abandoned chicken – cue beauty shots and call outs.
What we have here, is called propagating stereotypes. It probably wasn’t meant to turn out that way, and I’m obviously reading too far into the context. But it really could have been avoided if the roles and races were reversed.
Regardless, in one thirty second spot, KFC has sent the message that a fat black cop values fried chicken over his sworn duty to protect and serve. I get the possibility for sensitivity in having the roles reversed because that would have put the black man in the inferior rank, but if they did that, they’d at least be breaking the stereotype, because the fat white commanding officer would come out looking like the lazy swine instead, and the young black cop looks responsible and eager to do his job.
