Hallmark Apologizes For Selling Chanukah Paper That Looks Like Swastikas
Also, can we please settle on a spelling of Chanukah, also of Hanukkah.
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According to Hallmark, the wrapping paper was pulled from store shelves after the company received a complaint on Sunday night from a Walgreen’s customer in California, who noticed the pattern seemed to contain swastikas. By Monday, Hallmark had already recalled the paper, and issued an apology…
“We apologize for the oversight and apologize to anyone who was offended. That obviously was not our intent,” Hallmark spokeswoman Julie Elliott told the Kansas City Star. “It was an oversight on our part to not notice the intersecting lines that could be seen as a swastika pattern.”[su_csky_ad]
D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Larry Schmitt December 10th, 2014 at 10:27 am
It doesn’t look anything like swastikas. One complaint from some crazy lady, and that’s all it takes? That’s no way to run a business. Imagine if a newspaper pulled Doonesbury because one reader was offended. This is just wrong. Hallmark should have told her to shop someplace else.
Larry Schmitt December 10th, 2014 at 10:38 am
I finally saw what the lady was talking about, but it took me several tries. It was obviously not deliberate. It’s not like someone spray-painted racial slurs on her door. Does she go around looking for insults her whole life?
tiredoftea December 10th, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Lot’s of papers have pulled Doonesbury for the same reason! Or, put it on their editorial pages. It’s still around?
Larry Schmitt December 10th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
It’s in reruns during the week, with new strips on Sunday. Any papers that pulled it got more than one complaint. That was my point, Hallmark got one, and pulled the paper off the shelf.
rg9rts December 11th, 2014 at 12:21 pm
Welcome to the land of PC it works most of the time for them but not always.
tiredoftea December 10th, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Well, so much for the Hallmark Holiday Wrapping TV Special!
R.J. Carter December 10th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
If they pull the Santa Norelco commercial, though, I swear blood will run.
tiredoftea December 10th, 2014 at 3:34 pm
As long as no one notices how the blades make little swastika’s, we’ll be just fine.
R.J. Carter December 10th, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Could somebody, anybody, please color in the Swastika for those of us who are Nazist-impaired?
searambler December 10th, 2014 at 2:43 pm
It’s a repeating pattern. Her fingers are covering a couple. Look just to the right of her finger. They’re not free-standing, they’re incorporated into the design.
Personally I think it’s a silly non-thing to bitch about. One lady makes one complaint, and poof! they pull the product. What a waste.
R.J. Carter December 10th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
Ah! Negative vs. Positive space problem. Thanks.
Yeah, I don’t see that as having been an intentional “Let’s hide a swastika on the Hannukah paper” thing. But now I can’t not see it. Some designer somewhere is shaking his head.
R.J. Carter December 10th, 2014 at 3:14 pm
For those as blind as me.
veggiedude December 10th, 2014 at 3:15 pm
I agree with the complaint – it is highly inappropriate for a Jewish wrapping paper. It was probably designed for a Hindu or Buddhist event.
rg9rts December 11th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
They’ll never understand…rather play the victim
rg9rts December 11th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Apologize for what…a bunch of paranoid jews with NO sense of historical significance cry antisemitism.,…get a life and clean up your peoples paradise and don’t buy the paper if you don’t like it.