THEY HAVE NO GENITALIA THUS NO GENDERThe real issue with the Mr. Potato Head drama

When it comes to inclusivity for all, a gendered potato might not necessarily help eradicate discrimination against people for who are they are.

February 26, 2021

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - JULY 27: Mr. Potato Head and Mrs. Potato Head attend Variety's Power of Youth presented by Hasbro, Inc. and generationOn at Universal Studios Backlot on July 27, 2013 in Universal City, California.

(Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Variety)

Breanna Robinson

Although this character hadn't crossed my mind since Toy Story, the classic Mr. Potato Head is making headlines. Why?

The toy will adopt a gender-inclusive identity by dropping the "Mr."

As of Thursday, Hasbro announced that they are ensuring "all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion."

Some people thought this recent statement meant this would change the entire Mr. Potato Head character. Then, Hasbro made a whimsical yet clarifying statement to say that Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head will keep their customary titles.

"Hold that Tot — your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn't going anywhere!" said the company. "While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the 'MR.' I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren't going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD."

Despite this, I've always wondered why an inanimate object like a potato would ever really need to be gendered in the first place.

Mr. Potato Head was created in the early 1940s by George Lerner, an inventor. Lerner created the "funny face man," aka Mr. Potato Head, for his litter sister out of fruits and vegetables from their mother's garden. He thought that adding some character and personality to vegetables would make it more fun for kids to eat.

However, when Lerner wanted to sell the idea to companies, he faced controversy.

READ: Marjorie Taylor Greene's despicable transphobic display proves she has no understanding of the Equality Act

Marjorie Taylor Greene's despicable transphobic display proves she has no understanding of the Equality Act

Just because someone may be different from what you believe doesn't mean that they aren't human beings that deserve to be treated with fairness and integrity.

Some companies thought that using potatoes as toys seemed problematic given World War II and food rations. His invention In 1952, Hasbro, Inc. (formerly known as the Hassenfeld brothers) bought the creation's rights.

Eventually, Mr. Potato Head went on to become the first toy to have a commercial advertisement. In 1964, a plastic potato head body was created to accompany the 28 plastic facial features.

Now decades later, this toy, among others, is being rebranded to not leave anyone out of the equation.

As great as this is when it comes to inclusivity for all, a gendered potato might not necessarily help eradicate discrimination against people for who are they are. Regardless, companies' strides to become more inclusive for others irrespective of race, gender, and sexual orientation is an amazing start.

Daisy Ridley had the perfect response to Ted Cruz's tweet about her 'Star Wars' character

"I am very happy to be an emotionally tortured Jedi, who doesn't leave their state when it's having a terrible time."

February 24, 2021  

Daisy Ridley attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2020 After Party at The Grosvenor House Hotel on February 02, 2020 in London, England. 

 (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Sandra Salathe

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz really isn't in the position to be hurling insults at anyone. Especially after he fled to Cancun, Mexico while his state grappled with a widespread snowstorm, that resulted in 70 deaths, and almost 3 million homes and businesses without power or heat. But alas, that is exactly what Cruz is doing.

On Feb. 11, Cruz defended The Mandalorian co-star Gina Carano, who is from Dallas, Texas, and was fired from the Star Wars spinoff over several offensive social media posts. In doing so, Cruz took additional aim at other female characters from the franchise - including Daisy Ridley.

"Texan Gina Carano broke barriers in the Star Wars universe: not a princess, not a victim, not some emotionally tortured Jedi," wrote Cruz. "She played a woman who kicked ass & who girls looked up to. She was instrumental in making Star Wars fun again. Of course Disney canceled her."

Because comparing conservatives to being a Jewish person during the Holocaust equates to breaking barriers, right?

For those who are fans of the Star Wars franchise, understand the "emotionally tortured Jedi" portion of Cruz's tweet was in reference to Ridley's character Rey, who was orphaned after the murder of her parents during the latest Star Wars trilogy. The "princess" and "victim" part could be a jab Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia Organa and Natalie Portman's Padmé Amidala.

If you couldn't already tell, I'm a proud Star Wars fan.

On Tuesday, when Ridley sat down with Yahoo! Entertainment to promote her new sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking, she was asked about Cruz's comments, and responded like the badass heroine she plays on screen.

"I did not know, and I am very happy to be an emotionally tortured Jedi," Ridley said, "who doesn't leave their state when it's having a terrible time."

Oouuff!

Wouldn't be the first time Cruz made himself look stupid. It's kind of his forte at this point. Let the senator's error be an example to future politicians who think it's acceptable to mess with a powerful female Jedi.

Exceptionally low tide leaves Venice canals almost empty

Boats and gondolas beached as water levels plummet

Emily Goddard@emilysgoddard

1 day ago

 THE INDEPENDENT

Sections of Venice’s canals have been left almost dry by exceptionally low tides just months after the lagoon city was hit by flooding.

Boats and gondolas have been beached and could be seen sitting on the muddy banks after water levels plummeted to -48cm.

In December, high tides flooded St Mark’s Square, causing damage to shops and other businesses.

And in November 2019, Venice suffered its worst flooding in more than 50 years when the water reached 187cm

More than 85 per cent of the canal city was submerged and 

St Mark’s Basilica was flooded for only the sixth time in 1,200 years.

Read more

• 
  High tide floods Venice as dike-on-demand wasn't activated
• 
  Venice floods: Highest tides in 50 years plunge city’s squares underwater as ‘result of climate change’

Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, blamed climate change at the time.

“The situation is dramatic,” e tweeted. “We ask the government to help us. The cost will be high. This is the result of climate change.”

The November 2019 floods were also followed by low tides, similar to the ones seen on Saturday, in January 2020.

PRISON NATION USA

Michigan prison system's coronavirus variant cases more than triple

Angie Jackson
Detroit Free Press

Known cases of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant inside Michigan's prison system have more than tripled since the state announced an outbreak at a facility in Ionia last week.

As of Friday, 292 prisoners and 16 Michigan Department of Corrections staff were confirmed to have the variant, according to MDOC spokesman Chris Gautz.

Cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant — first detected in the United Kingdom — have been confirmed at three state prisons: Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Duane Waters Health Center in Jackson and Macomb Correctional Facility in Lenox Township.

Officials say all of MDOC's B.1.1.7 cases are believed to be tied to an outbreak that started at Bellamy Creek. The first case, a staff member, was identified earlier this month through random genetic sequencing surveillance at a state lab, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The department transferred some prisoners with comorbidities who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus from Bellamy Creek to Duane Waters and Macomb before the variant was detected. At those two facilities, Gautz said Friday that the variant has not been found in any prisoners who were not originally housed at Bellamy Creek.

Among prisoners, there are 276 confirmed cases of B.1.1.7 at Bellamy Creek, 14 at Macomb and two at Duane Waters. Gautz said Friday that he believed the 16 staff cases are all employees at Bellamy Creek.

More: More than half of Michigan's B.1.1.7 variant cases tied to a prison

More: Highly contagious COVID-19 strain found at Michigan prison

MDOC continues to make up the majority of Michigan's known B.1.1.7 cases. There were 422 cases across the state as of Thursday, according to MDHHS. After MDOC, Washtenaw County has the most cases, with 46.

Michigan ranks second nationally for the highest number of B.1.1.7 variant cases behind Florida, which has 500 cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But states have limited capacity to test for the variant. The MDOC cases were detected through a testing regimen that involves daily testing of prisoners and staff. Positive samples are sent to the state lab to sequence for the variant. All prisoners and staff at Bellamy Creek, as well as some prisoners and employees at Duane Waters and Macomb, are tested daily.

One prisoner with the variant was hospitalized as of Friday. No prisoners with the variant have died, Gautz said.

The department reported 347 active COVID-19 cases among prisoners at Bellamy Creek as of Friday, with 775 total cases at the facility since the beginning of the pandemic. So far, infections at other facilities have not surged since the variant was first reported at Bellamy Creek on Feb. 8. Active prisoner cases across the state — at 532 on Friday — are down from earlier in the month.

Experts say the B.1.1.7 variant is up to 50% more contagious than previously identified strains. Dr. Adam Lauring, an associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at the University of Michigan, previously told the Free Press that the variant means "less room for error" in controlling the spread in prison settings.

Some prisoners and their families remain concerned about the potential for larger outbreaks.

"My brother calls me terrified," said Sondra Snow, 55, of Olivet, whose brother is incarcerated at Bellamy Creek and had not tested positive as of Tuesday. "He calls me a couple times a day. It costs me an arm and a leg, but I can't not take his phone calls because I have to calm him down."

Stephanie Yaldo-Sheena, 25, of Royal Oak said her brother told her that he and his cellmate at Bellamy Creek are hoping to be offered the vaccine soon. Her brother doesn't qualify for the priority groups based on age or medical conditions, but she thinks that being housed in a congregate setting puts the entire prisoner population at risk.

"That’s top of their mind right now because they don’t really see any way out," Yaldo-Sheena said of the vaccine.

Angie Jackson covers the challenges of formerly incarcerated citizens as a corps member with Report for America. Her work is supported by The GroundTruth Project and the Hudson-Webber Foundation. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work. Become a Free Press subscriber.