For one conservative activist group, Burger King’s use of a word it considers profane is too tough to stomach in a commercial.
This July 31, 2019, file photo shows an Impossible Whopper burger at a Burger King restaurant in Alameda, Calif. AP Photo/Ben Margot, File
In August, the fast-food giant rolled out an ad promoting its plant-based Impossible Whopper. In the minute-long segment, one customer scarfs down a patty and between bites mumbles, “Damn, that’s good.”
Enter One Million Moms, which says its mission is to “stop the exploitation of our children, especially by the entertainment media.” Last month, it pressured the Hallmark channel to pull a commercial that featured same-sex couples getting married. The company later apologized, saying it made the “wrong decision” in pulling the ad.
In a news release Friday, One Million Moms said the language in Burger King clip was offensive and that it was “sad that this once family restaurant has made yet another deliberate decision to produce a controversial advertisement instead of a wholesome one.” The group said that Burger King could have edited the word or the taste tester “didn’t have to curse.”
The group then asked objectors to sign a petition calling on Burger King to cancel the commercial or edit out the word “damn.” Burger King did not immediately respond to questions about whether it would alter or remove the ad, or if it had responded to the group.
The word is widely used on the political stage and on network television. President Donald Trump, who has wide support from evangelical Christians, routinely swears at rallies and on Twitter. Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said “I wrote the damn bill” on Medicare-for-all during a Democratic debate.
It’s unclear whether One Million Moms — a division of the American Family Association, an evangelical Christian nonprofit that opposes LGBTQ rights and other causes — is as large as its name suggests. As of 9 a.m. Monday, slightly more than 9,000 people had “taken action” on the Burger King issue.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
