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Volkswagen Super Bowl Advertisement: Sean Paul Cosigns Controversial Commercial

Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

Volkswagen's controversial Super Bowl advertisement -- which finds a white office worker speaking with a Jamaican accent and adopting the island's laid-back approach to life -- has critics and pundits up in arms. It's racist, they say.

But not everyone finds fault with the spot, which has lit up social networks since it was uploaded last weekend. The commercial will air nationally during the Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 3).

"[It's] just entertainment," reggae star Sean Paul tells TMZ. "To me it's no different than the Italian accents in 'The Sopranos' or the English accent in Guy Ritchie's movies."

In more serious corners of the world, the ad is being slammed.

"Blackface with voices," is how New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow described the ad to CNN.

"[It's] just saying that black people are happy," Barbara Lippert, editor-at-large at mediapost.com, said during an appearance on NBC's The Today Show.

But elsewhere the feeling is that the backlash is much ado about nothing.

Jamaica's Minister of Tourism Wykeham McNeill thinks the ad can only help.

"I think this is a very creative commercial which truly taps into the tremendous appeal that brand Jamaica and its hospitable people have globally," McNeill said in a statement.

Watch the ad and tell us what you think -- is it racist or not?

Watch Volkswagen's Super Bowl 2013 Game Day Commercial "Get In. Get Happy" Video


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calvin

sighhhhh.americans really are in need of some hard work and nuff fun times.

then they wouldnt have so much free time to pay attention to these ads.

January 31 2013 at 5:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
debis4ut

How miserable of a life one must have – to have the time and energy to find this commercial “Racist”. What they really need is the guy from the commercial to follow them around for a month to try and get them out of this depressed, wretched, dismal, sad state of life they are in.
I find it very interesting that absolutely NOBODY from Jamaica finds this offensive – Jamaicans’ are actually embracing the commercial – they LOVE it.
So, anyone that finds this commercial offensive – GET A LIFE – you are trying to create a problem where there is not one to start with.
If you want to complain about taxes, crime, unemployment, drug or alcohol abuse, etc, etc etc….. I might take the time to even agree with you ….. these are “REAL PROBLEMS” – You really need to learn to distinguish between the two.

January 31 2013 at 3:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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