The White House asked Twitter which turkey it should pardon, and now the internet is on fire
Whether you love or hate the annual Thanksgiving tradition, the White House pardons a turkey every year. While the origins of the tradition are still a little fuzzy, with people most often associating the act with Harry S. Truman, President George H.W. Bush is actually credited for turning it into an annual act back in 1989. If you’re unfamiliar with pardoning, it’s an event where the president spares the bird by refusing to eat it for the Thanksgiving feast. It’s also a cute way to get personal with the animal that serves as a symbol of the holiday.
This year, The Hill reported that the two turkeys had arrived at the White House after a stay at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel — since of course, it’s a luxurious honor. The problem is that the White House isn’t sure which of the two will officially get the honor of being pardoned.
Here’s where the problem lies. After the White House decided to poll Twitter, a few users noticed something a little off. The turkeys were named Drumstick and Wishbone — and people soon realized that out of the two poultry-related names, one implies darker meat.
Those who saw the tweet weren’t slow in responding to the tweet with their thoughts on the vote.
Wishbone = white meat
Drumstick = dark meat
Guess which one trump pardons— Mark Bare (@MarkBare54) November 20, 2017
Probably gonna be the white one
— Jim Thornburg (@GrimJimCrowley) November 20, 2017
Voting closed after over 40,000 people chose a turkey and Drumstick was the winner, with 60% of the vote.
Of course, prior to the vote closing, Twitter also had a few other suggestions.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/932670801131851777
false
I don't know but we should impeach the Turkey in Chief.
— Janet (@sfjw) November 20, 2017
But the best response was probably this one.
This just in: both turkeys have declined the invitation to the pardoning ceremony.
— Anne Whitney (@A_Hawk10) November 20, 2017
The turkeys last year were named Tater and Tot. After the ceremony, Wishbone and Drumstick will be joining them at Virginia Tech’s “Gobblers Rest” reserve, where they’ll live out the rest of their lives. Not so bad, for a turkey.
