A petition was launched earlier this month calling on Trader Joe's to change the names of certain products. According to the petition, products being sold by the California-based grocery chain were "racist" and signers of the petition were calling on Trader Joe's to remove or rename the products.
Early reports said Trader Joe's had responded to the calls and agreed to remove such products as "Arabian Joe's" Coffee and "Trader José's Premium" Mexican Beer. According to the petition signers, the products perpetuated "harmful stereotypes".
Trader Joe's released a statement on its website regarding the matter. In it, the company addressed the petition and said it was not changing any names that some people may find to be offensive. Rather, changing the names of products is a decision based on marketing and sales. In other words, Trader Joe's, like other companies will continue with products that sell and tweak products that don't.
I'm glad Trader Joe's chose to keep the names of these products. These are not racist or demeaning names. They are names that go with the products and their origins: Arabian coffee, Mexican products, Asian food. They are creative marketing plays meant to play on the company name.
The product's names created by Trader Joe's are meant to be tongue-in-cheek. They are meant to lend "authenticity" to the products they sell. There is no intent to offend anyone or any group any more than "Newman's Own" means to offend ethnic groups when the likeness of Paul Newman is seen dressed in a sombrero on a jar of salsa or like a gondolier on a bottle of salad dressing. I'm not sure what the petitioners are seeing in these labels or names, but I am certainly not seeing it. What is next from these people demanding "change"? Taco Bell? Is Sbarro poking fun at Italians? Those who are calling for the change are completely missing the point. I wonder how many of them have purchased these products in the past before becoming "woke".
No comments:
Post a Comment