Why Taylor Swift Fans Are Coming For Burger King

If you grew up in the age of the internet, it's likely a parent or older person who cared about you warned you to always think twice about what you post. It is just as likely that you ignored this sage advice and posted an unflattering photograph or random thought that did not go over well, and learned your lesson in an embarrassingly public way. 

It seems that maybe some fast food brands could do with a refresher on one of the oldest social media rules, as some of performing artist Taylor Swift's fans are now furious at Burger King over a joke tweet (we hope!) they sent in reply to a Twitter user asking the chain what their favorite Taylor Swift song was, to which the chain replied, "The one about her ex." 

According to Mercury News, this sparked a huge campaign by Swift superfans to "cancel" the chain, using the hashtag #BurgerKingIsOver. Vox explains that "canceling" someone online really rose to prominence over the last five years. When a group of people is trying to cancel someone, they want to block that person permanently from holding positions with a specific amount of social prominence and power. This is usually instigated by an offensive post or action in real life which a group of people feels is so unacceptable they can no longer allow this person or company to function in society as if everything is normal.

Heavy reports on the ongoing campaign by Taylor Swift fans against Burger King in retaliation to their response to the question about their favorite Swift song. Do fast food chains really even have favorite pop songs? Is that an official stance or just the person in charge of their social media account's opinion? Either way, "The one about her ex," was the wrong answer for many Swift fans, who quickly began pointing out that the tweet could be taken as a sexist attempt to shame the singer. Fans began tweeting out Burger King's customer service contact information, asking others to report the incident. Adding fuel to the fire, competitor fast food companies McDonald's and Wendy's both replied to the post, siding with Swift's fans and saying they felt the joke was in poor taste.

Some Twitter users, however, expressed that they thought this particular cancel campaign was badly timed, given the current state of the world. And as of right now, Swift has declined to voice her support or opposition to the Twitter campaign being carried out in her name.