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I enjoyed Marcus Payne's post on Bluesky which read "It's all kicking off in Richmond" with a picture of the front of a TG Jones shop with the new name crossed out and WH SMith written next to it. (WH Smiths would of course be more correcter)
Whilst I do not suppose for one second that someone actually did this in real life (but if I am wrong, well done), even as a fabricated tweet it is a worthy act of rebellion that makes a greater point. I would say it's worthy of Banksy, except it's probably more satirical and revolutionary than anything that mysterious man who no one can identify despite his name being revealed ever five years, has done.
The British public do not like things to change. Also they do not like it when something is rebranded when it is exactly the same thing as before. There are no doubt contractual reasons why the people who bought the high street WH Smithses can't call them WH Smiths, but we all know that they still are. And we all still call them that and will do for the next thousand years or until TG Jones enters administration (whichever is sooner).
WE WILL NOT BE FOOLED. WE ARE NOT IDIOTS.
Except when it comes to billionaires convincing us that immigrants are responsible for our economic woes, rather than billionaires or that Nigel Farage has the working man's interests at heart or pretty much anything other than transparent name changes.
But we'll never call a Marathon, a Snickers. We shall not be overcome when it comes to the naming of shops and sweets.
People of my ilk will always call Starburst by their correct name, Opal Fruits (even though we never had any idea what Opal Fruits actually mean- mind you, what does Starburst mean in this context? Nothing.). If we have any decency we will insist our kids do the same, else those that remember the real name die out and the younger people who nary saw an Opal Fruit will fall for the Starburst evil long time plan.
One day there will be an old person who is the last person alive who ever ate an Opal Fruit. Children will gather round them to hear the tales of the basically identical sweet that they eat, but with a different meaningless name. "NEVER FORGET," the old person will say, "Also, remember it should be Jif, not Cif (if they still make that). And Oil of Ulay is the real name of Oil of Olay." The kids will probably not really be bothered about those last two, but if I achieve one thing in my life, let it be a construction of a huge statue of a pack of Opal Fruits in central London, so that the deception can not win. Maybe with someone buying them from a branch of WH Smiths. With an S on the end. As it was always known to the public, even though the people who owned the shop tried to pretend otherwise.
Can Starburst so that?
There are worse ways to make a living.
Oh wait, I don't really get paid for any of that.
