Tesco respond to ‘sexist’ card claims

It being International Women’s Day, international women (and men) might like the debate aroused by this:

It a harmless and humorous/sexist and offensive card currently on sale in Tesco shops and possibly elsewhere for all I know.

For some days Tesco have been considering their response to Channel4 News when I first raised this debate (see Tomoblog last Saturday).

Their customer services basically told people complaining that the card is funny and they will not stop selling it.

Today they emailed me saying: “Just to let you know, we’ve got no plans to stop selling the cards.”

It certainly polarises opinion. Some see this as casual, offensive, sexism making light of sexual harassment which is a serious issue for many women (and some men).

Others say we all need to lighten up, obtain lives etc and it is all PC gone mad and all the fault of the liberal media too somehow – whatever that precise ‘fault’ may be.

Women are divided too if my little electronic postbag is anything to go my. A number of women brought said card to my attention almost a week ago. A number have since said to me that I need to move on and grow a sense of humour. Several say it’s funny, end of.

I take no view and merely report the issue – although quite a few people don’t seem yet to get the difference between reporting and supporting here.

But let that rest, the issue illustrates precisely the impossibility of ruling definitively on issues of perceived sexism (or humour) and I suspect the same’s true with racism (or humour). Or even religion (or humour).

Should sexism be off-limits for humour? Or race? Or religion?

To paraphrase one tweet to me on this issue today: There’s a priest, a rabbi and an imam walking down the street – no, maybe not.

Follow @alextomo on Twitter.