I was looking for a link to put in another post and came across this advert in the Guardian newspaper.
For non-UK readers, the Guardian is one of our most liberal national newspapers, and the stereotypical Guardian reader is anti-war, anti-whaling, anti-discrimination and thoroughly green. They reputedly wear beards (presumably the males of the species), sandals, and a particular type of jacket called a duffel coat, mainly distinguished by apparently being made out of recycled carpet underlay and being fastened with ‘toggles’ (apparently bits of old stick, or plastic imitations thereof) rather than buttons.
I think it’s delightful that the Guardian is actually selling items to its readers to help them fit the stereotype. I look forward to the Sun selling lager, and the FT umbrellas and bowler hats. (Or possibly these days Damien Hirst originals and Porsches).
Other suggestions for spin-off products welcome.
Ho ho! Reminds me of the Yes Minister classification of newspaper readers, which went (from memory), something like this:
The Times is read by the people who run the country.
The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country.
The Guardian is read by the people who think that they should be running the country.
The Daily Telegraph is read by the people who think that Guardian-readers already do run the country.
The Sun is read by people who don’t care who runs the country, as long as the girl on page 3 has nice t*ts.
I heard that Microsoft is opening up a bakery, to sell quiches and croissants…
Henry, I once painstakingly transcribed it:
Jim: I know exactly who reads the papers. The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country. The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country. The Times is read by people who actually do run the country. The Daily Mirror is read by the wives of the people who run the country. The Financial Times is read by people who own the country. The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country. The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is.
Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about people who read the Sun.
Bernard: Sun readers don’t care who runs the country as long as she’s got big t*ts.
A Conflict of Interest; Yes, Prime Minister Season 2
Written by Anthony Jay and Jonathon Lynn
HAHAHA! Excellent.
Bronwyn, you have the Mirror in there twice – is that a mistake?It’s the Daily Mail that’s read by the wives blah blah.
Lovely! I stand corrected. However, I propose that it is Nature that is read by the people who run the country.
mmm, no Henry. . . Nature is more like the Guardian, in that classification.
Possibly. But we don’t wear duffel coats. Perhaps I should add the line “Nature readers think that they should be running the country, between 95 per cent confidence limits”
laugh
Yeah, I’d go for that. Anyway, back to Brian’s point. Nature should sell sandals with inbuilt socks.
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