Getty Image / Anne Farrar / The Washington Post
A lot of angry people online are actively boycotting or threatening to boycott the intentionally offensive game, Cards Against Humanity, over a particularly offensive card from a pack that was pulled from shelves at Target all the way back in 2017.
There were two expansion packs, one titled the ‘Chosen People expansion pack’ and a related one named the ‘Jew Pack.’ Both were easily identifiable by a Star of David in the bottom left of the the black cards. The Chose People expansion pack was pulled from shelves at Target back in 2017, according to an article in The Times of Israel, due to anti-semitic jokes. At the time, Cards Against Humanity had responded with a message on their website saying “100% of the Cards Against Humanity writers are Jewish.”
Target removed the expansion pack from shelves after being called out social media:
We are aware of this extended card pack of the game Cards Against Humanity and are in the process of removing it from our stores. We apologize for any disappointment as it is never our intention to offend our guests with the products we carry. Thank you!
— AskTarget (@AskTarget) December 28, 2017
7 Years Later, People Are Threatening To Boycott Cards Against Humanity
The entire premise of the Cards Against Humanity game is to be as offensive as possible. It might change from round to round depending on who is choosing the winner but that’s the overarching theme of the game, be as offensive as humanly possible. Am I offended by the card? I sure am. Is that the point of the game? It sure is.
Everyone has their limits, and a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) has crossed the threshold of many people’s limits. The card reads “demolishing that a– like a Palestinian village.”
While that card was just as offensive to millions when it was released, it has struck a new nerve with countless people online due to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Many folks realize that the game was intended to be offensive:
*Buys offensive card game*
*gets offended*
“This is terrible!!!”
What?— 🏫 Gilbert 📚 (@Gilbytweets) March 18, 2024
Not people trying to cancel CAH … a game that is clearly satire and politically incorrect ON PURPOSE 😭💀💀
— Booomie (@Booomie__) March 18, 2024
The post on X has racked up 9 million views and the vast majority of the shares and replies are from people who are outraged, either justifiably or naively depending on your perspective of the game and whether the intent to offend can go too far.
The fact remains, however, that all of these people online ready to ban Cards Against Humanity are getting extremely angry over something that’s been for sale since 2017. The pack itself is even older! There was a petition to have it removed way back in 2016.
In fact, Cards Against Humanity still sells the pack on their website for $5. They still have the disclaimer up stating “Fun fact: 100% of the Cards Against Humanity writers are Jewish. Can you believe it? A Jewish comedy writer! Anything is possible in the 21st century.”
Nobody is denying that the card is offensive. But the purpose of the card is to offend. Furthermore, it’s been sitting in the box since 2017. Where was the outrage since then?
Am I offended? Sure. Absolutely. Who wouldn’t be? But that is the point of the card. So if you’re willing to boycott Cards Against Humanity over this card from the Jew Pack and not the thousand other insanely offensive cards, maybe ask yourself why that is?