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posted by on Wednesday May 31 2017, @03:34AM   Printer-friendly
from the there-can-only-be-one dept.

Burger King is in trouble with Belgium's monarchy over an advertising campaign asking Belgians to vote online to "crown" the global fast-food giant the true ruler of the country where the U.S. brand will launch next month.

Representatives of Belgium's King Philippe on Monday asked the local unit of Burger King, owned by Restaurant Brands International (QSR.TO)(QSR.N), to explain itself.

"We told them that we were not happy with them using an image of the king in their campaign," palace spokesman Pierre-Emmanuel De Bauw told Reuters, adding that the monarch's image -- he appears in cartoon form -- could not be used for commerce.

[...] The spoof poll may have touched a nerve in Brussels. In 1950 Belgians held a real referendum on a proposal to abolish the monarchy in light of the role of King Philippe's grandfather, Leopold III, during Nazi occupation. Leopold was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Philippe's uncle.

Source: Reuters


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:19AM (12 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:19AM (#518163)

    Seriously? To have kings and such in this day and age is just insane, let alone caring about them or their feelings. This advertising campaign is utterly trivial and innocuous.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:32AM (#518165)

    Go burn a flag to celebrate your right to burn a flag.

  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:11AM (9 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:11AM (#518178) Journal

    This advertising campaign is utterly trivial and innocuous.
    And disrespectful.
    As disrespectful and legal as calling you an idiot.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by jimshatt on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:55AM (1 child)

      by jimshatt (978) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:55AM (#518184) Journal
      Not as legal [wikipedia.org], in Belgium [wikipedia.org]. Though I doubt it will come that far.
      • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday May 31 2017, @11:23AM

        by Bot (3902) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @11:23AM (#518210) Journal

        There is room for one king only.
        Unless you are in Spartaaaaaaa.
        I'd have Burger King forcibly renamed to Burger Man In Disgrace or kicked out Belgium.

        --
        Account abandoned.
    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Wednesday May 31 2017, @04:44PM

      by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @04:44PM (#518363)

      The chain being named Burger King, okay.
      Running commercials saying that people should elect BK the king of Belgium over the actual king, rather rude but whatever.
      Using the king's likeness in the commercial without asking? Come on, dude. Now you're just asking for it.

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
    • (Score: 2) by Weasley on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:20PM (5 children)

      by Weasley (6421) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @07:20PM (#518464)

      And disrespectful

      As they say...respect is earned, not inherited.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:07PM (4 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 31 2017, @08:07PM (#518491) Journal

        As they say...respect is earned, not inherited.

        They can say whatever they want and bear the consequences - in this case, losing a good amount of my respect towards them.
        Do they usually go on the street and address to people they don't know with "Hey, <derogatory_term>, you have to earn my respect first. Meanwhile, tell me how do I get to whatever_place"? If they are doing it, they aren't only not worthy of respect but they are stupid as well; an answer on the line of "Hey, fucktard, learn how to behave first" is in order.
        If they aren't doing it, what exactly the king of Belgium has done to deserve the disrespect of being used in ads of a shitty fast food chain?

        ---

        The right to respect is similar with the presumption of innocence. Respect is something that is inherently granted and is lost by behaving stupid.
        And there's a very simple reason for that: "earning respect" will always involve the knowledge one has about the "value" of the other. Since you can't know the "value" of each individual in this billions population of this world, asking for "earned respect first" will cause you to disrespect by default the entire humanity (minus the hundreds of people you know as respect-worthy).
        Perhaps this is one of the causes for which a non-trivial amount of USians come as "self-inflated-ego entitled pricks" for the guys in other countries?

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by Weasley on Wednesday May 31 2017, @10:20PM (3 children)

          by Weasley (6421) on Wednesday May 31 2017, @10:20PM (#518534)

          While I haven't seen this ad, I suspect you're exaggerating the level of disrespect and that it is nowhere near insulting. I also suspect the ad wasn't even created by an American so you can take your insult and insert it into your anus, thanks.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday May 31 2017, @11:55PM (2 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 31 2017, @11:55PM (#518586) Journal

            I suspect you're exaggerating the level of disrespect and that it is nowhere near insulting.

            Because the level of disrespect needs to reach the level of insulting to be something bad, right?
            Until than, there's nothing wrong with it, even when it's gratuitous, eh?

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 2) by Weasley on Thursday June 01 2017, @12:42AM (1 child)

              by Weasley (6421) on Thursday June 01 2017, @12:42AM (#518605)

              In order for it to be comparable to your examples, yes, it has to be insulting and offensive.

              • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday June 01 2017, @12:49AM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday June 01 2017, @12:49AM (#518609) Journal

                That's the fun thing with examples: while they help illustrating a point, there's no pretense that examples acts as definitions.
                Think and extrapolate foe yourself. If you feel there has to be a line in the sand, draw it and state "This is my line in the sand. Do you accept it?".

                I never pretended the "respect is limited to being non-insulting". Actually, there are special circumstances when I can be insulting and respectful in the same time.

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @03:37PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 31 2017, @03:37PM (#518335)

    Monarchy may be preferable to perpetually corrupt system where campaign finance is "King".