Megathread Cultural Appropriation and Cancel Culture Discussion

[TheLoveBandit]

Again, not cancel culture per se, but social norms being distorted from their historical position to drive change. You decide if it is good or bad from your perspective.

Mr. Potato Head brand goes gender neutral, sort of​

Hasbro created confusion on Thursday when it removed the gender from its Mr. Potato Head brand, but not from the actual toy.

The company, which has been making the potato-shaped plastic toy for nearly 70 years, announced Thursday morning that it was dropping Mr. from the brand in an effort to make sure “all feel welcome in the Potato Head world.” That set off a social media frenzy over the beloved toy.

Later that afternoon, Hasbro clarified in a tweet that the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters will still exist, names and all, but the branding on the box will say “Potato Head.”

“While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD,” the company tweeted.

Toy makers have been updating their classic brands to appeal to kids today. Barbie has shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. Thomas the Tank Engine added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.

Hasbro said Mr. Potato Head, which has been around for about 70 years, needed a modern makeover.

The toy manufacturing giant announced the change as it also launched a "Create Your Potato Head Family" kit with two potato parents and a potato baby. The video announcing the kit said it was for "modern families" and featured a variety of family makeups, including with same-sex potato parents.

"Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion," the company said in a statement on its website.

If they aren't changing anything but dropping he "Mr." and "Mrs."....why?

 

[TheLoveBandit]

Meanwhile, in California

California law would fine department stores $1,000 for separating toys by gender

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would penalize department stores for separating children’s toys, clothing and other items by gender.

Under CA AB2826 (19R), introduced by Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Campbell, department stores with 500 or more employees would be subject to a $1,000 fine if they do not “correct a violation of these provisions within 30 days of receiving written notice of the violation.”

Stores would not have to change their products, but the products could not be displayed based on how they have “traditionally been marketed for either girls or for boys.”

Low, who originally introduced the bill last year, said he conceived of the idea from one of his staffers, who claimed her daughter had asked her why an item she supposedly wanted was in the boys’ section.

“This is an issue of children being able to express themselves without bias,” Low told Politico last week.

The bill comes amid growing pushback by consumer advocacy groups to make toys more gender neutral. The UK-based group “Let Toys Be Toys,” for example, argues that marketing toys and books to a specific gender promotes stereotypes and is harmful to kids.



Many toymakers have been updating their classic brands in recent years, hoping to relate to today's kids and reflect more modern families.

Hasbro, the company that's made the potato-shaped plastic toy for nearly 70 years, announced this week it is giving the “Mr.” Potato Head a gender-neutral new name: Potato Head. The change will appear on boxes this year.

"It's a potato," said Ali Mierzejewski, editor in chief at toy review site The Toy Insider. "But kids like to see themselves in the toys they are playing with."

Barbie, for example, has tried to shed its blonde image and now comes in multiple skin tones and body shapes. The Thomas the Tank Engine toy line added more girl characters. And American Girl is now selling a boy doll.

While there have always been aisles in American stores filled with traditionally 'girl' (dolls & princesses) or 'boy' toys (things to shoot your eye out), they've never been labelled as such that I recall. Certainly not an issue like the UK has been addressing since 2012. Call it progress? I see a non-isssue. Go to Walmart and any kid can walk down any aisle, there are no such issues. Certainly not anything worth fining stores over

 

[Xorkoth]

Again, not cancel culture per se, but social norms being distorted from their historical position to drive change. You decide if it is good or bad from your perspective.

Mr. Potato Head brand goes gender neutral, sort of​

If they aren't changing anything but dropping he "Mr." and "Mrs."....why?

Because Americans have terminal Overreactionosis (a syndrome caused by T. overreactus).

I would get it if there only existed Mr Potatohead in the world, but there has also been Mrs Potatohead since I was a kid. So I don't get the problem. I fully support the push to help kids and society understand that some people don't fit into societal normative roles, but there is nothing wrong with kids having toys that are gendered. After all, 99.9% of people identify as a gender and have always done so. I'm guessing the dubious goal of this is to avoid making people who identify outside of a binary gender feel bad? If so, then I'm sorry but if you do not identify as a binary gender, you're going to need to accept that almost everyone does. We can't remove the gender of every child's toy, that's silly. What we need to do is educate people and expose people to the concept, so that they'll accept it's real and valid. Trying to remove the gender from life is far from the way to accomplish this task.

 

[Meth novice 79]

Again, not cancel culture per se, but social norms being distorted from their historical position to drive change. You decide if it is good or bad from your perspective.

Mr. Potato Head brand goes gender neutral, sort of​

If they aren't changing anything but dropping he "Mr." and "Mrs."....why?

Marketing gimmick, theyve simply rebranded as gender neutral to attract the cancel culture gen.

What is funny about it to me is the only reason I or millions of others even heard of this new product at all is because of all the ‘outraged’ idiots raving about unnecessary changes blah blah.

Marketing win I’d say.

 

[JessFR]

Meanwhile, in California

California law would fine department stores $1,000 for separating toys by gender



While there have always been aisles in American stores filled with traditionally 'girl' (dolls & princesses) or 'boy' toys (things to shoot your eye out), they've never been labelled as such that I recall. Certainly not an issue like the UK has been addressing since 2012. Call it progress? I see a non-isssue. Go to Walmart and any kid can walk down any aisle, there are no such issues. Certainly not anything worth fining stores over

I don't recall actual labels either. That said I can't say I've never felt a tiny bit offended by the fact that the girls section is so overwhelmingly pink. When are we gonna stop them doing that?

It's like the boys toys have monopolized every color except pink and some white. That's sexist man.

Honestly the boys girls toys thing is a convenience for marketers and toy companies, it's stupid.

 

[SvnLyrBrto]

Marketing gimmick, theyve simply rebranded as gender neutral to attract the cancel culture gen.

What is funny about it to me is the only reason I or millions of others even heard of this new product at all is because of all the ‘outraged’ idiots raving about unnecessary changes blah blah.

Marketing win I’d say.

That was my take too. I mean... it's been way too long for me to remember; but was the potato part ever different between Mr. and Mrs? In fact, this could be a diversion to draw attention from an even better marketing move. Now, they can sell the gender-neutral potato person and the collection of stick-in parts separately. They could even both be priced lower than the old Mr/Mrs potato head, but combined would bring in more revenue.

 

[Meth novice 79]

E

That was my take too. I mean... it's been way too long for me to remember; but was the potato part ever different between Mr. and Mrs? In fact, this could be a diversion to draw attention from an even better marketing move. Now, they can sell the gender-neutral potato person and the collection of stick-in parts separately. They could even both be priced lower than the old Mr/Mrs potato head, but combined would bring in more revenue.

Exactly right?
Clever little fuckers

 

[JessFR]

The capitalist in me approves. :D

 

[TheLoveBandit]

offended by the fact that the girls section is so overwhelmingly pink.

I'm not offended, though my stomach does some waves thinking of Pepto Bismal whenever I walk down that aisle. Yeah, not 'labelled' but the color SHOUTS IT IS FOR GIRLS!!!

That said, the multi-colored toy aisle with cars, action figures, etc has never seemed to 'boy only'. But maybe I was oblivious to that aspect. Board games did get their own wall of shelving, and never indicated a gender, just levels of idiot to Machiavellian, which applied up thru college iirc.

 

[cduggles]

If they aren't changing anything but dropping he "Mr." and "Mrs."....why?

Maybe they live in sin.

 

[Soso78]

Ye it’s a joke. On about cancelling “baby it’s cold outside” Xmas song because it’s degrading to women but got cardi b on about a nig*a beating up her wet ass pussy.

 

[JessFR]

I'm not offended, though my stomach does some waves thinking of Pepto Bismal whenever I walk down that aisle. Yeah, not 'labelled' but the color SHOUTS IT IS FOR GIRLS!!!

That said, the multi-colored toy aisle with cars, action figures, etc has never seemed to 'boy only'. But maybe I was oblivious to that aspect. Board games did get their own wall of shelving, and never indicated a gender, just levels of idiot to Machiavellian, which applied up thru college iirc.

Can I just take this opportunity to say how brilliantly devious the toy companies are at calling girls dolls dolls, and then realizing boys would like dolls too but only if they're not called dolls, so what do they call them? "action figures".

And it kinda highlights a problem.. Which is even if you did absolutely no pre socialization, I suspect a room full of boys and girls are gonna naturally start to segregate, and end up playing together in same sex groups. (actually I decided to Google this before posting and found evidence to suggest this is indeed true, and not just true but quite well established and culturally universal).

Which is problematic as far as removing gender lines for children's toys and shit goes because it means the kids will probably self segregate and enforce it on their own. Almost as if males and females fundamentally aren't identical or something...

And may I take THAT opportunity to again complement capitalism for the genius of writing children's literature to so frequently have a boy protagonist but with a female friend. Even though this dynamic in reality is probably quite rare at that age, it's the perfect dynamic to maximize your target audience. And by extension.. Profit :D

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

Marilyn Manson has been getting shit on for a couple months now.

Probably deserves it.

He probably does yet probably not, who knows what goes on in these relationships. Should have taken this to a court of some kind as well but why bother when the public opinion court is easier

Dita von tits:
Please know that details made public do not match my personal experience during our 7 years as a couple,” the performer explained. “Had they, I would not have married him in December 2005.”

She went on to explain that after a year of marriage, she left the relationship “due to infidelity and drug use”.

His ex-girlfriend Rose McGowan has also spoken out about the abuse allegations against him, saying she was “proud” of Wood and other women who had come forward. “When he was with me, he was not like that,” she said. “But that has no bearing on whether he was like that with others, before or after. It takes time to come forward and, again, I am proud – proud of these women and anybody who stands against an abuser.

His response makes sense, in context, Evan Wood incident is historical, very likely marred by both consuming a huge amount of drugs and confusing his artist persona for reality.

It does not pay to stand out as being anything but being able to blend in.

Of course it would be different if proof was shown as publically as the accusations yet thats unlikely.


I wonder if Lady Gaga will be cancelled or Madonna, Katy Perry got drunk and hit on some poor frail guy at a party once and copped an almost cancel.

The Muppet being labelled as racist is the end for me, what a fucking joke.

This generation of idiots who don't have any imagination of their own getting their jollies by ruining good entertainment that they are too inept to understand . Bloody millennials!!!


Vv 8)

 

[w01fg4ng]

The relatio of a felatio is to the cancel of a culture.

Remember hating on SATs? I do and that's cancel culture.

 

[w01fg4ng]

I'm woke. I listen to Tom Mcdonald.

 

[phenethylo J]

I don't recall actual labels either. That said I can't say I've never felt a tiny bit offended by the fact that the girls section is so overwhelmingly pink. When are we gonna stop them doing that?

It's like the boys toys have monopolized every color except pink and some white. That's sexist man.

Honestly the boys girls toys thing is a convenience for marketers and toy companies, it's stupid.

I agree it's stupid to make a big deal about toys being segregated by gender; I didn't let that stop me from having my mom buying me an knock off mermaid barbie when I was a little kid. This was in the early 90s too. I knew plenty of girls who could be considered tomboys(not sure if that word is still ok to use) and nobody ever gave them shit for it.

 

[w01fg4ng]

The first thing I did when I got a battery powered motorcycle toy for christmas was take my sister's barbie on a ride with it.

Such a great memory.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

It makes looking for toys, clothes etc for your child easier in big department stores as getting the hell outta there sooner rather than later is more of a priority to the shopper than any bs about gender definition. In case no one noticed, toys are hardly ever gender neutral as no one really is, there are still girls girls and boyish boys around. Anyone care to tell them their preferences dont matter?

If things like having boys and girls aisles bothers you then maybe just deal with it, the whole discussion has made too many bs changes to a generation who don't care about the appropriateness of toys, just if they are fun or not. .

 

[w01fg4ng]

Vrrmmm Vrmmmm

getting the hell outta there sooner rather than later is more of a priority to the shopper

We have internet now.

 

[✿Dai₷y✿]

Shopping with kids is more about tactile stimulation and comparing things physically, online shopping is a way that highly sensitive KARENS can buy things without ruining going out for the many with common sense. Its not as if anyone is stopping families with girls looking in the boys aisle, is it?

HOPEFULLY the douchebags who insist there is a problem with toys that don't have any real problem will fixate on what their own issues are if they are ever told they have issues rather than all the things being cancelled to suit them.

Lol..Lady Gaga's "Poker face" song is coming under fire over a decade later because of its omg rude lyrics. Oh the horror of kids singing along to "fu fu fu fuck her face".