Vitamin Water Campaign in Canada Paired English, French Words on Bottle Caps, Canceled After "YOU RETARD" Cap Found
retard means delay in French
As the mathematical theorem goes, a hypothetical monkey hitting random keys on a typewriter over an infinite amount of time will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare.
Or, if you start a program to write a random English and French word on bottle caps, you eventually deliver an insult to the drinker. This is what Coca-Cola Company learned this week in Canada.
In the nominally bilingual country, an ill-devised campaign printed two random words, one for each language, on the inside of Vitamin Water caps.
The result was not poetry. A couple in Edmonton saw the words "YOU RETARD" on their bottle cap. It just so happens that their daughter is developmentally disabled.
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