A Canadian auto dealership is coming under fire for posting a series of signs that make fun of women drivers.
"Women are like snowflakes," read the first sign at Mellish Motors on Prince Edward Island. "They can't drive."
Another local business owner, Chelsea Ling of Papercakes Pretty, posted a photo of the sign on Facebook.
"I'm very much for businesses doing what they want and not for people saying 'oh, they run a business, they can't do that,' but I think there should be a common sense line of what's hateful and what's funny," Ling told the CBC.
Ling also said she didn't want her sons to see the sign, which is on a major highway.
"Just because it is normal in society, I don't believe it's okay," she told the network.
But John Mellish, who manages the used-car dealership, isn't backing down. After receiving complaints, he changed the sign to read:
Still not backing down, he changed it a third time.
"Attention Drama Queens," it read. "Auditions for today have been cancelled!"
Just saw that the Mellish Motors sign has been changed again. #PEI pic.twitter.com/inSl2gq42Z
— Krystalle Ramlakhan (@KrystalleTR)
Mellish told the CBC the signs were meant to be funny.
"We probably struck a nerve with one or two people out there, and so be it -- that's fair ball," Mellish told the network. "Some people take it the right way and I love that."
He also said in a 2013 interview he posts controversial messages so people remember where his business is.
Mellish told "Morning Show on the Go" that he's never taken a sign down because of complaints, but he has apologized for some.
"If I put up something about men or about myself, there's no response at all," Mellish said. "If I put up something about females, there's a lot of apologies going on."
When asked if women are more sensitive, he replied: "it appears to be that way."
However, the criticism online was coming from both genders:
https://t.co/p8twqmDsOE My dad used to same the same thing about #Asians and no one laughed at that either ... cuz he was a racist.
— Peter O'Meara (@VancouverCube)
...interesting sales technique #MellishMotors..You have tremendous faith in your clientele to so recklessly piss off such a huge demographic
— Josh Drummond (@joshdrummondart)
The difference between being provocative and being sexist a mystery at Mellish Motors https://t.co/bd12U8sHPI https://t.co/m62D98Pw5W
— Gail Rhyno (@gailrhyno)
Mellish Motors is on PEI. I'm also on PEI. I have a friend who has chickens that lay 25+ eggs a day. See where I'm going with this?
— Jailhouse Parker (@JailhouseParker)
Some stepped up to defend Mellish and his signs, including a few women:
Am I the only one that isn't all worked up over the Mellish Motors' signs? I found myself chuckling at them. Especially the most recent one.
— Chelsea Arsenault (@Derpahontas)
(h/t Buzzfeed)
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