Microsoft cruelly mocked by, oh, Velveeta cheese
That yellow square in the middle. A little Velveeta cheesy?
Twitter is a test of character.
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Can you demonstrate any? Or does the mere offer of a couple of hundred free characters force you to express every last element of personal frustration and inadequacy?
I only ask because of a painful Twitterized exchange that just struck me hard in the palate.
It seems to have begun when GitHub product manager Sasha Rosenbaum tweeted her personal despair: "Current status: Eating very poor quality cheese out of wrappers."
This, quite naturally, stimulated responses. None, though, was more pungent than that offered by Chris Pietschmann, a Microsoft MVP and founder of Build5Nines.
He observed: "American #cheese, Cheese Wiz, and #Velveeta @EatLiquidGold are the worst 'cheese' products."
This is what one might call a provocation. Not only did he hashtag Velveeta, but he referenced its Twitter account too. And then he went all presidential and draped inverted commas around the cheese.
Still, you might think Velveeta would let something like this go. It's not as if it's Wendy's, which takes every opportunity to sniff and snort to very good effect.
Oh, but Velveeta was hurt. Truly hurt. When some nerd decries your liquid gold, you strike back. And how.
Velveeta reached for Trumpist capitals to offer: "NOT COOL CHRIS -- WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING WHEN VISTA CAME OUT."
NOT COOL CHRIS - WE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING WHEN VISTA CAME OUT
— VELVEETA (@EatLiquidGold) July 20, 2020
Below the belt, you might think.
It seems Pietschmann may have been taken aback, but maintained his humor. "Vista was the Velveeta of Windows releases?.. ok, it's not 'that' bad."
Velveeta, however was not on a cracker, but on a roll. "SORRY CAN'T HEAR YOU THE ZUNE IS TOO LOUD."
Well, at least it wasn't an Apple-related Mac and Cheese joke. It did, though, stimulate at least one Twitterer to reply that his Zune lasted seven years, while his iPod died within 18 months.
You might think this is all mere frivolity. Yet is serves as an illustration of just how long negative reputations can linger.
In Memoriam: All the consumer products Microsoft has killed off
For quite some years, Microsoft had to fight the notion that its brand stood for harshness, bullying and a certain lack of essential competence. Even though it's now a much stronger and more likable brand, virulent vestiges from the years of Gates and Ballmer still linger.
And they still make (at least some) people laugh.
Some, though, might feel Microsoft was lucky to be slapped with a Velveeta glove.
As Twitterer Lisa Sky was forced to observe: "Vista?! What about Win10?!"