Things People Say

The Daily Kos writes that the “smell of desperation is approaching lutefisk levels in MN. (EPA warning for elevated levels of airborne toxins).” The Strib reports that the Coleman camp rejected 59 of 60 absentee ballots that elections officials in St. Louis County said should be counted. Among those rejected by the Coleman reps was election judge Shirley Graham, who voted absentee because she is an election judge in a precinct other than her own. Final irony, says the Strib: she voted for Coleman. MORE »

The BK “Whopper Virgin” ad campaign is “as real as Borat” wrote one reader, and “no innocents are actually being exploited except by the concept that Whoppers are good for all, the idea of Burger King as a missionary/ sexual encounter.” Many readers had strong feelings about the Burger King “Whopper Virgin” ad campaign and protests against it. Some comments dismissed Minnesotan Seng Vang’s criticism of the campaign — “This person complaining is being to foolish…. Its a commercial and has nothing to do with Hmong people. I am Hmong and quite proud with this exposure of our people.” Just as vehemently, others agreed that the campaign demeans Hmong people — “I agree 120% not just a commercial..you fool wake up.” The lively dialogue included attacks on Seng Vang, with one commenter lamenting “this is exactly what it means to be Hmong, one person speaks or leads and other pull down … It’s sad already how Hmong being viewed in the mainstream cultures…but, it’s even sadder for Hmong to bash and hurt each other.”

Another comment said that most Hmong people in Thailand would not eat burgers because they eat healthier food, and that BK burgers are “mainly there for tourists and expat locals.” Still another Chiang Mai resident pointed out that the BK is “not cheap by Thai standards. I have quite a few Thai friends in town and they have never eaten there.”

By the end of the week, Seng Vang had responded with more detailed critique of the BK ads, and Sun Yung Shin weighed in with additional analysis (both reprinted below the jump.) Read the original article here, followed by all of the comments, and a second article with Tou Saiko Lee’s blog post from Thailand here. MORE »

December 24, 2008. “In the remote Hill tribe villages of Thailand, they do know what hamburgers are but they do not like to eat them at all and know how unhealthy they are. My brief take on the Burger King commercial that had Hill Tribe villagers trying Burgers for the first time is that yes it is exploitation and made the tribal folks out to not know too much but it was also seeing Hmong people on national television in such a way that I hope peeks the interest of young Hmong Americans to explore how we lived as Hill Tribes in the mountains and how much our people have struggled and are still in those conditions…” From Travel in Spirals, blog of Tou Saiko Lee MORE »

Last week I wrote a blog entry complaining about ThiftyHipster.com’s slighting of St. Paul. One reader says “thanks for highlighting the much overlooked and underestimated STP,” but another would just as soon see Mill City hipsters stay on their own side of the river. (And the hits keep on coming: “Don’t make me laugh, St. Paul,” begins a comment on this very story.) MORE »

What would you like to tell president-elect Barack Obama? Advise and Dissent features opinions on what the new president should be thinking and doing. This opinion came from Your Turn — Teens advise the next president on what youth need.

Immigration: I want Barack Obama to open the border for three reasons. First, most of the Latinos want jobs. Second they want a life that Mexico can’t give us. Third, Latinos are not criminals; we just want a better life for our kids such as education, jobs, and things like that. — Luis Pacheco, 14, Harding High School MORE »

What would you like to tell president-elect Barack Obama? Advise and Dissent features Minnesota opinions on what the new president should be thinking and doing.

Mr. President, this country needs you to truly govern in a bipartisan way—even when it gets hard and everyone from the left or from the right is attacking you—in order to bring about a change in the tone of politics. That’s easier said than done, I know. “Bipartisan” has become something of a cliché term, but true bipartisanship is something that we desperately need right now, to help us remember that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, bigger than just the group of people who agree with us. MORE »

What would you like to tell president-elect Barack Obama? Advise and Dissent features opinions on what the new president should be thinking and doing. This opinion came from Your Turn — Teens advise the next president on what youth need.

Abortion: I believe taking away a woman’s right to abortion is taking away her freedom. There are diverse reasons why abortion is the best option. There may be rape; few people want a reminder of a traumatic event. There may also be financial issues; many women just can’t afford children. Additionally, women with weak emotional states frequently turn to alcohol and drugs and this dependency leads to abuse and/or neglect of her kids … If a woman makes this call, or wants the option to make this call, why do people pass judgment? Hard decisions are based on beliefs and if you make a decision based on what you believe, then everyone should both accept and respect your decision. — Sparkle Jones, 17, Humboldt High School MORE »

What would you like to tell president-elect Barack Obama? Advise and Dissent features Minnesota opinions on what the new president should be thinking and doing.

Mr. President-elect, because you were elected on the hope for change, I ask you to seek advice from a wide variety of people, to look to people who have experience as well as to new voices outside of Washington and outside of the corporate establishment. MORE »