"Crazy for You" Teddy Bear NYTimes article Okay I'm not usually one to get in an uproar about the politically correct war.........however I'd like to hear feedback from ppl here about what they think of this marketing ploy by the VTBC.

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
By PAM BELLUCK Published: January 22, 2005
...But others say a straitjacket on something as cute as a teddy bear trivializes a traumatic experience and reinforces a stereotype of mentally ill people as violent.

<font color="purple">"If Vermont Teddy Bear had produced a bear with a noose around its neck saying, 'I'd love to hang with you,' and called it a Ku Klux Klan teddy bear, the response would be overwhelming disgust and horror," </font> said Anne Donahue, a Republican state representative.

Flip Brown, a management consultant in Burlington, said that "I know that marketing departments need to be creative and even edgy, and you want products that grab attention," but that "if you buy this bear and you have a child who sees it and asks: 'What is that bear doing? Why can't it move its arms?' how do you answer that question?"

Maureen McNamara of Westboro, Mass., whose 13-year-old son has been committed to psychiatric hospitals and put in a straitjacket, started a petition drive against the bear. <font color="red">"You wouldn't have a bear in a wheelchair saying, 'I'm rolling over the hill in love with you,' " she said.... </font>

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post"> Poor choice VermontTBC. This isn't cute nor can it be shrugged off. I'm tired of being portrayed as a marginal part of society by marketing nitwits!!

In case anyone would like to let the VermontTBC how they feel about this here is their contact page with e-mails, mailing addy, and phone numbers. Customer Service VTBC