Burger King under fire after social media users claim new ad featuring chopsticks is 'racist'
Typically, it’s Burger King’s sandwiches that are getting grilled, but a recent advertisement for their Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp sandwich in New Zealand is drawing ire from social media users and is being dubbed “racist.”
The advertisement, which was a sponsored post on Instagram, depicts customers attempting to eat the fast food chain’s new chicken sandwich by using giant chopsticks. “Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City with our Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp, part of our Tastes of the World range. Available for a limited time only,” the caption accompanying the video read.
Maria Mo, a Korean New Zealander, saw the ad while she was scrolling through the social media ap and was shocked by the “blatantly ignorant” ad, according to Huffington Post.
So this is the new Burger King ad for a “Vietnamese” burger ok coolcoolcoolcoolcool CHOPSTICKS R HILARIOUS right omg etc 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 pic.twitter.com/zVD8CN04Wc
— 마리아. Maria. (@mariahmocarey) April 4, 2019
“It honestly took me a second to work out what the heck I was looking at,” Mo, a classic pianist, told the outlet. “I was watching it thinking there must be some kind of layered twist ― only to [realize], no, there was no twist, it really was that base level.”
“I’m so sick of racism. Of any kind. Of the kind that makes fun of different cultures, to the kind that shoots and murders those peacefully praying in their place of worship. Say no to every single manifestation of it,” she tweeted.
Mo was not the only user to find the ad to be in poor taste.
This ad just yelled “ching chong” at me with its eyes pulled up and asked me if I eat dogs. This is what happens when no poc are on the creative team.
— Jeannie (@JeannieBeanie99) April 6, 2019
Had this not been for an ad for a Vietnamese buger I would have found this funny I had told @ricedaddy7 that he should have eaten his hambuger with chopsticks & see how many weird looks he got. But since this is for an ad for a Vietnamese hambuger this isnt funny it's racist.
— Kelly Parker (@GleekChef) April 5, 2019
This is absurd. They need to fire their creative team and get some diversity training.
— Debra Lucenti (@DebraMLucenti) April 7, 2019
“[People of color] are constantly having to deal with microaggressions as well as outright hatred and it just never ends,” Mo told HuffPo. “And I could not believe that such a concept was approved for such a big, well-known company. It says a lot [about] what kind of demographics they must employ across the board for their ads.”
Burger King did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.
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