Strrrrike 3 for Burger King?

(Image courtesy www.rediff.com)

Bad taste? The Hindu goddess Lakshmi and a new BK burger are placed under a slogan claiming 'La merienda es sagrada' – the snack is sacred. 

All bad things come in 3 for Burger King apparently. 

Their latest in a string of culturally insensitive advertisements depicts the Hindu Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi seated with a 'Texican Whopper' at her feet. What is in the burger you ask? An all-beef patty, a beef chilli-con-carne slice and egg-based Cajun mayonnaise. Oh, by the way, most strict Hindus avoid all of the above mentioned products. 

I just can't imagine what the thought process of the ad execs who designed this ad must have been..."Hmm, I know, I'll use an image from a religion that forbids its followers to eat meat, specifically beef, to sell...ahem...BURGERS..." It just seems a bit ridiculous. 

But apparently this sandwich seems to be a magnet for trouble...The Telegraph reports that

"Earlier this year, Burger King offended Mexican officials with another advertisement for the 'Texican Whopper' which depicted a dwarf dressed as a wrestler draped in the Mexican flag."

BK's other tacky ad? You know, the one for BK Super Seven Incher... guaranteed to "blow" our minds away. 

The thing that bothers me about all these ads is how incredibly tacky, tasteless and just plain dumb they are. Whatever happened to clever, eye-catching and thought provoking ad campaigns? 

What do you think? Are we veering towards an an era of excessive political correctness? Are we shying away from creativity for the fear of offending people or is there something seriously wrong with these ads? 

for technocrati

6bajkfemhr

OMFG! Watching Gossip Girl & SATC will get you pregnant!

A new study finds that teens who watch racy shows have a much higher chance of getting pregnant than those who settle for less 'sexually charged' TV.
The study found that teens who watched the sexiest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years as those who watched few such programs.
Shows that highlight only the positive aspects of sexual behavior and not the risks can lead teens to have unprotected sex "before they're ready to make responsible and informed decisions," the study found.

Here is a quick (yes, scientific) overview of the study:

Does Watching Sex on Television Predict Teen Pregnancy? Findings From a National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Chandra A, Martino SC, Collins RL, Elliott MN, Berry SH, Kanouse DE, Miu A Pediatrics, Pediatrics 2008;122: 1047-1054.

Objective There is increasing evidence that youth exposure to sexual content on television shapes sexual attitudes and behavior in a manner that may influence reproductive health outcomes. To our knowledge, no previous work has empirically examined associations between exposure to television sexual content and adolescent pregnancy.

Methods Data from a national longitudinal survey of teens (12-17 years of age, monitored to 15-20 years of age) were used to assess whether exposure to televised sexual content predicted subsequent pregnancy for girls or responsibility for pregnancy for boys. Multivariate logistic regression models controlled for other known correlates of exposure to sexual content and pregnancy. We measured experience of a teen pregnancy during a 3-year period.

Results Exposure to sexual content on television predicted teen pregnancy, with adjustment for all covariates. Teens who were exposed to high levels of television sexual content (90th percentile) were twice as likely to experience a pregnancy in the subsequent 3 years, compared with those with lower levels of exposure (10th percentile).

Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate a prospective link between exposure to sexual content on television and the experience of a pregnancy before the age of 20. Limiting adolescent exposure to the sexual content on television and balancing portrayals of sex in the media with information about possible negative consequences might reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. Parents may be able to mitigate the influence of this sexual content by viewing with their children and discussing these depictions of sex.