The Secret Sauce is Made of Stupid
BURGER KING is showing advertisements in Europe featuring a story about a big Cowboy giving a little Mexican a lift. It seems those Mexicans are getting upset about this role! But not for the reasons one might think.
YOU THINK HERE IN THE US, we get uptight about how people treat the flag?
An advertisement for Burger King’s Texican Whopper burger that has run in Europe shows a small wrestler dressed in a cape resembling a Mexican flag. The wrestler teams up with a lanky American cowboy almost twice his height to illustrate the cross-border blend of flavors.
“The taste of Texas with a little spicy Mexican,” a narrator’s voice says.
The taller cowboy boosts the wrestler up to reach high shelves and helps clean tall windows, while the Mexican helps the cowboy open a jar.
Mexico’s ambassador to Spain said Monday he has written a letter to Burger King’s offices in that nation objecting to the ad and asking that it be removed.
—Mexico slams Burger King for ‘whopper’ of insult; Mexico objects to Burger King ad showing wrestler wrapped in national colors
These cultural norms are all relative, of course. As far as I know, in México it is far stricter than up here in El Norte. In MX, it is against the law to use the flag or elements of the flag for any purpose—such as decorating websites or using as…a cape. Maybe it would do for Burger King to respect the culture of the people they…are…exploiting. Eh. Guess that doesn’t really make sense.
But you do have to laugh at la gente in a way, eh? Here I am (tho not having seen the ad) feeling offended by what I read as this metaphor of the Mexican character being some diminutive and ineffective type who requires the big gringo cowboy to boost him up into productivity…and the Mexican citizens don’t even bother with that part and are like don’t be disrespecting nuestra bandera, pendejo!
Update 3:50 am, Wed: Burger King sez it will yank ad.
Although I find it curious that it is the Mexicano who opens the jar. I guess the big gringo is not strong enough.
I am getting very angry again…
I don’t eat at Burger King because I do not have to give my money to racist ***holes
good reason!
—
and rafa, por supuesto! even burger king knows the dilly.
Mexico’s Ambassador to Spain, who made the complaint about the PRINT ad is a former PAN governor, and — by definition — kind of a dolt … Laura Martinez (mi blog es tu blog) sees it much as you do… kinda missing what’s really annoying about the “spicy little Mexican” thing.
(http://lauramartinez.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/the-new-whopper-is-a-fusion-of-stereotypes/)
ah…graz for the link, ricardo.
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