Kaffiyeh Kerfuffel (or Rachel Ray Suicide Bomber)

I first learned of the dust up over the scarf that Rachel Ray wore in a Dunkin' Donuts online ad yesterday morning on LinkedIn, the business networking site, of all places. In the "Answers" section there was a question from a branding professional asking for opinions on DD's decision to pull the ad after protests from conservative commentators. A few minutes later the anchor at Boston's WCVB-TV announced that the story about Rachel's scarf was among the most popular on its web site.

This isn't really about a silly ol' scarf; what has been classified until now is a CIA discovery that virtually all terrorists can prepare their meals in 30 minutes or less -- and how could that be possible without some covert coaching from the diva of rapid cuisine?!

DD obviously blew this one. In response to the taunts from a few shrill voices, the chain overreacted and now faces charges of racism, corporate cowardice, and serving weak iced coffee. The ad has probably been seen by more people than ever would have seen it otherwise and most of the comments I've seen online are strong protests against the donut maker. One organization has called for a worldwide boycott.

Blogs are buzzing with comments on this incident: Jake Summers, The Jawa Report, Ugly Doggy, The Conglomerate, and Lalablahblah are just a few. It's been picked up on Yahoo, Newsweek.com and other outlets. This has become a textbook example of how not to respond to hot headed criticism.

If you are going to play in the online world, you have to learn how to deal with situations like this. You are in the land of conversation, not monologue and people are going to comment positively and negatively on what you are doing. You have to know when and whether to engage. In this case, either silence or a simple clarification that the scarf wasn't a kaffiyeh but that kaffiyeh's are worn by millions of non-terrorists (some DD customers, no doubt) --without pulling the ad --would have been much more appropriate and productive for the brand. Personally, I would have sent the offending paisley scarf to Michelle Malkin -- the commentator who got much of this fired up -- with a suggestion that she wrap it around her own neck really tight.

Malkin and her fellow travelers in Arab bashing and fear mongering, nattering nabobs of negativism, to borrow a phrase from one of their conservative forebearers, must be thriled at all of the attention this story has received.

But Rachel Ray a terrorist sympathizer? Get real. She only terrorizes with her ubiquitousness and indeftatigable drive to be perky at all times. Check the lists of the top 10,000 people most likely to be abetting terrorists and you won't find her Ray-ship there except those kept by the truly delusional and paranoid.

The upside that I see is all the commentary from those of us who are appalled at all of this and who decry the racism in the equating a commonly worn garment with terrorism. Shame on Malkin. Shame on Dunkin' Donuts. I'm going to go buy a kaffiyeh and wear it out to buy coffee!