Danielle Young:
The Jamaican culture is known for its carefree vibe and I automatically understood that Volkswagen was going for that with their commercial. It’s obvious they want us to think the new Bug is the cause of Minnesota Dave’s positive attitude. That’s fine. And I’m not offended. I would have been offended had Dave donned one of those lame multicolored hats with dreadlocks hanging from them and rocked a painted-on blackface, then I would have immediately reached for the phone to ring up Reverend Al Sharpton.
I think Black people often are way too serious with matters of humor. This commercial isn’t racist, nor does it explore offensive parts of the Jamaican culture. Humor is made of a bit of truth and sting, so there’s always someone negatively affected by comedy because someone has to be the butt of the joke. However, this is just harmless. Haven’t there been commercials in the past with fake British accents? It’s the same thing–both accents aren’t necessarily connected to a race. No harm. No foul.
