You might have noticed a television commercial recently advertised by McCain for Deluxe Piazza. In the scene, several Chinese Buddhist monks fight each other for a slice of piazza. It is well known that Chinese monks are not supposed to eat any meat food for religious reason. This TV ad is not only offensive to our Chinese people but also misleading to native Canadians who are not familiar with Chinese culture. I have already sent a complaint email to Advertising Standards Canada (complaints@adstandards.com) which is responsible for evaluating advertisements for accuracy, clarity, safety and offensiveness. I have also filled out a complaint form at McCain Foods (Canada)’s website (www.mccain.ca). I hope everyone here can do the same thing. We need to take action to protect the image of our culture and religion. We also need to show others that we Chinese are really concerned anything bad to us. Following is my complaint letter, FYI.
Dear Sir or Madam:
Your recent television commercial for Deluxe Piazza is quite offensive. In the scene, several monks fight each other for a slice of piazza. From their appearances and costumes, it is not difficult to tell that they are Chinese Buddhist monks. Considering that killing animals for meat is a sin, Chinese Buddhist monks have been forbidden to eat any kind of meat for more than one thousand years. To have a Chinese Buddhist monk eat Pepperoni piazza in your commercial is just like to have a Muslim eat pork or to have a Canadian eat dog! It is not only insulting to Chinese people but also misleading to Canadians who are not familiar with Chinese culture. I hope this commercial will be stopped immediately and no similar mistakes will be made in the future. This email will be forwarded to all my Chinese friends and Chinese forum groups on the Internet. If no action is taken accordingly, you will lose not just one single consumer but the whole Chinese community.
Yours truly,
Dear Sir or Madam:
Your recent television commercial for Deluxe Piazza is quite offensive. In the scene, several monks fight each other for a slice of piazza. From their appearances and costumes, it is not difficult to tell that they are Chinese Buddhist monks. Considering that killing animals for meat is a sin, Chinese Buddhist monks have been forbidden to eat any kind of meat for more than one thousand years. To have a Chinese Buddhist monk eat Pepperoni piazza in your commercial is just like to have a Muslim eat pork or to have a Canadian eat dog! It is not only insulting to Chinese people but also misleading to Canadians who are not familiar with Chinese culture. I hope this commercial will be stopped immediately and no similar mistakes will be made in the future. This email will be forwarded to all my Chinese friends and Chinese forum groups on the Internet. If no action is taken accordingly, you will lose not just one single consumer but the whole Chinese community.
Yours truly,
