Recently, my mother-in-law informed me that she would only drink Pepsi products, although they made her sick, because she refused to support Coke. I was mildly perplexed by this statement but didn’t ask any further questions at the time because I never want to start any debates with her. But I don’t have that problem when it comes to my husband so later that night I asked him what his mother had against Coke. He didn’t seem to have a problem with taking my Coke, so what was offending her so much? He explained that in South America somewhere Coke had been running a sacrilegious advertising campaign so his mother was boycotting. I asked which South American country did these ads run in, and what exactly did they say, but he didn’t know. I asked if Coke had retracted it and/or issued an apology, but he didn’t know that either.
I would think if they were doing something that so offended the Church, they would have retracted it by now or they’d risk alienating 99% of the South American market. Does anyone here know what this alleged sacrilegious campaign was, Coke’s response to the public outcry, if there actually was any public outcry, and the Church’s official position regarding the purchase of Coca-Cola products?
(The next weekend, we went to my husband’s grandmother’s house and she served us all Cokes so evidentially it bothers her about as much as it bothers my Coke swiping husband.)
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Nickrz, interesting thought so I checked snopes. Coke has been perceived as being anti-Semetic (http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/israel.htm[/ur]) but nothing so far about anti-Catholic or anti-Christian. I’ll keep looking.
Greg, I dunno. That’s just her. Gotta be miserable about something
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
And I’m wondering how she can drink Coke if Pepsi makes her sick. They’re all virtually the same product after all.
I recall that several years ago one of the major cola companies was sponsoring a Madonna concert series. Shortly after this was announced, Madonna released a video that featured some religious imagery that many Christians found offensive. I believe the company cancelled its sponsorship. This might be what your mother-in-law is talking about, but as I said this was awhile ago.
On the subject of bizarre Christian boycotts, I just read today that some people are calling for a Christian boycott of the United States Army. It seems they’re upset because the Army has begun allowing Wiccans to practice their faith on miliatry bases.
Mike, I vaguely recall the Madonna incident, and I think the cola was Pepsi. They built an ad campaign around her “Like a Prayer” song, and then she released the video and they dropped the ad after only one or two airings. But this is based on my fuzzy memory so take with a grain (or ten) of salt.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Coke “virtually the same” as Pepsi? Not for people with tastebuds. Whether or not Coke is served is a significant factor regarding whether I will patronize a restaurant. I rarely ever eat at Pizza Hut.
Recently, in Toronto we were looking for a restaurant (I asked whether they served Coke), and the maitre d’ said “You tell me” and offered me a sample glass. It was certainly not Pepsi, and close enough to Coke (it turned out to BE Coke) for me to eat there.
When I was in college about 10 years ago one of my classmates was buying a Pepsi from a machine and commented in an offhand way that he didn’t drink Coke because they refused to divest South Africa and supported Aparthied. I now wonder, how do people come up with this stuff?
voguevixen, I remember kids saying that in high school, too, but not even that was enough for me to give up my beloved Coke (I’m a hard core addict, I confess). Now that Nelson Mandela is president, though, I know longer feel guilty about that. So now I want to know what bug is up my m-i-l’s butt and if it’s more offensive than Apartheid.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
This is a private outcry of my personal boycott of all public outcries of alleged
misconduct by all corporations and organizations, both public and private.
quote:
I recall that several years ago one of the major cola companies was sponsoring a Madonna concert series. Shortly after this was announced, Madonna released a video that featured some religious imagery that many Christians found offensive. I believe the company cancelled its sponsorship. This might be what your mother-in-law is talking about, but as I said this was awhile ago.
It was Pepsi. It pretty much went as described by Gr8cat.
Quote: “On the subject of bizarre Christian boycotts, I just read today that some people are calling for a Christian boycott of the United States Army. It seems they’re upset
because the Army has begun allowing Wiccans to practice their faith on miliatry bases.”
Mike King
(Sarcasim on) Oh good everyone knows how threatining those Wiccans are to Christens.(Sarcasim off). Jesus Christ people! What the heck happened to “Judge not lest ye be judged”?
Chaos When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity.
Albert Einstein
I can’t find anything on DejaNews to corraborate this story. I’m confused now, usually the corporation-bashing legends are all over the Christian newsgroups.
I looked for Coca Cola/Christianity info also and couldn’t find any. Of course, I wasn’t able to find any more information on the Madonna/Pepsi controversy either.
But the story about Army Wiccans is out of the current (July 5) issue of Time magazine.
I don’t think she knows what she’s talking about. I’ve searched myself using Excite and the words “Catholic church coca cola.” What did I find? Tons of Catholic sites with a.) pictures of people drinking Coke, b.) Church functions being sponsored by Coke, or c.) links to the Coke company.
No signs of boycott here. I’m considering going to alt.folklore.urban. Let you know if I find anything.
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
Madonna was paid five million dollars by Pepsi for the rights to use “Like a Prayer.” (Got this from Pop-Up-Video). The commercial never aired because of all of the contoversy, and Madonna kept the five million.
My personal pop-star-hawking-soda commercial was the one in which a little white boy played Michael Jackson as a kid. It only aired in Europe, so I’m told.
If I may mix my urban legends here, I think I have an answer. Let me turn on my sarcasm transmitter here…
The Catholic church may be anti-Coke because Coke, as everyone knows, lowers your sperm count. The Catholic church considers it a contraceptive.
Alphagene
I posted the question on the afu newsgroup and so far all I’ve gotten back is that there’s a beer ad in Britain that’s offended by showing clergymen exchanging the names of girls who’ve confessed their promiscuity over a pint of beer, and a referral to the snopes site about Coke and Pepsi being considered anti-semitic.
I think either my husband or my mother-in-law (or both) have got their causes all mixed up. But thanks for your help
“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it,” Jack Handy
I checked the web site of The Catholic League (which could find anti-Catholic bigotry in the Gospels). A search of their site for “Coca” or “Cola” turned up no hits.
Gr8Kat, this is just a test. Go back to Mother-in-Law. Ask her for a sincere reference. You really, really want to know where she got this info.
You might, just might, be at the beginning of an UL in the making.
There’s always that chance you’ll be kinda like that G.I. shipping back from the Pacific at the end of WWII (interviewed on NPR’s “Mornining Edition” a few years ago).
His civvy occupation: lexicologist.
He listened with wonder as “boondocks” started with soldiers in the Phillippines began traveling stateside with them.
Understand that if you really dotrace an Urban Legend defamatory of Coke, you’ll become a very interesting person to their legal staff.
