I felt a touch of sadness on Tuesday when Marks & Spencer caved in to demands that they de-gender their toys, which must make me the worst person on earth.
After her triumphant campaign, MP Stella Creasy tweeted:
if it annoys some so much girls might want 2 play with cars, imagine how they’d feel if they knew also wanted 2 run companies & stuff! ;-@
— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) December 18, 2013
Is that why, though? What annoys a lot of people is that a vocal pressure group professing outrage, the universally accepted currency of public discourse, has limited customers’ options. It’s like when people complain about Amazon selling costumes that offends some victim group whom they claim to represent. Every time that happens, if you look closely enough, you can see a little tear drop from the eyes of Nelson’s Column, as Britain’s spirit dies.
This is not about whether such pinky toys are revolting and depressingly uninspiring for young girls, which they unquestionable are.
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