You may or may not have heard, but Oprah’s giving out free chicken in conjunction with KFC.  Or maybe that should be the other way around, KFC is giving out free chicken courtesy of Oprah. But the former is how the message came to me, and I’m sure that’s how people think of it.

A friend and I touched on this during a conversation yesterday, and he mentioned, “it has to be OPRAH giving out free chicken…” The insinuation is that Oprah is sort of a mammy figure giving chicken to the masses. It’s a very old stereotype, and yes, it is there.

But there is a much larger issue at stake here than Oprah being a chicken-hawking mammy figure. Lest we forget, we are in a recession. People are broke as hell. Some people can’t afford to buy food. Oprah has beaucoup money. And she is making food available to people who may not be able to afford it. So if that’s being a mammy, then so be it. She’s making it so those who are less fortunate can eat.

And anyway, the free chicken deal is grilled, not fried. Therefore lessening the stereotypical nature of the action. And have you been to the chicken spot on discount days? When I go to Popeye’s in Hawthorne on 99 cent leg and thigh Tuesdays, I see black, white, hispanic, asian…clearly they all have one thing in common. They’re trying to get up on 99 cent leg and thighs. Fried chicken is universal. Discounts are universal.

I know I sound like an Oprah enthusiast, but I’m not. I don’t worship the woman. And she can miss me on her views toward hip hop. But I like her humble spirit and her humanitarian efforts. People should focus less on inane matters and look at the bigger picture.

So if you want a coupon, go to http://www.unthinkfc.com/. Make sure you download before 11.59 PM CDT. The coupon is good until 5/19.

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