Protesters from the Los Angeles NAACP persuaded Hallmark to recall a 'racist' graduation card:
CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- A graduation card sold at local stores has been pulled from shelves after a civil rights group raised concerns about the content. The group claims the card's micro-speaker plays a greeting that's racist.
It is a graduation greeting from Hallmark that says, "Hey world, we are officially putting you on notice."
Members of the Los Angeles NAACP did take notice. As characters known as "Hoops" and "Yoyo" banter on, African American leaders hear offensive language.
You can read the story, and see (and hear) the actual card here.
The printed text on the card reads, "You're graduating? Well then, it's time to let the world know what's coming... but not only the world, noooo! We're talking the entire solar system!" A bubble underneath the text reads "Watch out, Saturn, this grad is gonna run rings around you!"
A tiny speaker embedded in the card activates when the card is opened; two cartoon characters say, "You black holes, you're so ominous, ha ha ha. And you planets, watch your back!"
Did you miss the racism? Leon Jenkins, president of the Los Angeles NAACP, didn't. "That was very demeaning to African American women," he said, "when it made reference to African American women as whores and, at the end, says 'watch your back.'"
This kind of knee-jerk manufactured outrage is nonsense; it should embarrass Los Angelenos. The fact that Hallmark gave in to this outrage and pulled the card only encourages this kind of overreaction. How long until Leon Jenkins's mob calls upon Victoria's Secret to pull "black hose" from the shelf?
I'm disappointed by the Los Angeles NAACP for their erroneous rush to judgement, but more disappointed by Hallmark for their utter spinelessness.