Tesco apologises over 'ginger jibe' christmas card

[Hecktix]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/n...re/8411894.stm

A Christmas card has been withdrawn from two Tesco stores in York after complaints that it makes fun of children with ginger hair.
The card shows a child with ginger hair sitting on the lap of Santa Claus, and the words: "Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones."
Davinia Phillips, 30, of York, whose three daughters are redheads, said she found the card offensive.
Tesco said it was sorry if the card had "caused any upset".
Ms Phillips, of Dringhouses, York, spotted the card while visiting her Tesco store in the city's Tadcaster Road.
She said: "I picked it up and I couldn't believe it.
"I just thought 'What is so funny about that?' I didn't really get the joke.
"I thought I would buy it, because I wanted proof that I had seen it."
Ms Phillips, herself a natural redhead, added: "The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got and I told the lady who worked in the store I was not happy."
'Absolutely disgusted'
When Ms Phillips returned to the shop later that evening she said the card had been removed.
She added that the card had also been withdrawn from the Tesco branch at Clifton Moor, York, after her sister-in-law complained.
"I thought maybe it was just me because I am a mother of kids with red hair, but a lot of my friends and other people I know, we are absolutely disgusted," Ms Phillips said.
It is never our intention to offend any customer and we are sorry if this card caused any upset


Tesco spokesman

"Society comes down hard on how people look and there are so many children these days who are bullied because of how they look.
"If the card had been about an overweight child then the shop would have been shut down, and so would the people who made the card."
A Tesco spokesman said: "We sell a large range of Christmas cards, including some which are intended to be humorous. It is never our intention to offend any customer and we are sorry if this card caused any upset."
He added that they were still deciding whether to remove the card from other Tesco stores.
Card manufacturer, Essex-based Quitting Hollywood, said it had no comment to make.

I can't decide whether this is OTT or not...

[Technologic]

This is not OTT, its really offensive. Most people dont understand what its like, constant jibes for something they cant really control. (I'm not ginger, but i know what its like for other reasons)

[-:Undertaker:-]

This is not OTT, its really offensive. Most people dont understand what its like, constant jibes for something they cant really control. (I'm not ginger, but i know what its like for other reasons)

It isn't offensive at all, I have a ginger mate and he gets the piss taken out of him all the time, hes not depressed or really offended by it. I think a lot of people need to get over themselves and get out of their cotton wool that this government and culture has wrapped them in.

[Black_Apalachi]

Two people complain while I bet you hundreds saw the card and it made them laugh.

"I picked it up and I couldn't believe it.
"I just thought 'What is so funny about that?' I didn't really get the joke.
"I thought I would buy it, because I wanted proof that I had seen it."

The bold shows exactly the kind of people that would be so easily offended and make a fuss out of anything.

He added that they were still deciding whether to remove the card from other Tesco stores.

Lol so the spokesman clearly doesn't think it's bad at all. If he did, there would be no question about whether it should be removed from all stores. Removing it from this one was clearly just to please this individual .

[Absently]

Three of my best friends are ginger and if they saw it would probably be in the pisses over it.. they always get made fun of and everyone makes jokes about them being ginger but they don't care, they just laugh it off.

i think this is silly.

[Technologic]

It isn't offensive at all, I have a ginger mate and he gets the piss taken out of him all the time, hes not depressed or really offended by it. I think a lot of people need to get over themselves and get out of their cotton wool that this government and culture has wrapped them in.

Thats your mate, my mate find it really upsetting

[Lee]

This is a perfect debate.

I am not personally ginger, and if I was I wouldn't be offended unless the comments actually escalated into a form of bullying.

[adaym]

This is piss pants funny.

[Japan]

I think we can only really make a judgement if we are ginger.

[Wig44.]

Just a couple of stupid busy bodies who can't help sticking their noses in when it can make other people's lives harder. ******* hate them so much.