Eskimo Pie to change name, cites racial equality
The owner of Eskimo Pie ice cream treats says it will change the name of its 99-year-old brand because the term is "derogatory," the company announced on Friday. The Eskimo Pie is America's first chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar and was invented in 1920 by Christian Nelson.
The move by Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, which owns Eskimo Pies, comes as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s announced changes to their brands following nationwide protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. “We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is derogatory,” Elizabell Marquez, the company’s head of marketing, said in a statement.
"The new name and the images that came with it were meant to evoke the chilly north and the indigenous people who lived there, but it traded heavily on a stereotype," reads a Smithsonian Magazine story on the name from 2017.
"Although there has been little public pushback to the Eskimo Pie in the way there has been to the Washington Redskins, at least one woman, who was of Inuk heritage, has said that the name is offensive. In Canada, there is a football team named the Edmonton Eskimos which has been the source of Washington-style controversy."
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/503700-eskimo-pie-to-change-name-cites-racial-equality-we-recognize-the-term-is
= new reply since forum marked as read
Source: https://www.visitstillwater.org/event/45th-anniversary-event-at-eskimo-joes/18208/
https://eskimojoes.com/
https://www.google.com/search?q=eskimo+joe%27s+stillwater&tbm=isch&chips=q:eskimo+joe%27s+stillwater,g_1:logo:0SR0dIkmT1M%3D
Speaking of racism…
This week we discussed racist logos and brands in our ethics class and it inspired an interesting topic I’d like to bring up now.
Living in Stillwater, OK, everyone knows about Eskimo Joe’s. Known for it’s unique restaurant, good burgers and fries, live music and good drinks, the people of Stillwater love Eskimo Joe’s! In fact, it’s a bit famous. People often drive to Stillwater just to go eat at Joe’s. But there is something I’ve noticed in the last year that greatly concerns me.
Has anyone ever considered the fact that using an Inuit and calling him an Eskimo is racist? Down in Oklahoma we don’t know a lot about the Inuit culture. Inuit’s consider the term “eskimo” extremely offensive and derogatory, to the same degree of the N-word to describe black people.
Stan Clark and his businesses have been great for our community, no doubt. But each restaurant has exploitative qualities to them. Eskimo Joe’s, Joseppi’s (now closed), Mexico Joe’s, and our newest addition Mojo Joe’s.
Eskimo Joe’s environment and food has nothing to do with Inuit culture. An Inuit is simply being used as a gimmick to grab people’s attention and nothing else. The Inuit’s have a rich and intriguing culture and plastering an “Eskimo” with a big toothy smile on our billboards, T-Shirts, cups, etc. is pretty disrespectful.
Sadly I think rebranding Eskimo Joe’s is out of the question. It is such a staple in our community and changing anything to make it more politically correct would result in absolute outrage. The only thing you could do, if you felt passionate enough, is to just not go to Eskimo Joe’s.
Maybe rename them Alaska Pies?
