Friday, May 30, 2008

my drink offends me

i'm in jamba juice the other day and they've changed the menu layout, so i can't find "my drink". i ask, "what's the one that used to be called strawberry tsunami?" she looks puzzled, has to find a manager and he tells me. i ask, "why'd you change the name?"

he says, "it was when the tsunami hit in indonesia that they changed the name to strawberry surfrider. i guess to be more politically correct or something."

this puzzles me. it seems overly sensitive. am i right? are tsunami victims really sensitive about tsunamis? can you be really sensitive about natural disasters? i'm just having a hard time imagining that someone from the tsunami disaster would show up at a jamba juice and declare, "i was in a tsunami and the fact that you have a drink called strawberry tsunami is very, very offensive."

so, am i right? is this taking political correctness to a whole new level?

10 comments:

Amber Marie said...

yes, it is. that is crazy but it doesn't surprise me!

Shar said...

I think every thing is getting so ridiculous.

Liz said...

I don't think you can be overly sensitive about someone's loss. It's a tragic and traumatic way to die and watch people die and it was a simple thing for Jamba Juice to change the name. No harm done to them. I think it was a nice gesture. Easy fix. Everybody's happy.

redstarmama said...

I don't think it makes any difference in the grand scheme of things whether Jamba Juice changed the name or not, but I do think it has nothing to do with political correctness, and does show some sensitivity on the part of a large corporation. So that's refreshing. Actually, the gesture and the actual Jamba are both refreshing.

tara said...

I think it might be overly-sensitive (yes, i think that is possible), but maybe not overtly PC. Because I am pretty sure lots of Eskimos have died in Blizzards but you don't see Dairy Queen doing anything about changing the name of their shakes.

These days people tip-toe around anything that MIGHT offend someone. I would have been weirded-out and slightly annoyed in your situation too.

Hernan+ said...

That’s the American Way!!!
When I go to a Mexican Restaurant or I run into a Latino (Spanish Speaking person) I instantly tend to speak in Spanish... or at least used to, because it seems that some Latinos find that a little offensive.

Yes! They find offensive that two people who speak Spanish… actually speak Spanish to each other. Also some other non Spanish speaking people find offensive if they speak Spanish between one another.

So the polite thing to do is or either speaks English at all times, or speak Spanish when no one is listening…

I fond it ridiculous, but I don’t speak Spanish anymore until someone speaks to me in Spanish.

Annie Jarman said...

I think it's silly. I also found it silly when people started calling french fries and french toast freedom fries and freedom toast. Granted, that didn't have anything to do with being politically correct or sensitive, but still.

I agree with taradise.

Miriam Herm said...

i was annoyed! how am i supposed to remember my drink when they're constantly going to change the name?

Leah said...

Nuts. That's the world we live in, I guess. Whatever.

I read a great book about political correctness in college called The New Thought Police by Tammy Bruce. I'll mail it to you if you want to read it.

Good luck with your Strawberry Tsunami.

pixiestylist said...

i totally thought the same thing! that exact thing happened to me right after the tsunami hit! i guess i drink more sugary drinks than you... :)
i'm also always annoyed when they are out of lemonade because that means i can't order a strawberry tsunami/surfrider :(