Aunt Jemima to get anti-racism makeover

I see Aunt Jemima is about to get the Darkie/Darlie treatment. For those who don't know how Darkie Toothpaste was gradually changed to "Darlie" so the cartoon character brand identifier wouldn't look quite so black, check "Politically correct toothpaste makes your smile brighter", WWW 21/1/12.

Now, in the wake of the "protests" (read: "riots") that have followed the police killing of George Floyd, Quaker Oats (a division of Pepsico), makers of Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup, announced yesterday that the dear old aunt will get a new image, and even a new name. Why? Because they recognize that "Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype."

No kidding?! Seems Quaker knew this at least half a century ago, when they replaced the 19th-century cartoon [N-word deleted here. Ed.] with a version apparently based on the beloved "Mammy" portrayed by Hattie McDaniel in Gone With The Wind. The resemblance is, of course, purely coincidental.

The 1950s picture changed over time, as America got more and more politically correct, and in recent years Quaker removed the "mammy" kerchief from the character to blunt growing criticism that the brand perpetuated a racist stereotype that dated to the days of slavery. Here's how Aunt Jemima looks now.

Kinda like Michelle Obama, right? You know, a thoroughly modern person of colour who likes nothing better, after a hard day of fighting for social justice, but to whomp up a bunch of pancakes for her husband and kids. (Or maybe just the kids, if their father is AWOL).

But Quaker says a more profound change is needed as part of an effort by the company "to make progress toward racial equality." A spokesthingy for the cfompany told the meeja, "We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype. As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations."

Quaker said the new packaging will begin to appear this fall of 2020, and a new name for the foods will be announced at a later date. Something like "Buffy" or "Kendall" or "Madison", perhaps. Readers are invited to send their suggestions to Quaker by clicking on this link. Not "Mandy", please!

Footnote: Looks like Uncle Ben's rice is next, to be followed closely by Mrs. Butterworth's maple syrup. Uncle Ben's I can understand but Mrs. Butterworth's? What's wrong with this?

Oh... I get it... They're afraid Pepsico will sue for infringement of copyright of the original Aunt Jemima!

And now our Wally award for the first half of 2020: the best makeover of all: "Cracker Jack Changes Name To More Politically Correct Caucasian Jack", Babylon Bee (who else?!), 17/6/20.