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How did you expect me to see the advertisement in U.S.A TV
while residing in India.
regards,
sarma.
The problems with the Dinky, the Taco Bell Chihuahua concept
are five-fold:
First, in the weeks since its initial airing, emergency rooms of
veterinary clinics have experienced a significant surge of pet owners
bringing in their dogs for and to whom they'd actually bought and fed
Taco Bell food.
Apparently, the pet owners got the impression from the commercial
that dogs really go for Taco Bell. The most common malady vets
discovered: Large taco chip fragments wedged in the throats of
their pets. Notably, chihuahuas were the number-one breed of dog
experiencing that sort of problem.
Second, some consumers say they have been turned off entirely
by the notion that Taco Bell's food appeals to dogs.
Some have complained that the commercial reminded them more of
a dog-food commercial than a human-restaurant one.
Third, the commercial panders to an inside-cultural joke:
In Mexico and some parts of Latin and South America, some
unscrupulous streetside food vendors hawking beef and chicken
tacos, burritos, etc. have been known to substitute
"carne de gato y/o perro" --- that's *cat and dog meat* ---
for beef and chicken. So naturally, a Chihuahua dog
(an evocation of Chihuahua, Mexico whence originated the
Chihuahua dog breed) saying "Yo quiero Taco Bell."
("I want some Taco Bell food.") sounds downright cannabalistic of
that little dog --- from a certain point of view.
Fourth, the commercial also rankles some because it harkens
back to the old condescendingly stereotypical Frito Bandito
character, portraying Hispanics as backward peons.
There is an emerging Hispanic-American middle class that
understandably aspires not to be prejudged by stereotypes best
left in the past.
And understandably, as a growing political force, they don't
want to be stereotyped or typified as yapping chihuahuas or lapdogs.
Fifth, the appearance of the chihuahua speaking in a human
Hispanic voice saying, "Yo quiero Taco Bell" spooks some Hispanic
Americans of Mexican ancestry because of the Legend of La Chihuahua
Blanca, a legendary albino chihuahua that was said to be possessed
by a demon and would unexpectedly appear in the doorways of its
intended victims where in a human voice, it would speak rhyming
verses declaring a curse upon the person in question unless
they complied by feeding it or giving it what it wanted.
So there are indeed many legitimate reasons for so many to be
distressed by the Taco Bell commerials featuring Dinky the
Taco Bell Dog.