According to this site, McDonalds has copyrighted the phrase ‘I Am Asian.’
Now, I am not Asian. Does that mean I can’t be appalled by this commercialization - co-optation - splutter, splutter - utter ridiculousness of this ad campaign?
I’m not offended. It’s much too stupid. I just can’t believe someone thought this was a good idea.
In the future, Asians will have to pay a nickel to McDonalds every time they go out into public.
Looks like some executive got his kid a job in the marketing department.
I just got back from Wendy’s … does that mean that I am a girl? With pigtails?
:eek:
Previous thread on the (admittedly shockingly-idiotic) campaign: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=254601
Quitcher bitchin’. How would you like the Washington Yellowskins, or the Atlanta Chop-chops?
On a related note, I’ve been wondering about all the copyrights for their latest campaign, “I’m lovin’ it.” It’s bad enough that they’ve claimed that phrase, but they’ve also claimed some version of it in numerous other languages. In Spanish, it’s “Me encanta,” which basically means “I really like it” in an unoriginal way. In their Latin American ads, they say things like “Me encanta[sup]TM[/sup] levantarme por la manana; Me encanta[sup]TM[/sup] desayunar en McDonald’s.” (Translation: I really like getting up in the morning; I really like having breakfast at McDonald’s.") Does this really mean that other companies are prohibited from using the words “me encanta” in their ads?
Thanks, Gorilla. I guess it takes these things longer to reach into Canada …? (she says, hopefully)
I’m sure to reach their target Canadian audience they will have something like ** I am Canadian, eh?** but they would need Labatt’s to be sold at McDonald’s too, to make it a canuckistanian experience, my brother.
I can’t wait until they try to capture the Arab market:
**Li li li li li li! We eat the infidels burgers because we are proud to pollute our bodies with cow parts that taste like camel shit and the counter girls are all whores, but at least they supersize my fries! Li Li LI LI LI **
Or the Irish Market:
**Oye, This burger tastes fuckin’ fine! Hey, watch what those hands, Eamon, don’t be nippin’ off wit’ my friends you little bugger."
"Who you callin’ a bugger? Say, I focked yer ma last night. She told me to say hi to you after I made her shout “Oh Jaysus!”
They roll up their sleeves and commence to fighting.
McDonald’s Where friends fight over Fries. We’re Irish. **
Or the Jewish Market:
**“What? No chopped Liver? I’m all verklempt.”
“My fries are stone cold, like my wife. I want to send them back. Her too.”
“$3.99 for a heart attack in a bag. Can’t be the prices.”
“It’s not kosher, but it tastes better than the slop they serve at Shady Glenn Retirement Village. And that’s no kosher either, I’ll tell you what it is, it’s inedible.”
“They should do happy meals for Seniors. Free Angina tablets with every meal.”
“What? What? Did you say something?”
McDonald’s, where old Jews can eat non kosher food at a decent price. **
Germans:
" Ach, this isn’t food! Vere is the Vurst?"
" Zee bags are not engineered properly. Zay are cheap and clearly an inferior product."
“I vould haf done it zis vay”
“No No No, Helmut, you are wrong! It should be done zis vay!”
McDonald’s: Where German’s Can Gather And Prove Their Superior.
Please note, sarcasm and racial stereotyping was used in the above posts. Don’t hurt me
FYI: You don’t copyright a slogan; you can get a trademark for it, though.
So much longer than Ye Olde Worlde, apparently 
I thought you were going to rant about the new “Happy Meals for Adults!!!”. Which include a pedometer, so that you can start exercising.
Doesn’t that more or less admit that thier food is disgustingly fattening?
mischievous
It’s actually Molson who has a bunch of “I am Canadian” ads. They’re hysterical, but I can’t seem to find any links to the ads online.
Bwahaha!
Oh come on. Those are just names. This ad-campaign is incredibly condescending.
I - the guy that cannot be offended - am thinking about being almost borderline offended by this. I’m going to have to think about it some more.
By the way, Shirley:
Feckin’ hilarious.
Here are some things they are doing in order to appeal to the “Asian” community:
–Everyone will be required to take off their shoes upon entering the establishment.
–Asian-looking male children will receive special Happy Meals containing a Rice Boy-type toy car.
–Asian-looking female children will receive special Happy Meals containing toy kits of Geisha-style makeup.
–McSushi will be test-marketed in various cities, including San Francisco, Seattle, and Duluth.
–A portrait of Kim Jong Il will be posted at every location.
I heard they tried to get Yao Ming, but Yao refuses to endorse anything he doesn’t use himself. 
I don’t care about the campaign, myself, but I pit their craptacular web site with its craptacular embedded music.
Post of the day. I doff my cap.
I’ve always had a special loathing for McDork™ ads, no matter which campaign it was, though the radio commercials will drive me into a Hyde-like frenzy. (That’s Henry Hyde, from Illinois). I just can’t stand those characters whose sole reason for living seems to be getting to their next Fish McThrobber.
Yay. I’m not banned, at least for several spelling errors and just typing faster than my brain can spew out the verbage.
Anywhooo, Today’s random question about McDonald’s: Whatever became of the Hamburglar? and the big Purple Guy who seems more and more like Patrick from Spongebob in my mind?
Thank you and have a nice day.