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M&S change midget gems name over fear of causing offence


john luke

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https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/19845332.m-s-decided-midget-gems-name-offensive---mini-gems-row/

M&S change midget gems name over fear of causing offence

 

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Marks & Spencer has explained its controversial decision to rebrand traditional midget gem sweets as 'mini gems'.

The popular midget gem sweet first rose to popularity in the North of England - so well loved in fact that Liverpool Football Club once sold club-branded tubs of the colourful treat.

But the sweet came under fire when activist Dr Erin Pritchard, a lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University, raised concerns over the use of offensive language.

The lecturer - who has achondroplasia, a condition that affects growth - referenced how the use of the word "midget" further stigmatises people living with conditions such as dwarfism. 

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Midget gems / mini gems really don't give a fcuk , they mentioned this on Question Time a couple of weeks ago , can't believe it's still doing the rounds as a "news" story , without the coverage 99% of people wouldn't even notice the name change ..

 

however bring back Opal Fruits and Marathon bars , ye bunch of cnuts ... 😉 

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50 minutes ago, Stillearly said:

Midget gems / mini gems really don't give a fcuk , they mentioned this on Question Time a couple of weeks ago , can't believe it's still doing the rounds as a "news" story , without the coverage 99% of people wouldn't even notice the name change ..

 

however bring back Opal Fruits and Marathon bars , ye bunch of cnuts ... 😉 

Texan bars.

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3 hours ago, Stillearly said:

Midget gems / mini gems really don't give a fcuk , they mentioned this on Question Time a couple of weeks ago , can't believe it's still doing the rounds as a "news" story , without the coverage 99% of people wouldn't even notice the name change ..

 

however bring back Opal Fruits and Marathon bars , ye bunch of cnuts ... 😉 

Those were changed when Mars brought their products under European branding. Enjoy your Snickers bar and Starbursts. Actually I think they have re marketed Opal Fruits again recently here in the UK, but may be wrong about that.

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Nothing surprises me anymore with all this PC shite. Over 30 years ago, I even remember women talking about the word “history”…..why can’t it be “herstory”? 
 

Utter nonsense, and there’s simply no going back now, any step the other way would lead to accusations of racism and not being “woke” enough

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4 hours ago, bob lt said:

Uncle Bens Rice also had a name change and the picture of the gentleman on the package was removed.

Did you ever see the Sopranos scene where Tony has a panic attack after telling a young Black man to stay away from his daughter? Starts munching on food, and faints when he opens the cabinet and sees Uncle Ben staring at him…….

I swear many scenes they put in that show would not be allowed today

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46 minutes ago, Golfingboy said:

Nothing surprises me anymore with all this PC shite. Over 30 years ago, I even remember women talking about the word “history”…..why can’t it be “herstory”? 
 

Utter nonsense, and there’s simply no going back now, any step the other way would lead to accusations of racism and not being “woke” enough

Amen to that ....or should I say awomen ...

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6 hours ago, bob lt said:

Uncle Bens Rice also had a name change and the picture of the gentleman on the package was removed.

Aunt Jemima brand was also discontinued. Good to read the Aunt Jemima model descendants had the good sense to protest the rebranding as "Because good or bad, it is our history".
 

On June 17, 2020, Quaker Oats announced that the Aunt Jemima brand would be discontinued and replaced with a new name and image "to make progress toward racial equality".[7][31] The image was removed from packaging later in 2020, while the name change was said to be planned for a later date.[32][33]

Within one day of the June 2020 announcement, other similarly motivated rebrandings and reviews of brand marketing were also announced, including for Uncle Ben's rice (which was renamed as "Ben's Original"), the Mrs. Butterworth's pancake syrup logo and bottle shape, and the Black chef logo used for Cream of Wheat.[3]

Days earlier, American satirical news outlet The Onion published a fictional article about a similar announcement.[34]

Descendants of Aunt Jemima models Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington objected to the change. Vera Harris, a family historian for Richard's family, said "I wish we would take a breath and not just get rid of everything. Because good or bad, it is our history."[35] Harrington's great-grandson Larnell Evans said "This is an injustice for me and my family. This is part of my history." Evans had previously lost a lawsuit against Quaker Oats (and others) for billions of dollars in 2015.[36]

On February 9, 2021, PepsiCo announced that the replacement brand name would be Pearl Milling Company. The company had just purchased that brand name for the purpose, effective February 1, 2021.[31] The new branding was launched that June, one year after the company announced the change.[3][37]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima#Rebranding

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