Conguitos

When I hear people complain about the virulence of racism in the U.S. I always think to myself "Compared to what?" Take for example a popular candy in Spain called Conguitos, which are basically chocolate covered peanuts. The advertising campaign used to compare them with black people. Here is some older packaging:

Here's a television commercial in which the Conguitos are portrayed as tribal Africans:

And here is another from 1994 in which the Conguitos revel in something akin to Harlem featuring one of them dressed as a pimp:

Now, this isn't to accuse the Spanish of being unalloyed racists. Indeed, I am guessing that they have revisited the wisdom of such commercials as the current packaging is much more innocuous:

However, it does indicate a society that, at least for a time, tolerated images and a lack of sensitivity that would provoke outrage in the U.S. While the U.S. remains short of the ideal in race relations, I still believe it compares favorably to most of the rest of the world.