we are all the same inside

July 3, 2014 9:30 AM

what burger king's proud whopper tells us about marketing to LGBT consumers
posted by and they trembled before her fury (44 comments total)

It's totally silly transparent pandering... and that's great. Corporate pandering means we're winning!
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:34 AM on July 3, 2014 [22 favorites]

Hold the pickles

Hold the lettuce

Lunch and gay sex can't upset us!

Yes, but unironically
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:36 AM on July 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

“Do gay people even eat fast food?”

I admit it, I LOL'd

Next up: In-and-Out Burger becomes Out-And-Proud Burger for the 2015 Gay Pride weekend!
posted by magstheaxe at 9:37 AM on July 3, 2014 [9 favorites]

I'm for anything that pisses Herman Cain and the fundies off the way that this has.
posted by blucevalo at 9:37 AM on July 3, 2014 [6 favorites]

And it still takes two hands to handle a Whopper.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:40 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Some articles claim that the proceeds will go to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for LGBT high school students, but the scholarship program says nothing about supporting LGBT students.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:43 AM on July 3, 2014

"You need to keep sexual preference out of my food. I'll be eating at Chick Fil A."

On tonight's menu: irony.
posted by qi at 9:46 AM on July 3, 2014 [26 favorites]

Some articles claim that the proceeds will go to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for LGBT high school students, but the scholarship program says nothing about supporting LGBT students.

Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, disability or national origin.

So, not exclusively LGBT, but still.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:48 AM on July 3, 2014

Next up: In-and-Out Burger becomes Out-And-Proud Burger for the 2015 Gay Pride weekend!

You do know you're talking about a chain that has Bible verse numbers on all their paper goods, right?
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:52 AM on July 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Man, I've been looking for an excuse to eat a Whopper, which is the finest fast-food sandwich available, so far as I can reckon. I haven't had one since a hungover morning about 5 or 6 years ago on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

This is gonna be great.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:55 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

You do know you're talking about a chain that has Bible verse numbers on all their paper goods, right?
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:52 PM on July 3

So? There's plenty of Christians who support gay rights. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
posted by magstheaxe at 9:58 AM on July 3, 2014 [9 favorites]

Sys Rq: So, not exclusively LGBT, but still.

From the "us" USA today link:

All Proud Whopper sandwich sales, Machado says, will be donated to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for scholarships benefiting LGBT high school seniors graduating in spring 2015.

Either the language was revised by someone between Machado and the final story, or BK is intentionally being vague about how the scholarship is "benefiting LGBT high school seniors" to make more of a case for their (current, valuable) cause.


And my heart goes out to those poor, poor people who don't have their majority promoted on everything they touch. I'm sad they weren't taught to think critically before speaking or talking, to realize that there is special focus given to minority groups (Black History Month, Latino Pride) because they are the minority.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:04 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

"As the fast food strikes of the past year have drawn attention to, low pay for fast food workers is crippling families and individuals all over the country, most of whom must rely on food stamps to survive even if they’re employed full-time. Undoubtedly, many recipients of McLamore Foundation Scholarships need those scholarships because their parents work at fast food restaurants that don’t pay them enough to start a college fund. " - "Burger King’s “Proud Whopper” Isn’t Anything For Gays To Be Proud Of
posted by libraritarian at 10:06 AM on July 3, 2014 [6 favorites]

And that piece is a perfect demonstration of why progressives continue to lose.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:13 AM on July 3, 2014 [4 favorites]

“Do gay people even eat fast food?”

It's worse than that...
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:15 AM on July 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

"We're all the same on the inside" strikes me as an odd, almost backwards slogan to use for this, given that their past marketing emphasis was always "have it your way," i.e. all Whoppers are actually different on the inside.
posted by jbickers at 10:17 AM on July 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

I don't even like Burger King, but man, this is awesome. I'm happy any time a major corporation comes out with something this positive.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:20 AM on July 3, 2014

i lovelovelove corporate sponsorship of pride events. is it pandering? yes! is that great? yes! our local pride parade had walmart spokespeople as the grand marshals. i wore a pride tshirt made by target. individual businesses in town could buy posters and send a representative to carry them in the parade - insurance companies, knick knack shops, politicians, coffee houses, banks, and on and on, all grinning down the street advertising their businesses explicitly to an lgbt (and supporting) crowd.

can you imagine burger king pandering in this way 20 years ago? 10? it's wonderful that this is expected to get more customers than it loses. that's great news for equality and acceptance.
posted by nadawi at 10:21 AM on July 3, 2014 [6 favorites]

Well, look: I think it's great that we've apparently hit a cultural tipping point where huge mega-corporations have concluded that they stand to gain more than they lose by publicly supporting LGBT people. But I'm still not going to eat a Whopper, because those things look nasty.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:21 AM on July 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

"We're all the same on the inside" strikes me as an odd, almost backwards slogan to use for this, given that their past marketing emphasis was always "have it your way," i.e. all Whoppers are actually different on the inside.

It's consistent; the old campaign was about how differently we're dressed.
posted by headnsouth at 10:23 AM on July 3, 2014

jbickers - apparently they're dropping that slogan and using "be your way" which this pride whopper is part of the push for that.
posted by nadawi at 10:23 AM on July 3, 2014

I look forward to the day I can roll up to the Taco Bell drive-thru and order a Keep-Abortion-Safe-Legal-and-Rare-Chilada.
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:29 AM on July 3, 2014 [13 favorites]

Burger King McLamore Foundation for LGBT high school students, but the scholarship program says nothing about supporting LGBT students.

"McLamore"? Just like its namesake, sweeping up goodwill points for being gay-adjacent.
posted by psoas at 10:34 AM on July 3, 2014

Look, I'm glad Burger King thinks it's a good PR move to pander to us during Pride, at this one particular SF location, because it's indicative of a positive cultural shift. That doesn't mean I like, or should like, Burger King, and it doesn't mean that Burger King's labor practices are any less problematic. It's possible to hold both opinions at once.

on preview: what ArbitraryAndCapricious said
posted by libraritarian at 10:36 AM on July 3, 2014

I'm still not going to eat a Whopper, because those things look nasty

They taste a bit like caterpillar paste marinated in burnt transmission fluid. In a testimony to marketing and youthful invulnerability, I used to be ok with that.
posted by CynicalKnight at 10:36 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

After the Facebook emotional manipulation scandal, I wouldn't be surprised if this whole stunt was just part of a scientific experiment to see if we can use outrage as an alternative energy source.

Lord knows there seems to be an infinite supply available.
posted by psoas at 10:38 AM on July 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

And that piece is a perfect demonstration of why progressives continue to lose.

...our trim figure by eating at BURGER KING ALL WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 10:42 AM on July 3, 2014 [5 favorites]

Weirdly, the thing that made me feel most optimistic was reading the hate comments on Facebook, and seeing how a fair number of them complained about Burger King supporting "LGBTs" instead of "the gays" or "homosexuals." Progress for trans and bi inclusion, yay!

I know--it's inclusion in being reviled. But really: LGBT is a much more respectful community label, which shows that our enemies at least feel that in addressing a U.S. corporation, they weaken their case by using slurs like "homos," and that's something. And as a trans person, I really want to believe that the progress made in the past year on marriage equality signifies greater social respect for LGBT+ people, not just for gay men and lesbians. That means a whole lot more to me than a couple of days of rainbow-wrapped fast food.
posted by DrMew at 10:45 AM on July 3, 2014 [10 favorites]

Herman Cain hears "pride burger," and his mind goes immediately to "man-on-man action"? That's the funniest thing I've read all day.

Well, and I enjoyed the negative comments. For some reason, I find it comforting when the people who hate me can't spell.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 10:58 AM on July 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Herman Cain hears "pride burger," and his mind goes immediately to "man-on-man action"?

I swear that the Christian Right spends a lot more time thinking about man-on man action than the entire gay universe. It's like the Cains of the world rock themselves to sleep with it at night, and wonder why their dreams are full of American Male models. I dunno.

Put me in the "I don't eat at Burger King, but it's nice of them to do this" group. If we have to divide into groups. We could just talk about man-on-man action.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:04 AM on July 3, 2014 [6 favorites]

A lot has changed at Burger King since I was part of the management team there

Good.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:04 AM on July 3, 2014

Alleged adulterer Herman Cain is offended? Proper lol.
posted by marienbad at 11:13 AM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Just don't put a Proud Whopper and an Angry Whopper in the same burger bag. (but even more, keep the Angry Whopper away from the Subservient Chicken Sandwich, y'know? and don't get me started with the Chicken Big King)
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:19 PM on July 3, 2014

This is what's wrong with today's society. The liberals want their cake and ice cream too.

Guys, they're on to us.
posted by sfkiddo at 12:21 PM on July 3, 2014 [4 favorites]

Happy to see that more corporations do stuff like this (because it means that mainstream acceptance of diverse sexualities is here), but sad that it is just as pandering, stupid and belittling as most corporate 'support' for good causes.
posted by rogerbraun at 12:27 PM on July 3, 2014

From the comments on BK’s Facebook page:

Food enterprises are NOT the place to advertise your liberal leanings. This is a MAJOR insult to your former straight faithfuls, who will look elsewhere now.

This is why you need to be careful when you string adjectives together.
posted by Killick at 2:19 PM on July 3, 2014 [9 favorites]

The liberals want their cake and ice cream too.


Our at least they burgers and fries. And a SMALL shake. Because I'm trying to watch my figure.
posted by happyroach at 2:34 PM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

They taste a bit like caterpillar paste marinated in burnt transmission fluid.

i have so many questions
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 3:18 PM on July 3, 2014 [3 favorites]

Surely a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich would be more apropos.
posted by Fongotskilernie at 4:42 PM on July 3, 2014

Surely a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich would be more apropos.

You want the McLGBT
posted by Sys Rq at 4:59 PM on July 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

"We're all the same on the inside" strikes me as an odd, almost backwards slogan to use for this, given that their past marketing emphasis was always "have it your way," i.e. all Whoppers are actually different on the inside.

Yeah, it's a bit of a head-scratcher, but being inconsistent with their old slogan is the least of it.

Those wrappers would be perfect for the Rainbow Coalition Whopper, but, like, being queer is pretty much only an internal difference, right? And that's okay! I mean, it's nice that Burger King is pushing a message of tolerance, but "We're all the same on the inside" seems to suggest that differences don't matter, just so long as everyone's the same. It's like, huh? What does it even mean?
posted by Sys Rq at 5:24 PM on July 3, 2014

That lady cried in the Burger King and I'm crying in my house waaaaaaaah
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:21 PM on July 3, 2014

Herman Cain hears "pride burger," and his mind goes immediately to "man-on-man action"?

That's #46 in The Cowma Sutra.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:10 AM on July 5, 2014

angry christians flood burger king’s facebook page with hate, world responds with brilliant logic
posted by and they trembled before her fury at 1:25 PM on July 6, 2014