“whopper virgins”

this post is long overdue…but i saw a commercial back in december that directed me to whoppervirgins.com. basically burger king commissioned a team of filmmakers and researchers to find people in three remote locations (thailand, greenland and romania) who had never eaten a hamburger before, much less a burger king hamburger. then they asked the person to compare a whopper with a big mac and say what was better. (whopper won)

i was totally appalled at first.

like–just the use of the word “virgin”–bk’s big dick popping burger cherries around the globe. considering what crap is used in fast food, the environmental impacts of bk’s expansion, the economic impacts around the globe. one requirement of the taste test was that there would have to be a mcdonalds and bk close enough so the burgers would be the absolute “freshest.” clearly, these fast food chains have already taken over the whole fucking world so why root out the few people who haven’t been tainted by icky american food?

then i took a step back…

what if the folks in romania, greenland and thailand find it super exciting/intriguing to see how enthusiastic some americans are about getting them to try a few burgers? i wonder how much they get compensated?

and hey–some people do find hamburgers extremely tasty. what’s wrong with feeding some people, compensating them (i’m sure) and wrapping it up into a neat little video to display on the internet?

at least it’s an interesting ad campaign…

not so fast! this whole thing is a lesson in anthropology –how one people from one culture view another culture and bring back what they’ve “learned.” this is no independent film here folks. these bk guys are in search of people who “really live outside of things” and they are “really curious to see their expressions” when faced with a whopper. like here we are–aren’t we americans great? we are saving these poor (backwards?) disconnected people from a lifetime of wondering what the hell a “sándwich americán” tastes like.

furthermore, what about all those people who said a big mac is better? (the majority is not always correct)

i don’t know. this all just doesn’t sit right with me.

what about a third option: a homemade, grass-fed, free range burger with ripe tomatoes, non-shitty lettuce and fresh baked bread (or even designed with consideration for the individual’s traditional diet). which one do you think would win?

super bowl-rejected PETA ad

please watch PETA’s new ad here via perez hilton. apparently, NBC wont allow PETA to show it during the super bowl.

i get that PETA is trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator for a good cause (people should really eat less meat from questionable, if not, horrifying sources) but, really? this is the second(?) PETA ad connecting eating meat with impotence/bad sex. i don’t know what sources hint that eating meat is responsible for impotence but maybe it’s slightly better than the stereotype that all veggie men are crunchy fags. maybe it’s sexy these days to be a vegetarian?

i mean, vegetables are sexy, but–it seems PETA has their campaign all wrong. for example, i can’t believe PETA ‘s “chew on this” video lists the #3 reason to be a vegetarian: “because eating meat and dairy makes you FAT.” and why are they trying to get yet another ad featuring mostly naked women in sexy poses to play during the superbowl? isn’t that the exploitation of human animals? (zing!)

however, what is hilarious is NBC’s list of images is would cut from the ad:

* licking pumpkin
* touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli
* pumpkin from behind between legs
* rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin
* screwing herself with broccoli (fuzzy)
* asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina
* licking eggplant
* rubbing asparagus on breast

glad they didn’t mince words! NBC says the ad “depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards.” well, that’s not very hard.

Dear PETA,

I read one of your pamphlets in 9th grade and turned veggie shortly thereafter. So thanks. But seriously–WTF?

(also–check out this recent absurdity from PETA)

header photo

a committee of vultures, taking off from my backyard at sunset, nov. 21 2008.