KUALA LUMPUR – The recent #BTSMeal has taken the global and Malaysian market by storm after McDonald’s unveiled the exclusive meal in collaboration with the famed K-pop boy band BTS.
We at WeirdKaya also hopped onto the bandwagon, and this is our verdict over the McDonald’s x BTS meal:
Yesterday (May 31), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia called BTS out over their collaboration with McDonald’s, accusing them of encouraging animal cruelty after word spread that one of McDonald’s suppliers was treating the animals inhumanely.
In an Instagram post by PETA Asia, a supporter wearing a BT21 T-shirt stood in front of a McDonald’s outlet while holding a placard that read:
“This fan was let down. BTS, stop promoting DEAD chickens!”
According to an article published by PETA, the McDonalds x BTS meal was made with chickens who suffered a horrible death, all for the sake of “a fleeting taste”.
Furthermore, the organization conducted their own investigation into one of McDonald’s suppliers named Baiada and claimed that they had mistreated the animals in its breeding facility and slaughterhouse.
“It’s clear BTS doesn’t care about chickens who suffer and have their throats slit for McNuggets in the BTS Meal.”
The organisation also asserted that chickens are the “most abused animals on the planet”and encouraged everyone to switch to vegan chicken nuggets instead. Um, how about no?
This did not sit well with most netizens, who felt that PETA was crossing the line and commented that the BTS members were non-vegetarians and had the right to choose their kind of food.
The BTS fandom, also known as the ARMY, were also quick to rush to their idols’ defense, saying that the timing of the protest was “suspicious”. They also told PETA to mind its own business and not misuse BTS’ popularity for ‘clout’.
The post has since received over 5.7k likes and 3k shares at the time of writing.
Sources: PETA Asia and WeirdKaya/Jin Wen Chan
Editor: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
