issue 01 / volume 41 The hole in Timmy-Ho’'s marketing » Patriotism doesn't make up for terrible products Cazzy Lewchuk Staff Writer he smell of a fresh medium double-double—perhaps paired with a maple doughnut in the morning as you watch the recap of the local hockey game—is a picture that Tim Hortons uses in some variant for almost all of its advertising. Why consume its products? Because it’s the iconic Canadian fast-food chain, never too far from even the remotest of Canada’s populated areas. It’s part of our national identity and culture. It would almost be unpatriotic to not love Tim Hortons. But let’s be honest here: Tim Hortons often sucks. In the last five years particularly, its products have become more expensive while being reduced in size and quality. The coffee is often subpar, the doughnuts have become frozen instead of freshly baked, and even the lids are flimsy. They leak, they don’t stay on, and you can’t : even open them properly. Do you ever see Tim : Hortons advertising its prod- : ucts for the taste or quality? : Absolutely not. The commer- : cials focus on the company’s : iconic status and the fact that : it’s been ingrained in our : minds since we were children. r : It’s “always fresh, always Tim : Hortons.” I wouldn't mind this : so much if not for the steady : decline in quality. Tim’s was : great five or 10 years ago, but it’s : not just nostalgia: the product : quality has actually gone down : significantly. Meanwhile, the : company continues to open : more and more locations and : expand into the international : market—it’s officially sunk : to the level of any other mega : fast-food chain. For a company : with an ad campaign designed : on being friendly and homelike, : it really doesn’t stick to its prin- : ciples in decisions or products. Forced patriotism isn’t a reason for me to buy your : product anymore, Tim Hortons. : You aren't distinctly Canadian : anymore. You have many inter- : national locations and were : recently purchased by Burger : King, an American company. : Your prices and quality have : gotten worse. I’m finding fewer : and fewer doughnut options in : the display case. And even the : new doughnuts are often based : on Canadian sports teams, : which is a cheap marketing grab. Should we eat this because : it’s tasty or because it’s the “offi- cial” doughnut of pro-athletes? I’m not suggesting a Tim Hortons boycott. Its products : are passable, and in the end, it’s : a matter of personal taste. I’m saying the image and product : output have really gone down- : hill and its current marketing scheme won't work forever. Should our national : identity really include a : doughnut shop? It’s embar- : rassing for all of us. That’s : like McDonald’s having an : ad campaign based entirely : on their American heritage. : You can buy your doughnuts : and coffee based on whatever : factors you want, but until : Tim Hortons steps it up, I’ll be : taking my extra-giant coffee : with five sugars and no cream : at Starbucks and my dough- nuts and bagels at Safeway. opinions // 15 Genuine sadness shouldnt be a competition » A word on Robin Williams, and those hypocrites who try to cheapen his legacy Patrick Vaillancourt Contributor he death of actor and comedian Robin Williams last month came as a shock to everyone. The man who made us laugh in so many mediums had committed suicide after long bouts with depression, substance abuse, and the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. His accomplishments and the way he lived his life naturally led to a massive outpouring of grief on social media. However, it also led toa minority opinion from those who pride themselves on being “idealists” and were annoyed with the out- pouring of sorrow Williams so rightfully deserved. In response to the news of Williams’ death, one of my Facebook friends posted: “In other news, 500 children died today of malnutrition.” The implication of my friend’s post is that there is we should mourn, and that : the death ofa well-decorated : actor should not be at the top : of society’s list. Have we really : come toa point in the human : condition where even death has : become a competitive issue? It absolutely sickens me to : read posts from these so-called more going on in the world that : idealists in the immediate : aftermath of the demise of a : public figure. This has been : the case for hundreds of : celebrities since the dawn of : social media, and the trend : is not going to end now. But : someone should be calling them out on their shenanigans. : Williams was not just a : celebrity; he was a philanthro- : pist. He, along with his second : wife, founded the Windfall : Foundation. His work with the : US military, particularly its : United Service Organization : tours, is well-documented. : He is also recorded as a major : donor to the Memphis-based : St. Jude’s Children’s Research : Hospital, a non-profit medical : facility. He was so devoted : to making others happy, : Williams once comforted : a grieving gorilla fluent in : American Sign Language. It’s my impression that : idealists have a problem with : the ways the deaths of public : figures are reported—in that : they are reported at all. Yet, : these very people are pleased to : : hear of the toppling of repres- : sive governments or the death : of ruthless dictators, events : which usually involve civilian : casualties and a bloody tran- : sition of political power. The : flip-side is that idealists have a : difficult time when someone as : generous and as thoughtful as : Williams gets praised publicly. Idealists would likely argue : that the point of contention : lies with the way media dis- : seminates information to the : general public—a notion that : has no actual basis in fact. : News flash: unless you actually : went toa poor country and saw : living conditions there, the : only way you would ever have : known about the conditions : there is through media outlets. The only thing that’s : going on here is that there : are some people who feel the : need to stand up against an : overwhelming sentiment of : grief to bring attention, not : to their cause or belief, but to : themselves. They grow tired of : reading sad tributes toa man : they admit to admiring, opting instead to police people’s : emotions on social media. The : only cause these people are : advocating for is their own— : controversy does get you more : engagement on social media. While we may not have : known him personally, Robin : Williams was welcomed into : our homes and lives through : his work in television and film. : We may have never met him, : but we all loved him. That’s : what sparks such an outpour- : ing of grief and emotion.