Target’s inclusive Christmas ornaments are the latest target for furious right-wing trolls
Target’s 2023 Pride range sparked outrage among conservatives last year. (Getty)
Target’s inclusive Christmas decorations – including a “gay nutcracker” are really riling up far-right consumers ahead of the holidays.
Nothing quite says ‘season’s greetings’ like the first cries of “go woke, go broke” from right-wing trolls who combust at the sight of inclusive Christmas marketing.
The latest target of the anti-LGBTQ+ wave is, well, Target.
The US retailer has a wide range of Christmas decorations, toys, and apparel on shelves ahead of the holiday season, catering for all who celebrate.
But it wasn’t long before far-right shoppers found a way to dampen the holiday spirit, after spotting Santas of different ethnicities, Santas in wheelchairs, and a “gay nutcracker” holding the LGBTQ+ Pride flag.
As soon as photos of the inclusive decorations made their way online, outrage snowballed and trolls decided that the only viable response was to boycott Target this Christmas.
“Wow. Just wow. You would think they would have learned from the last time. When will companies finally start to realize it? Go woke, go broke,” tweeted one person.
“They are trying really hard to bankrupt themselves,” suggested another.
And a third declared: “Target is a woke corporation that will end up losing all of their customers one way or another due to weakness.”
Thankfully, there were plenty of social media users who were baffled by the outrage.
“I truly don’t understand why people get upset with the diversity @Target offers,” one person mused.
A second agreed: “I don’t see the problem. If I were disabled I’d appreciate this. It’s not ‘woke’ just because you validate something that isn’t common.”
Meanwhile, a third pointed out: “They had Dracula in a wheelchair for Halloween. I love the fake character outrage. They are all mad [about] things that don’t exist. Santa, Dracula, mermaids.”
This is just the latest spur of fury that far-right consumers have directed at Target.
Earlier this year, Target and its staff members were subjected to “very aggressive behaviour” from customers after displaying Pride items – including clothing, accessories, and homeware – in stores.
After reports of right-wing extremists harassing employees and vandalising store displays, the company opted to remove some of the Pride stock from shelves.
Target’s CEO Brian Cornell explained earlier this month in an interview with CNBC that safety threats were so serious that employees didn’t feel safe coming to work.
“We had to prioritise the safety of our teams. And I knew personally this was not gonna be well received. But we had to prioritise the safety of the team,” he said.
Ideally, trolls can at least find it in themselves to at least limit their hateful vitriol to online spaces this year and avoid going full-Grinch this holiday season.
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