To be horrified by the Card Factory

[Kidsinamerica123]

Browsing and came across this card. For those who can't see it - it's one of those 'old photo with a (supposedly) witty caption' 2 men are pictured standing by a fence with a caption that reads "Having popped out for a fag, Nigel was delighted when one turned up immediately."

Absolutely disgusted by this I called the Card Factory's head office straight away (I demanded the number in the shop), only to be informed "Head office only deal with complaints made in writing - there's nothing I can do for you now!"

AIBU to assume the good-readers of Mumsnet can help them address their misguided, revolting homophobic humour TODAY without waiting for letters to arrive?

well, yes, that's also a possibility

If the OP had been complaining about kim147's suggested petshop/bitch card, I seriously suspect the course of this thread would have been quite different. But the two cards are essentially the same, and it baffles me that it seems like loads of people can't see that.

My God , you should see the cards I have got in my house if you are offended by that

You'd need smelling salts

I don't think so Shake, card factory is a shop in the UK.

I don't get why some people find it so difficult to understand that certain words are not to be used. Yes people have a freedom of speech, but its been tested in the law courts many times, that this freedom of speech only goes so far and not that far that it is allowed to insult someone with a protected characteristic.

One of my best friends is gay and would love this fine, he would find it really funny.

Pheonix, wow what an invitation, lets all go to your house and see how offensive your cards are.

Ummm, no thanks

I thought a 'fag' was a young boy at the beck and call of older boys at public school ..... (Tom Brown's Schooldays or the Greyfriars stories, anyone?)

It's also not stuff you jump straight in with. I would never call you any of those names kim because that would obviously be extremely offensive and given what you have been through I wouldn't want to make you feel bad about yourself. It's certainly not the kind of thing you could say or do to any body. All these people I had worked with for a fairly long time and my friends I had known a long time too and try knew as I did that year things were not what they saw of me or what I saw of them. They took their leads from me, ie if I made a joke about something they knew it was on with me and the same with them.

I'm reading with interest. I would also have been a bit if I'd seen it. I thought fag was derogatory.

But the card wasnt meant to be insulting, I'm sure it wasn't in the 'people you hate' section.

Lolling at the idea of a card shop having a "people you hate" section. There has to be a gap in the market for that.

I reckon it could be profitable. Imagine having all your anger expressed for you in a beautiful poem.

Just because you know people who use the word dyke it dosnt make it ok. It's an insult and used as such. Lesbian women refering to each other as "dyke" is no differnt to black youths calling each other "nigger" but that dosnt make it ok for the word to be used by others as it's a horrible word and very offensive. Fag is the exact same. I wouldn't use either of the words and wouldn't like to see a greetings card with either on also.

When consider that calling someone "dyke" or "fag" is now classed as a hate crime and the person can be prosecuted, how can a card like this be acceptable?

My firends and I used to use the term "Faggot" as an insult (to one another I might add). I/We stopped doing it when we ralised that it was a hateful term. That said, the card is actually quite funny and not (to my mind at least) offensive. Not really.

I'm mixed race. I like nothing more than a good racist Gag there I said it As long as it's clever (or as clever as these things can be) and not hateful, then it's fine. I really don't need people getting offended on my behalf.

Malice, people are quite capable of being offended on their own behalf. I don't need to be a lesbian to be offended by homophobia. I don't need to be a dog to be offended by animal abuse and I can be white and offended by racism, even if I am not the recipient of it (not always the case). Great for you that you enjoy casual racism. I don't and I would have no qualms about disciplining you if that was said in the workplace, or reporting you to the police if it was said on the street.

I hate this sort of 'ironic' humour.

Those of you saying the OP has no right to be offended unless she is a gay man, does it not follow that the producers of this card have no right to unless they are gay men?

Can't have it both ways.

Its a thin line and we don't need to go over it.

And that's fine - there are many forms of humour, so what one person finds offensive another finds hilarious.

Just don't buy the card. Easy.

it is always down to the person to decide if they have been offended or not, not the person/s who are making the joke

most people i know who are gay would have found this amusing, one person i know wouldn't

its a play on words there are cards that take the piss out of people with red hair but yjr jokes are often so stupid it is hard to be offended by it and you laugh at the stupidity of the joke rather than the joke

Malice did not say she enjoyed casual racism but humour (for some) be found in what some find offensive

many people think Chris Rock is racist i find him hilarious

This is similar to Dean Morris cards and I'm pretty sure he's gay himself

So it is OK to sell tickets to a comedy show which uses terms which some find offensive?

Don't buy the card/ticket if you find the humour offensive.

Isn't that the whole point of having a choice. One card suits one person but send to someone else and they won't be amused.

Exactly - it's choice.