It’s happened again.
Do you remember the furore over a smokefree ad featuring Piri Weepu bottle feeding his baby? Well buckle your seatbelt because this time it’s the vegetarians having a cow. (Don’t excuse the pun, it’s there on purpose).
www.stuff.co.nz has a story today about Pak n’ Save being forced to pull an advertisement promoting “meat week” at its supermarkets after vegetarians complained it was offensive. (Unless of course I pull my conspiracy theory out and figure Pak’nSave are getting lots of extra bang(er) for their buck…)
The story quotes Wellington vegetarian Tashee Smith, 24, saying she was upset the sarcastic advertisement made a mockery of her belief system.
It began with a warning to vegetarians to look away while they showed meat on a conveyor belt, which was “okay”, she said.
“Then the punch line of the ad says, ‘Alright vegetarians, you can look back now. It’s a carrot. Just kidding, it’s a sausage’.
“The whole tone of it I felt really was just quite offensive. It was made to offend.”
Of for goodness sake you silly girl. Get a life. Do you not have anything more important to do than complain about an ad taking the mickey out of vegetarians. Have you seen the Bugger ads takiung the mickey out of farmers? Have you seen Billy T James shows? Miranda? I bet Poms don’t like that – she so takes the mickey out of several English stereotypes.
There is a saying on my office wall. “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” It’s true.
If an ad about the sausage offends or belittles you, make a stand and don’t shop at Pak’nSave. New World never have meat specials does it? Or stop watching the channel you saw the ad on. (quick Tashee, you better check your shoes, they’re not leather are they?)
Don’t ruin it for the rest of us. I love the idea of meat week – go the farmers!!!
Should we ban the organisation Beef + Lamb NZ because it makes vegetarians feel left out? NO!
Should we ban ads for ab circle pros because it makes me sad about my lack of abs? NO! (I’ll just nip inside and eat another sausage).
Just have a laugh at your own expense and get on with more important things.
rivettingKateTaylor 
Yep – too right. 3 people wreck it for the millions of others who either A) don’t give a shit, or B) are too busy to give a shit.
Why don’t we majoratarians take up our picket lines and park up with our barbies outside Tashee’s place? Anyone got her deets?
Way to make the veg*ns even MORE hated on, can’t wait to see this ad back on TV soon eh Pak n Save? Eh? Yes? Surely this is all slickly planned and not limp-dick politics gone bonkers total…SURELY.
By: Gomax on March 27, 2012
at 2:40 pm
Remember not all vegetarians are this PC – many comments on Facebook have been from vegos who HAVE got the joke!
By: rivettingkatetaylor on March 27, 2012
at 3:49 pm
This IS what the world is coming to – has anyone else heard of ‘Happy Holiday’ cards instead of Christmas cards, or ‘Holiday trees’ because somehow even the mention of Christmas is enough to offend some people, apparently.
By: Donna on March 27, 2012
at 5:20 pm
I don’t have a problem with people having other beliefs. Even to do with Christmas – many NZers only celebrate it for the holiday and the presents anyway. It’s the assumption that one belief (or food choice) is better than another.
By: rivettingkatetaylor on March 27, 2012
at 7:46 pm
just read this on teletext fk me get alife tashee u dik , minority rule again ,pc bsht
By: Kevin Askew on March 27, 2012
at 9:05 pm
Just a note, please fight the argument, not the person. Cheers 🙂
By: rivettingkatetaylor on March 28, 2012
at 7:11 am
‘…a story today about Pak n’ Save being forced to pull an advertisement promoting…”
Nobody ” forced ” Pac and Save to do anything, thus I am of the opinion that your conspiracy theory might be closer to the bone, certainly it was my first reaction to this report.
I, along I suspect with most of our community couldn’t give a rats arse what Tashee Smith thinks and if in fact it isn’t part of a conspiracy on the part of Pac and Save’s marketing department then who ever was responsible for pulling the campaign should be humanly put down.
If Smith had tried to pull this crap on me I would have directed her to the Advertising Standards Authority along with as an offensive as I could come up with statement directing her to put up or shut up.
By: IHStewart on March 28, 2012
at 9:11 am
I’m going with the conspiracy theory.
Yesterday I blogged about Pak’nSave dropping its meatlovers week ad because some vegetarian in Wellington complained that was offensive towards her “beliefs”.
Well guess what? It is is bringing back its controversial meat lovers advertisement with a twist – vegetarian sausages.
I’ve been had! I want to meet that girl – there’s a Pak’nSave voucher in her handbag.
Very big ups to the marketing team. Well done. My blog might normally only get a few hundred views but yesterday almost topped the day Paul Henry got fired. Go figure.
By: rivettingkatetaylor on March 28, 2012
at 4:19 pm