Posted on 07/29/2004 7:51:26 AM PDT by ConservativeMajority
(Talon News) -- The Subway Restaurant chain recently launched an advertising campaign in Germany that asks, "Why are Americans so fat?" House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) finds the insulting promotion too much to swallow, saying that for some companies, "corporate patriotism is as flexible as Jared's waistline." Jared Fogle is a Subway spokesman who claims to have reduced his weight from 435 pounds to 245 pounds on a diet of Subway sandwiches.
German customers are being served their sandwiches on a trayliner that promotes the movie "Super Size Me," the story of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock's month-long splurge of eating only McDonald's food. He says his overeating caused him to add 25 pounds and raised his liver and blood count to unhealthy levels. Spurlock questions the responsibility of the "fast-food culture" for endangering Americans' health.
The advertising text uses a derogatory term for Americans -- Amis -- and features an obese caricature of the Statue of Liberty holding a hamburger and fries.
The ad also features a quote from controversial 300-plus pound filmmaker Michael Moore that says, "The only time I have been scared for my life has been going through a McDonald's drive-thru."
DeLay said, "It is clear that Subway has done very well for decades due to the patronage of Americans. For Subway to thumb its nose at its American customers and promote Michael Moore's blame-America-first conspiracy in a foreign country is very concerning."
The National Legal and Policy Center has called on Subway to immediately stop the promotion it says is designed to exploit anti-American sentiment in countries like Germany.
Chairman Ken Boehm said, "Subway has defined a new low in corporate behavior with this campaign."
He added, "Inflaming cultural tensions to increase market share is immoral and dangerous. Americans deserve to know about Subway's campaign to insult us abroad and to attack our national symbols."
Frontiers of Freedom has sent a letter to Subway Founder and President Fred DeLuca asking him to immediately recall the offensive trayliners.
Vice President of Policy Kerri Houston said, "This is an outrageous example of poor corporate citizenship and judgment."
She continued, "Your support of Morgan Spurlock and Subway's promoting him as the "new" far left Michael Moore are very troubling. Both men's misleading and factually dishonest 'documentaries' advance a 'Blame America First' message."
Houston complains that the mockery of Americans and their national symbols is an insult coming from a company that has profited handsomely by the patronage of its customers in the United States.
"Super Size Me" won the award for Best Direction at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
Subway is based in Milford, CT and has over 21,000 restaurants in 76 countries.
An image of the trayliner can be viewed online at www.nlpc.org.
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
It's not the fact that Americans are fat. I'd object to it too if Saxon Math tried to sell their materials overseas with the slogan "Why are Americans stupid?"
It's the very fact that Subway is attempting to capitalize on Germany's extreme anti-Americanism. So, yes, it is anti-American.
This is not whining, it's just spreading information - just like we do when a company or individual (see numerous "celebrities" as examples) chooses to align itself/themself with some partisan political group or agenda. Some potential customers don't care for that and take their business elsewhere; I don't see any hypersensitivity here at all.
Subway has the right to turn it's "Jared" advertising campaign inside-out and use the retooled version in Germany. Americans have the right to either laugh it off, or decide that they really don't need that flavorless, gummy sandwich after all. As for me, I need no urging to avoid Subway.
The world over right now, everyone is looking for a reason to hate Americans, anything or everything. They hate our way of life, our military, our symbols of liberty, our capitalism and the power Ameria has. This hate is driven by pure jealousy. Why support a company that drives this opinion of America? I politely disagree with you on this one.
Well, I hear ya on the weight part...I dress out at a mere 325 myself, and I like Subway's food, but I love my country.
They'll not see any more of my cash either.I can make my own damn sandwiches.
That's a particularly uninsightful characterization. John Kerry, in fact, doesn't much care if America is insulted. After all, he's let Michael Moore, the epitome of liberal American self-hate, sit in Carter's box.
If America and important national symbols actually mean something to you, why aren't you more protective of them?
Good. Another reason to go to Quiznos.
I have no problem laughing at myself. I do have problems if someone I know pokes fun at me to a third party, particularly if that third party has itself be hostile to me in the recent past. In that circumstance, I ask myself, whose side is he on?
People who go around asking to be shown respect usually don't deserve it.
I can see why someone who has no respect for himself or his country wouldn't demand it from others.
You are right, saying Americans are fat is not anti-American.
I don't mind being made fun of now and then. I recall a few movies that make fun of Germans (Top Secret's East German Women's Olympic Team comes to mind).
For a company to use a derogatory term for Americans, as the article claims,... well, that speaks for itself.
Yes!
Quiznos Subs blow Subway's crap away.
They just entered the Pittsburgh market.
I would say using a quote from Michael Moore is anti-American. You don't think they paid him to use his quote? I somehow don't think that money will find its way to pro-American causes!
I just called the 800 # and let em have it...need serious freeping here folks!
The Kerryesque part was not that he gets offended by anti-Americanism, it's that he gets offended easily at the drop of a hat. With that in mind, I find it to be a very insightful characterization.
"but getting insulted over something like this is almost Kerryesque."
You forgot to say "in your opinion". So, keep eating there, it is a free country, isn't it? In my opinion, they went to another country and insulted us, a country that doesn't like the United States, they won't get my business any longer. See no problem, you're happy eating at a place that holds the United States up to ridicule and I'm happy sending them an email telling them they will no longer get my "fat" American money. What a great country!
Does this mean we must boycott all the Subway outlets in Germany?
I'm partial to Cousins.
Sent a letter to Subway HQ, and fowarded the article to FoxNews.
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