Rachael Ray, Terrorist?

Amy S.F. Lutz — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:32:00 GMT

I know there are a lot of people out there who don't like Rachael Ray - some complain she's too chipper, others think she takes too many shortcuts in the kitchen. I've even seen her called out for her fashion choices. But I couldn't believe the reason Dunkin' Donuts pulled its new commercial featuring Ray: because one conservative commentator thought Ray's scarf looked too much like a keffiyeh, traditionally worn by Arab men.

Come on. Does anyone, even Ray's most virulent attackers, really think Ray is a secret terrorist?

I guess Michelle Malkin of Fox News does. She wrote in her column, "The keffiyeh, for the clueless . . . has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad . . . Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons."

And so, because of one critical response, Dunkin' Donuts yanked the ad. Which I think is a ridiculous capitulation to a really bullshit objection. Objects derive meaning from their context, and I can't see how this ad can in any way be read as an endorsement of terrorism. Don't these commentators have legitimately important issues to comment on?

Things Fall Apart: Scary Halloween Recalls

Karen Murphy — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:29:00 GMT

You know it's almost Halloween when the scary recalls start rolling in. We used to worry about razor blades in the apples and strychnine-laced Snickers, but then we stared taking our candy to the ER to have it x-rayed. I've never actually done that, have you? But I would be concerned about lead-coated toys and stuff. How 'bout them (bobbing for) apples? More about Dunkin' Donuts and candy-filled skull pails:

Been to Dunkin' Donuts lately? You tell yourself it's for the coffee, but we know better. So you know that free glowstick you got with a purchase of (just one) donut that you pawned off on the kids? Recalled. Choking and strangulation hazard. Take it back to Dunkin' Donuts for a free donut. Your hips say "no no" but your eyes say "yes yes!"

Mmm, candy-filled lead-coated skull pails. Is this world filled with more cheap crap than we need, or what? These SO look like "my kid saw it and wanted it and there was almost a tantrum so I caved", don't they? Isn't that why this sort of thing was made? Too bad that skull face, the painted-on eyes and whatnot, are painted with (you guessed it!) lead paint. So tell your kid not to lick it and throw the cheap thing away to taint our landfills. Actually, you could get your 2 bucks back from wherever you bought it, but you know and I know that doing that would entail strapping however many kids into the car and driving to that location and then receiving your Two! Whole! Dollars! and then trying to walk out of there again holding on to wailing toddlers and escape without buying any more cheap "I'm-caving-again" toys, and honestly, is all that worth it for two dollars?

Strollerderby : dunkin' donuts

Rachael Ray, Terrorist?

Things Fall Apart: Scary Halloween Recalls