No pig
The recent drama over Mcdonalds deliberately omitting the Pig toy doraemon from the collection of the 12 Zodiac has upset quite a number of Singaporeans.
Personally I feel that this is ridiculous and it simply paints the Muslim community in our country as extremely intolerant of other cultures and religion, to the extent of even a toy. Every other race and religion here knows that the Pig is part of the Chinese Zodiac and as far as I know, no one has raise a fuss over it. I have never heard of my Muslim friends complaining that the Year of the Pig is offensive. And suddenly it is to Mcdonalds?
Mcdonalds' defense in their exclusion of the Pig is that they are a Halal food establishment and do not want to offend their Muslim customers.
I find that's an absurd explanation! Muslims do not eat pork; the Pig doraemon toy is not a food! How is that offensive? And I remember years ago when I was a kid, Mcdonalds have those baby muppets toys of which one of them is Ms Piggy. And that's not offensive?
Hindos and some Buddhists or Taoists do not eat beef as the cow is sacred to them but Mcdonalds is happily serving Big Mac which is certainly beef. And that's not offensive to Hindus, Buddhists and Taoists?? And a toy is to Muslims??? I'm sorry but the logic baffles me greatly.
How collectible is the collection when one member is clearly excluded from the list? Worse of all, it is being replaced by a Cupid which totally no bearings in the Chinese culture at all. And that's not offensive to the Chinese community?
There is a time and place to be politically correct and clearly in this, Mcdonalds have really tried too hard.