| GREG-STRANGE.COM |
"If you haven't found something strange during the
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
PROVIDING SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTARY ON THE
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
A Sandwich to Offend All of Humanity
"It's inappropriate and distasteful to launch a hamburger
called 'McAfrika' when large portions of southern Africa are on
the verge of starvation."--- Linn Aas-Hansen of Norwegian
Church Aid.
"We have nothing against McDonald's, but the timing of this
is insensitive."---Gunstein Instesjord, Norwegian Church Aid.
Every time you think you've heard the ultimate in politically
correct inanity, something else comes along to blow it out of
the water. Here's the latest zinger, which comes out of Norway,
of all places, but could have happened anywhere in that part of
today's world which considers itself ever so civilized and
sensitive to the feelings of all peoples.
It seems McDonald's recently introduced a new sandwich in
its Norwegian franchises which it calls the "McAfrika." It's a
concoction of beef, cheese, tomatoes and salad in a pitta-style
sandwich that is said to be based on an actual African recipe.
So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with it is there are
millions of people on the verge of starvation in Africa and in
the minds of the neurotically hypersensitive, for a corporation
like McDonald's to capitalize on the word "Afrika" with one of
its food items is the ultimate in callous profiteering and is an
insult to all of civilized humanity. Or something loopy like
that.
And why is it "inappropriate," "distasteful" and
"insensitive?" Why is using the word "Afrika" in the name of a
sandwich any worse than the actual eating of food while
Africans are starving? Nobody knows. There is no logical
explanation. It just feels that way to some, therefore it is.
As of this writing, McDonald's hasn't pulled the McAfrika off
the market, but they are bending over backwards to assuage the
feelings of the grievously offended. "We acknowledge that we
have chosen an unfortunate time to launch this new product,"
said Margaret Brusletto, a spokesperson for McDonald's
Norway.
Really? Well, when would be a fortunate time? When are
there not people starving or on the verge of starvation in
Africa? Africa is a huge, chaotic, poverty-stricken and
frequently war-torn mess. So when can you launch a sandwich
called "McAfrika" without offending the sensibilities of . . .
Well, exactly whose sensibilities are we worried about here?
Those of starving Africans? Humanity at large? Or just those
of a bunch of hypersensitive Norwegian charity workers who
are more easily offended than a French waiter having to serve
loud American tourists on the Champs Elysees?
I will go out on a limb and say without equivocation that on
the vast continent of Africa, with all of its intractable
problems, you couldn't find a person, starving or otherwise,
who would give a damn about a sandwich called "McAfrika"
being served in the far away and irrelevant country of Norway.
You want to talk about giving offense? I'm offended by the
asininity of these Norwegians who have nothing better to get
offended by than a McDonald's sandwich. I'm offended by the
bottomless depths of politically correct stupidity which
manufactures groundless offenses more efficiently than Ford's
assembly line. I'm offended by the purveyors of political
correctness who would make all human interaction more
complicated and fraught with potential slights than the
dealings between Middle Eastern plenipotentiaries and heads
of state.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if McDonald's grew a backbone,
stood up to these Norwegian milksops with their obnoxious
hypersensitivity and told them if they don't like it, they can
take a long walk off a short pier into an icy fiord.
Meanwhile, back stateside, McDonald's, along with other
major fast food outlets, is being sued by some obese boneheads
who have turned themselves into walking heart attacks because
they don't have brains enough to understand that you aren't
supposed to consume fat-laden Big Macs and greasy french
fries exclusively.
If this is the pansified state of Western civilization in the
21st century, how in the world do we fight a war against
fanatical terrorists with the tenacity of cockroaches and a
medieval disregard for human life? If international relations
are so delicate that you can't name a sandwich "McAfrika"
without a major brouhaha, then how do we preemptively topple
Saddam Hussein so that he doesn't get nukes?
A lot of innocent people are going to die needlessly because
of the increasingly pervasive mentality that actually takes
offense from a goofily named sandwich, and you know what? I
am highly offended by that.
"It's inappropriate and distasteful to launch a hamburger
called 'McAfrika' when large portions of southern Africa are on
the verge of starvation."--- Linn Aas-Hansen of Norwegian
Church Aid.
"We have nothing against McDonald's, but the timing of this
is insensitive."---Gunstein Instesjord, Norwegian Church Aid.
Every time you think you've heard the ultimate in politically
correct inanity, something else comes along to blow it out of
the water. Here's the latest zinger, which comes out of Norway,
of all places, but could have happened anywhere in that part of
today's world which considers itself ever so civilized and
sensitive to the feelings of all peoples.
It seems McDonald's recently introduced a new sandwich in
its Norwegian franchises which it calls the "McAfrika." It's a
concoction of beef, cheese, tomatoes and salad in a pitta-style
sandwich that is said to be based on an actual African recipe.
So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with it is there are
millions of people on the verge of starvation in Africa and in
the minds of the neurotically hypersensitive, for a corporation
like McDonald's to capitalize on the word "Afrika" with one of
its food items is the ultimate in callous profiteering and is an
insult to all of civilized humanity. Or something loopy like
that.
And why is it "inappropriate," "distasteful" and
"insensitive?" Why is using the word "Afrika" in the name of a
sandwich any worse than the actual eating of food while
Africans are starving? Nobody knows. There is no logical
explanation. It just feels that way to some, therefore it is.
As of this writing, McDonald's hasn't pulled the McAfrika off
the market, but they are bending over backwards to assuage the
feelings of the grievously offended. "We acknowledge that we
have chosen an unfortunate time to launch this new product,"
said Margaret Brusletto, a spokesperson for McDonald's
Norway.
Really? Well, when would be a fortunate time? When are
there not people starving or on the verge of starvation in
Africa? Africa is a huge, chaotic, poverty-stricken and
frequently war-torn mess. So when can you launch a sandwich
called "McAfrika" without offending the sensibilities of . . .
Well, exactly whose sensibilities are we worried about here?
Those of starving Africans? Humanity at large? Or just those
of a bunch of hypersensitive Norwegian charity workers who
are more easily offended than a French waiter having to serve
loud American tourists on the Champs Elysees?
I will go out on a limb and say without equivocation that on
the vast continent of Africa, with all of its intractable
problems, you couldn't find a person, starving or otherwise,
who would give a damn about a sandwich called "McAfrika"
being served in the far away and irrelevant country of Norway.
You want to talk about giving offense? I'm offended by the
asininity of these Norwegians who have nothing better to get
offended by than a McDonald's sandwich. I'm offended by the
bottomless depths of politically correct stupidity which
manufactures groundless offenses more efficiently than Ford's
assembly line. I'm offended by the purveyors of political
correctness who would make all human interaction more
complicated and fraught with potential slights than the
dealings between Middle Eastern plenipotentiaries and heads
of state.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if McDonald's grew a backbone,
stood up to these Norwegian milksops with their obnoxious
hypersensitivity and told them if they don't like it, they can
take a long walk off a short pier into an icy fiord.
Meanwhile, back stateside, McDonald's, along with other
major fast food outlets, is being sued by some obese boneheads
who have turned themselves into walking heart attacks because
they don't have brains enough to understand that you aren't
supposed to consume fat-laden Big Macs and greasy french
fries exclusively.
If this is the pansified state of Western civilization in the
21st century, how in the world do we fight a war against
fanatical terrorists with the tenacity of cockroaches and a
medieval disregard for human life? If international relations
are so delicate that you can't name a sandwich "McAfrika"
without a major brouhaha, then how do we preemptively topple
Saddam Hussein so that he doesn't get nukes?
A lot of innocent people are going to die needlessly because
of the increasingly pervasive mentality that actually takes
offense from a goofily named sandwich, and you know what? I
am highly offended by that.