Toy makers are being pressured by a Swedish advertising watchdog group to produce gender-neutral Christmas toy catalogs.
Sweden might be known for its safe family-friendly Volvo cars, but its Christmas toy ads are anything but family-friendly ─ by conservative standards. One of the most socially liberal nations on the planet now mandates gender confusion in ads geared toward youth.
Sweden might be known for its safe family-friendly Volvo cars, but its Christmas toy ads are anything but family-friendly ─ by conservative standards. One of the most socially liberal nations on the planet now mandates gender confusion in ads geared toward youth.
If you're a parent looking to audition your son for a toy ad in Sweden, he'll be more likely to be holding a Barbie or hairdryer than a G.I. Joe or toy gun. And girls will be better off posing with toy assault rifles than Easy-bake Ovens to get a spot.
This politically correct casting is done in the name of gender-neutral advertising.
And who is producing this new role playing? None other than Sweden's advertising regulatory body, which has cast itself as the eradicator of "gender stereotyping" ─ or normalcy.
Four years ago, the franchise holder for Toys R' Us and BR Toys, Top Toy, was demonized by Sweden's advertising standards watchdog for the "sin" of gender stereotyping in its Christmas catalog, which was guilty of displaying boys with guns and girls with dolls in its ads.
This politically correct casting is done in the name of gender-neutral advertising.
And who is producing this new role playing? None other than Sweden's advertising regulatory body, which has cast itself as the eradicator of "gender stereotyping" ─ or normalcy.
Four years ago, the franchise holder for Toys R' Us and BR Toys, Top Toy, was demonized by Sweden's advertising standards watchdog for the "sin" of gender stereotyping in its Christmas catalog, which was guilty of displaying boys with guns and girls with dolls in its ads.
Today, the toy franchise that spans from Scandinavia to Northern Europe is conditioned to see things the government agency's way. Top Toy's Jan Nyberg told Swedish news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyra that her company was given "training and guidance" from the advertising watchdog group about the way the retailer is to steer clear of gender stereotyping in its ads.
"With the new gender thinking, there is nothing that is right or wrong," reported Nyberg. "It's not a boy or a girl thing, it's a toy for children."
Needless to say, the Christmas catalog of Toys R' Us' Swedish offshoot has cleaned up its act since 2008 and averted condemnation by ridding its content of gender stereotyping. This year's converted issue now dons a boy caressing a doll and a girl wielding a toy assault rifle.
Not falling under the control of Sweden's watchdog group, the toy chain's catalog (published in Norway to the west) was able to maintain natural gender roles in its ads, with a boy pointing a gun and a girl cradling a doll.
"With the new gender thinking, there is nothing that is right or wrong," reported Nyberg. "It's not a boy or a girl thing, it's a toy for children."
Needless to say, the Christmas catalog of Toys R' Us' Swedish offshoot has cleaned up its act since 2008 and averted condemnation by ridding its content of gender stereotyping. This year's converted issue now dons a boy caressing a doll and a girl wielding a toy assault rifle.
Not falling under the control of Sweden's watchdog group, the toy chain's catalog (published in Norway to the west) was able to maintain natural gender roles in its ads, with a boy pointing a gun and a girl cradling a doll.
Sweden measures up the same with its neighbors to the south, as well. While the leftist nation features a boy hairstyling in its BR Toys Christmas catalog, its equivalent catalogs in Germany and Denmark show a girl hairdressing instead ─ with the same toy hairdryer. Leaving no stone unturned, the toy giant made sure its Swedish catalog left no stone unturned, as it changed the color of a girl's shirt to blue. The girl's shirt appears pink in neighboring countries' catalogs.
Blurring identities one word at a time
Pulling every string to make youth forget there's such a thing as appropriate gender roles ─ or masculinity and femininity for that matter ─ the Swedish government was busy earlier this year manipulating the nation's official lexicon to reflect its progressive agenda.
Understanding the power behind controlling the language, government officials introduced a new gender-neutral pronoun into Sweden's lexicon. They invented the word "hen" to denote a person without any reference to gender. "Hen" comes from a cross between "han" (he, in Swedish) and "hon" (she).
This campaign to draw society to its progressive worldview was designed to influence virtually every age group, starting with preschoolers.
Coming to a city near you?
In America, the government appears to be rewriting the law instead of the language to shift society to a leftist mindset when it comes to gender identity.
Those not believing that the U.S. government is capable pushing its progressive agenda on society received a reality check earlier this week in California, when a U.S. District Court refused to block legislation that prohibits parents from seeking help and guidance for their gender-confused children.
SB 1172, created by California lawmakers and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is argued to violate parental, religious and free-speech rights.
Pro-family activist and SaveCalifornia.com president Randy Thomasson contends that the alleged unconstitutional bill "bans parents from seeking counseling for their child who thinks they are 'homosexual.'" He says "it also penalizes licensed counselors who care enough to help gender-confused children, who have often been molested or raped."
Blurring identities one word at a time
Pulling every string to make youth forget there's such a thing as appropriate gender roles ─ or masculinity and femininity for that matter ─ the Swedish government was busy earlier this year manipulating the nation's official lexicon to reflect its progressive agenda.
Understanding the power behind controlling the language, government officials introduced a new gender-neutral pronoun into Sweden's lexicon. They invented the word "hen" to denote a person without any reference to gender. "Hen" comes from a cross between "han" (he, in Swedish) and "hon" (she).
This campaign to draw society to its progressive worldview was designed to influence virtually every age group, starting with preschoolers.
Coming to a city near you?
In America, the government appears to be rewriting the law instead of the language to shift society to a leftist mindset when it comes to gender identity.
Those not believing that the U.S. government is capable pushing its progressive agenda on society received a reality check earlier this week in California, when a U.S. District Court refused to block legislation that prohibits parents from seeking help and guidance for their gender-confused children.
SB 1172, created by California lawmakers and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is argued to violate parental, religious and free-speech rights.
Pro-family activist and SaveCalifornia.com president Randy Thomasson contends that the alleged unconstitutional bill "bans parents from seeking counseling for their child who thinks they are 'homosexual.'" He says "it also penalizes licensed counselors who care enough to help gender-confused children, who have often been molested or raped."
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