People these days take any factual criticism, no matter how big or small, as an affront to entire institutions.
One example came this week. The Washington Free Beacon pointed out that the Virginia Military Institute was giving its students coloring books to relieve stress. In response, the VMI community unraveled in outrage thinking the entire institution was under attack, rather than accepting that one aspect of its education—giving coloring books to adults—was incredibly embarrassing.
Another more notable example came yesterday after I put together a list of the ten greatest Carl's Jr. ads ever created.
Charlotte McKinney's absence from the list stuck out like a sore thumb, and some people predictably took this as a rejection of McKinney as a whole. The truth is that her ad just isn't as good as the others that have been made under Andy Puzder's direction.
Judge for yourself:
Look: It's not McKinney's fault—she is great—but the ad is not up to Carl's Jr. standards and simply could not be put in the top ten.
The ad is too focused on double entendres and covering McKinney up with silly butt-shaped apples that don't even exist, when it should be focused on McKinney. It is also an ad for the "All-Natural Burger," which brags that it is the first ever fast-food burger to be made with no antibiotics, no hormones, and no steroids as though fast-food consumers really care about any of that.
My omission was no attack on McKinney. She did her best with what she was given. Thankfully she did not direct the ad, and I am still a fan of her overall body of work.
To prove it, here are my eight picks for the NFL's week 14, with a whole lot of Charlotte McKinney:
Houston Texans AT Indianapolis Colts
PICK: Texans +6
Denver Broncos AT Tennessee Titans
PICK: Broncos +1
Arizona Cardinals AT Miami Dolphins
PICK: Cardinals +1
Pittsburgh Steelers AT Buffalo Bills
PICK: Steelers-2
New York Jets AT San Francisco 49ers
PICK: Jets +2.5
Washington Redskins AT Philadelphia Eagles
PICK: Skins -2
New Orleans Saints AT Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PICK: Bucs -2
Dallas Cowboys AT New York Giants
PICK: America's Team -3
Just a final note: Even the pictures that McKinney took as part of the Carl's Jr. campaign were better than the ad.