Piggy Banks Banned by British Banks
While an older story, the fact that British banks Halifax and Natwest made a decision last fall to omit piggy banks from both their advertising and in-store promotions has been major news for us. The motive behind this decision was disclosed to be an aversion to offending Muslims, who do not eat pork because the pig is perceived as impure in Islamic culture. What is more, the banks’ decision to ban piggy banks–even if it is exclusive to only those coin banks which are shaped like pigs–has caused a flurry of controversy centered around political correctness. Proponents of the decision believe it is a courteous step toward better public relations, while critics fear this is a setback toward a blander society. We are not an ‘opinion site’, but at the very least here are a couple of the questions raised by this issue: What percentage of Muslims find piggy banks offensive? What standards, if any, should be used when determining if a symbol in Western society is offensive to one of its cultural segments? In this case, if piggy banks are somehow determined to be offensive to any culture, is the act of banning their use or representation in the best interest for the whole society? Jump to The Age for the original story.
