Wow, ignorance.

May be this is why all the Krispy Cremes closed near me.

Honestly, I think their word choice is coincidental.  I did send a message pointing out the connection of their slogan to FOCA and how very offensive it is.

I would think the representation of “choice” would be an empty shelf with no donuts at all.

Yeah, at first it didn’t bother me (their promo), but after reading the first three comments and rereading KK’s promo a few times, it dawned on me that I needed to speak up.  I went to their site & sent them a well-deserved, had-to-hear-it-from-me-on-behalf-of-other-Catholics a complaint re: their inauguration promo.  They don’t have shop around me either.  I think there’s only one left in town & it’s too far to go even for a free one.  And, certainly not a FOCA one!  I don’t do donuts anyway.

Well, while I think the freedom of choice thing is horrible, I am betting they were thinking choice meaning voting for the one you want, including those of all races.

But it backfires when it says:

“...just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet ‘free’ can be.” 

The first thing this brought to mind: Are we talking about donuts or escape from slavery? THAT wording is almost as tacky.

My 2 cents…

Most of the high level executives at Krispy Kreme are conservative Christians.  They hold prayer meetings during lunch hours and sometimes pray before business meetings.  This may have been an unfortunate choice of words, but that is all.  Not everything is an insidious plot.

I just sent them an e-mail, as suggested. Terribly unfortunate phrase, indeed!
Yes, I believe them to be (or they were?) a conservative Christian company, so I’m surprised this did not dawn on them. I sure hope it wasn’t intentional!!

I hear the phrase “Freedom of Choice” in ads all the time.  It may seem obvious to us but believe it or not most people aren’t focused on the abortion issue, FOCA or all the terminology.  I remember when I worked for a pro-life organization we once hired a Republican PR firm to help us find new ways to frame the issue and after all their research on the abortion issue that we were paying them big bucks for they didn’t even know what January 22 was.

I don’t have any personal knowledge about this particular issue, but I do know that Laura (comment #7) is right about the company being run by conservative Christians.  Absolutely an unfortunate choice of words, but probably not anything to do with FOCA, etc.

Of course, it certainly doesn’t hurt to drop them a line and let them know.  If it was a mistake, they should fix it.  Here’s what I wrote:  As Krispy Kreme consumers, my entire family would ask that you please change the wording of your US inaugural promotion not to include the words “freedom of choice.”  To a majority of Americans, these words do not connote liberty, or “tasty goodies” or patriotism at all.  These words are synonymous with the painful tragedy of abortion.  Please know that, until that time, our family will no longer be patronizing Krispy Kreme donuts and will encourage all like-minded people we know, to do the same.  We sincerely hope you will not continue to taint the reputation of Krispy Kreme donuts by associating them with a euphemism for the killing of unborn children.  Thank you.

I’m going to send them an email that says this:

“What J.C. said!”

Yuck!  Almost as abominable as Indiana Planned Parenthood’s offer of Holiday Gift Certificates for their “reproductive services”.  Ho, ho, ho!

Unbelievable that anyone would think that free doughnuts equals abortion support.
Americans are “free” to “choose” their president and to celebrate that “freedom”, Krispy Kreme is offering you a free doughnut of your “choice”.
Anybody that thinks otherwise probably sees evil everywhere.

Jeanne,
The intent of Krispy Kreme may have been innocuous but the fact remains that the phrase “freedom of choice” has been used by the abotion lobby for years as a euphemism for the taking of innocent life in the womb.  Those of us opposed to abortion are very attuned to the usage of this phrase and find it offensive.  To bring this to the attention of Krispy Kreme is not seeing evil, it’s pointing out their, hopefully, innocent poor choice of words.

So those opposed to abortion are now choosing the words that are used in advertising, huh? Isn’t that the same kind of agenda that was used by Hitler? If you’re not for us, you’re against us?
For heaven’s sake, it’s a DOUGHNUT!! It’s not life or death.
You people need to lighten up!!!

Choosing the words used in advertising? No.  But advertising’s purpose is to increase brand recognition/loyalty in hopes of influencing buying decisions.  Letting a company know how their ad may be percieved by a segment of their target audience isn’t an attempt to control, it’s merely stating an opinion.. which we’re all entitled to do.

Somebody doesn’t like doughnuts…
The word “choice” may have been used by a certain faction of the American populace to promote a certain agenda, but it is ridiculous to assume that any usage of the term refers to abortion.  Voting for president is both a choice and a freedom granted to American citizens.  When someone walks into a doughnut shop and says, “I’ll take a chocolate, please,” he just made a choice.
Knee-jerk reactions to things as trivial as the word “choice” used in an ad are not only detrimental to the proper functioning of society, but they are also wasting all of our time.
As a counter, the anti-abortion right uses the word “life” very similarly to the word “choice” used by the left.  It would be equally preposterous to accuse LG, whose slogan is “Life’s good” of promoting the pro-life agenda as it is to accuse Krispy Kreme of being pro-choice, simply based on this ad.

Robert,
I would say that reacting to word choice in a public way is a sign of the proper functioning of our society…where we have freedom of speech.  Words are powerful and can carry heavy connotations.  We’re all entitled to state our opinions, it doesn’t prevent anyone else from doing so or keep a company from selecting an ad campaign.  Oh, and I do like doughnuts, it’s just that promoting the protection of the life of and respect for the dignity of the unborn is greatly needed in our society.

I think the abortion movement’s adoption of the phrase “freedom of choice” is a little like the homosexual lobby’s use of the term “gay” which used to be a fine and useful word in the English language.  Now no one uses the word the traditional way which is a crying shame.

As someone who worked professionally in the pro-life movement when the abortion lobby first came up with the phrase “freedom of choice” I know that they did a lot of market research to find a phrase already in use that was associated with positive feelings.  The phrase has been everything they were looking for and continues to serve them well.  However, as a result, we pro-lifers feel that we need to avoid the phrase.  As someone with a Master’s Degree in English I find this to be a crying shame also.  We know that language changes over time with words taking on different meanings over many years but the two examples I gave were not organic changes.  They were foisted upon us by interest groups.  I have a hard time giving in to this.

I guess it’s not surprising that the people who are most opposed to freedom of choice get the most exercise leaping to conclusions whenever they encounter those words.

It does not make sense to jump to such conclusions about the use of a common phrase without any other evidence.  I’m not saying that there isn’t room for suspicion about the intentions of the writer, but the usage of the phrase should not immediately trigger outrage.  Just because a word has recently developed a new connotation, the word does not lose its old one.  Krispy Kreme has done nothing wrong but use a phrase that, at a stretch, can be misinterpreted; there is no way of knowing whether the alleged double-entendre was intended or even exists.  There is no need for such paranoia and anger for something that is most likely just a misunderstanding.

Paranoia is a very strong description, one that implies an instability of mind.  To wonder and ask if the usage of a phrase is intended to imply support for abortion is not paranoia.  It’s a consumer seeking clarification so they can make buying decisions based on moral and ethical criteria which they hold.

I am so disheartened by this marketing campaign and by all the hype regarding this inauguration. Someone said that everything is marketing, and I guess that’s never been more true. The president turned celebrity/ messiah phenonemon is indicative of a large segment of the population that is trying to fill a void by turning a man into a god. And as a result, this god can do no wrong in their eyes. Hard to believe so many Americans can be that unsophisticated but indeed they are. But the lives of countless unborn babies are at stake, an entire future generation, and we must do everything possible to break this spell. Syl in NH

I have just come to the realization that the conservative pro-life movement is just nuts!

First it was Rachel Ray and her silly scarf and now it is Krispy Kreme giving folks the freedom to choose whatever doughnut they want on Tuesday.
Why do conservatives/pro-life folks hate doughnuts?

BTW, going off on KK for their use of “Freedom of Choice” is the kind of stuff that makes Americans NOT pay attention to the larger and more important issues out there that these groups fight for.
Lighten up folks.

I have to agree that seeing a connection between this use of the phrase “Freedom of choice” and abortion does imply a degree of paranoia. Don’t be afraid of the word “choice.” It has more than one use.

We are not paranoid; just computer literate. Here are the results of Googling freedom of choice without quotes
http://www.google.com/search?q=freedom+of+choice&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
The results speak for themselves

Danielle says: I removed Don’s comment, but I’ll leave Leticia’s reply because it is such a lovely testimony to the value of all human life:

My six year old is in Kindergarten learning her letters, brightening the world of her classmates and teachers. She is a light in this world and gives far more than she takes. She also has Down syndrome. Friends of mine have adopted children like her and feel equally blessed. It all depends whether your eyes are open to the light.

this reaction to KK’s use of the phrase “freedom of choice” really discredits the pro-life/anti-abortion movement. 
besides, i find it INCREDIBLY hard to believe that anything said in a donut promotion could seriously encourage any woman to seek an abortion, or condone her doing so.  isn’t that what you are really against, not artery clogging snacks?

We didn’t decide that “Freedom of Choice” means abortion—the pro-abortion people did. What is the “Freedom of Choice Act” all about? Abortion. Like it or not, pro-abortion types have co-opted that phrase. They call themselves “pro-choice” not “pro-abortion”

Unless you have your head in the sand, “choice” and especially “freedom of choice” mean abortion in this culture. Especially when they are used in connection with the most pro-abortion incoming president in American history, “freedom of choice” refers to abortion.

No one is trying to say that Krispy Kreme is trying to sell abortions—only that their use of that phrase indicates either 1) a support for unlimited access to abortion or 2) gross insensitivity and a general cluelessness about American culture.

Darlamom…GOOD post! Some may think we’re “over-sensitized”,  which is not true - but even if it were, it’s far better to be “over” than “de-” (sensitized) in this regard!
P.S.: BIG KUDOS to Maureen Griffin, MM for wisdom - and to Sylvie (I’ve had my 22yr.old Down Syndrome niece on vacation here with me for 10 days - she’s a delight!) and J.C.
Inspirational, all!

A QUESTION TO ALL: HOW DO YOU PLAN TO SPEND JAN. 30, 2009? ...I think being in church tomorrow - at noon if possible, and in much extra prayer, would be great for starters! Any other ideas?

It’s good to see that freedom of speech is as welcome on this forum as freedom of choice.

Since my point was completely missed in my removed point, I have an idea about how to spend Jan 30th.  You do your thing and let everyone else do theirs.

Perhaps we could do that every day from then on.  Wouldn’t that be a tolerant and peaceful world.

Thanks for the good laugh, y’all.

Just wanted to let you know also that I will be purchasing a plenty of doughnuts for my co-workers tomorrow.  You betcha! :wink:

Why is over-sensitivity better than under-sensitivity?  You are using anger to lash out at a company that did nothing wrong but word an advertisement in a seemingly poor way.  How is that beneficial?  You perceive that this ad presents a threat to the anti-abortion/anti-choice agenda merely because of its use of the word “choice”.  Yes, the pro-abortion/pro-choice lobby has adopted the word for their own use.  But the word does not exclusively mean “abortion”; it has its old, traditional, non-controversial meaning.  I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me that I have a choice to make, I don’t connect it with abortion.  So yes, paranoia is the exact word of choice.  I understand that your intentions are merely (and nobly) to protect human life, but you are spreading anger in the process.  Why is it not possible that this is just a perceived threat and not a real one?

If lumping pro-lifers in with jihadists isn’t paranoid, I don’t know what is.
We have every right to protect the innocent unborn, and some day pro-lifers will receive the same accolades the civil rights activists are receiving today. They were vilified in the sixties as troublemakers. Today the pro-lifers are being banned from the Inauguration where their opposition to Obama is considered inappropriate. Two days later, pro-lifers will fill the Mall, and no one will be there to report on it but EWTN.

Sorry for the typo…JAN. 20th was meant, of course.  ~

Robert: I was NOT “lashing out” in anger towards Krispy Kreme as a company - just in their UNFORTUNATE (you see, the benefit of the doubt in intention is being accorded them!) use of a quite inflammatory phrase they used in their advertising in conjunction with the inauguration of the most extreme pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, pro-ESCR (etc.) American president ever.
You see how many of the posters here picked up on that, Robert? Sensitivity is NOT a bad thing!
On another note, Leticia is correct - Let’s see how much of the other major Washington occurrence on THURSDAY will be covered by the press….The annual March for Life…Likely nothing as usual, as if the tens and tens of thousands of participants were not even there! Only EWTN will cover it (in its entirely!), as they will the annual Walk for Life in San Francisco on Saturday! Both of these events have grown and grown each year - and I hightly recommend tuning in!

While I agree with them in the broad strokes, that abortion is intrinsically evil, I highly doubt that the people at Krispy Kreme were trying to do anything more than lure in customers. Some people in this world like to be offended. It gives the truly passionate a reason to be angry.

This discussion is an interesting study in the differences between men and women.  Although most posts are from women we did have some from men posting here.  Taking an unscientific look at the posts on this issue it would appear that the women were most offended at KK and the men were least offended.  I don’t think this is because the women are more pro-life or the men less pro-life but I do think women in general are more sensitive and more easily offended than men.  Women’s communication is more nuanced whereas men’s communication is more straightforward and so they tend to take things at face value.  So there isn’t too much point in arguing about it stuff like whether KK meant something sinister or not- I think the genders are just naturally going to see some things in different ways.

I think the abortion movement’s adoption of the phrase “freedom of choice” is a little like the homosexual lobby’s use of the term “gay” which used to be a fine

Just wanted to let you know also that I will be purchasing a plenty of doughnuts for my co-workers tomorrow.  You betcha! :wink: