(no subject)
This made me facepalm.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/2349017/Eskimo-lollies-rile-Inuit
A staple lolly of the New Zealand 50-cent mixture has upset a Canadian tourist because she considers its name and shape offensive.
Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, 21, an Inuit from the Nunavut Territory in Canada, said the Eskimo lolly, manufactured by Cadbury/Pascall, was an insult to her people.
The word "Eskimo" was unacceptable in her country and carried negative racial connotations, she said. She intended to send packets of the confectionery to the Canadian prime minister and her grandfather, a Inuit tribal elder.
Ok, I accept and appreciate that she is offended by the name which in NZ means very little but in her home country has, as she rightly points out, negative racial connotations. The word Eskimo is supposed to mean "eater of raw meat", so what gets me is her suggested alternative. Parsons proposed to shape the sweeties into seals; "the Inuit's main source of food".
Ya-what?? "Don't call us raw meat eaters but shape this candy into our food; meaty seals?" Am I the only one that sees the hypocricy here? Oy vey!
Now, I'm no stranger to racist taunts, having experienced a fair share in my younger years. So like I said, I can empathise. However, while some situations call for protest and curb stomping a Klan member, there are occasions where you can only cringe, shake your head and move on.
*Cringe*
*Shake head*
*Move on*
Parsons should learn that move.
*Cringe*
*Shake head* (can be substituted for *facepalm*)
*Move on*
Or as one member of the public said in today's DomPost, next time Parsons visits a dairy she should stay away from the junk food section.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/2349017/Eskimo-lollies-rile-Inuit
A staple lolly of the New Zealand 50-cent mixture has upset a Canadian tourist because she considers its name and shape offensive.
Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, 21, an Inuit from the Nunavut Territory in Canada, said the Eskimo lolly, manufactured by Cadbury/Pascall, was an insult to her people.
The word "Eskimo" was unacceptable in her country and carried negative racial connotations, she said. She intended to send packets of the confectionery to the Canadian prime minister and her grandfather, a Inuit tribal elder.
Ok, I accept and appreciate that she is offended by the name which in NZ means very little but in her home country has, as she rightly points out, negative racial connotations. The word Eskimo is supposed to mean "eater of raw meat", so what gets me is her suggested alternative. Parsons proposed to shape the sweeties into seals; "the Inuit's main source of food".
Ya-what?? "Don't call us raw meat eaters but shape this candy into our food; meaty seals?" Am I the only one that sees the hypocricy here? Oy vey!
Now, I'm no stranger to racist taunts, having experienced a fair share in my younger years. So like I said, I can empathise. However, while some situations call for protest and curb stomping a Klan member, there are occasions where you can only cringe, shake your head and move on.
*Cringe*
*Shake head*
*Move on*
Parsons should learn that move.
*Cringe*
*Shake head* (can be substituted for *facepalm*)
*Move on*
Or as one member of the public said in today's DomPost, next time Parsons visits a dairy she should stay away from the junk food section.