BY: THERY SANON
Historically, people have always been able to put aside their differences if it meant achieving a greater good. No matter how much or how little these different groups have interacted with one another, if the cause is strong enough, nobody is incapable of working with others. Whether it was the Pilgrims and Native Americans surviving the first winter together and making it to the first harvest, or all of the world's powers coming together to form the United Nations to take on the Axis powers, or even the population of NBA players unionizing in order to increase wages across the board and give players more of a voice in how the NBA is run, history has repeatedly proven to us that teamwork makes the dream work.
Now, fast forward to 2017. Britain is leaving the European Union, America is under the control of a reality TV star who hates intelligence, and World War III is right around the corner. No lie, things are looking pretty bleak.
As disjointed and disconnected as the world is nowadays, there is one light still shining through, trying to bring everyone back together and his name is Carter Wilkinson. Wilkinson, a student from Nevada, had a passion that he wanted to turn into a reality. Naturally he did what anyone in 2017 would do, he shot his shot on Twitter and waited to see what happened.
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
Now I personally have never seen a company reply back to one of these requests, but leave it to Wendy's, the queen of the clapback, to come up with these hilarious responses. They set a very reasonable bar, leaving it up to us to help Carter get his free nuggets. There's been a widespread wave of support, with many people already retweeting and spreading the word. Carter even got his own Emoji on twitter. Everybody is starting to get in on this, from celebrities to other restaurants. Carter is gaining traction and getting not only his, but Wendy's clout up in the process.
#NuggsForCarter I'm against eating meat but omfg I want him to get that 18 million so bad wtf
— ayala (@sherlockaf1) April 18, 2017
Our feed after #NuggsForCarter. Thanks, @Wendys. pic.twitter.com/DsqJdtGYGS
— dbrand (@dbrand) April 9, 2017
Hey @theellenshow! You may have celebs, but @carterjwm now has his own @wendys chicken nugget emoji when people use #NuggsforCarter! Boom. https://t.co/XZ1AafXo2p
— Wendy's (@Wendys) April 16, 2017
BUT, just like in life, there are challenges and obstacles you must face in order to reach your goals. As DJ Khaled often puts it, "they don't want you to win." Nobody ever wants the "little guy" to shine, even with something as lowkey and insignificant as having the most retweeted tweet of all time (Hot take: WWIII pops off in 12-16 business days). Which brings us to the current holder of the record, Ellen DeGeneres. Now everybody loves Ellen; she was basically at the top of her game as an actor, came out as gay, lost her entire career over it, then came back even stronger and better than before. As I said, there's a lot to love about Ellen Degeneres, but she needs to chill:
Not today, nugget boy. @carterjwm pic.twitter.com/UqLDEMp6OQ
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 13, 2017
Ellen, we get it. You want to keep that "greatest tweet of all time" status, but PLEASE, fall back on this one. You've already won at life, twice. There is so much more than just twitter fame and nuggets at stake here but nobody realizes it. We're living in a world where, unless you fit a particular mould, everyone seems to be working against you. For once in 2017, everyone is on the same page. We all want Carter to get his nuggets fam, because we've all been Carter at some point. Regardless of who you are now, everybody can remember a time when they were just a broke student who really wanted some nuggets, or some tacos, or even a burger. Carter Wilkinson is really out here showing the world that regardless of who you are, if you want something, you can go out and get it. Before everything's said and done, we will have witnessed the next great American tale of courage and perseverance against all odds.
As a counter to Ellen's challenge, Wendy's decided to up their stakes as well. If Wilkinson gets to 18 million tweets, not only will he get free nuggets, but Wendy's will also donate $100,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
The rumors are true @TheEllenShow! We'll donate $100k to @DTFA supporting adoption WHEN @carterjwm breaks your RT record. #NuggsforCarter https://t.co/iI1OdIjTb7
— Wendy's (@Wendys) April 13, 2017
This show of generosity has begun to inspire others as well, turning this from a social media challenge into a full blown philanthropic event.
We're in, too, @Wendys. We'll commit to $100K in media for @DTFA when @carterjwm breaks @TheEllenShow's RT record. #OurOath #NuggsForCarter https://t.co/Yh1aXXQUt4
— Oath (@oath) April 14, 2017
Now, with $200k and a year's supply of free nuggets on the line, it is time for us to support Carter in his endeavors. We need to make sure he beats this challenge, because if he can make free nuggets happen, then anything would be possible.
All I'm saying is, retweet Carter's post. And if you don't care about the nuggets, do it for the children. Either way, if Carter out-tweets Ellen and doesn't get the 18 million retweets, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption will make at least $200k. Who knows? The more we keep talking about this and keep #NuggsForCarter trending on Twitter, the more opportunities there are going to be for people to donate to this great program.
Oh, just in case you thought there was an actual beef between Ellen and Carter, here's a picture of them trying to break the internet with a selfie they took on The Ellen Degeneres Show the other day.
Shout out to @carterjwm, @wendys and @TheEllenShow for raising awareness for the @DTFA! We'll be watching today! #nuggsforcarter #itsworthit pic.twitter.com/HXHhNeK0Pt
— DaveThomasFoundation (@DTFA) April 18, 2017
SOMEBODY GET THIS MAN HIS NUGGETS.
Cover: DTFA via Twitter
