Community Chat

[Lipstickdiva]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

Apples and oranges. By the time you're an adult, you can well figure out whether you want to buy men's or women's clothing...same with perfumes (colognes), etc.

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And who is making an issue about the signs in the toy department?  Adults.  Do you think children really care about this?

If adults won't buy their child a certain toy because they consider it a boys'  toy or a girls' toy, that's a problem with the adult and I don't see how taking down signs is going to change that.

The notion of boys toys and girls toys are being put into these kids' minds by grown adults.   

[sipp]

My kids are in  their 30's- we bought whatever they were interested in and we didn't need a store to tell us what aisle to shop in. Interestingly- the girls never were interested in Barbie and the boys liked dolls, albeit GI JOE--- that said this whole POLITICALLY CORRECT ****** IS BEING SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS IN ALL ARENAS AND IT STINKS. EVERYONE IS WALKING ON EGGSHELLS -AFRAID THEY'LL INSULT SOMEONE -WELL GET THICKER SKINS AND QUIT WHINING OVER "WORDS". Stop lining the lawyer pockets with stupid "supposed" slights and grow up already. (sticks and stones may break my bones names will never hurt me) People "back when" knew that.

[surfk]

Actually a lot of clothing items in American culture are rather unisex from the get-go.

And its the Ladies dept. which benefits usually.

I mean, years ago, a woman NEVER would have been caught wearing dungarees, sweat pants, sloppy tee shirts, giant gym shows, etc, etc...

In fact, a lot of clothing could easily be moved between Ladies and Men's Apparel sections and no one would even notice.

If anything, a lot of ladies dress sort of like men - or more accurately like boys of the 1960s.

Put a yellow SIZE LARGE tee shirt on a table and watch who all grabs for one.

It would be a mix of men and women.

Same with blue heather tees, salmon colored tees, tees that say "BORN FREE".

lol

Actually, one barely needs to label or identify the Girl's clothing section from the Boy's clothing section. For the most part, those are used just to direct traffic to the right floor.

Same with Ladies Apparel, 3rd fl vs Menswear, Basement level.

It isn't like the clothing needs to be marked. Instead, its to guide people around Macy's or Harrods or wherever.

Even online, one will see catalogs of fleece vest outerwear. The "MEN'S" will be no different than the "LADIES" other than the colors offered.

Realistically, there is no genuine difference other than what retailers will claim to be the colors which one gender tends to buy over the other (after a lifetime of conditioning).

In the TOY aisle though, unless one's main purpose in buying a toy is to instill some gender identity mission, you can label things according to INTEREST.

So this silly argument that now people won't be able to find a doll or a Bob the Builder jackhammer set without signs indicating "BOY" or "GIRL" is moot.

You instead simply categorize or arrange the toys according to interest or the sort of item they are.

Like in a PUBLIC LIBRARY. Books are catalogued by interest and not by who the library system thinks should be reading something.

"WOMEN'S BOOKS". What would those be??? Instructionals on darning socks and MAYBE some Jane Austen novel??

And the rest of great Literature would, of course, all be for MEN. Let them concern themselves with astrophysics, history and theology.

The Ladies can have their books of pretty decals and guides on how to please their man.

[NoelSeven]

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@sipp wrote:

My kids are in  their 30's- we bought whatever they were interested in and we didn't need a store to tell us what aisle to shop in. Interestingly- the girls never were interested in Barbie and the boys liked dolls, albeit GI JOE--- that said this whole POLITICALLY CORRECT ****** IS BEING SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS IN ALL ARENAS AND IT STINKS. EVERYONE IS WALKING ON EGGSHELLS -AFRAID THEY'LL INSULT SOMEONE -WELL GET THICKER SKINS AND QUIT WHINING OVER "WORDS". Stop lining the lawyer pockets with stupid "supposed" slights and grow up already. (sticks and stones may break my bones names will never hurt me) People "back when" knew that.

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I don't think so.  It's people back when who created slander and libel laws because they knew that names will hurt.

BTW, there are no lawyers involved in this issue, so I have no idea how that comment from you applies.

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[surfk]

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@sipp wrote:

My kids are in  their 30's- we bought whatever they were interested in and we didn't need a store to tell us what aisle to shop in. Interestingly- the girls never were interested in Barbie and the boys liked dolls, albeit GI JOE--- that said this whole POLITICALLY CORRECT ****** IS BEING SHOVED DOWN OUR THROATS IN ALL ARENAS AND IT STINKS. EVERYONE IS WALKING ON EGGSHELLS -AFRAID THEY'LL INSULT SOMEONE -WELL GET THICKER SKINS AND QUIT WHINING OVER "WORDS". Stop lining the lawyer pockets with stupid "supposed" slights and grow up already. (sticks and stones may break my bones names will never hurt me) People "back when" knew that.

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We're talking, though, about the removal of unnecessary signage. Its not a campaign to add signs or to even re-designate signs.

They're removing unnecessary labels.

As you admit, you and your kids didn't follow any of the GENDER signs when buying toys of interest.

This simply takes down the signs leaving people to buy to what they want without any labels attached.

Why would people be opposed to that? I mean, what is so scary in NOT having such signs in the TOY aisles???

Does removing stigmas or opening up a child's world scare people somehow?

I mean, if they think that way, they're also the parents or grandparents who think that some toy dump truck is going to make a MAN out of their little boys. Or worse, that it will keep him from "turnin' all homosexual-like".

I swear kids ought to be sent into a TOY store on their own and then parents could see what they come out with (and later on in life, come out as). lol

And it isn't just the classic "Barbie" dolls vs "Explosive Maniacs" toys we're discussing. The world of toys is way bigger than those two gender extremes.

Boys today SEE all of the cooking competition shows on television. They see Bobby Flay and tons of male chefs and gourmets. They may want to grow up to become a chef or to own a restaurant.

But then they walk into the TOY STORE (that dern'dreaded toys store!) and see ALL of the cooking toys in the aisles marked "GIRLS".

Or they see that the play oven or kitchen set is in a big pink box adorned with flowers and pictures of little girls making princess cupcakes.

And the boys get lost. Or they're confused as the labeling and gender discrimination in the toy aisle is actually WORSE than in real life general society today.

Same with girls. They may lloooove engineering and they see woman engineers in life. But when they hit the toy aisles, the message to them is that they'd best be a boy who likes to build Boy Scout salvage dumps and the color "blotto".

Society is actually a tad more advanced than are many TOY departments.

And those who want to see everything marked as either BOY or GIRL are becoming dinosaurs in the toy stores (not to be confused with the T-Rex kit in the actual BOYS dinosaur toy aisle, of course).

[NoelSeven]

surfk -

I think you've hit on an important point.  It's much easier for girls to crossover than for boy.  Boys can be subject to relentless and mean teasing when they like toys thought to be for girls.  The Bronies are a perfect example, the boys who like My Little Ponies.

Girls can usually get away with liking boys toys and sports equipment.

[NoelSeven]

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@Jackaranda wrote:

I just can not wait for the day when no one is offended any more by any thing. I don't care what Target goes with toys as I can figure out on my own what to get.  We have big problems to solve but everyday is some story of someone be offended about something. I am just waiting for the day when some short wants to change the name of shortcake. We have become a nation of complainers.

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But you are complaining, so are all the rest who think Target is destroying gender identity.

The rest of us are happy with the change.

[surfk]

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@Jackaranda wrote:

I just can not wait for the day when no one is offended any more by any thing. I don't care what Target goes with toys as I can figure out on my own what to get.  We have big problems to solve but everyday is some story of someone be offended about something. I am just waiting for the day when some short wants to change the name of shortcake. We have become a nation of complainers.

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I don't think its "complaining" to take signs down which only limit or label things and people unnecessarily.

Its not "complaining" to want to see the toy aisles (and kids) freed up a bit.

I think, if anything, the "complaining" comes from those who want everything labeled according to gender. And if its not, then they complain that society is going to ruin and every child will turn out to be a psychological hermaphrodite or something.

Who would have thought a blue pair of roller skates rather than a purple pair of roller skates could wield so much power?

I mean, are these MAGICAL toys we're all shopping for now?

Like, "With this pink Frisbee I maketh thee woe-man."

Why, its almost BIBLICAL what Hasbro can do these days.

[suzyQ3]

Hey, we're all tired of something.

I'm tired of those who use the PC card with abandon every time a change occurs in society or someone takes offense at something.

I'm tired of complainers and whiners complaining about complaining and whining.

I'm just tired.