April 2nd - Livin' on the rim

You know, sometimes I don't know what to think about McDonalds. I see them phasing out the super-size meal and making healthier menu items available and I think "Maybe they care about more than making a cheap buck after all." Then I see the "I'm Lovin' It" campaign and hideous vibrant images of terrible shitty "urban" culture come flooding to mind. I really don't think McDonalds has any idea how absolutely ridiculous their ad campaign really is. Case in point. A recent "I'm lovin' it" ad features an independent film maker, who "needs motivation" while making a terrible video of his friends so he eats some McNuggets and a good time is had by all.

Ok, now here's what's wrong with this commercial. It's directed towards fucking independent film makers. How many independent film makers do you know who eat McDonalds? I know independent film makers, and I know that they enjoy eating things like tofu or bean sprouts, or whatever else will make them seem hyper emo-cultural while they hide behind their lenses. They don't eat at fucking Mcdonalds. These are the people who sit in Starbucks and complain about the imperialistic policies of corporate America. These are not consumers you should be directing your ads towards.

I'm writing this because I discovered this new McDonalds ad campaign that seems to be directed towards Asian-Americans, namely in Hawaii. It's called I Am Asian and I guess it's a sub-group of the "I'm Lovin' It" ads. Here's the flavor text.

"We're Asian and Pacific Islander Americans "living on the rim," where our diverse cultures and the everyday American lifestyle become one. We're hanging on to our great traditions while we move to the beat of the times. We honor our heritage - but we love being Americans. From high fashion to high tech, from Asian Pacific American hip hop to haute cuisine, we're weaving the threads of our culture into the fabric of everyday American life. Whether we're sipping green tea or enjoying a Big Mac® sandwich, we're helping make the magic mix called America become even richer. And McDonald's is right there with us, everyday!"

This honestly borders on racist, using people's race in other to pitch a product to them. It also doesn't make any sense. Are Asian-American people supposed to associate McDonalds, an American conglomerate, with AZN pride? McDonalds doesn't just use these "We support cultural diversity, we swear it" type of things in other countries. Next time you get some McDonalds food look at the bag. There's like 50 different ways to say "I'm Lovin' It" printed on the bag, as well as a picture of a rediculous looking asian man with a helmet on racing a go-kart. It's terrible. I hate the world sometimes.

I discovered this ad while searching for a music video called "Robot" by a Korean band called Seo Tai-Ji. I did the mistake of watching the Korean Music Channel knowing full well that everything I hear I will never hear again for as long as I live. It's kind of poetic actually. Anyways, it had some brilliant cinematography. All this symbolism and some metaphors and other literary devices I can't spell. It was awesome to the max.

Oh and yesterday wasn't an April Fools joke, I actually got the job, and I'm actually cool.

I told John I got the job and he instantly called me a fag. It's good to have friends like John who always manage to ridicule you no matter what you do. I love you John.