Aquellos que vayan por estos días al supermercado con la intención de comprar un paquete de harina, podrían llevarse una sorpresa. Después de décadas de packaging inalterable, la imagen frontal de la clásica harina leudante Blancaflor ha cambiado por completo. La foto de un bowl con masa ocupa el primer plano y no quedan ni rastros de la simpática “negrita” que formó parte durante medio siglo del logo. El tema estalló en las redes el 25 de mayo, asociado inmediatamente con la incorrección política de que una mujer de raza negra ilustrara el envoltorio. Pero la empresa que fabrica el producto (Molinos) no ha dado hasta ahora ninguna explicación sobre el cambio. Los chistes e ironías arreciaron. Incluso se hizo la observación de que otras marcas de harina, en lugar de gente de color, tienen en el paquete a un ama de casa, reforzando el mensaje de que para una mujer, no hay nada más apasionante que amasar.

The debate for "Blancaflor" is another chapter of the infinite novel of political correctness. This effective tool for establishing, from language, an awareness of the care of minorities; that in the wrong hands (those of ignorance and stupidity) can be more damaging than the evil it seeks to remedy.

Classics questioned

On the same level of bullshit, last month, he occupied pages of newspapers, television hours and days on social media; the kiss that Snow White, asleep, receives from Prince charming in the film version of Walt Disney. After months closed by the quarantine, Disney World opened its doors, reopened the walk dedicated to this fiction heroine and decided to end the story with the famous kiss. That kiss that does not appear in the written account of the Grimm Brothers, but which is a classic in the filmmaker's 1937 version. Two San Francisco Chronicle journalists who highlighted the park's new attraction criticized the company's choice as a "non-consensual kiss." This rating opened a world debate and raised funny suggestions, such as waking up heroin with a Horn or blasting a siphon. Journalist Alejo Schapire, in his book "Progressive betrayal" (Edhasa), had already talked about the allegations made by certain specialists about this very scene, calling the action "sexual assault."

Schapire, who speaks of the "advent of a new order dictated by political correctness", relates in the book, too, that in a "Carmen" set by Bizet in Florence, the director decided that Carmen would not die stabbed by her lover, as in the original. On the contrary, in its version, it is she who kills the protagonist. The final change, according to the director, was justified by the idea that, at this time, it is unacceptable for the public to applaud the murder of a woman. Schapire wonders, then; after telling the story, if instead it is right to applaud the crime against a male. Moreover, are the crimes applauded by the public, or by actors, musicians and staging?.

Another classic difficult to place in grids is "what the wind took", an era film based on Margaret Mitchell's novel, which tells the conflict between the north and south of the United States. As the author is southern, she shows a kind image of the treatment of slaves in the family. For this reason (which has already brought problems in the past to the director and studio that produced the film), HBO decided a few months ago to withdraw the film from its offer. But, given that it is a classic, he answered it two weeks later, this time with explanatory videos about the historical content of the work. Could it be that for decades, the audience who worshipped the film believed slavery to be a commendable practice? Or rather, programmers assume that today's viewers need to be made clear that it's wrong to have slaves?

Culture. One of the new tools of harassment of freedom of expression is to point out those who wear clothes or hairstyles that "belong" to a particular culture. So, a while ago, Angela Torres had to apologize for her flaming dreads to her enraged followers who accused her of "cultural appropriation."

The same thing happened to Justin Bieber this year with his dreadlocks, until this week he decided to shave. Earlier, Rihanna had been attacked for wearing a necklace with the image of the Hindu god Ganesha and Kendall Jenner, for dressing up as a Mexican peasant to promote their tequila brand. Plain and plain evil, disguised as nobility for the nets.