Apple has advanced its emoji slate a little bit further towards the unattainable goal of politically correct. It earlier banned the rifle emoji and is now swapping the pistol for an inoffensive squirt gun. New additions also include women in traditionally male jobs like construction workers, single-parent families and the ability to swap genders with existing emojis.
But only TWO genders? Transphobic much?
There is still plenty of work to do. The progressive frontier is horizonless, and Apple has a ways to go to truly modernize its keyboard.
Wayyy more genders
New York City alone recognizes 31 genders and Apple should too. I’m talking agender, third sex, non-binary, hijra and androgyne, to name a few. Also why hasn’t it added otherkin genders for all the species of the animal kingdom? I mean it is 2016 for God (God’s a woman, btw)’s sake.
All weapons replaced by dildos
Apple took away the pistol, but what about all the other weapons? What are they, the NRA? Instead, tasteful dildos should be added to promote sex positivity.
All phallic imagery removed (except the dildos)
I’m so done with the patriarchy that if I have to see one more eggplant or popping champagne bottle, I’ll report Apple to my university’s bias response team. Instead we should have more feminine symbols of the womb and fertility.
The squirt gun can only shoot men
Apple was very brave to sanitize their pistol, but the squirt gun can still be a participant in violence against women. How about a little disclaimer on the gun saying, “I can only shoot men.”
These are important steps in the right direction, but Apple must not stop until anything that personally offends me is gone.