A few months ago I wrote something on the lack of women on TV comedy panel shows after a long conversation on Twitter with friends in and around the industry. Here’s a persuasive alternative perspective from Bethany Black.
Killer quote: “If any part of comedy is sexist, it’s the audiences.”
Read MoreIf your corporate culture leads to you accidentally selling t-shirts which appear to repeat the excuses for domestic violence, just apologise. You screwed up, it was poor judgement. Say sorry and then close your mouth.
If, like Topman, you also go on to claim that your t-shirts were intended to be “light-hearted” with no deeper “serious” message, you may end up looking like you made a conscious and calculated decision to joke about domestic violence, even if you really didn’t. You thought they were just funny words. You may look like a company that weighed up the pros and cons of possible offence, and decided this particular masterwork of words on a shirt was worth the risk, when – in all likelihood – it got approved when no-one was paying attention.
You may even end up looking like a company that thought, “Is this a shirt only an arsehole would wear? Hey, are our customers arseholes?” You didn’t think those things, but now people are wondering if you did. However, you may also find some of your customers rushing to defend you on your Facebook page, customers who – quite independently of buying your range of fine clothing – are indeed arseholes, loud and plain. You probably don’t want them on your side. You’re probably nice people, but now strangers are telling other strangers upset about the trivialisation of domestic abuse to get over themselves, and they’re doing it on your behalf. Those arseholes think they’re being helpful.
I’d probably stop at the apology next time.
Read MoreA little news:
