Family group urges company to lose 'disgusting' name

THE RUDE, CRUDE SOCIETY

Ben and Jerry's targeted in effort launched by OneMillionMoms

Posted: September 23, 2011
1:00 am Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2011 WND

An affiliate of one of the largest pro-family organizations in the United States is asking its tens of thousands of constituents to protest the decision byBen and Jerry's ice cream companyto give a flavor a name that carries two meanings, one of which is a vulgar sexual reference.

The request fromOneMillionMoms.com,a part of theAmerican Family Association,said:

Ben and Jerry's announced their newest ice cream flavor which sounds anything but appealing. 'Schweddy Balls' is the best they could come up with. The vulgar new flavor has turned something as innocent asicecreaminto something repulsive. Not exactly what you want a child asking for at the supermarket.

While ice cream company spokesman Sean Greenwood described the name as "irreverent" and "having some fun," OneMillionMoms pointed out that the name originated with a "Saturday Night Live" skit featuring Alec Baldwin, who deadpans that as a bakery owner duringtheholidayseason "the thing I most like to bring out … are my balls" – "popcorn balls,cheeseballs, rum balls."

The ribald puns proceed for several minutes.

"In the past, Ben and Jerry's has released controversial ice creams, like a special edition of Chubby Hubby called Hubby Hubby last year which celebrated gay marriage," said the activist group. "It seems that offending customers has become an annual tradition for Ben and Jerry's."

Thecampaign offers the option of sending an email to the company.

Spokeswoman Monica Cole told WND the group debated whether to protest Ben and Jerry's lockerroom humor, as they didn't want to provide the company with additional publicity.

She said the American public needs to know what companies are doing to exert influence over bad behavior.

However, she said while the company may get some publicity from the stunt, there are many who will make that publicity a negative, not a positive.

"Anybody in advertising would know this would be offensive," she said, describing the company's choice as "vulgar."

"It would be extremely embarrassing if this was reversed, and it was a female body part," she said. "What Ben and Jerry's wants really is money. It's all about money, profits. They don't really care about their reputation."

The letter campaign asks the company to discontinue the promotion and in the future to "refrain from producing another batch with this name or any other offensive names."

She said her organization monitors the traffic, and the company already has received "tens of thousands" of messages from American consumers.

The proposed letter states: "As a mother and a member of OneMillionMoms.com, I am greatly offended by Ben and Jerry's decision to use tasteless names for yourflavorsof ice cream. Your decision is disrespectful to me personally, and to my family. If you continue to use such poor taste and inappropriate marketing choices, I will make a conscious effort to buy from other companies."

One observer described the ice cream company's choice of names as "disgusting."

Adweek noted the "chuckling" when the name was announced.But it also reported on the "sour taste" the campaign had left for members of many "conservative" organization.


The ice cream maker is famous for its progressive social perspective, and it boasts of contributing to organizations such as Workers Defense Project of Texas, which advocates for "Latino workers"; the Urban Peace Movement of Oakland, Calif., which provides "healthyalternatives to violence"; the Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, which works on "financial justice"; the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign; Healthcare-NOW, which advocates for a more socialized health care system than Obamacare; Girls for Gender Equity and the Colorado Progressive Coalition.

Read more:Family group urges company to lose 'disgusting' namehttp://www.wnd.com/?pageId=347541#ixzz1Yox9DJgq