Tesco removes gender-specific toy sections after little girl complains - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Budapi;46573556]You want to force change by catering to minorities?[/QUOTE] Catering to "minorities" isn't always a bad thing. And in places where change will not happen by itself due to self-perpetuating cycles, forced changes in small places are needed. If you want to stop a cycle that keeps powering itself infinitely, you have to throw a wrench into it sometime. Even if it's only to slow it down. Just this single change could change society for the better. If we sit and do nothing, it's only going to get worse. If we let it be and keep going to see if it sorts itself out, it's going to just go faster. Also, I would hardly call this a minority. There's a lot of people out there that are growing to think the same way as this little girl, and an ever-shrinking fewer that think it should be still gender-segregated. Though, the majority just doesn't care, and not caring is also a problem. Society needs to learn that sometimes, boys want to play with dolls and makeup, and girls want to play with action figures and monster trucks, without any fear of being bullied or ridiculed. This is just one small step to doing so.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46573356]Saddening that the tumblr level SJW-isms are reaching children[/QUOTE] I remember a day whenever people didn't cry SJW at anything vaguely progressive.

[QUOTE=smurfy;46573606]But there's literally no reason that any toy would be 'better for boys' or 'better for girls'[/QUOTE] It's better since currently there are specific toys that fit genders in society. so it does help with picking a better toy for that gender. it's only better because it's perceived as the more correct/better choice in society.

[QUOTE=Ehmmett;46573628]it's easier to find toys for gender specific children because those sections are typically filled with what those gender specific kids like. like 90% of the time. it's not like each section has a locked gate with a gender identification test. what negative aspect do they have? who is being oppressed by this?[/QUOTE] if i'm auntie jane and i don't know much about 8 year old bobby's likes, i'm gonna go look in the boy aisle of the toy store, because i'm likely to find something he'll like

[QUOTE=Budapi;46573633]It's better since currently there are specific toys that fit genders in society. so it does help with picking a better toy for that gender. it's only better because it's perceived as the more correct/better choice in society.[/QUOTE] It seems like you refuse to understand. Fuck society. Society is frequently wrong, incredibly wrong. Society used to think Blacks were lesser than Whites. Society used to think way way way less of Gays than they do now. Society used to think Women should not have the ability to vote. This is one of those times where society is still very very wrong. And it'll continue to be wrong until we take the incentive to change it, just like with African Americans, just like with gay people, albeit slowly. [u]Removing the damn sign is a necessary step.[/u]

[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;46573669]It seems like you refuse to understand. Fuck society. Society is frequently wrong, incredibly wrong. Society used to think Blacks were lesser than Whites. Society used to think way way way less than Gays than they do now. Society used to think Women should not have the ability to vote. This is one of those times where society is still very very wrong. And it'll continue to be wrong until we take the incentive to change it, just like with African Americans, just like with gay people, albeit slowly. [u]Removing the damn sign is a necessary step.[/u][/QUOTE] If society doesn't dictate what would be the more moral/correct choice then what does? Who needs to lecture society, you?

[QUOTE=ImperialGuard;46573622]I remember a day whenever people didn't cry SJW at anything vaguely progressive.[/QUOTE] It's gone from a term to describe actual social justice warriors whose every post on the internet is a part of their crusade against the patriarchy to a term for anybody who just says anything mildly egalitarian minded. I mean fuck, I disagree with feminism on like 90% of their issues, but these days I don't really take anybody who accuses someone of being a SJW unironically seriously. [QUOTE=Budapi;46573681]If society doesn't dictate what would be the more moral/correct choice then what does? Who needs to lecture society, you?[/QUOTE] Case by case basis. In this case, this is a baseless social belief that actively harms people.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;46573683]It's gone from a term to describe actual social justice warriors whose every post on the internet is a part of their crusade against the patriarchy to a term for anybody who just says anything mildly egalitarian minded. I mean fuck, I disagree with feminism on like 90% of their issues, but these days I don't really take anybody who accuses someone of being a SJW unironically seriously.[/QUOTE] The term SJW has transformed into a catch-all word for "People who disagree with me". Disagree with gender roles? LOL FUCK YOU SJW!! Think minorities still face oppression? FUCKING SJW SHUT UP!!! It's a completely meaningless word, and devalues any argument someone may have completely.

[QUOTE=Ehmmett;46573628]it's easier to find toys for gender specific children because those sections are typically filled with what those gender specific kids like. like 90% of the time. it's not like each section has a locked gate with a gender identification test. what negative aspect do they have? who is being oppressed by this?[/QUOTE] it's not about oppression? it's about setting certain roles and ideals to children. and those "gender specific kids" only have those standards for what they like and dislike because of what's given to them; it's not like boys are born with an innate liking for wrestling and monster trucks

[QUOTE=Ehmmett;46573628]it's easier to find toys for gender specific children because those sections are typically filled with what those gender specific kids like.[/QUOTE] Probably because these roles have been setup beforehand.

[QUOTE=Budapi;46573681]If society doesn't dictate what would be the more moral/correct choice then what does? Who needs to lecture society, you?[/QUOTE] Not me. But a group of people. A movement. A movement is what set African Americans free from segregation. A movement is what let women have the ability to vote. A movement is what set gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people free from a majority of their own segregation by society. The collective power of people who band together to try to change society for the better is what dictates it. Without those movements to steer society towards a more progressive state, we'd still be having slaves, homosexual & transgender people executed, and women would have way less rights than they do now.

[QUOTE=Ehmmett;46573628]it's easier to find toys for gender specific children because those sections are typically filled with what those gender specific kids like. like 90% of the time. it's not like each section has a locked gate with a gender identification test. what negative aspect do they have? who is being oppressed by this?[/QUOTE] reinforces the idea of 'boys do this, girls do that' i don't see why people are all up in arms about not having a sign dividing it in to gender, if a little kid wants to wear a dress AND play trucks why not? let the lil fucker do what the lil fucker wanna do when it's labelled as a 'girl thing' or a 'boy thing' the kid goes on to think "well, I'm gonna get made fun of for that, that's not for me" or something along those lines, and then they go on to think that about other stuff as well it may seem like the tiniest trivial thing, but it's stuff like this that adds up over the years which is why people may seem nitpicky when they try to remove gender roles

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46573356]Saddening that the tumblr level SJW-isms are reaching children[/QUOTE] haha gotem! you really showed your favorite caricatured fictional political effigy what for, let me tell you!

Personally, I strongly disagree with segregating toys into defined "Boys" and "Girls" sections. It's harmful to kids who want to play with the toys they want, because they're not "for" them. Stop liking dolls, Tom, you need the toy monster truck, That's for boys! Stop liking the toy monster trucks, Jane, that's for boys, here, have a doll. There's no reason to be against this except for being afraid of social change.

[QUOTE=Gwoodman;46573551]an alarm clock isn't a fun gift Tesco gosh give kids proper toys[/QUOTE] What about an alarm clock that goes moo?

I wish they'd stop doing this altogether, the things you do as a child majorly influence who you are when you grow up and people seriously underestimate what could happen if you just suggested more girls play with the toys that are typically given to boys

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46573356]Saddening that the tumblr level SJW-isms are reaching children[/QUOTE] are you really this boring that you gotta force tumblr into everything

[QUOTE=Ownederd;46573764]are you really this boring that you gotta force tumblr into everything[/QUOTE] If he didn't make up someone to win an argument against, then he'd never win any.

[QUOTE=Ownederd;46573764]are you really this boring that you gotta force tumblr into everything[/QUOTE] Pretty much, a lot of stupid shit happens on tumblr (see: trans-raccoon) but when people start just going "haha that's something a person on tumblr said once" they're not even [i]trying[/i] to think about what the actual problem might be or whether it's serious or not

[QUOTE=Ehmmett;46573628]it's easier to find toys for gender specific children because those sections are typically filled with what those gender specific kids like. like 90% of the time. it's not like each section has a locked gate with a gender identification test. what negative aspect do they have? who is being oppressed by this?[/QUOTE] I agree with this. The people perpetuating the "cars are for boys and dolls are for girls" mentality are not the stores that sell the items. If a little boy goes into a store and grabs a Barbie, it's not going to be the store clerk who tells him he can't buy it because it's for girls, it's going to be someone close to the boy who holds that opinion. Such as a parent or sibling. Having generalized gender specific categories in stores is literally nothing more than an organization convenience for potential buyers, because someone who likes GI Joes is probably also going to like hot wheels and power rangers and whatever and not like baby dolls and Barbies and whatever, regardless of gender. I can understand that the "Good gift for boys" sign was kinda silly, and I can see how some people wouldn't like it, but don't act like the sign is some kind of brainwashing method to make kids think they're only allowed to like certain things or something. That's ludicrous. Literally all it is is a suggestion for shoppers looking for a christmas gift. Is it necessary? No. Is it fair that it's only listed as being for boys? Again, no, but that doesn't make it some kind of institutionalized plot to reinforce gender roles in children.

Who decides what is a boy's toy and what is a girl's toy? That's the question I see this girl asking. After thinking about it, I realize that the kid who wants that toy is the rightful person to decide. So, for instance, why not have a section marked "Action figures and dolls"? It would be up to the buyer to decide what an 'action figure' is and what a 'doll' is, AND decide which one if any they wish to buy. Gender is irrelevant in this case is it not? All that is important is the buyer can find that section of toys they are looking for.

Another thing I greatly dislike is how they label a gender a certain "colour", like how everyone bitches if a boy wears pink.

[QUOTE=Starlight 456;46573749]Personally, I strongly disagree with segregating toys into defined "Boys" and "Girls" sections. It's harmful to kids who want to play with the toys they want, because they're not "for" them. Stop liking dolls, Tom, you need the toy monster truck, That's for boys! Stop liking the toy monster trucks, Jane, that's for boys, here, have a doll. There's no reason to be against this except for being afraid of social change.[/QUOTE] On one hand I really don't like that fact that people can't follow their passion because they're being fitted into predetermined gender roles but on the other hand I'm completely okay in my own predetermined gender role and I don't want to see the genders getting mixed up. like seeing boys playing with dolls and wearing dresses really disgusts me for some reason. I guess I've been brainwashed by the patriarchal media and blinded myself to progress.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46573356]Saddening that the tumblr level SJW-isms are reaching children[/QUOTE] Please elaborate on how gender roles are a good thing.

[QUOTE=Budapi;46573828]On one hand I really don't like that fact that people can't follow their passion because they're being fitted into predetermined gender roles but on the other hand I'm completely okay in my own predetermined gender role and I don't want to see the genders getting mixed up. like seeing boys playing with dolls and wearing dresses really disgusts me for some reason. I guess I've been brainwashed by the patriarchal media and blinded myself to progress.[/QUOTE] Mixed up? What's that supposed to mean? Like, what, are you afraid you're gonna hook up with a girl and it turns out to be a guy and you couldn't tell solely because of their lack of a defined gender role?

At the risk of being villainized (not like I'm not used to that), you're all a bunch of hypocrites. While I agree with the general consensus of "gendered" toys, a lot of you are saying that a child's mind can easily be swayed in different directions at early stages an develop certain personality traits. Yet at the very same time, the grand majority of you would also at the exact same time say a violent game (eg, CoD) would have absolutely no effect on a child's mind. CoD may not be for kids, but kids play it. TF2, GMod, DOTA 2, Battlefield, etc are all played by kids. So what my question is, is exactly how is this not double-standards? I've seen multiple studies indicate both versions of this, and most Facepunchers just seem to stick with one story and block out anything contrary to their opinion.

Don't boys and girls prefer different types of toys anyways? I mean I suppose it's ok to not label them, but you're still going to end up with children getting the same types of toys that they always used to.

[QUOTE=Deng;46573900]Don't boys and girls prefer different types of toys anyways? I mean I suppose it's ok to not label them, but you're still going to end up with children getting the same types of toys that they always used to.[/QUOTE] Once again, only because gender roles are already so ingrained into society.

[QUOTE=geogzm;46573735]when it's labelled as a 'girl thing' or a 'boy thing' the kid goes on to think "well, I'm gonna get made fun of for that, that's not for me" or something along those lines, and then they go on to think that about other stuff as well[/QUOTE] I can confirm this definitely happens. I remember specifically avoiding the girls section as a kid for this very reason. It's not a very big effect, but sorting the toys in a less segregated way costs almost no one anything, but can help reduce the arbitrary gender identities pushed onto kids.

The girl will be a great feminist activist