I didn't mean it to be racist.

I ran across this article recently. What shocked me the most about this "black face" controversy was that the company who published this obviously racist ad, played the "I didn't mean to be racist" card. I understand the art director didn't wake up one morning and say, "you know, I really want to create an ad that stirs racist controversy around the company I work for", but just because your intentions weren't racist, doesn't mean your actions necessarily reflect that.
We've talked in class a lot about stereotypes and how they are so engrained in society we tend to not even think about them. I think racism is the same way. The ad this company published was inspired by "black face", if you're not sure what that is, i'll include a quick summary.
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel (comic show, featuring white actors in "blackface") shows in which performers create stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 1800s and contributed to the proliferations of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation". (pulled from wiki.)

What I think shouldn't be excused is the behavior of the company. After taking down the ad for a short time, they put it back up. I guess my point is that just because they didn't mean to be racist, doesn't mean they should still use the ad. Its obviously offensive and that should be dealt with. 

Your intentions may not line up with what you do, and in those cases, I think what you did should be corrected and not done again. Its almost as if the company is saying, sorry we offend you african americans, but we kind of don't care. Thoughts????  

Here is the ad: