I can blissfully recall noshing on Oreo cookies after a particularly rough day of junior high school. No, the creamy goodness didn’t make any bullies disappear, but the sugar rush lasted me well into the evening (much to my parents’ dismay).
So, when I logged onto Facebook the Monday after New York City’s Gay Pride parade, I was struck with an Oreo cookie so stuffed that I couldn’t even begin to think about the calorie count. With rainbow layers and a bold caption reading, “Proudly support love!”, it seems that Kraft Foods is making an effort to keep up with the times.
“We are excited to illustrate what is making history today in a fun and playful way,” spokeswoman Basil Maglaris said in an email to ABC News. “As a company, Kraft Foods has a proud history of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness. We feel the OREO ad is a fun reflection of our values.”
But as you’ve probably guessed, some were seething with hatred and calling for a boycott. ABC managed to pick up this gem of a comment, which read:
“Disgusted with oreos. Being gay is an abmonitation in GOd’s eyes i wont be buying them anymore.”
Well, someone needs a crash course in spell check…
But when I stalked Oreo’s page today, I noticed that the image had garnered over 250,000 likes and 80,000 shares. Considering the sheer popularity of the post (and the fact that it’s a Facebook post, gosh darn it!), a boycott seems entirely unnecessary.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of this year’s bigot-fueled boycotts that have gone down in Internet history:
That Time When They Were Mean to Ellen:
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that dissing Ellen DeGeneres is a huge no-no. But that didn’t stop the American Family Association’s One Million Moms (OMM) from protesting JC Penney’s decision to hire Ellen as its spokeswoman.
The chain store stood by America’s favorite funny lady, and Ellen totally pwned the haters to boot.
“Not that there’s anyone counting, but for a group that calls itself the One Million Moms, they only have 40,000 members on their [Facebook] page,” DeGeneres told viewers, according to the LA Times. “They’re rounding to the nearest million, and I get that.”
After the hullabaloo with Ellen, JC Penney struck back at OMM with a fabulous Father’s Day ad featuring a pair of gay dads. The campaign landed on Gawker, with reporters poking fun at the rabid group of Midwestern mommas. It looks like these gals need to taste the rainbow (Oreo cookies, that is).
That Time When They Spit Hellfire Over Archie Comics:
Oh, OMM, do you never learn? When Archie Comics released “Life With Archie #16,” (you know, the one in which Kevin Keller marries his boyfriend), the group pretty much threw a tantrum over two guys in love.
And OMM got what any five-year-old wailing on a toy store floor would get: the exact opposite of what they were screeching for. The Archie issue flew off shelves in a flash thanks in part to the controversy –a huge feat when you attempt to recall the last time anyone you know has come home with an Archie comic.
That Time When They Boycotted Starbucks…By Buying Starbucks:
The National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) “Dump Starbucks” campaign earned its 15 minutes of fame when Pastor Bob Enyart was recorded on video dumping his beverage into a sewer. The only problem: he actually walked into a Starbucks and purchased the coffee before dumping it.
According to Towleroad, “Starbucks reported last month that their sales and stocks have not been impacted one bit by the National Organization for Marriage’s boycott over the coffee giant’s pro-gay policies.” I wonder why.
That Time When Green Lantern Smashed Them With His Closet Door…
OMM should’ve known better than to mess with a superhero. Alas, they took their hatred to Facebook with a warning against Green Lantern’s homosexuality. When Green Lantern supporters rallied around him by making hilarious comments on OMM’s Facebook page, the group temporarily shut down the page. Heathens: 1. OMM: 0.
If a “Dump Oreo” campaign comes to fruition, I’m all for NOM and OMM buying cartons of Oreos and handing them over to the children of gay parents. Or me. I’m always up for a controversial cookie.
(Images courtesy of Kraft, JC Penney, Archie Comics, Advocate, and DC Comics. )
