Oprah Pimps KFC After Running Special on ‘Dark Side’ of Chicken Factory Farming
May 7, 2009 · Print This Article
Barely six months after running a special about the ‘dark side of chicken factory farming’, Oprah has teamed with KFC to give a free two-piece grilled chicken meal to every family in America. Lucky us. The free meal coupons were offered at Oprah.com yesterday.
The October 2008 show focused on contrasting the practices at conventional factory farms with those at organic, free-range farms – and earned her PETA’s 2008 ‘Person of the Year’.
From Ecorazzi:
Obviously, this is going to come as a shock to PETA — who is in the middle of a renewed campaign urging KFC to change the way its suppliers treat their chickens. Famous folks like Pamela Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and countless others have signed on to boycott KFC.
Some will argue that this is a free meal — and in a time of economic hell, any food is good food. It just bothers me that with everything Oprah has done to bring attention to the plight of chickens and animals in factory farms, that she would approach a chain like KFC to give people a free meal. Why not give something relatively healthy like a free salad instead?
So, how does Oprah reconcile using her enormous powers of influence over the American people to educate them about the realities of dirty, inhumane practices at factory farming, and then turning around and supporting those same practices?
As we’ve said many times here, whether you love PETA or hate them, they’ve got some good points, and KFC’s disgusting treatment of chickens is definitely among them. Oprah, who has focused shows so many times on health and wellness, shouldn’t be using her celebrity to endorse such a company.
Unsurprisingly, the offer prompted hordes of crazy Oprah fans to descend upon KFCs all over the country demanding their free meal, causing what Gawker half-jokingly referred to as ‘racial violence’. Says a Gawker tipster,
I went over to our nearest KFC a few minutes ago (this was around 42nd and Park) and chaos ensued. Despite the very visible grilled chicken behind the register, the manager told everyone with coupons to leave and that the promotion was over for the day. The people there are currently holding a sit-in and refusing to leave until they get their free chicken…or the cops are called. Racial epithets were being spewed, people who actually wanted to pay for chicken were facing a potential beatdown, and the manager ran from the screaming horde. Oprah, what have ye wrought?
The power of Oprah is truly a frightening thing.
Link [Ecorazzi]
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Is O. stupid, or ignorant of the unspeakable abuse to chickens for which KFC is responsible, through its suppliers? Your headline – O. Pimps for KFC — is priceless! Great. If PETA doesn’t respond harshly, I will be disappointed. And, if PETA wants to use your headline – make em pay! They should have thought of it.
Poor chickens haven’t a chance against Big Big O.
I was glad to see someone else felt the way I did about Oprah’s recent actions. I was baffled that Oprah could host a show that encouraged people to (at least) make more conscious choices about the food on their plates and then turn around and offer free KFC chicken and make such a party-like spectacle out of barbequing. Yes, times are tough right now, but why not promote eating vegetables and grains that not only avoid harming animals, but go further toward feeding more people and saving our Earth? Perhaps Oprah only did the show about factory farming and animal abuse because she was forced into a corner after the billboard went up near Chicago about animals. In the end, it unfortunately seems to come back to money versus standing for something real.
I found it rather astonishing the Oprah actually teamed up with KFC for this promotion. I wonder if PETA can recall their Person of the Year award they gave her last year. It just smacks of hypocrisy (and I don’t mean the heavy metal band from Sweden
Syd