In honor of its 50^th anniversary in Puerto Rico, Burger King handed out the Hands Free Whopper Holder, a device for consuming burgers while leaving the hands free to do anything else.

Burger King Puerto Rico released a promotional video that asks how Burger King can help people in a multitasking world.  Showing people doing everything from walking the dogs to tattooing to writing parking tickets, it is difficult to take this as anything but a joke.  However, as the Huffington Post notes, these devices are in fact real and the fast food giant handed out 50 of them recently.

This promotional product has resulted in numerous commentaries on the growing culture of laziness surrounding fast food.  The product is likened to a satirical piece done by The Onion, where fast food company Yum!, which is associated with brands such as Taco Bell and KFC, creates a feedbag that fastens to the face.  “Users” make statements lauding the product because of reasons such as not feeling like using their arms sometimes.

BuzzFeed calls the product “the perfect device for people who are too lazy to move their hands while stuffing their face.”  In a culture that is already criticized for consuming too much fast food and not participating in sufficient physical activity, allowing people to consume more and move even less is considered reprehensible.  However, the promotional video presents this as a tool used by active, busy individuals that would simply like to be able to use their hands even while they eat their burgers.

USA Today Sports took a different approach in its “For the Win” column, asking if eating with the Hands Free Whopper Holder was a sport.  As individuals are depicted participating in numerous activities, the column jokingly points out that the actual activity of eating a burger is still not a sport. They conclude by conceding that the product has some merit because it allows people to be able to multitask in a way they never have before.

Whether it irks those that are sick of a lazy society or amuses those that like the idea of inappropriately multitasking such as by eating a burger during a cycling race, the Burger King product is still just another promotional tool.  While there may be real implications and philosophical issues, it is not the first time Burger King has released a product that seemed to be only a ridiculous internet joke.  The BK Flame, a cologne released in 2008 that was intended to smell like flame-broiled meat, was not an appealing scent or popular product.  However, it gave Burger King just what it was probably looking for – more PR.