M&S launches porn star martini in a can

[amandadecabernet]

Keeping it classy, M&S.

Anyone use the M&S live chat successfully? I've waited to live chat and before anyone answered they ended the chat saying it's not available.
www.marksandspencer.com/MSContactUsCmd?storeId=10151&langId=-24&catalogId=10051&categoryId=282501&byEmail=8

So Glitched do you think that porn references in places where children might see them are appropriate?

It is right to take limitations to people's freedoms seriously. It is also right to limit adults' freedoms when their actions actively harm children.

It would appear that anythinh that even attempts to limit other people's freefom yo do whatever they bloody well like, is controversial!

It does appear like that! Discussion of all kinds is increasingly controversial these days.

Oh, FFS. No one is wanting to limit anyone's freedom to buy a premixed cocktail. But a civilised society does place some constraints on words used in public places (not private - you can call the drink whatever you want when you serve it). Advertising has rules - legal, decent, honest, truthful. Alcoholic drink packaging has rules - see the Portman Group link.

These constraints reflect a balance between rights and responsibilities, a balancing of freedoms.

Calling a drink pornstar martini will not impact the wellbeing of children. The only people upset are hyper sensitive folk that are using children as a cover.

Have you ever taken a moment to read some of the names of Ales on sale in shops. Many are really crude and 'offensive' . How many times have you had to have a discussion mid shop with your kids over the name of an Ale.

This is a free market. If you don't like it, dont buy it.

Calling a drink pornstar martini will not impact the wellbeing of children.

We'll have to agree to differ; normalising and in this case glamourising porn is harmful.

What is more likely to harm the wellbeing of children is alcohol culture.

What is more likely to harm the wellbeing of children is alcohol culture.

Yes; but two wrongs don't make a right, and glamorous, 'sexy' cocktails surely help promote 'alcohol culture' - hence the Portman Group guideline cited upthread:

A drink, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not in any direct or indirect way: (...)
*
(b) suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous or antisocial behaviour (....)
(d) suggest any association with sexual activity or sexual success;*

Do you disagree with (d)? If you agree with this guideline, how is labelling the drink 'porn (sex) star(success) martini' compatible with it?

Calling a drink pornstar martini will not impact the wellbeing of children

The normalisation of porn does, provably, harm children. Buy legal porn-themed goods if you must. Just keep them out of the public sphere and away from children.

The only people upset are hyper sensitive folk that are using children as a cover.

Really? I don't think so. Keep kids away from porn and its culture is a perfectly mainstream approach.

Have you ever taken a moment to read some of the names of Ales on sale in shops. Many are really crude and 'offensive' . How many times have you had to have a discussion mid shop with your kids over the name of an Ale.

I go alone to the supermarket. I have no idea whether porn-themed ales exist. If they do, I would object to that too. I object to the normalisation of porn. Because it is harmful.

This is a free market. If you don't like it, dont buy it.

On this we agree.

Glitched
"Of course any attempts to limit people's freedom is controversial. We are a free market democracy after all.

And of course any possible limitation on people's freedoms needs to be explained and discussed."

That is overly simplistic. In the past it was a given that children should not be 'exposed' to porn or drugs etc. That drugs were bad.

That people did not simply have freedom to do or say at they please.

We can't express our views loudly in public if they are antisocial. We cannot drop litter or pollute rivers or run naked down the street!

We cannot smoke in many places, and we cannot eat in some others. We cannot bring our own food into a restaurant.

Many, many things in society are automatically limited. It is what is limited not whether we limit that is changing.

@Errolthedragon

Thanks for showing point D. On that I have no disagreement and on those grounds I am happy to concede.



?? I posted a smile emoticon, it's not showing up for me in the app.

This conversation is remarkably polite, what a lovely change.

Civilised, in fact! 

Yes, we can certainly do civilized, which is nice!

I did want to post earlier "Love a good discussion!" But didn't want to jinx it 😂😂

For those interested, the Portman Group is a body set up by the drinks industry, to self regulate the promotion and marketing of alcohol. So even the drinks industry doesn’t think it is appropriate to use sex to sell alcohol!

The Group is not, however, a body that goes out looking to see if marketing is compliant with its guidelines, not is it a censor, pre-approving promotional material.

I agree that there can be ales and other drinks promoted with frankly crude or offensive names and material. It is up to the consumer to report these to the regulator if they want action to be taken.

Thanks all. It was an interesting discussion and am glad it was polite and civil.

I still disagree on the rights and wrongs of porn, porn culture and it's impact.

A discussion on alcohol culture could be interesting as I think that has a much greater impact on the lives of women and society as a whole.

Can't really argue against Point D though. That's a slam dunk

What a good discussion.Thank you Glitched and everyone else.

Made it to a big Marks today and bought my can! I don’t drink, so I’ll have to make my DH drink it tonight! It’ll make a change from real ale

Noble of him to take one for the team!

Why not try an experiment?

Repeatedly shout ‘porn star!’ in his ear while he drinks the first half, and ‘passionfruit!’ for the rest.

See which half tastes nicer.

Actual science.

I await your conclusion.

No... if he doesn't already know why you're feeding him cocktails, you split it between two glasses, tell him one is Passionfruit and the other is porn star and see if he can guess which is which.

If he doesn’t offer to fix the washing machine and end up DTD avec moi in the kitchen (that is what happens in porn right?!) after drinking it, I’ll be heading to M&S tomorrow and demanding my money back.