In the biggest advertising blunder since a Rhode Island sports bar and grill thought using the words “Anne Frank” and “ovens” in the same sentence was comedic gold, Kentucky Fried Chicken’s German division has apologized for an automated promotional message sent to its app users in that country. The message contained mention of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), the 1938 beginning of the Holocaust, as though it was a holiday. From the Washington Post:

On Wednesday, the 84th commemoration of those brutal riots, KFC Germany sent out push notifications to users of the fried chicken chain’s app. The notification suggested that for the “[c]ommemoration of the Reich pogrom night,” customers could “[f]eel free to add more tender cheese to the crispy chicken,” according to a Google translation of the original message. “Now at KFCheese.”

@KFCDeutschland Nein ich möchte keinen zarten Cheese zu meinem knusprigen Chicken am #9november pic.twitter.com/Ikwy5TKa5S

— LEVINSKY (@djlevinsky) November 9, 2022

Does anyone know the German word for “oops”?

Before getting into the mire of this mess, a brief history lesson. Kristallnacht was excused into existence as revenge for the assassination of a German diplomat in Parish by a Polish Jewish student on November 7^th, 1938. Nazi officials seized the opportunity to encourage “unplanned” riots featuring violence against German Jews. This included all local police receiving telegrams that they were not to interfere in any attacks against Jews or Jewish-owned property. Also, fire departments’ instructions were to make no effort to put out any fires at synagogues, instead focusing their efforts on any nearby threatened Aryan-owned buildings.

During two days and nights of violence on November 9^th and 10^th, 1938, 91 Jews were murdered. Synagogues burned across the country. Mass vandalism of Jewish-owned houses, businesses, and even cemeteries transpired. Thirty thousand German Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. It was, as noted, the Holocaust’s beginning.

We cannot ignore incidents such as this. They must be taught in school and publicly discussed. They serve as a warning of how otherwise ordinary citizens can, through sufficient propaganda, be satanically injected with the belief that inhumanly turning against their neighbors is, in “fact,” the noble, righteous implementation of divine will or proper racial/religious superiority assertion. Lest anyone believe such monstrosities can no longer happen, the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Taliban-perpetrated atrocities dictate otherwise.

Back to the KFC klutz move. The company blamed the lack of attention to an event calendar for the message.

On November 9, an automated push notification was accidentally issued to KFC app users in Germany that contained an obviously unplanned, insensitive and unacceptable message and for this we sincerely apologize. We use a semi-automated content creation process linked to calendars that include national observances. In this instance, our internal review process was not properly followed, resulting in a non-approved notification being shared. We have suspended app communications while we examine our current process to ensure such an issue does not occur again. We understand and respect the gravity and history of this day, and remain committed to equity, inclusion and belonging for all.

Oh good, they remembered all the current woke words.

Seriously, how lame do you have to be at your job for this to happen? What’s next, a lunchtime special for observant Muslims during Ramadan? I’m being beyond facetious, of course. But would such a mistake be made? Never in a million years. Were it to happen, every KFC in Germany would be turned into a car wash by the following morning, with every politician screaming their heads off over the insensitivity and bigotry, etc etc etc ad nauseum. Dozens of Jews murdered 84 years ago on this date, one marking the mass killing of six million over the following seven years? Yeah, perfect time for a chicken sandwich, and we’ll send a “tee-hee-oopsie” press release. We’re all good, right?

Maybe KFC Germany can hire Kyrie Irving – in his recently-found extended free time – to be its new spokesperson.