Page 11 - IAV Digital Magazine #503

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D o mi n o ' s N e w Z e a l a n d P u l l s P r o mo t i o n Giving Free Pizzas To 'Karens'
By Ben Hooper
July 30 (UPI) -
- The New Zealand wing of pizza chain Domino's has backtracked on a promotion offer- ing free pizzas to customers "named Karen that aren't, well, 'Karens.'"
The New Zealand promo- tion, and an iden- tical offer in Australia, offered free pizza to women named Karen who don't conform to the stereotypes of a "Karen" -- a term that gained prominence online as a pejo- rative for White women who act entitled and insensitive in public, often in the context of racism or refusal
to wear a face mask to protect from COVID-19.
The promotion called on cus- tomers named Karen to fill out an application, and 100 entries
would be select- ed for free pizza.
Domino's New Zealand can- celed the promo- tion after sharp online backlash that called on the chain to instead
offer free pizzas to racial minori- ties or people who have been economically impacted by COVID-19.
"We wanted to bring a smile to
customers who are doing the right thing -- Karen the nurse, Karen the teacher, Karen the mum," the chain said in a Facebook post.
The post, which apologized for the promotion, said "people interpreted this in a different way than we intend- ed. We appreci- ate how this has happened and have listened -- we've removed this post."
The Australian version of the promotion remained active Thursday.
"At Domino's, we know there's plenty of Australians named Karen that aren't, well, 'Karens' -- and we want to send some free pizza their way," the Australian promo- tion's website reads.
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