Burger King ad showing people eating burgers with chopsticks branded 'racist'

10 April 2019, 11:41

Fast food chain Burger King has been forced to remove an advert after it was branded 'racist'.

Burger King has taken down an advert in which western people try to eat burgers with oversized chopsticks.

The advert is for a new Vietnamese burger and was being showed in New Zealand.

Taking to Twitter, Maria Mo, a Korean woman residing in New Zealand, attacked the ad, describing it as "racist".

In her post, Mo wrote: "I'm so sick of racism of any kind. Of the kind that makes fun of different cultures. Say no to every single manifestation of it."

READ MORE: Waitrose apologises for "racist" duck Easter eggs after facing backlash

Mo wasn't the only one who felt the ad was distasteful; Catherine Shu tweeted: "LOL chopsticks amirite?????? Who the hell came up with this? There are a lot of Asian people in NZ, though they probably aren't getting their Vietnamese food from Burger King", along with a sick Emoji.

Others disagreed with Mo, seeing it as a bit of harmless fun.

One user said: "I'm vietnamese and im not offended. I thought it was pretty funny. Your generation needs to grow thicker skin and stop with this fake manufactured outrage."

Another added: "I am too a Vietnamese - born and raised here. Nothing is wrong with this FUNNY video. However, if given the big chopsticks - I would do a better job than those guys!"

The fast food chain has since apologised for the ad and removed it.

Burger King stated it the ad was "insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion. We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately."

It's not the first time the chain came under fire for its marketing campaigns; in 2009, the brand released a suggestive ad in Singapore for their seven-inch cheeseburger.

The poster included a woman profile view, with the burger inches away from her open mouth. It was accompanied with the caption: "It'll blow your mind away."

The company responded saying it was intended for the US market, but still took the ad down after complaints were made.

So what do you think? Is the new ad offensive, or is it just a bit of fun?