Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, has found a solution that is surprising to say the least: two garbage cans that talk to passers-by to make them aware of proper waste management. Photo: AFP
If you happen to be stopping in Malmo, you may come across a garbage can that will congratulate you for having thrown away your waste.
It may seem like an attractive initiative on paper, but if you listen carefully, you may find that it's not in the best taste.
Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, has found a solution that is surprising to say the least: two garbage cans that talk to passers-by to make them aware of proper waste management.
Located near the Davidshallsbron bridge, these bins with a robotic voice have not failed to draw the attention of web users and they have been both fascinated and amused, as the comments posted under a YouTube video showing how they work attests.
But is it a good idea? Not everyone is convinced, because of what they say and how they say it.
But the problem grabbing all the attention is related to the voice of these dumpsters. Sulfurous, suave, sensual: it encapsulates all the sexist stereotypes.
The garbage can even gives little exclamations of pleasure ("Oh yes, again!", "Mmm, a little more to the left next time"), right after a person has deposited a piece of waste there.
According to information gathered by American news channel CNN, there don't seem to be any plans (at least for the moment) to introduce talking garbage cans with a male voice.
Does this mean that only a female voice is effective in convincing people to keep their city clean? Unfortunately, using female attributes to turn something into an "object of desire" for the sole purpose of attracting attention or generating sales is still commonplace.
Type "sexist ad" in Google and you will see that misogynistic ads didn't stop getting made in the 1950s. And publicity stunts don't appear to be spared either, even if the principle is one of cleaning up the planet. – AFP Relaxnews
