New $200 Burger at Burger King
Jun
20
What do you guys think of this? Aside from the fact that only a dimwit would pay $200 to eat a burger at Burger King, I think I have to agree with the “Save Darfur” guy at the end of the video.
I don’t think Americans should apologize for living in a prosperous nation. I don’t think we should apologize for enjoying that prosperity. However, I think this may be crossing the line. It’s a little hard for me to reconcile the idea of some rich guy eating a $200 cheeseburger in Burger King while little babies are starving to death in Sudan.
Call me a left wing liberal pinko commie if you want. I can stomach it. ;-)
Tell me what you think of this. I’m curious about your reactions.
Technorati Tags: burger king, expensive burger, poverty
I have read of burgers in that price range before, never in a fast food chain. The bitter irony of that adds to the surreal nature of our contemporary culture. The decadence supports charity? Humans will often tie the most selfish behaviors to something “good”. Our righteous rags are filthier every day.
Posted on June 21st, 2008 at 5:18 am
Yeah… That man should give his money towards a real cause.
Billy ray Cyrus is starting to scare me.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25205499/
Ps. If you watch the video, you may want to turn off the monitor because of the prolonged footage of the controversial magazine photo.
Posted on June 21st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Ditto.
Posted on June 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Billy-Ray… interesting. He says that he didn’t like that they “stripped her down”, but never “had words” with the photographer or Vanity Fair about it. Nor does he think it was a mistake. The cute redneck platitudes cover the fact that he is just your typical passive father who wants to be his daughter’s friend more than he wants to be her father.
Those kinds of “me and my daughter are best friends” comments are cute until your under-age daughter ends up half naked in Vanity Fair.
Posted on June 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
I was going to opine until I read David’s post (#1 above). “Our righteous rags are filthier every day.” Well said! Our contemporary culture does have that “surreal” aspect to it and this is certainly a good example of that. A “surreal” thing I ran into yesterday (veering off this post’s topic, Ben, hope you don’t mind!) was a conversation I had with a mission team leader who’s here on a short-term mission trip. He’s in seminary (won’t name which one!) and he’s all excited about it and trying to get me to go there and, while it sounds great and something that I probably need, I was absolutely flabbergasted when I found out how much it costs. It costs $30,000 a year for tuition (NOT including living costs and books, etc). As he was trying to talk me into going to the seminary he went on and on about how “Biblical” it is and then I really socked him about the high cost. Is that “Biblical”??? He’s a young man with a wife who’s one-month pregnant who’s going to graduate in a couple of years with a huge mountain of debt. I can’t resist asking “What Would Jesus Do/Think About This???” IN my perspective the whole system’s messed up and catering to society’s pressure to be validated or accredited. Another example, to be, of the surreal nature of our culture that has even infiltrated into the church.
Ok, that was way off topic about the $200 burger but I would be interested in knowing what everyone thinks about the incredibly high cost of getting a seminary education.
Cheers to all.
Posted on June 24th, 2008 at 8:00 am
While I find paying $200 for a burger ridiculous, I have to say that a lot of this “Oh, how awful, I would never be that self-serving and wasteful” posturing is just as disturbing. I know you guys can handle the debate, even though I love ya!
No matter how simple we live, we all have certain luxuries that we are willing to pay for. We all put money in our mouths, in our houses, or on our backs that we could give to someone less fortunate. (yes, even you) When I was on my honeymoon in Cancun, I learned that what I pay for a regular meal at Burger King is more than what our maids were making per week. Is that too extravagant? There will always be someone less fortunate, and we should give, but we can’t tell others what to do. And we can’t be responsible for every dictatorship that steals food and resources away from their citizens, in order to oppress them. Where do we draw the line?
I have another question. What are the people who are buying that burger dong for the economy there? They are causing those workers to keep their jobs, when the “regular” folks are cutting back on spending, due to high fuel and food costs. Many electricians/ plumbers/ landscapers here say that if it weren’t for the super rich building their second homes and retirement estates, they would be out of business.
So personally, I am thankful for the people who can afford million dollar homes, and $200 burgers, and they can keep paying us their money to provide services.
No, you’re not a left wing liberal pinko commie, but I’m definitely a right-wing evil-conservative capitalist Miss Piggy! (LOL)
Posted on June 24th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Sarah, before you tut-tut the comments away with your completely true assessment of the flip side of the coin:
I don’t condemn anybody eating at Burger King when a cheaper more nutritious meal can be found at home, nor when someone decides to spend $11,000.00 on a gourmet meal while suspended with 20 other diners, 300 hundred feet above the local city by a construction crane. I agree, expense is a matter of income and relative to a number of factors. Spending money on indulgences is not what I saw.
Altruism tied to consumers’ desires for indulgence is the evidence to me that God correctly labels our righteousness filthy rags. Consider the guy who can afford that truffled, Wagu beef extravaganza, but won’t spend the money because he sees it as ridiculous. Yet, secretly his mouth waters for it. The description of the ingredients has him intrigued and salivating. Then he hears, “the proceeds go to charity” and he gives in. Did giving money to charity pull on his heart or give him the justification he needed to be doing something other than pampering himself? And I fully make these comments recognizing that I used a “we.” I am as filthy as the next one.
So what’s wrong with me saying we are dirty little creatures who are whacked out over indulging ourselves?
Posted on June 24th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Ah, good point.
“So what’s wrong with me saying we are dirty little creatures who are whacked out over indulging ourselves?
Yes, I don’t disagree that whatever good we think we do is filthy rags compared to the true sacrifice of Christ. We see the same phenomenon with Breast Cancer Month, when all the things we want turn pink, and we can finally justify our indulgence, when we normally wouldn’t give to the same charity without reward. I see what you’re saying.
Posted on June 24th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I thought a bit more about this burger, Ben. We do no know if those are Christians or not chomping away. If they are not, then there is no moral reason for that $200 burger to go away. On a per ounce price comparison, there is more expensive food being sold to diners. In regards to keeping food from the hungry because that amount of money went for personal consumption, we don’t know how much money the diner has given away to help the poor. When someone is worth millions, $200 for a burger isn’t all that extravagant. Sarah is right, the economics of it are a very relative thing.
However, humans in their blindness to make a buck engage in some very empty, even evil, moves. As a Christian, I know two realities. I know I am a sinner in my natural heart capable of all the evil around me. In this vein, I don’t condemn the lost for their lost behavior. They are condemned already and thus have my compassion. I am also regenerated by the Spirit of God. This alters my perspective on everything. What many may see as frivolous fun are from this vantage point actions of disrespect toward God and His creation.
So do I relate to the lost in order to evangelize and keep quiet about some of their behavior? One can’t build an honest, trusting relationship with a lost person, if everything noticed and spoken about is the perceived wrong the person commits. Sarah is right to point to the ice cream in our freezers. Can we call the lost’s indulgence in food as any different than our own? Is there not a way to hold up God’s honor and speak of reverencing Him? If so, what is it?
Two possible helps to put this conundrum in order:
1. All things are lawful for the Christian, but not all things are profitable. (Of course, keep all scripture within the parameters of the whole of scripture–many actions are rooted in selfishness and are avoided by choice). There is little or nothing to be gained in the growth of godliness within one’s heart by seeking out such extreme human experiences. 2. Trust the Spirit in the moment to help you relate and speak the truth in love to your lost friend, when he wants to buy you a $200 burger. You may or may not feel led to eat as the means for reaching for that person. God has the wisdom to guide such decisions.
Posted on June 26th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Good point, ded.
Posted on June 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm