Burger King faces backlash over ‘harmless’ online comments: ‘Do people not know what a joke is?’
Burger King is facing a wave of backlash from a very specific corner of the internet: Taylor Swift fans.
The conflict, which some social media users are calling “silly” or “harmless,” began when the fast food chain responded to a tweet about the “Blank Space” singer.
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“Burger King I need to know, what’s your favorite Taylor Swift song,” a Twitter user named Audrey wrote.
“the one about her ex,” Burger King replied from its official account.
#BurgerKingIsOverParty is trending because they said this and all I have to say is one thing.
I’m craving Burger King. pic.twitter.com/3FFXNuxppR— DJ PICKLE JUICE (@DJPickleJ) May 27, 2020
The joke implies, in short, that every Taylor Swift song is about one of her exes — something that has long been the subject of public interest and debate. However, many of the singer’s die-hard fans, often called “Swifties,” did not take the comment lightly.
“Be like Wendy’s and stream ‘Its nice to have a friend’ if you’re against [slut-shaming],” one Twitter user wrote.
“Burger King just committed social suicide,” another added.
The swarm of tweets even led to the hashtag #BurgerKingIsOverParty — a format often used on social media to publicize “canceled” celebrities — becoming a trending topic on Twitter.
WE DID IT #BURGERKINGISOVERPARTY IS ACTUALLY TRENDING pic.twitter.com/DMsyFIWZmm
— lacey!! swiftie since 1989 💕 (@laceypaperrings) May 27, 2020
Many social media users were extremely confused by the campaign, though. Several began using the hashtag ironically, or even to shame others for reacting so strongly to a joke.
“I love Taylor, but what the f***? It is a joke! Do people not know what a joke is?” one user asked.
“It’s insane that you’re canceling Burger King for what was nothing more than a harmless joke,” another added.
Internet debates aside, Burger King seems ready to move past the drama. On May 28, the company asked its customers to “shake it off” with a Taylor Swift-referencing meal deal.
let's shake it off. celebrate #BurgerKingIsOverParty with the $3 shake + fries deal in the app 😉 https://t.co/YNmTeVMjI5
ᵃᵗ ᵖᵃʳᵗᶦᶜᶦᵖᵃᵗᶦⁿᵍ ʳᵉˢᵗᵃᵘʳᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᴮᴷ ᵃᵖᵖ ʷʰᶦˡᵉ ˢᵘᵖᵖˡᶦᵉˢ ˡᵃˢᵗ— Burger King (@BurgerKing) May 28, 2020
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