Senator John Kennedy Uses ‘Chicken’ Analogy to Argue Against Systemic Racism

Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) has used unconventional analogies regarding race in America, including his assertion that, as he puts it, “to a bear, we all taste like chicken.”

The remark serves as a cornerstone of Kennedy’s argument for a “colorblind” society. He suggests that the commonalities of the human experience—and the shared risks inherent in life—render racial distinctions secondary to individual character. It is not a new addition to his political lexicon.

The “chicken” analogy is part of a established rhetorical pattern for the Louisiana Republican. Records indicate that Kennedy utilized this exact phrasing as far back as a July 2021 interview. During that appearance, he argued that the majority of Americans do not view their neighbors through a lens of systemic racism, but rather through a more fundamental sense of shared humanity. According to an official summary from the Senator’s office, the 2021 comments were directed at the then-prevalent debates surrounding critical race theory and national unity.

Senator Kennedy has served in the since 2017, where his rhetorical style has become a hallmark of his tenure.

A History of Folksy Provocations

Kennedy’s use of colorful, often abrasive metaphors has become a hallmark of his identity in the Senate. This “folksy” approach frequently frames complex geopolitical or social issues through domestic or survival-based imagery. However, this style has frequently led to diplomatic and domestic friction.

In May 2023, Kennedy drew sharp rebukes from Mexican officials after he suggested that without United States military and economic support, the Mexican people would be “eating cat food out of a can and living in a tent behind an Outback” Steakhouse. The comments were denounced by Mexico’s foreign minister at the time as “profoundly racist” and “diminished,” though Kennedy maintained he was simply emphasizing the importance of the bilateral relationship.

More recently, in September 2024, Kennedy faced criticism for his line of questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on hate crimes. During the session, he repeatedly asked Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, if she supported Hamas. Despite Berry’s clear condemnations, the exchange drew widespread condemnation, which civil rights advocates cited as an example of the senator using his signature rhetoric to target specific demographics.

For Kennedy, these statements appear to be calculated components of a broader political strategy. By utilizing high-contrast, populist imagery, he positions himself as a plain-spoken critic of what he describes as “woke” ideology, often using humor and hyperbole to dismiss the complexities of systemic social issues. While critics view these remarks as reductive or racially insensitive, the senator continues to lean into the style as a means of communicating his vision of an American identity that he claims is rooted in merit and shared reality rather than racial category.

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