Burger King Whopper Ad Offends Mexicans

The Burger King Texican Whopper "inspired by the land where a man ain't afraid to sink his teeth into something hot and spicy."

~ ~ ~

Mexico is protesting what it says is a whopper of an insult.

An advertisement for Burger King's Texican Whopper burger 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. The lazy Mexican swims by while the Texan cleans the pool.

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. Jorge Zermeno told Radio Formula that the ads "improperly use the stereotyped image of a Mexican."

~ ~ ~

The company pledged Tuesday to pull the ads for its chili-flavored "Texican" hamburger, saying they were "not intended to offend anyone."

"Burger King Corp. has made the decision to revise the Texican Whopper advertising creative out of respect for the Mexican culture and its people," the company said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. Burger King, which is known for its signature Whopper hamburger, said it would air redesigned ads "as soon as commercially possible."

"The revised campaign will focus solely on the Texican Whopper sandwich and will not feature any characters or the use of the Mexican flag," the company said.

~ ~ ~

plez sez: what are these ad execs thinking when they approve these obviously offensive projects? demeaning fried chicken ads with black people (kfc). now this over-the-top portrayal of a stereotypical mexican in a burger commercial. the only way to make this commercial more offensive would've been to have the "lil wrestler" illegally cross the border to answer the personal ad in the newspaper!

this is what happens when the people sitting around a table making decisions is not a representative sample of the people who will consume the products. after yuckin' it up at an ad that looks like it was created by a roomful of sixth grade boys, no one in the room considered that having a little person traipse around draped in a mexican flag would inflame some passion from people of mexican descent!

it's been about two years since plezWorld has graced kfc with his presence... i guess i can replace that personal boycott with one of burger king and their texican whopper!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the AJC.com article about how Burger King plans to alter the ad.

Read the NY Daily News article about the offensive Burger King Texican Whopper ad.

Read the BurgerBusiness.com article about Mexican outrage over the commercial.

Read the Fox News article about Burger King's little Mexican ad.

Read how plezWorld blew a gasket over an offensive KFC commercial.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Senate Immigration Bill - Update

I've been out of the loop concerning the brouhaha concerning the immigration issue that has been swirling around Congress. I thought I'd do alittle research and share my findings with the rest of plezWorld. The CNN website has a nice interactive description of the key components of the Immigration Bill:

Illegal immigrants

Could seek a "Z Visa," which would give immediate work authorization if they arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007

Head of household would have to return to their home country within eight years; would be guaranteed the right to return to the U.S.

Applicants would have to pay a $5,000 staggered penalty

Guest workers

A "Y Visa" would be issued to 400,000 guest workers per year.

Guest workers would enter the U.S. on two-year visas, return home for a year, then re-enter for additional two years. May enter three times (total six years) if not bringing family, but only one time if bringing family.

Guest workers earn points toward merit-based green card.

May bring families on 30-day visitor visas each year.

Enforcement

Border fencing would be strengthened.

The number of Border Patrol agents would be increased.

Employers who hire undocumented workers would face fines.

The guest worker program cannot begin until enforcement provisions are in place, which Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff estimates will take 18 months.

Since this bill was a bipartisan effort, it only figures that there will be both Democrats and Republicans who are not happy with it. Two Senate Democrats have already offered up amendments that address the guest worker program in the bill and there is a Republican who has planned a filibuster.

plez sez: correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't every American (save the Native Americans) an immigrant? didn't everyone's ancestors sail, row, or walk here from someplace else? i'm sure the people who are crossing our borders from the south will change the "complexion" of the country, but didn't every influx of large immigrant groups change the complexion of this country? even the slaves from Africa who came here unwillingly made a drastic change to the look and feel of America.

i just have a sinking feeling that if this influx of immigrants was coming from the north, rather than the south, then we wouldn't be having this discussion, we wouldn't be talking about increasing border patrols, and we wouldn't be contemplating the building of a fence. makes me think about the disparate treatment given to immigrants from Cuba and Haiti when they take a boat across the Gulf of Mexico to get here.

i may be oversimplifying the issue, but since this is a country of immigrants, founded and fought over by immigrants, shouldn't ALL immigrants have the right to come here? i don't have a problem with enacting laws to control the influx, but to my way of thinking, if you made it here... you're IN!