NPR

Sainsbury’s has bowed to pressure from domestic abuse campaigners by removing a “triggering” Roald Dahl-inspired mug they said promoted violence against women.

The mug had written on it the words, “A brilliant idea hit her”, a quote from the author’s 1988 book Matilda about a precocious five-year-old seeking revenge on her head teacher.

Activists had accused the supermarket of trivialising and promoting physical abuse against women through the mug that was on sale for £5.50.

Luis Labaton, head of Domestic Violence Assist, a domestic abuse charity, said he was horrified to see the mugs on sale at a store in Altrincham, Cheshire.

“Sainsbury’s has shown a lack of empathy for domestic violence victims by displaying these mugs . . . It shows just how far from reality they are,” he said.

Domestic Violence Assist which was founded in 2016, is the UK’s only registered charity specialising in arranging civil protection orders for domestic abuse victims and operates a 24/7 helpline.

Mr Labaton added: “It’s an insult to victims. This is further evidence that domestic abuse is not understood by so many.”

His comments provoked a storm on social media, with other irate users piling in to condemn the supermarket.

Dr Miranda Horvath, an academic researcher into violence against women at Middlesex University, wrote on Twitter: “This mug . . . is hugely problematic — we are trying to get them to stop selling it, apologise and make a huge donation to violence against women or girls charities.”

Another user said: “So do people wielding mugs. It’s not like there’s a shortage of literary quotes with marginally less potential to be triggering is it!”

This morning a spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s apologised to customers for “any upset this may have caused”, adding that the supermarket would be removing the mug from sale while the design was reviewed.

Others, however, decried the supermarket’s decision, describing the campaign to remove the item as “idiocy”.

Emma Webb, director of Civitas, a social policy think tank, commented: “How can the people on this thread not understand that ‘a brilliant idea hit her’ means ‘she had a brilliant idea’?

“It’s a quote from Matilda, for Christ’s sake. Stop trying to find offence where there is none!”

The full quote from the children’s book is: “When at last the germ of a brilliant idea hit her, she began to expand on it and lay her plans with the same kind of care the Duke of Wellington had done before the Battle of Waterloo.”

Emma Webb, director of Civitas, a social policy think tank, commented: “How can the people on this thread not understand that ‘a brilliant idea hit her’ means ‘she had a brilliant idea’?

Slick wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:52 am
the mug that was on sale for £5.50.

CM11 wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:28 pm I guess domestic abuse services are more tuned into this stuff but it's ridiculous to call out Sainsbury's the way they have. A bit more acceptance that people not in the thick of it wouldn't jump to that conclusion or even see the link at all would be nice. The lack of empathy and seeing other people's perspective (ironically what they accused Sainsbury's of doing) in this day and age is so sad to watch happening.

A6D6E6 wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:42 pm

CM11 wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:28 pm I guess domestic abuse services are more tuned into this stuff but it's ridiculous to call out Sainsbury's the way they have. A bit more acceptance that people not in the thick of it wouldn't jump to that conclusion or even see the link at all would be nice. The lack of empathy and seeing other people's perspective (ironically what they accused Sainsbury's of doing) in this day and age is so sad to watch happening.

I think it is more than a lack of empathy. They are demanding that a perfectly good metaphor which has probably been in common use for hundreds of years be removed from the language. Possibly even more worrying is that Sainsbury's are complying and apologising. We are heading into Orwell territory here.