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Rainbow Ice

By Pat Racimora on September 4, 2009 at 4:01 PM in Civil Liberties & Rights, Current Affairs

webhhicecream_edited-1

What does fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream rippled with fudge and peanut butter have to do with gay marriage? Well, maybe it is the most telling symbol that full civil rights for anyone wishing to marry may be on a roll.

The actual product itself is not friendly to my “lose 10 pounds” program, but the frosty concept…er…melts my soul. Hubby Hubby Ice Cream has just been introduced in Vermont to honor the state’s sanctioning of gay marriage as well as that of Iowa, Massachusetts, and Maine.

From the press release issued by the famous company:

“At the core of Ben & Jerry’s values, we believe that social justice can and should be something that every human being is entitled to,” said Walt Freese, Chief Executive Officer of Ben & Jerry’s. “From the very beginning of our 30 year history, we have supported equal rights for all people. The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction and something worth celebrating with peace, love and plenty of ice cream.”

hubby-ic_edited-1
The downside is that Hubby Hubby will only be available in Vermont, and even then only temporarily under that name. But if you want to try this concoction no matter where you live, you can get it as “Chubby Hubby.” And hopefully we won’t have to wait until hell itself freezes over before many more states support full civil rights for everyone!

  • Ellen D

    Oh heck! Why can’t we get “Hubby Hubby”!
    I don’t want “Chubby Hubby”!
    I’m sure it won’t taste as good!!!!:)

  • Onofe’s arm

    I’m color blind Pat, so I’m curious if you adhered to the Roy G. Biv standard for your rainbow ice cream.

    • oowawa

      Well, Onofre’s Arm, I assumed you were color blind, since as a disembodied appendage you can read only in braille. Trust me, Pat’s cartoon is quite colorful. The Roy G Biv standard is a new one on me–nice mnemonic. You may not have noticed that your name has been missing the “r” lately–doesn’t bother me, but I’m sure everyone else is confused and disturbed by this omission.

      Well Pat, as you might rightly surmise by my blabbering on off-topic like this, I cannot find a single pretentious pompous Jungian thing to say about this cartoon: very pretty!

      • Pat Racimora

        Well dang, oowawa. There is the cone coming “out of the shadow” and even though it is tilted, it is not dripping or melting because it is becoming more solid. That’s what I was thinking anyway.

        • oowawa

          Oh–that’s good Pat–but you’re not supposed to “think”–the unconscious associations go directly from your soul to your hand, bypassing your brain. Then we weisenheimers can come along and discover them.

          • Onofre’s arm

            Oowawa, sometimes it is the unseen that has the greatest effect on our subconscience. I wonder what kind of subliminal mischief Pat has crafted in the infra-red and ultra-violet ranges of the spectrum.

            • oowawa

              HaHa–You know, it’s funny you should say that. I’m actually so crazed that I was rummaging through drawers looking for some old 3-D glasses left over from, I don’t know, “House of Wax” probably.

              Yep–I’ve got this suspicion Pat is trying to sneak through some collective unconscious stuff . . .

      • College Educated for Hillary

        ROY G BIV is the mnemonic I was taught in (elementary or junior high) school to remember the order of the colors in the spectrum:

        Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet

        It obviously worked since I remember it to this day.

        • oowawa

          Well, I suppose someone should also mention that those marketing wags at Ben & Jerry’s

          earlier this year marked Barack Obama’s election as US president by renaming one of its nutty ice cream flavours “Yes Pecan”.

          I wonder–considering the subsequent lack of active support from the “Yes Pecan” namesake for those honored with the “Hubby Hubby” flavor, should we see a marketing conflict here? Would it be proper to put these products side by side on the same shelf of the ice-cream freezer?

        • oowawa

          Oooops–Almighty Spam Filter abducted one of my comments, Pat. Since it is actually on-topic and relevant, I implore you to rescue it.

          • Onofre’s arm

            And I have a post that is also hopefully gagging the spam filter. It is off topic and absurd, so oowawa’s relevant and concise comment will balance it out.

      • Onofre’s arm

        Oowawa, thanks for the “arms” up on my name! Sheesh, color blind AND dyslexic. At least I still have my humerus outlook on things as a strong defense against the depressing news that’s gripping this nation.

        • Katmoon

          OA, you just be extra careful if you go to a health care “discussion”; you cannot afford to lose a finger. :)

          • oowawa

            HaHa Katmoon. That’s funny! But just as long as O’s arm keeps his “humerus,” he’ll have one good leg arm left to stand on.

            • Katmoon

              O’s arm keeps his “humerus,”

              ROFL, and groan you punster you!
              We all need our humerus to keep us sharp and engaged right now, during these dark times.

              Factoid of the day, do you know 18 states allow of recall elections of Senators under certain conditions? Still working on this whole perspective of starting at the low level politicians and doing what we can as voters; remove the tainted guard, so its hard to keep a toehold in the state.

              Pat I really like this story as it helps all of us to remember what was promised and not given so many times over. Politicians use different groups to attain favor and then dump that group when they get to the dance and see that pretty ole dollar bill. Not these states, they stood by their voters convictions.

              I don’t see us getting and Hubby Hubby or Chica Chica (as suggested by J.J. the Puma-Excellent idea) here in Tennessee; so I’ll make up my own rainbow treat and say cheers to those who understand the concept of live and let live.

              • oowawa

                Well Katmoon, that pun was coined by O’s arm in the previous comment (much as I wish I had thought of it). This is a restatement of something I posted upthread, which was Spamatized and really belongs here: Ben & Jerry’s

                earlier this year marked Barack Obama’s election as US president by renaming one of its nutty ice cream flavours “Yes Pecan”.

                I don’t guess this item will be a big seller in Tennessee either. I’ll bet it won’t even deign to share freezer shelf-space with “Hubby Hubby.”

              • oowawa

                Spammed again, Katmoon. Just wanted to note that “O’s arm” was playing with that pun in the previous comment. Wish I had thought of it!

          • Onofre’s arm

            That story gave me considerable goosebumps. I often have nightmares of such radical manicures. I heard they had some footage of the Hannibal Lecter protege that is being digitized so that the culprit can be fingered. I would check all the local pastry shops to see if they have any recordings of suspicious characters ogling the lady fingers, they’re a gateway indulgence for the real thing.

            • Katmoon

              ROFL-Oh boy, what fun and I am humbled by your wit! All cliche’s about laughter and medicine are true imho.

              Have no fear OA, it seems their is an underground movement.

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUylyRZbMOQ

              • Onofre’s arm

                Thank you so much for that Katmoon, I laughed so hard that dirt that has collected for months under my nails became disloged. I think they’re cousins of mine, from the talented limb of our family tree.

                • Katmoon

                  :)

  • Pat Racimora

    Yes O’s A–I did indeed use the proper ROYGBIV standard–I had to consult it first though, I have to admit, to be 100% sure.

  • J.J. (The P.U.M.A.)

    I support people being able to do their own thing. But personally, I don’t think I could ever eat hubby hubby ice cream. Maybe I could go for Chicka-Chicka ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Hold the nuts.

  • Rich

    Wonderful Cartoon!

    Why is there only Hubby Hubby Ice Cream? What about Wife Wife Ice Cream? Also, why not celebrate Straight marriages with Straight Straight Ice Cream or are they saying that straight marriages have nothing to celebrate because of the high divorce rate? Why not create a banana split, with an unusual name, to celebrate interracial marriages. They could even have a contest for the name. Interracial marriages are still rare and not always accepted within a family, if not within a society.

    I think this is an interesting marketing ploy to sell Ice Cream, and I bet most of it will be sold to straight individuals who want to show how hip they are.

    Rich

    • pm317

      Good questions, Rich. When I read Pat’s draft, I thought to myself, why not “wifey wifey” ice cream. Are they sexist?

    • Tricia Spiegel

      Interestingly, Rich, there is a news video showing people lining up in Vermont to get a free sample. One person says, “I hate homosexuality but I want the ice cream.” Geesh…

  • Don X

    Astute comments and questions, Rich.

  • Solara 9

    I agree when civil rights gets down into the pospular culture, it means that the concept is becoming more acceptable.

    I hope the GLBT community prevails.

  • Solara 9

    I agree when civil rights gets down into the popular culture, it means that the concept is becoming more acceptable.

    I hope the GLBT community prevails.

  • http://rabblerouserruminations.blogspot.com Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy

    Oh my goddess, Pat – that toon is STELLAR!! :-D You rock!

  • JohnnyB

    Ok, Pat, you are getting the No on 8 people very hungry here in California. I think your cartoon would make a wonderful PIN that could be worn by all supporting Equal Right for all.

    As far as Hubby Hubby, they had to call is something, but it should be renamed to “Marrage Marrage, me and you”.

    Nice work Pat.

  • JohnnyB

    Ok, Pat, you are getting the No on 8 people very hungry here in California. I think your cartoon would make a wonderful PIN that could be worn by all supporting Equal Rights for all.

    As far as Hubby Hubby, they had to call is something, but it should be renamed to “Marrage Marrage, me and you”.

    Nice work Pat.

  • Marvin

    Particularly love the writing in this one, Pat: it snaps, crackles, and pops! (To keep with the sweet theme, you know).

    And speaking of sweet: How sweet it is to be loved by Ben & Jerry’s! Even if it only lasts as long as a flavor of the month. . .

  • GayDad69

    It’s a breath of fresh air to see cartoons and dialogue like this. I just wandered into a bookstore with friends here in Ghana on Friday and saw prominently displayed a venomous book titled “The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage” – written by Rev. Somebody-r-Other from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It made me extremely depressed to think the bookstore (of south African vintage) would even handle the tripe that was in it (though I do adamantly believe in freedom of speech and press)! The main thrust of the book was that it isn’t the church or individuals who despise and condemn this abomination, but it’s GOD’S WORD (which actually calls for execution of people for many strange kinds of things)… Actually, I would like to point out to that author that we don’t stone people to death on the outskirts of town so much anymore,as called for by “admonitions” in this and other “holy scriptures”..

    Thanks to Pat Racimora – and the reader comments here so far – for the badly-needed breath of fresh air for those of us still fighting the “Yes on 8″ syndrome throughout our beloved country. We clearly need to catch up with Canada and Europe on so many things, including this and health care reform, before we can really tout living up to our Constitutional guarantee of “equal protection”…