cancelculture

Monopoly Woke Up

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

For the first time in over 85 years, Monopoly’s 16 Community Chest Cards are about to get a “long overdue” redo, Hasbro announced last Thursday.

And, why not?  #metoo has an entirely new meaning these days, DeShaun Watson aside.  Hasbro is following the lead of Dr. Suess and the Potato Head formerly known as Mr.

Call it “woke” or call it “cancel culture,” but most of all call it corporate me too.

“True to its longstanding history of inviting its fans to help make changes to the game, and during a time when community means more than ever before, Monopoly is asking consumers worldwide to determine the new cards by voting at MonopolyCommunityChest.com,” the company said in a press release.   Actually, the long-standing history is that it rarely changed until now.

The press release drivel continues, “covering topics like beauty contests, holiday funds, and life insurance, there is no denying the Monopoly game’s Community Chest Cards are long overdue for a refresh. And, coming out of the tumultuous year of 2020, the term “community” has taken on a whole new meaning. Hasbro is counting on their fans to help reflect what community means in their real lives, into the Monopoly game, by voting for new cards like “Shop Local,” “Rescue A Puppy,” or “Help Your Neighbors.”

And on, “according to the Monopoly website where players may vote, card options include rescuing a puppy to get out of jail free or being penalized for not recycling your trash.

Woke indeed.  But perhaps they should have gone even further.  Changing just the Community Chest cards doesn’t seem inclusive enough.  BBR has a few further suggestions to iron out to bring the board game into 2021.

Pennsylvania Ave. should be eliminated.  The real-world Pennsylvania Ave. in DC has a Trump Hotel on it.  No one should have to land on that and pay the Donald rent money.

Reading Railroad should be eliminated as well.   This screams of prejudice against the illiterate.

The money that you are given to start the game isn’t enough either.  Maybe an additional $1400 for everyone whether legal, illegal, or incarcerated would be helpful in these tough times.

And, why even have a jail?  That corner space could be renamed Bill de Blasio Blvd as he always has an extra “get out of jail free” card in the rare instance that someone in NY is actually charged with a crime.

Mediterranean and Baltic should go.  No one should live on streets in such squalor.  And, Boardwalk and Park Place must go too.  No one should be able to afford such excess.  Maybe the rules could assess a property tax to the rich landowners each time they added houses and give it to the squatters of the aforementioned lower-class neighborhood.

Oriental Ave?  Really?  Wow!

The game’s goal used to be to empty your competitor’s bank account not empty recycled trash.

Maybe Hasbro could insure that everyone wins from now on.  Heck, even the name “Monopoly” should change, shouldn’t it?

One tweeter unloaded and called it a “terrible idea” and said it’s a classic board game for a reason.

“Make a new woke version if you must but please leave the original game as it is. Hopefully, you feel the pain of a massive boycott while you’re on the cancel culture bandwagon,” the user stated.

We feel the tweeter’s pain.

 

 

 

It’s a Dangerous Intersection

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

With so many working from home you’d think the traffic would be far lighter.  But, on the corner of Sports Street and Life Lane, it’s busier than ever.  And once again yesterday, to make matters worse at rush hour, that damn train rolled through as well.

You know the train by name.  It’s a passenger train outbound to nowhere.  It’s called the Cancel Culture Express.  Except for this time a passenger that The Movement was trying to throw off decided to step right in front of it and dare the engineers to hit him.

If you’re an NFL fan you’ve heard of Luis Moreno, Jr. haven’t you?  He’s with the Carolina Panthers.  He has been for 10 years and counting.  Well.  It’s ten years and counting until yesterday.

No, he doesn’t play linebacker and he doesn’t kneel when the National Anthem is played.  Moreno is a Spanish-language broadcaster for the Carolina Panthers and a darn good one.  He says felt pressured to leave his job because the team is upset that he is a supporter of President Donald Trump.  In our “all-inclusive” society we only are inclusive if you choose to be included in the cause.

Moreno told the Charlotte Observer that he began openly supporting Trump on his personal Twitter account this Spring.  Shortly thereafter he was contacted about his tweets by Eric Fiddleman, the Panthers’ radio and television affiliate manager.  Fiddleman asked Moreno to delete any affiliation with the team from his personal Twitter account.

Fair enough.  The Panthers clearly feel the need to be on the right side of BLM and the NFL office nowadays.  It’s their brand and they should choose their messaging.

But, Fiddleman continued to fiddle.  He reportedly contacted Moreno (who actually is an independent contractor for them, hence even further removed) again in the summer, but this time to tell him to stop his political tweets. “If what they want me to do is stop supporting the president, I’m not gonna do that,” Moreno told Fiddleman.

Moreno further charged that Steven Drummond, the Panthers vice president of communications and external affairs, refused to speak with him about the “issue” of his social media posts and support for Trump.  Ten years of loyalty won’t help you cross the intersection these days when the ole’ Cancel Culture Express is blowing its horn.

“I’m hurt,” Moreno told the paper. “Because this has nothing to do with my performance on-air.  I’m one of the best, and I’ll put myself against anybody in the country when it comes to what I do in Spanish. None of my support for the president was done on any of their social media pages, it was never done on any of the airtime. This was solely on my personal time on my personal accounts.”

Moreno added that he won’t return to work unless the team says he is free to advocate for whomever he supports politically. “I am not OK with them censoring my freedom of speech in support of the president,” he added.

And with that, he put his hand up and stopped the Cancel Culture Express before it ran over him.

“Silly him,” you say.  “He’s the one out of a job,” you say.

It’s rare these days, but refreshing when it happens.  Someone spoke up for common sense, dignity, and most of all freedom of speech.

Moreno was a member of the “silent majority.”

He’s not anymore.  He spoke up.

Boycotts Don’t Amount to a Hill of Beans.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Tomatoe, Tomato.  Potatoe, Potata.  Boycott, Buycott.

Saturday Raul Reyes, a member of the USA Today board of contributors (whatever that means), wrote an op-ed piece for CNN Business.  It began with “Adios Goya!”  Why?  Surely you have heard by now.  Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue praised President Trump at a White House ceremony on Thursday afternoon. Speaking at a Rose Garden event, Unanue said, “We’re all truly blessed, at the same time, to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder.”

And the left roared.  Social media’s daily outrage turned its short attention span to a can of refried beans.  Hashtags like #Goyaway and #BoycottGoya started trending faster than Speedy Gonzalez can say “undelay!”

And the right went to the store and bought enough cans of Goya garbanzo beans to spread hummus from sea to shining sea.  Buycott.

In the emotion of the moment, a boycott and a buycott are such an “I’ll show you!”  But, even in the era of the new normal, we go back to the old normal.  If you bought Goya products before you likely will buy plenty more.  If you never heard of them you’ll likely stare at your emotional purchase of canned black beans sitting in your panty till the expiration date nears.  Hopefully, the local food drive knocks on the front door before then.

Don’t believe us?  Do you remember 2012?  Way back then Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy made comments expressing his opposition to gay marriage.

And the left roared. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote a letter to Cathy urging him to back out of plans to open a restaurant in the city.  Then, according to the Boston Herald, he warned, “if they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult — unless they open up their policies.”

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that he would work to stop any attempt by Chick-fil-A to expand in the city.

“Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors, and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.”  He could barely be heard above the constant staccato of gunfire emanating from the respectful south side neighbors, but we digress.

And the right lined up around the building to eat overpriced chicken and waffled fries.

How is Chick-fil-A doing today?  In spite of stepping in the political chicken, um, waste, again and again, it’s doing quite well.  In fact, its location count is 2363 and counting.  If you still don’t believe us, go wait in an ever-present double drive-thru line for some.

How will Goya do?  The largest Spanish owned company in the U.S. will likely continue to do quite well.

Right now it’s in some hot sauce.

But, by tomorrow The Movement will have moved on.  In cancel culture you are always looking for the next outrageous moment.

Salsa Verde anyone?

Pray for Mrs. Butterworth

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

BBR was dark yesterday.  Did you miss us?  We missed you.

We took the day off with our colleagues to reflect on the passing of two family members.  It’s tough to lose one that you are close to, much less two.

Gone is an aunt, and shockingly just hours afterward, an uncle.  Sometimes the will to live goes shortly after one loses a loved one.

RIP Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben.  Jemima lived a very long and profitable life.  Born in 1889 she passed at an unbelievable 131 years of age.  Ben wasn’t as healthy nor as wealthy but still lived a productive life.  He was born in the early ’40s, lived into his late ’70s, though an exact birth date is unknown.

And, there’s never two without three you know?  Mrs. Butterworth is on life support.  “We understand that our actions help play an important role in eliminating racial bias and as a result, we have begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s,” Conagra Brands Communications Manager Dan Skinner told Forbes.

You begin to wonder if it’s more than just being syrup that might be detrimental to one’s health.

Aunt Jemima met her demise for looking (and in early media sounding like) far too much like a stereotypical black woman working in a white family’s kitchen.

Uncle Ben met his maker as critics have pointed out the problematic use of a black man to be the face of a white company, noting that black men were often referred to as “boy” or “uncle” to avoid calling them “Mr.” during the country’s Jim Crow era.  The name “Uncle Ben’s” came from founder Gordon Harwell and his business partner who discussed a famed Texas farmer referred to as Uncle Ben, known for his rice.

Uncle Ben underwent plastic surgery in 2007 to extend his life.   The cosmetic procedure allowed Ben to be portrayed as a businessman, according to The New York Times.  It wasn’t enough in the end.

You have to wonder if these two icons of the food industry would be worthy of being honored with a statue.  Though, these days and times, that might not be the best idea either.

Soon maybe someone who is as “white as rice,” and is more woke than any other bloke, will suggest that black-eyed peas could meet the grim reaper next.  “Black-eyed,” you ask, is different as it isn’t a brand name?  There is no need to draw the line there to end this systemic racism.  You only eat them every New Year’s Day anyway.

Names are toppling almost as fast as statues in our cancel culture.  It’s got to be time to get after a few more statues, too.

How long before the cry begins to dynamite down the faces on Mt. Rushmore?  It could use a little cosmetic surgery as well.  Washington and Jefferson were slave owners.  Lincoln statues, which puzzles us, are being torn down too.  And Teddy Roosevelt didn’t belong up there anyway.   His presence is like Trent Dilfer winning a Super Bowl.

At least we won’t have to change the mountain’s name.  Or, will we?