Burger King sells gay pride Whopper

[Prodigal_Son]

I think people on CAF can just sometimes not be aware of how their comments might come across, but from what I have experienced, everyone is at least theoretically committed to treating homosexuals with respect.

This commitment gets pretty darn theoretical in some cases.

A hint for the slow of learning:

(1) Gays and lesbians are everywhere. You can never assume one isn’t in front of you.

Thus

(2) Speaking the truth about homosexuality must ALWAYS be done with consideration of the feelings of gay people.

(3) Speaking the truth plainly isn’t always speaking the truth lovingly. If it was, the qualifier “in love” would be redundant.

(4) When in doubt, be quiet. Saying a clever and incisive thing often only makes our egos grow, and those around us hurt. Evangelism is best done in the context of close friendships.

(5) There are times when the truth must be spoken courageously and well. These are times when we pray that the Holy Spirit guide us to speak lovingly and compassionately, even as we are as accurate as we can be. See Archbishop Cordileone’s recent speech for pointers on this.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

I have tried. Even when trying to explain with politeness and love and compassion how the lifestyle is disordered, I have been attacked, berated, ridiculed, etc…

There is always the question of context to consider too. In many contexts, it’s best to be silent. After all, people’s hearts aren’t won by arguments.

 

[SoulSolace]

Let’s not act like any one group is singled out. There are tongue in cheek or worse comments about Republicans, Democrats, Protestants, men, women, pretty much every group in existence. They are all supposed to be treated with respect.

How many time has some called the Tea Party crazy loons? Homosexuals are not the only ones who are allowed to be defended for respect.

I have to agree.
I’ve been called a bigot, a hypocrite, a narrow minded fascist, a homophobe, a … and those are some of the nicer terms.
It seems to me, that no amount of niceness works, you must simply agree with and celebrate SSM, or you will be attacked. Period.

I get attacked often for being Catholic, and no one puts on kid gloves for me.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

But here’s an idea. Fast food is bad for health as it’s linked to obesity which increases risks for diabetes and other diseases. Since homosexual and lesbian behaviors are bad for health with AIDS, Venereal Diseases, cancer (yes homosexuals, lesbians and transexuals have high cancer rates as sex changes with dangerous hormones cause cancer) and high sexual abuse of children, the gay pride whopper will give you increased risk of obesity and bad for health just as homosexual, lesbian transexuality are bad for health. People do need to eat to live and while fast food is bad for health, there are people who mainly eat this because that’s what they can afford, like and so on. We must continue associating homosexuality, lesbianism and transexuality with things which are bad for health such as smoking and fast food. Eating whoppers is bad for health just as homosexuality is bad for health. Associate homosexuality with things which are bad for health because homosexuality is bad for health.

I don’t know if it’s truth, and I certainly don’t think it’s love, but you certainly said something here. -]It’s nice to know that someone is defending our faith from those evil Herpes-infested transvestites that want to spit their smoke-infested whopper-smelling phlegm all over our beautiful and pristine holy selves./-]

Errrr…welcome to the forum!

 

[SoulSolace]

There is always the question of context to consider too. In many contexts, it’s best to be silent. After all, people’s hearts aren’t won by arguments.

I have read a lot of your posts Prodigal, and I must admit you have the patience of a Saint at times (doesn’t mean I agree with everything you say), the thing about it is, a person becomes complicit in the sin, if they sit back in silence.

And I wish they had a smilie that just sighed.

God bless.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

I have to agree.
I’ve been called a bigot, a hypocrite, a narrow minded fascist, a homophobe, a … and those are some of the nicer terms.
It seems to me, that no amount of niceness works, you must simply agree with and celebrate SSM, or you will be attacked. Period.

Some people are that way. But some people aren’t. I know a number of people who defend the faith regularly on this issue, and rarely get attacked.

I think it helps if you know people with SSA, so that you understand what their sensitivities are.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

I have read a lot of your posts Prodigal, and I must admit you have the patience of a Saint at times (doesn’t mean I agree with everything you say), the thing about it is, a person becomes complicit in the sin, if they sit back in silence.

First of all, thanks.

Second of all, I think I just had a failure of patience. See above.

Thirdly, I don’t think silence implies complicity. Did Jesus speak up every time He saw someone sinning?

 

[livingwordunity]

There is always the question of context to consider too. In many contexts, it’s best to be silent. After all, people’s hearts aren’t won by arguments.

Sometimes they force Christians to give their opinion about it. For example, it happened at least a couple of times to beauty pageant contestants. Or like what happened to the bakery, they will come into a Christian business and try to force them to approve of it. If they don’t get the kind of approval they are looking for they sue.

 

[Prodigal_Son]

Sometimes they force Christians to give their opinion about it. For example, it happened at least a couple of times to beauty pageant contestants. Or like what happened to the bakery, they will come into a Christian business and try to force them to approve of it. If they don’t get the kind of approval they are looking for they sue.

Well sure, in these cases, speak out!

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

What happened to the days when corporations would just sell their products and not have to make every little thing into some silly marketing campaign?

Burger King, Chick Fill Eh (or whatever…we don’t have them, blessedly, where I live), and all these other corporations are using tremendously important political issues in order to market themselves to consumers.

“Oh, I don’t have to feel bad about supporting this evil, giant corporation’s destruction of our nation’s health because they SUPPORT! gay marriage!” And vice versa for the chicken restaurant.

Sorry for the rant, I’m just so sick of this.

Well I’m sick of health buffs, gay activists, and other moralists giving marketers like me a hard time because we want to make money just like anyone else with a job.

What I’m seeing on this thread? It’s what I see and read about everyday. It’s the very reason why companies pull stunts like this.

The race to get consumer attention doesn’t just cost a negligible percentage loss on a company’s bottom line. It can hurt (and that in turn can hurt employees). Just look at all the comments here about everyone switching over to Chick-Fil A, McDonald’s, (or worse, some obscure Christian-vegan alternative).

How do you think this looks to a BK manager or someone who works hard to get more people walking in to their local branch? This could be bad news. Then again, this is how the game is played. I wouldn’t ask anyone to sympathize with BK specifically but your comment just really sounds like someone who has no clue about the thread marketers are always hanging by.

 

[SMGS127]

I don’t know if it’s truth, and I certainly don’t think it’s love, but you certainly said something here.

Errrr…welcome to the forum!

Sigh…

 

[livingwordunity]

Well I’m sick of health buffs, gay activists, and other moralists giving marketers like me a hard time because we want to make money just like anyone else with a job.

What I’m seeing on this thread? It’s what I see and read about everyday. It’s the very reason why companies pull stunts like this.

The race to get consumer attention doesn’t just cost a negligible percentage loss on a company’s bottom line. It can hurt (and that in turn can hurt employees). Just look at all the comments here about everyone switching over to Chick-Fil A, McDonald’s, (or worse, some obscure Christian-vegan alternative).

How do you think this looks to a BK manager or someone who works hard to get more people walking in to their local branch? This could be bad news. Then again, this is how the game is played. I wouldn’t ask anyone to sympathize with BK specifically but your comment just really sounds like someone who has no clue about the thread marketers are always hanging by.

How would Burger King have lost any business if they had continued to call a Whopper a Whopper instead of changing the name of it to a GAY Whopper? By calling it a GAY Whopper they not only made it political, but they made it sexual.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

How would Burger King have lost any business if they had continued to call a Whopper a Whopper instead of changing the name of it to a GAY Whopper?

For starters, they’re catering to a demographic that’s currently trending and getting a lot of people’s attention. From a strategic perspective, jumping on that trend in one way or another makes sense. Even if it’s just that particular branch, the goal is sales. More attention equals more customers. More customers, more money.

My issue though really is they’re being faulted for that. Apparently, these people don’t know what it’s like to be left out of a trend and see drops in the sales report as a result.

 

[SoulSolace]

Well I’m sick of health buffs, gay activists, and other moralists giving marketers like me a hard time because we want to make money just like anyone else with a job.

What I’m seeing on this thread? It’s what I see and read about everyday. It’s the very reason why companies pull stunts like this.

The race to get consumer attention doesn’t just cost a negligible percentage loss on a company’s bottom line. It can hurt (and that in turn can hurt employees). Just look at all the comments here about everyone switching over to Chick-Fil A, McDonald’s, (or worse, some obscure Christian-vegan alternative).

How do you think this looks to a BK manager or someone who works hard to get more people walking in to their local branch? This could be bad news. Then again, this is how the game is played. I wouldn’t ask anyone to sympathize with BK specifically but your comment just really sounds like someone who has no clue about the thread marketers are always hanging by.

A person’s livelihood should not depend on whether or not they agree with SSM.

God bless.

 

[SoulSolace]

How would Burger King have lost any business if they had continued to call a Whopper a Whopper instead of changing the name of it to a GAY Whopper? By calling it a GAY Whopper they not only made it political, but they made it sexual.

Everyone is being forced to make their stance on the issue clear.
BK just beat 'em to the punch.

I really don’t think that SSM has the support shown in polls, as much as people are just afraid to say what they really think.

People are living in terror over the entire SSM movement.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

A person’s livelihood should not depend on whether or not they agree with SSM.

That doesn’t change the reality that what’s trending and what’s hot can be a big business opportunity. I’m not a soccer fan but even I’ve had to tailor my content to the World Cup just to keep my websites from sinking to the bottom.

Perhaps this BK branch reached the same conclusion with the Pride Parade. Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they’re right. But unless you’re the franchise’s CMO, I’d think twice about making judgment calls on marketing tactics.

 

[SoulSolace]

That doesn’t change the reality that what’s trending and what’s hot can be a big business opportunity. I’m not a soccer fan but even I’ve had to tailor my content to the World Cup just to keep my websites from sinking to the bottom.

Perhaps this BK branch reached the same conclusion with the Pride Parade. Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they’re right. But unless you’re franchise’s CMO, I’d think twice about making judgment calls about marketing tactics.

I’m not disagreeing with you btw.
I suppose the time will come in my own life, or the life of a loved one, where they will either have to feign approval, or lose out.

God bless.

 

[livingwordunity]

People are living in terror over the entire SSM movement.

It’s bandwagon drive-by terrorism.

 

[HappyCatholic01]

That doesn’t change the reality that what’s trending and what’s hot can be a big business opportunity. I’m not a soccer fan but even I’ve had to tailor my content to the World Cup just to keep my websites from sinking to the bottom.

Perhaps this BK branch reached the same conclusion with the Pride Parade. Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe they’re right. But unless you’re franchise’s CMO, I’d think twice about making judgment calls about marketing tactics.

I think most people said they’d simply go elsewhere. As a marketing tactic, I don’t think gay pride is appropriate, but the bottom line is they are hoping this will make them money.

They know there is a chance it could lose them money. We are all free to support causes or groups we choose to, and the strongest way to ever send any message is with one’s wallet.

Not sure I understand the pity shown to the marketing folks at this BK franchise. They made their choice, and others have made theirs. Some gay activists attempted a mass boycott of Chick Fil A. That was their right. It didn’t work, and back fired, but that was their right.

 

[SoulSolace]

I think most people said they’d simply go elsewhere. As a marketing tactic, I don’t think gay pride is appropriate, but the bottom line is they are hoping this will make them money.

They know there is a chance it could lose them money. We are all free to support causes or groups we choose to, and the strongest way to ever send any message is with one’s wallet.

Not sure I understand the pity shown to the marketing folks at this BK franchise. They made their choice, and others have made theirs. Some gay activists attempted a mass boycott of Chick Fil A. That was their right. It didn’t work, and back fired, but that was their right.

I won’t go to the BK in question here, (would require a plane ticket anyway), however, I do understand what another poster said and will go to other BK’s.