McDonald's Did An Ad With A Gay Son Coming Out To His Dad In Taiwan And Now Taiwan Wants McDonald's Banned
Fox News – Religious groups in Taiwan are calling for a boycott of McDonald’s after the fast food giant premiered a commercial they say promotes “gay issues.”
The minute-and-a-half ad features a boy coming out to his father by writing, “I like boys” on a McCafe coffee cup and sliding it across the table.
The father initially seems upset, and walks away. But he quickly returns with his own coffee cup and writes, “I accept that you like boys.” Music swells and the son cries tears of joy. The spot closes with the tag, “Let there be more warmth in conversations.”
But the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family is condemning the ad, saying it promotes homosexual behavior.
“Because McDonald’s is frequented by many children, it is especially important to oppose the promotion of same-sex behavior,” Chang Shou-yi of the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family, told Taiwanese media. Chang accused McDonald’s of “openly promoting gay issues” and mis-educating children on sexual behavior.
The group is calling for a nationwide boycott of the restaurant.
This one is going viral today as some sort of “Taiwan, so evil, how dare they go against gay people. Hooray McDonald’s for embracing all people!” trope. And for as much as I’m all for gay people being welcomed or, at the very least, being able to do their thing without persecution, how fucking dumb is McDonald’s to do an ad like this? What are you selling here? It seems more like a naked grab for positive attention with no real thought as to how it affects you as a business. People aren’t buying something from a company because you exploited one of the most trying moments in a gay person’s life and trivialized it with a shitty McCafe coffee. And even if the intentions are good, you don’t need that message from a place monetizing obesity. It’s a classic case of a company prioritizing being overly PC over understanding an audience and how to make them do what you want, the whole fucking point of marketing.
Especially in Taiwan. Advertising in other cultures is completely different obviously, different standards and beliefs and customs and you never know what might offend their sensibilities. In America something like this might get all the positive publicity (even if I still question how we’re pawning burgers off on people with its manipulative message) but Taiwan is a whole different animal. Just stop trying to be heroes, make an ad where this guy isn’t gay and instead is running into the arms of a chick who makes a ^__^ “kekeke” face, and have them feed each other french fries while some Asian pop version of the “I’m Loving It” kicks in. Be less precious idiots and do something that’ll actually move that “beef” next time.