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Article

6 Jun 2013

Author:
Lan Fang, Caixin (China)

Pizza Hut Ad Accused of Making Fun of Blind People [China]

An Internet commercial for…Pizza Hut [part of YUM!] has been accused of discriminating against disabled people…The cartoon ad employs a pun on "blind" and "shrimp" as the pronunciations of the two words are similar in Chinese. The ad triggered protests by visually impaired people…They want the pizza chain to apologize…Xie Yan, the founder of the non-governmental organization One Plus One Disabled Person's Cultural Development Center, said ads with similar content could face litigation in other countries. However, the commercial passed all regulatory reviews in China, he said, which "reflected a systemic lack of consciousness" for respecting disabled people…Pizza Hut published a statement on its Chinese website apologizing for the commercial. It said the idea for the ad "lacks full consideration" and "all the commercials have been withdrawn." However, many complained the apology lacked sincerity. The commercial can still be viewed on the Internet…