Amazon has a widely recognized symbol that is used on TV, on their boxes, on the internet… even used where Children can see it. They call it a “smile.”
That is not a smile!
The best spin I can put on it is that it’s a smirk. Smirk: a one-sided, or “lop-sided” smile, and almost always goes with a different emotion than does a full smile. Think about it. That’s Amazon saying “gotcha!”
That’s the best spin I can put on it, and at that it was hard to come up with. The first, instantaneous impression I had when I very first saw that “logo” was a “that’s a phallus!” (That might not have been the exact wording I used. 🙂 ) Hence my “even where Children can see it” remark above.
By the way, no, I don’t shop at Amazon. Sometimes I order things from eBay and they arrive in one of those Amazon boxes, and I feel like I got bait-and-switched. I feel like I don’t even want to touch the box. Silly me, yes indeed. An over reaction, no question… but, I ordered it from eBay, not from the Monster That’s Trying to Eat the World (that’s a whole ‘nother discussion, though).
Why haven’t the Mrs Grundy’s(1) of the world objected boisterously over this? Why haven’t the consumer advocate groups filed law suit for subliminal sexual advertising? Why isn’t that symbol considered child-abuse since it’s where children can see it, even receive gifts and toys with that symbol all over them? (Why are you still reading this rant? — Oh! Never mind.)
So, whether it’s a Smirk or a Phallus, the message either way is pretty clear: You Just Got Sc……!
Just my opinion… form your own.
Footnotes: odd concept, yes?
(1) “Mrs Grundy” is a archetypal character (apologies to any one whose name really is “Grundy,” no insult intended — I didn’t invent this concept) who is the self righteous upholder of the public morals, usually way over the top, usually also sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, peeping through keyholes and such in order to discover the things she can now get all self-righteous about, with so much gusto. You’ll find “her” made reference of in several of Robert Heinlein’s books, also there was a character in at least one episode of Gun Smoke whose name and behavior were “Mrs Grundy,” and so on. It’s an old term for people who just can’t leave other folks alone but believe others must have their morals constantly policed. I’m not saying such folks are good or bad. They do exist; so does the weather, and one has as much chance of changing either one. Decide for yourself.