News

Facebook User Trolls Doritos Rainbows Critics

Published Sept. 23, 2015

NEWS:   "Doritos troll" Mike Melgaard posed as a customer service representative to respond to critics of LGBT-friendly Doritos Rainbows.

In August 2015, a man named Mike Melgaard made news by trolling critics of Target's then-newly announced gender-neutral merchandise labeling policy. The following month, after Frito-Lay announced Doritos Rainbows in partnership with LGBT youth advocacy group the It Gets Better project, Melgaard returned to banter with angry social media users in the same manner.

Using a Facebook display name of "Doritos ForHelp," Melgaard responded to a number of complaints levied at Frito-Lay over Doritos Rainbows. In some instances, he engaged in multi-message exchanges with users who believed they were corresponding with a legitimate Frito-Lay representative:

On 18 September 2015, Melgaard published a Facebook status update expressing his view of the Doritos Rainbows controversy in a more straightforward way and defending the It Gets Better project (an advocacy group founded to prevent suicide in LGBT youth):

For those who are actually THAT upset over Frito-Lay offering the public to purchase rainbow colored Doritos:

Did it ever occur to you that this actually has very little to do with gay pride? But rather, it is to address the fact that suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst the LGBT community for ages 15 to 24? The 'It Gets Better' charity is where this money (all of it, mind you) is going and they just so happen to specialize in LGBT suicide prevention.

No one is arguing that there are other people out there who should be recognized/helped/assisted. I just find it kind of ridiculous that when we pay attention to one sub-group within society, some other groups tend to freak out. It's as if you walked into a hospital and were pissed that not everyone is being fixed at once; or that your broken hand isn't being viewed as more important than someone else's fractured skull.

You don't see me freaking out about how little the United States is willing to fund science and the exploration of space, do you? I personally think that we should be funding that and our schools as much as possible. But am I over here bitching about that? Not at all.

At the end of the day, we all have some kind of biased perspective on what should be accomplished first. Rather than get upset about it, I prefer to celebrate whatever is actually being worked on. Because that at least is some kind of progress for all people combined.

Anyone being "upset" over this issue is really just slowing down the collective progress for all of humanity. And you're doing it for no reason other than your personal bias.

On 19 September 2015, Melgaard compiled his responses in an album titled "Dorito Trolling," informing fans the "Doritos ForHelp" account (and campaign of mocking) had been shut down.

Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes.