Friday
10/24/03
If LaCrosse Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right
When thinking about so-called political correctness, I guess I fall somewhere in the middle of the road. I do, after all, respect the right of different peoples to get on with their lives without getting hassled by professional jerks like Cal Thomas. On the other hand, there is the side of me that can barely muster a shrug and a "whatever" when I hear that a group of Hindu plaintiffs has been deeply disturbed by McDonald’s use of beef products in their very yummy fries. (Biased towards yummy fries? You bet.)
That said, I must say that at times I am still amazed by the ridiculous lengths to which someone will go to avoid controversy and remain, well, correct. Case in point: the fine folks at GM have decided to pull the LaCrosse name off the Buick they’re going to sell in Canada because, apparently, LaCrosse is slang for masturbation among French speaking teens in Quebec. LaCrosse. Masturbation. Hmm. You know what I think? "So F*%=ing what?"
You’ve got to be kidding me. GM, corporate behemoth and producer of mediocre cars is concerned that a microscopic subset of the Canadian population may snicker as one of their automotive masterpieces sputters past? What exactly do you suppose the buying power is among the combined teen Francophones in a small city that does it’s very best to pretend it’s not even in Canada in the first place?
Even better, why not go the other way and just rename the car something even cooler? "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to introduce the 2004 Buick ‘Claque de Singe!’" Or, the 2004 Buick Bobine de Poulet. The possibilities are endless.
It is getting late, so I’m not even going to start on what they do when anyone in Quebec joins a high school lacrosse team or meets someone from La Crosse Wisconsin. So, good night to all, and au revoir, mon petit individu gratifier.
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If LaCrosse Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right
When thinking about so-called political correctness, I guess I fall somewhere in the middle of the road. I do, after all, respect the right of different peoples to get on with their lives without getting hassled by professional jerks like Cal Thomas. On the other hand, there is the side of me that can barely muster a shrug and a "whatever" when I hear that a group of Hindu plaintiffs has been deeply disturbed by McDonald’s use of beef products in their very yummy fries. (Biased towards yummy fries? You bet.)
That said, I must say that at times I am still amazed by the ridiculous lengths to which someone will go to avoid controversy and remain, well, correct. Case in point: the fine folks at GM have decided to pull the LaCrosse name off the Buick they’re going to sell in Canada because, apparently, LaCrosse is slang for masturbation among French speaking teens in Quebec. LaCrosse. Masturbation. Hmm. You know what I think? "So F*%=ing what?"
You’ve got to be kidding me. GM, corporate behemoth and producer of mediocre cars is concerned that a microscopic subset of the Canadian population may snicker as one of their automotive masterpieces sputters past? What exactly do you suppose the buying power is among the combined teen Francophones in a small city that does it’s very best to pretend it’s not even in Canada in the first place?
Even better, why not go the other way and just rename the car something even cooler? "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are proud to introduce the 2004 Buick ‘Claque de Singe!’" Or, the 2004 Buick Bobine de Poulet. The possibilities are endless.
It is getting late, so I’m not even going to start on what they do when anyone in Quebec joins a high school lacrosse team or meets someone from La Crosse Wisconsin. So, good night to all, and au revoir, mon petit individu gratifier.
