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The Law Society of South Africa has objected to a Young Designers Emporium campaign in which a woman is seen being "spanked and bruised". The campaign, Brand Spanking New Fashion, is being run at YDE's stores and on their website. The society's gender and equality committee said the advert is in bad taste and cannot be tolerated in a country where the legislature and other concerned stakeholders are making efforts to root out all forms of women and child abuse, said spokesperson Nonto Umlaw. Society chairperson Thoba Poyo said: "Advertising is a very powerful medium and the messages emanating from advertisers are meant to change perceptions".

YDE creative director Sam Coleman said this was not an advert but a campaign on their shop windows and on their website and is directed at customers. "It wasn't the intention that the campaign be taken seriously, we don't take our advertising too seriously," he said. He said there are no bruises in the pictures, just a slight redness. He said that instead of referring to "new season clothing", they used "Brand Spanking New Fashion" in which they show males and females being spanked. "We show a man and woman being spanked. It is quite surprising that no one said anything about the man being spanked," he said. Coleman emphasised that they were not depicting a violent act. The campaign started a few weeks ago and "isolated complaints" were received. It was even discussed on a Cape Town-based radio station. "If we receive an absolute barrage of complaints we will stop the campaign," he said. "Our largest target group is women. Why would we want to offend our customers?" asked Coleman.

Source. Photos of the advertisements concerned here



ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PC

Q: What is P.C.? PC stands for Politically Correct. We of the Politically Correct philosophy believe in increasing the tolerance for a DIVERSITY of cultures, race, gender, ideology and alternate lifestyles. Political Correctness is the only socially- and morally-acceptable outlook. Anyone who disagrees with this philosophy is bigoted, biased, sexist, and closed-minded.

Q: Why should I be PC? Being PC is fun. PCism is not just an attitude, it is a way of life! PC offers the satisfaction of knowing that you are right, and that you are undoing the social evils of centuries of oppression.

Q: I am a white male--can I still be PC? Sure. You just have to feel very guilty.

Q: Why? If you are a white male, your ancestors were responsible for practically every injustice in the world--slavery, war, genocide and plaid sport coats. That means that YOU are partially responsible for these atrocities. Now it is time to balance the scales of justice for the descendants of those individuals whose ancestors your ancestors oppressed.

Q: How? It's simple. You've got to be careful what you say, what you think, and what you do. You just don't want to offend anyone.

Q: You mean I should guard against offending ANYONE? That's right. Being offensive is destructive, and will not make the world a harmonious utopia, like in John Lennon's IMAGINE.

Q: How else can I be PC? Oh, there are lots of ways. For example, why buy regular ice cream when you can buy "Rain Forest Crunch?" Segrega..whoops..separate all of your garbage into different containers: glass, metal, white paper, blue paper, plastic, etc. Make sure that none of your make-up has been tested on animals. Try to find at least sixty ways to use your water; when you take a shower, brush your teeth at the same time. Then don't let the water go down the drain, use it to irrigate your lawn. Or better yet, replace your lawn with a vegetable garden. Don't use aerosol. And by all means, don't burn or deface our flag. Remember, as a citizen of America, you're living in God's country. If you are fortunate enough to know your ethnic heritage, dress the part! Don't do drugs. You should listen to at least one of the following PC musicians: U2, REM, Sinead O'Connor, Sting, or KD Lang. Harass people who wear fur coats. Remind them that an innocent baby seal was mercilessly clubbed. Or just yell, "FUR!" They hate that. And don't EVER eat meat.

Q: Don't eat meat? Why not?! Cows are animals, just like humans are animals. That means that they have rights. When you eat meat, you're oppressing animals!

Q: So ALL killing is bad? No, not always. Sometimes killing can be justified, like in the Persian Gulf. You have to be able to tell when an animal has rights, and when it doesn't.

Q: How do I know when an animal has rights? The general rule is as follows: IF AN ANIMAL IS RARE, PRETTY, BIG, CUTE, FURRY, HUGGABLE, OR LOVABLE, THEN IT HAS RIGHTS. Examine the following chart: RIGHTS NO RIGHTS cows cockroaches cute bunnies flies dolphins in tuna nets tuna in tuna nets whales sharks red squirrels gray squirrels owls loggers trees corn harbor seals barnacles

Q: Wow. What else can I do to be PC? Hug a tree. Rejoice each day in our cultural differences, for they are what gives flavour to our great country. Get in touch with your sexual identity. Check your refrigerator for freon leaks. Subscribe to National Geographic. Search it for neat non- Western cultural traditions and costumes. After you read it, use the paper as an alternate fuel source.

Q: I'm not sure about all of this. If you are feeling unsure about your motivation, just remember: PC is right. YOU ARE RIGHT. It's that simple. You are right.

Q: How do I know if an action is non-PC? Good question. It's important to know when someone is saying something insensitive so that you can have that person removed from society. The guideline is as follows: Is the confrontation between two white people? Yes -> The liberal is right. No -> The white person is oppressing the ethnic person. Remember, many seemingly obvious issues--such as the railroading of Mayor Marion Barry, the Clarence Thomas issue, and the Saint Mary's University Caribbean Society shut-down--are really race issues. Here's a fun practice drill for you: See how many newspaper articles you can make into race-bias stories. It's fun! Some PCers are so good they can make the weather report look like a KKK pamphlet!

Q: What should I do if I see someone doing something non-PC? It all depends on the situation. If you are not in a position of authority, by all means report this activity immediately to whomever is in charge. If your school leader, employer, or superior is hip to the trend of the 90s, they (not "he"; see upcoming question regarding PC-correct usage) will take the necessary steps to have the insensitive offender disciplined.

Q: But isn't that censorship? The Constitution never meant for racism, sexism or insensitivity to be espoused by anyone. That's not what free speech is about. Some call it censorship. PCers call it "selective" speech. Saying something negative about a particular race or gender is just as damaging as, say, punching them in the face. We just can't allow that kind of verbal assault.

Q: I've heard a lot about PC words to replace "Black," "Indian," etc. Yes. That's part of the PC movement. You see, part of the way we think about people comes directly from the words we use to describe them. Take "black" for instance. Why should a person be judged by the color of their skin?

Q: You mean that they should rather be judged by the content of their character? No, I mean they should be judged by where their ancestors are from. If your great grandparents are from Africa, or Asia, or wherever, then you should be identified by that fact. You can even apply for special scholarships!

Q: I'm a mixture of French, German, English and Russian. Can I get one? No, there are none offered to white males--however, if you are a woman ...oops... womyn (see PC LEXICON at end of handbook), there should be plenty.

Q Hey, wouldn't a white person from Libya or Egypt technically be an African-American? Technically, yes. But that's not the kind of African-American we mean. That is, we're REALLY talking about skin color, but we're pretending that we aren't. Another example: a white South- African immigrant is not an African-American (or either).

Q: How can I learn to make my language more Politically Correct? You must un-learn everything you learned in elementary-school English classes. Like using "he" when you're not referring to anyone in particular, which is offensive to womyn. Some people substitute "he or she," or--better yet--"she or he," but that still admits to gender differences, which is offensive to anyone who is truly Politically Correct. The PC-preferred term is "they." Thus, the sentence "everyone must pick up his check" becomes "everyone must pick up their check." It sounds awkward, but you'll get used to it. For more help, see the PC LEXICON at the end of the handbook.

Q: I'd like my child to be PC. What can I do? Well, for one thing, we should forcibly encourage students to volunteer their time with philanthropies. Also, we should re- emphasize non-Western perspectives on history. Finally, we should re-structure tests and quizzes to reflect cultural biases.

Q: I don't get it. Well, the way the system works now, "select" under-represented minorities who tend to do worse on entrance tests have lower standards of admission at school and work, and receive preferential treatment. This is unfair and wrong.

Q: It is? Yes. The truly PC way to do it is to have different grading scales for different groups, which gives or subtracts points from the final score, depending on who is taking the test. If you are white, then you have been benefited by society during your life. That means that you lose ten to fifteen points to make the test fair to everyone else.

Q: I guess that sounds right. It IS right. YOU are right. That's the beauty of PC.

Q: What else do I have to be careful of? Humor. We take every comment VERY seriously. We will not accept any comment, joke, remark, or anything that sounds like it could be a gender or racial slur.

Q: Give me an example. "What's black and white and red all over?" has been staple humor for decades. Not PC--it can be taken the wrong way. In every day speech, try to use phrases like, "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle African-American?" Any racial jokes--or jokes even mentioning culture or gender--should be omitted. True, this mostly limits comedy to the level of sitcoms, but that's the price you pay for social equality, justice, and that warm, fuzzy feeling you get from knowing that you are undoing centuries of oppression.

Q: Is that all there is to it? Yes. The Politically Correct belief is essentially a recognition that people are diversely equal. We rejoice in this equality by treating people differently based on their equal individualities. Hop aboard the bandwagon... Be PC. Or else you're an intolerant, racist, sexist, insensitive pig.

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