Mellish Motors 'misogynistic' sign gets international attention
CBC News | Posted: January 20, 2016 8:09 PM | Last Updated: January 20, 2016
Comedian who tweeted same joke says sign takes it out of context
An uproar about signs at Mellish Motors in New Annan, P.E.I., is gaining attention worldwide — including from an L.A. comedian who tweeted the same joke years ago, in a very different context.
Last week, a sign at the used car dealership read "Women are like snowflakes. They can't drive."
The sign was shared on social media — with some people decrying it as sexist, and others defending it as a joke.
In response to the uproar, later versions read "Sensitive women don't read this sign. You know who you are!" and "Attention drama queens, auditions for today have been cancelled!"
After CBC reported on the controversy around the sign, the story was reported on by news outlets around the world, including Buzzfeed, Mic magazine, the Toronto Star, the Daily Mail in the U.K. and the Huffington Post.
Feminist comedian tweeted same joke in different context
Comedian and writer Megan Amram, who lives in L.A., tweeted the same joke that was on the sign in 2012.
She said a friend tipped her off to the controversy the joke was creating in Canada.
Amram said she tweeted the joke as a satire on sexist commentary — something she thinks it loses when it's on the sign.
"There's a big contextual difference between a female feminist comedian tweeting something and someone putting it just on a sign with no context," said Amram.
Next sign to take aim at men
John Mellish, manager of Mellish Motors, said he has done 15 to 18 interviews since the signs first went up.
He said the sign was meant as a joke, that it wasn't much of a story until it hit social media.
"We fuelled the fire a little bit with the next few signs. I think you'll probably agree with that," he said.
He was surprised that people who posted on social media about his sign also experienced backlash, comments he said were sometimes crude and cruel.
Mellish said no one is immune from his jokes — and tomorrow's sign will take aim at men.
"There will be something up there about us men," he said.
"I'll keep people talking … once I think that it's not worth this story anymore I'll go back to some of my other signs."