COLUMN: The new Soup Nazis
If there is one thing we can count on from the conservative base, it is consistency. For the past few years we have seen a movement rise in the nation that, in only a few more short weeks, will lead to the overthrow of many incumbent Democrat and Republican politicians.
From the health care bill to tax reform, the far right conservative base has come out on the side of business and capitalism. And, despite the criticisms of many on the liberal side, the Republicans have stuck to their platform of small government, uninhibited free speech, and allowing business and capitalism to expand unfettered despite the consequences.
Glenn Beck has argued that firefighters in Tennessee “had” to watch a house burn down because an owner forgot to pay a fee in order to obtain firefighting services. The fact that the man offered to pay for the fee and more in order to have his house saved and, moreover, that firefighters were already there to help a neighbor who had paid the fee, didn’t hinder Mr. Beck’s argument.
Not only did this man lose his house and endure an onslaught of mockery on national news by Beck and his associates, but he also lost all of his possessions and pets in the fire as well. What happened to compassion … or even common decency, in this case?
Yes, the far right has never been better, speaking the good news of capitalism, defending the constitution, protecting our rights, and spreading Islamophobia.
Naturally, one has to wonder, if forced to choose, what of all of these values the far right would choose to promote. Luckily for all of us, we now have an answer.
Campbell’s Soup, earlier this year, announced a new line of halal-based soups. Halal is an Islamic dietary law (think kosher).
While it may seem more in line with conservative ideology to support Campbell’s capitalist endeavor to venture into an otherwise untapped North American market and make a profit, the conservative base has, sadly, chosen to promote more fear and hatred – it is an election year, after all.
This outrageous move by Campbell’s has put Islamophobes across North America on alert with a “NO SOUP FOR YOU!” mentality. In an attempt to stop Campbell’s from producing edible foods, a new Facebook group, which now has nearly 3,000 members, has been started to boycott the company.
One Facebooker, who wrote to Campbell’s about his feelings on the issue, expresses his experience: “I was shaking from rage so much that this is what I was able to say without cursing. You cowards bend to the un-American Islamic law spreading across America? I will make sure that all my family and friends … never buys another can of you Islam loving garbage ever again. Traitors! I hope to GOD that you’re stocks plummet as we educate the world about you UN-American Cowards.”
Even the Tea Party Nation weighed in with a clever boycott tweet: “Campbell’s now making Muslim approved soups. Mmmmm Mmmmm not good. No more campbells for me”.
It’s a good thing that Marie Callender’s hasn’t tried to make a halal-based apple pie, or that Oscar Mayer hasn’t made a halal-based hot dog,…**why is this ellipses here?*the national guard would have been called out to stop such an obscene abuse of the American culture.
After all, we haven’t worked so hard to mutilate and Americanize all of our other foods only to allow others to come into our country and eat foods they find palatable. If it is not deep fried, completely processed, and/or containing various bits of animal product in it, then it is not American.
Foods such as “low fat cream of broccoli” or “vegetarian vegetable” (both of which are part of the new Campbell’s halal-based soup line) are completely un-American.
No sir, let’s keep our soup red, white and blue. None of this halal junk for us. And while we’re at it, do we really need kosher and vegan?
No, we must take a stand. We can not allow this type of behavior to continue. You give an inch, they take a mile. We must keep our patriotic soup safe.
At least that way the man in Tennessee (where the firefighters watched as his house burned to the ground) will be able to go to his local soup kitchen and get himself a bowl of genuine all-American soup.
It’s the least we could do.
Ben Zaritsky is a senior majring in journalism and communications. He can be reached at ben.zaritsky@aggiemail.usu.edu