Philippines: McDonalds announced earlier this week that they were removing a television commercial from public broadcast after the the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines found the ad to be objectionable. The incident has left many scratching their head, wondering "why?"
The ad appears quite innocent. The commercial depicts two children, a boy and a girl, each around 5 or 6 years old. The girl asks if she can be the boy's girlfriend. Aft first the boy rejects the girl's suggestion, claiming girls are too demanding. However, after the girl says that all she needs is some McDonalds' French fries to be happy, the boy agrees, and the next scene shows the two wailing side by side, Fench fries in tow.
The ad is innocent, and tame by most any standards. It is hard to see how one might find fault with the harmless and sweet sentiment expressed. Nevertheless, McDonalds chose to honor the request. Wednesday McDonald's released the following statement:
"We recognize and respect the stand of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and have stopped airing the said commercial across all television stations as of noon today."
Opinions being expressed on Twitter are for the most part in support of the commercial. The following examples were taken from Saturday's Twitter stream:
To the religious leaders in the Philippines who find this ad offensive - Lighten Up FrancisMcDonald's ads in the Philippines are generally awesome, the controversial new spot included
McDonalds Ad Philippines Ad Banned By Church (VIDEO) Child Dating
Culture Clash: McDonald’s Ad Banned in the Philippines
Catholic Philippines Outraged Over McDonalds Ad: The Catholic church in the Philippines raised such a stink: Why?
What do you think? Is the commercial offensive? Or is the Catholic Church simply making a mountain out of a mole hill?
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