Hindus are urging Chicago headquartered fast food company McDonald’s Corporation not to unnecessarily and unreasonably drag the serious discipline of yoga in its commercials, handling it with a flippant attitude.
Recently McDonald’s came out with a “Like getting your money’s worth – yoga” commercial by Leo Burnett for the United Kingdom to publicize its Saver Menu.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that yoga, which found reference in world’s oldest extant scripture Rig-Veda and other early Hindu texts, was a highly esteemed practice which transformed the individual. Handling it frivolously for mercantile greed was highly inappropriate.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that yoga was considered union with God; and mean for transforming consciousness, purification of the Self, and attaining liberation. It involved withdrawal and its objective was the state of blissful liberation.
It was insensitive on the part of McDonald’s, which boasted of being “good neighbors”, to ridicule an ancient and revered practice of yoga to push its products, many of which contained meat from cow, which was considered sacred in Hinduism; Rajan Zed indicated.
McDonald’s, which claimed to “do the right thing”, should not be in the business of mocking serious spiritual practices, Zed noted.
It was not the first time when McDonald’s mishandled yoga to push its sales. Previous commercials ill-using yoga included McDonald’s Sirloin Third Pound Burgers TV Spot, ‘Yoga’ Feat; McDonald’s Canada – Dollar Drink Days, Yoga Commercial; Pub McDonald’s – Yoga.
Rajan Zed further said that Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Practices/concepts/traditions of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be ridiculed at.
McDonald’s states to be “world’s leading global foodservice retailer with nearly 40,000 locations in over 100 countries”. Chris Kempczinski and Enrique Hernandez Junior are CEO and Board Chairman respectively.
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