Here in the United States, various religious organizations and conservative groups often go ballistic when it comes to advertisements that go against their religious and moral beliefs. One Million Moms (OMM) is one of these organizations that goes after anything they find immoral, profane, violent, or vulgar, no matter how benign they appear to common sense Americans.
We are not the only country with fundamentalists who want strict censoring; Taiwan has their own crazy nut jobs demanding that McDonald’s be boycotted for a recent commercial they posted on their Facebook page.
On Friday, March 4, the advertisers for McDonald’s Taiwan posted a commercial that shows a son telling his father that he is gay.
You do not have to speak or read Mandarin to know the sentiment behind the commercial. While the two are at a very pristine McDonald’s, a son tells his father about his sexuality by writing on a McCafe cup, “I like boys.”
His father doesn’t say anything. He looks upset, then slams his hands on the table while he stands up and walks away. You can feel the pain and sadness the son must be going through as his sits there alone.
Once his father returns with his own coffee cup in hand, he sits down, grabs his son’s cup and pen, and then changes his son’s statement to read “I accept that you like boys.”
When the son looks at the coffee cup he is visibly relieved. The camera then pans to the father, who takes a drink of his coffee, and then looks at his son with pride.
Though this commercial is trending worldwide with its very amazing message of love and acceptance, the Alliance of Taiwan Religious Groups for the Protection of Family, is demanding that consumers boycott McDonald’s. The group’s secretary general, Change Shou-yi, stated:
“Because McDonald’s is frequented by many children, it is especially important to oppose the promotion of same-sex behavior.”
This rhetoric sounds all too familiar. As you may recall, last November, OMM bashed Campbell’s for their Star Wars themed commercial about two fathers who took turns telling their son, “I am your father.” OMM expressed the following similar sentiment:
“One Million Moms believes family is based on love, but this does not justify normalizing sin…There is concern about the way this ad is pushing the LGBT agenda, but an even greater concern is the way that they are attempting to redefine ‘family’ and ‘real marriage.”
Though the religious fringe may have some influence over their followers, this type of advertising is being highly acclaimed by the rest of us.
Just like in the United States, the majority of the population in Taiwan approves of same-sex marriage. With this approval, these beautiful commercials of acceptance are becoming the norm. With more companies using pro-gay advertising, there will be fewer places fundamentalists will be able to enjoy.
Watch the commercial here:
Featured image is a screenshot from the Youtube video.
