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?

Strollerderby : keffiyeh

Rachael Ray, Terrorist?