Gender Equality vs. Multiculturalism
Ground Zero: IKEA?
US servicemembers have the Iraq Culture Smart Card, while other western nations have the IKEA furniture assembly manuals:
IKEA, which has more than 200 stores in 32 nations, fears it might offend Muslims by depicting women assembling everything from cupboards to beds. Its manuals show only men or cartoon figures whose sex is unclear."This isn't good enough," Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik was quoted Thursday as telling the daily Verdens Gang. "It's important to promote attitudes for sexual equality, not least in Muslim nations."
"They should change this," he said. "There's no justification for it."
There's a point at which spreading "democracy" means spreading more than just the right to vote. This IKEA example may seem petty, but we all know there are bigger, more important ones.
Ikea? Did somebody mention Ikea?
Rox, come by and get some props here
. . . I'm all lost in the supermarket. . . I can no longer shop happily
Posted by: The Heretik | 10 March 2005 at 09:52
the righties like to pretend that private enterprise inevitably brings democracy and equality. this just illustrates how a for-profit enterprise is much more likely to just cave into and reinforce local prejudice to avoid getting bad press
Posted by: upyernoz | 10 March 2005 at 10:57
Gender Equality vs. Multiculturalism
WTF?! Why are they being forced to choose just one?! Leave it to the BushCo and their bullshit and so-called "spreading democracy" doctrine to create such an unfair dilemma within vulnerable nations.
Posted by: Pseudo-Adrienne | 10 March 2005 at 11:39
IKEA and other companies should use women in their manuels then maybe these countries would get a clue.
Posted by: Blue | 10 March 2005 at 16:51
There's a point, too, maybe, at which we realize that offending women is also important.
Or hey, maybe not.
(For the record: it never occured to me to be offended by their construction instructions. But I am offended at that explanation.)
Posted by: bitchphd | 10 March 2005 at 20:36
Personally, I think IKEA should take a lesson from reality:
Of men and women -- which gender will be more likely to ask for directions to assemble something rather than assume knowledge of the product and then assemble it and realize that about 40% of the hardware still remains? :-)
Posted by: Shiny | 10 March 2005 at 23:23
Good lord this is condescending and stereotypical.
Posted by: elemental | 11 March 2005 at 08:40
I've heard that Europe is just now trying to advance the cause of women, so some of this stuff we went through a while ago.
It was just as silly here, though not to semi-fascist, humorless idealogues, like....the gender feminists...nothing is really silly to them.
Posted by: Chris | 15 July 2005 at 16:47