AAAAAAAMEN!

I couldn't resist.

Lmao, seriously though, can we agree these are hot items and that we all need some this JoyDivision loveliness? I gotta set some alerts on those beads, seriously!

They are VERY hot. I concur that we need some of this loveliness.

*goes to make picket-ish signs*

Amen, sista!

I have an entire wishlist dedicated to these new toys now. Well, kind of. It's a wishlist for toys that are yet to be available--which, right now, is just the JD stuff. Heh.

Ah, I remember only one of those (the Shello) but yes, you are correct! And thank you for the link! I'm enjoying browsing it in spite of only being able to dig the pictures

I'm actually a little freaked by a sex toy company being named Joy Division, the band got it's name from a division of women forced to be prostitutes by the nazis... so yeah, little freaky

Oh my god, I never knew that and that's incredibly upsetting. The thing is if this were an English company, for example, they might not know the history of the term (they might just think of the band.) But this is a German company so they most certainly would be aware of the implications of using this title. I am withdrawing my previous statements about wanting anything from this company. Yikes. Thanks for the heads-up, Madeira.

I agree - that is so creepy and tasteless. I'll pass on Joy Division toys.

Actually, if I had any physical copies of my Joy Division cds (digital world) I would probably give them away, and I don't think it's appropriate for you to suggest that this is not level headed. I don't think sexual slavery and/or rape is humorous or an acceptable way to market your music. Period. But let me guess, if I don't like rape jokes then I'm a big bad Comstock bleeding heart and I'm stomping all over your first amendment, eh? You have the right to say whatever you want, but I don't have to like it or support it with my money or patronage. That's my right as much as it is yours to call your band Forced Sex Work.

There is enough media that subtly or not-so-subtly desensitizes us to sexual violence every day, I don't need to actively buy into it. I always got that Joy Division wanted to be *shocking* with their Third Reich references, but this one went over my head. But I get boys, you were so *provocative!* Apparently not smart enough to think of a more creative way to upset people, but nevertheless that kind of vapid antagonism qualifies as "post-modern," I guess? Bravo?

As for the company not being aware of this? They are German. That would be like saying a U.S. company named "Jim Crow" didn't know that they were referencing a series of discriminatory laws.

Don't own any - so there's no problem. German education is very detailed about the atrocities of the Nazis - I doubt that its inadvertent - even if it is, wouldn't you do a little research before selecting a name?

Ignorance as a veil is just too thin!

Yeah, I was thinking of what you said re: education when I drew the parallel between slavery in the United States and the Nazis in Germany. Obviously the two atrocities are quite different, but they are similar insofar as both the United States and Germany stress both subjects in their respective education systems. Although frankly, the United States tends to skim over quite a lot and fluff it up. I've known a few German kids around my age and apparently they learn extensively and in very graphic detail about the Nazis.

I didn't mention one word about rape or sexual slavery... but far be it from me to stand in the way of one of your crusades.

As far as I know, "Joy Division" was not the official name given to the group of women from concentration camps forced into prostitution by Nazis. The term comes from "The House of Dolls", a novella written in 1955 that describes the horrific acts against women in concentration camps mentioned by Madeira. If you Google "Joy Division Nazi" or "Joy Division Germany", it's hard to find a single verified source (in other words, a source you could actually use in a paper) that claims "Joy Division" to be anything more than a term used in a novel.

Yes, these terrible acts did happen, but just because a company names itself "Joy Division" does not mean that they a) were aware of this somewhat underground meaning, or b) show support for this practice. Please, let's not get unnecessarily offended over this.

Show me the facts that this company deliberately named themselves after the WWII Nazi sexual slave trade, and then I won't question your trying to affect the business of that company by publicly making accusations about the messages they are promoting!

You have no facts here! This is guilty until proven innocent!

I'm not asking you to stop questioning me. I welcome questions and challenges. I'm not sure why you think that I am trying to silence you; I am engaging each of your responses which I can only imagine would demonstrate that I am interested in discussion. I was asking why you were confused as to how rape and sexual slavery were absolutely central to this conversation, a question you chose not to respond to which is okay.

I will respond to your assumption of my motivations and accusation that I am trying to affect JoyDivision's business, however. I don't personally care if anyone else buys from them, but in light of Madeira's post I simply stated that I am choosing not to buy anything from them. If that influences how someone else shops, that's their business and not mine. You'll notice that I never encouraged or asked anyone else not to buy from them, I simply stated that I do not wish to.

Cynthia, your point is excellent and well taken. The reason those keywords will not yield scholarly results is because a) Google is not a scholarly search engine, I would recommend Muse or Jstor as good alternatives and b) Joy Division is an English translation, which was popularized by the film and then apparently by the band. The band and film will yield far before "Freudenabteilung" will, which is the German term. However, the company chose JoyDivision for their name, written in English. This leads me to believe they are referencing the band at the very least, and as Gunsmoke said, a little research goes a long way before naming your company after a band that is notorious for fetishizing Nazi imagery.

The band's name was less upsetting because it wasn't conntected to sex, it's tasteless to name a *sex toy* company that, the band was using disturbing imagery to call attention to their rather melancholic nature

Personally I think Joy Division is a fine name for a band, they're a melancholic depressing band, named after a melancholic depressing thing, however naming a sex toy company after a group of women forced into prostitution is distinctly unsettling to me.