Pop Ups :: 8/8/12

In this edition of Pop Ups we take a look viral videos of protests gone wrong and Bristol Plain's bigoted brat:

A Man's Anti-Gay Protest Backfires - Literally

A man who is against General Mills' stance on gay marriage was so fired up that he decided to hold a protest on the company's headquarters and set fire to a bowl of Cheerios.

But the protest didn't exactly go as planned - at least for the unknown man.

"One in every eight boxes of cereal in this country is Cheerios. This is really the treat for . . . homosexuals," the man shouts in a YouTube video that went viral this week. "So we are going to torch some cereal."

He then proceeds to light a bowl of Cheerios and the box on fire with a torch, but things get a little crazy as the flames become too wild for the protester and the fire quickly spreads on General Mills' lawn.

"OK, get out of here guys," the protester yells in a panic to the laughing individual recording the incident.

The clip currently has more than 207,000 views.

The National Post points out that the protest came after the National Organization for Marriage, a group bent on banning gay marriage across the country, called for a boycott against the food company because it supports marriage equality and equal rights for LGBT employees.

"We do not believe the proposed constitutional amendment is in the best interests of our employees or our state economy," General Mills vice president for global diversity and inclusion Ken Charles wrote in a web letter. "We value diversity. We value inclusion."

Businessman Fired Over Harassing Chick-fil-A Employee

A video of a businessman who took the Chick-fil-A protest a little too far also went viral this week.

Adam Smith recorded himself ordering water at the fast-food chain's drive-through and bullying a young female worker who serves him.

After a cringe-worthy exchange, Smith eventually tells the woman, "I don't know how you live with yourself and work here. I don't understand it. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values. You deserve better."

The Chick-fil-A employee attempts to tell Smith to have a good day but he cuts her off and says, "I will, I just did something really good, I feel purposeful, thank you so much. Have a good day... I'm a nice guy by the way, and I'm totally heterosexual.. not a gay [unintelligible] in me, I just can't stand the hate, you know? It's gotta stop, guys. Stand up."

Subsequently, Smith was fired from his job as the CFO of Vante, Inc., a medical device manufacture based in Arizona.

"The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner," reads a statement from the company. "Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others."

But Smith didn't stop there. The businessman went back to the Internet and made a video apologizing for his actions. He said he tried to say 'sorry' to the Chick-fil-A worker, who is named Rachel, in person as well, the British newspaper the Daily Mail reported.

"Rachel, I am so very sorry for the way I spoke to you on Wednesday," said Smith. "You handled my frustrating rant with such dignity and composure."

Bristol’s Brat Calls Aunt an ’F Word’

A recent episode Bristol Palin's Lifetime reality show "Life's a Tripp," shows Palin's 3-year-old son, Tripp, hurling what could be an anti-gay slur at his aunt, Palin's sister.

The toddler has a tantrum because he is not allowed to go into the poll and then yells, "Go Away you f****" to his Aunt Willow. While many believe the bleeped out word is "faggot" Palin insists Tripp "used a different 'f word'," ABC News
reported.

The two women start to laugh after he shouts the word again.

Palin is set to appear on the all-star version of "Dancing With the Stars" on ABC.