So this happened this week. A public Facebook post is calling attention to what Mucho Burrito, a Mexican fast food company based in Canada, decided to promote.
This is what Tania Aguila-Way posted on November 25:
Soooo… Mucho Burrito has done it again. Their latest promotional materials make use of one of the most hurtful racial epithets known to the Mexican diaspora and equates being Mexican with being “illegal.” Spotted this poster @ the Mucho Burrito in Kanata Centrum. #MuchoBurritoHQ #racistadvertisement #nooneisillegal
Do we even have to explain why is so wrong with this ad? You would think that we should all have moved beyond this, but guess not.
By the way, here is the location of the store that displayed the ad. Kanata Centrum is a pretty large shopping mall in Kanata, Ontario, a suburb of Ottawa.
If you want to know more about Mucho Burrito or let them know how you feel, go here or here.
Oh, Canada.
UPDATE: Looks like Mucho Burrito is pulling the ads and going with the typical “we didn’t mean to offend anyone” excuse.
We are aware that one of our in-store posters may have been interpreted poorly. we have in the process of taking the monthly creative down.
— Mucho Burrito (@MuchoBurritoHQ) November 27, 2014
However the interpretation, we’ve decided to pull the poster as a respons. corp. citizen @That_Chill @dancemix1993 @tagui084 @EmbCanMexico
— Mucho Burrito (@MuchoBurritoHQ) November 27, 2014
The CBC has more:
Mucho Burrito public relations agent Natalia Smalyuk said the chain intended the ad to be “edgy” and “cheeky” — not offensive. She said the posters were up in stores for three days before headquarters ordered them to be removed.
“They didn’t expect that interpretation or that response. They heard it, they’ve learned from it, they’re removing it,” she said.
But Aguila-Way said the chain is putting blame on viewers for their interpretation — and called on Mucho Burrito to take responsibility with an apology.
She pointed out that the chain has created controversy in the past with the Consuela Say What? ad. In it, an announcer describes how taco-makers were taken from the streets of Mexico to bring authentic food to Mucho Burrito diners. When a woman complains about being cold in Spanish, the announcer speaks over her, saying, “Put on a sweater and you’ll be fine. Uh, she says, ‘Hola!’ and she is very pleased to serve Canada these authentic street tacos.
Fuck them