perfidy

In the great game of Rock-Paper-Scissors that is entitlement politics, we seem to have reached an impasse. IKEA, the Swedish purveyor of cheap and stylish furniture, is in hot water with the Norse government for including only men in the illustrations that accompany the assembly instructions for their products. That's right. The Norskies, having solved all its problems, are now attacking the pernicious threat of gender bias in instruction manuals written by a company headquartered elsewhere.

But wait! It gets better. IKEA insists it cannot change its manuals, as the company made the decision to include only men in the pictures in order to avoid offending Muslims.

In light of my recent posts on the use of the N-word in Twain and the filthiest joke ever told, I'm starting to get a little fed up. Are we all to become mental Jainists, always contorting ourselves for the sake of right conduct so we do not kill a mosquito, harm a fly, or accidentally repress a minority? Are words and pictures - pedestrian words and pictures - really so terribly hurtful that we can't get along with cartoon pictures of men putting together maddeningly complicated pressboard furniture?

Or can the whole world just have a goddamn pizza and a six pack (a vegan pizza for the Jainists among us!!) and get the hell over it?

Thanks to Ed at Captain's Quarters.