Overshadowed by Controversy: Difference between revisions

== Real Life ==

* A particular style of shoe sold by C. & J. Clark, one of the largest shoe manufacturing firms in the UK, became this<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40916607 Clarks in sexism row over Dolly Babe girls' shoe - BBC News]</ref> when an angry mother made a rant not just about how easily worn out the "Dolly Babe" Mary Jane school shoes were, but the [[Political Correctness Gone Mad|shoes' name itself]] being "sexist" and "promoting gender stereotypes" with its [[All Women Love Shoes|overly feminine design]]–a lavender heart-print insole and a heart-shaped charm on the toebox. Not helping matters was that the "Dolly Babes" were compared unfavourably to the football-themed "Leader" shoes for boys, also made by the same company. [[Serious Business]] ensued, and as a result Clarks issued an apology, stating that it wasn't their intention to offend, and withdrew the shoes in question from sale; they did briefly re-release<ref>[https://www.charlesclinkard.co.uk/girls-c23/school-shoes-c71/cla-dolly-babe-jnr-p23607 Clarks Movello Lo Junior Girls School Shoes]</ref> the style [[Same Face, Different Name|under the name]] "Movello Lo"<ref>[https://www.mumzworld.com/en/clarks-movello-lo Clarks - Movello Lo]</ref> presumably to clear out existing inventory, though. They would later commit to designing and selling "gender-neutral" school shoes, which presumably also had a side-effect of being more acceptable in certain schools where dress codes are stringently observed. It's not that Clarks hasn't come up with anything appealing to girls in recent years though, like the "Etch Bright" shoes for girls with its sparkly purple insole and star accents,<ref>[https://www.clarks.co.uk/c/Etch-Bright-Kid/p/26151125 Etch Bright Kid Black Patent]</ref> but by then people may have forgotten about the sexism row with the shoemaker and moved on to the next scapegoat.

* The Ford Pinto was an economy car deserving of merit, if not for its [[Achilles' Heel]] that is the gas tank flaw which [[Every Car Is a Pinto|made the car combust in a rear-end collision]], and the subsequent controversy ensuing from it. Ford reportedly decided that paying out on wrongful-death lawsuits would be cheaper than fixing it.

* Heck, even Henry Ford himself had his reputation smeared no thanks to his antisemitic views. He was one of the few Americans whom [[Adolf Hitler]] admired and was mentioned in ''[[Mein Kampf]]''. Ford also had the canard ''The International Jew, the World's Foremost Problem'' as well as the forgery ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' republished. Ironically enough, he also hired black employees as well as women and people with disabilities, and if one source was to be believed, Ford was reportedly so distraught by the extent of the atrocities of the [[Holocaust]] that "he collapsed with a stroke – his last and most serious" after he was shown newsreel footage of what transpired at the time. Even more ironic was that he was a Freemason, a secretive fraternal society often if not always alleged to have been plotting for a New World Order amongst other conspiracies, and is generally viewed with contempt by most Christian denominations especially the Roman Catholic Church. If the likes of [[Alex Jones]] are virulently campaigning against Freemasonry and the NWO, the idea of an ''inducted Freemason'' believing in and espousing the same beliefs as Jones and co. would certainly confuse some people.