BreakTheChain.org
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I Wish It Weren't An Oscar Mayer WeinerDate Added: June 17, 2007
In this day and age, few things will earn your company the spite of e-mail forwarders like refusing (or even appearing to refuse) to support the troops. Many companies have fallen victim to chain-letter boycotts over an alleged anti-patriotic act. In most cases, there's a misunderstanding underlying the whole thing. It's kind of hard to see, however, why America's favorite hot dog is now being thrown under the bus. Guess I will not be eating Oscar Meyer hot dogs any more! Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Oscar Meyer because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their hot dogs and to request that they send some of it to the troops there. Oscar Meyer replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Oscar Meyer does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would not send the troops their brand of hot dogs. So as not to offend Oscar Meyer, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products! As a war vet writing to fellow patriots, I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street-to-street and house-to-house for what they and I believe is right. If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will never know. Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more. "Semper Fidelis." Sgt Howard C. Wright 1st Force Recon Co 1st Plt PLT PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS ... ALLOW IT TO BE PASSED TO ALL IN MEMORY OF ALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE DIED SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THEM OR NOT!!! Lt.Jason P. Stanley WSI Fire/Rescue D5 Camp Stryker In the world of e-mail chain letters, there are few original thoughts. Most chains follow a pattern and contain similar information and misinformation. This one was first submitted to me in May 2007 and immediately struck me for one main reason: It is nearly verbatim to a chain letter that has been circulating since at least August 2004. That missive identified Starbucks as the alleged perpetrator of the anti-patriotic act, and coffee grounds as the requested products. It is clear the message above is simply a re-working of that earlier chain. The wording is nearly identical and both are "signed" by Sgt. Wright. It is unclear who is responsible for this mutation and why they chose to go after Oscar Mayer. We also don't know who Lt. Stanley is. It is possible that he is responsible for this variant, but it is also equally likely his connection is little more than a case of false attribution syndrome. As for their part in this, Kraft Foods, the makers of Oscar Mayer products, labels this rumor false in a message on their Web site. The email hoax is currently in circulation but completely false. We do support the troops, in fact, Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer has donated products to the U.S. troops in Iraq. We work with the military to ensure favorite Kraft products are available where our troops are stationed. Due to security and logistic concerns, the military requests that all product go through previously established channels. This ensures our donations are safely delivered where needed. We don't know how the internet statement originated as we work through approved channels to accomodate military requests as appropriate. No company can support every cause or send free product to everyone who requests it. To protect themselves, most adopt a corporate giving policy that clearly outlines who it can give to and how and when. These policies often create hard feelings in the requestors, which leads to chains like this. Unfortunately, in this case, there was no misunderstanding. Oscar Mayer is clearly the victim of a prank this time. Break this chain. References: Kraft Foods, Inc. |