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Things We Saw Today: Gushers Finally Weighs in on Black Lives Matter

Welcome to the fruit snack revolution, I guess?
Image of Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea Steiner
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Published: Jun 6, 2020 06:00 pm

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As thousand of people across the country continue to protest police brutality and demand justice, companies are joining the fight. Some like Bad Robot, Disney, and LEGO are donating millions of dollars to various non-profits and charities. Others are working to establish new programs to help fight for racial equality and justice.

But while these donations are appreciated, they’re not entirely from the goodness of people’s hearts. These statements of support are playing on popular opinion, in the hopes of boosting the image and brand of each company. We’ve seen it in the increased corporatization of LGBTQ+ Pride, among other politically themed marketing moments.

By now, we’re used to these cynical marketing ploys, but sometimes a company comes along and offers an opinion that literally no one was asking for. Case in point: beloved 90s fruit snack Gushers, which tweeted this statement:

Oh snap, now Fruit by the Foot is getting involved!

What is it exactly that Gushers and Fruit by the Foot are planning? Free snacks for protesters? A river of corn syrup to entrap the police? Look, I get it. Social media managers gotta eat. But this is WILD. People are not looking to Gushers to change the world.

The tone deaf tweets garnered some hilarious responses from Twitter. Here are some of our favorites:

Gushers, welcome to the resistance I guess? Sigh.

(image: YouTube/Funny Commercials)

  • Since it’s Pride Month, let’s celebrate the 20 year anniversary of queer classic But I’m a Cheerleader. (via AVClub)
  • Get Itch.io’s Bundle For Racial Justice And Equality, a collection of 742 games for donations starting at $5. (via Itch.io)
  • Fantastic Four director Josh Trank said he got “heavy pushback” for wanting to cast a Black Sue Storm. (via Geeks of Color)

  • Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body) is adapting Dracula for a new film. (via io9)
  • Here’s a solid list of groups and organizations working towards racial justice. (via Nerdist)
  • We need more LGBTQ+ characters in kids’ programming. (via CBR)
  • Avengers assemble!

What did you see out there today, Mary Suevians?

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Author
Image of Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.
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