A few months ago, a Scottish coffee brand changed its label showing a Sikh servant because of protests that it was racist. The new label is shown below. In delicious, coffee-flavored irony, the Camp mascot may actually have been gay.

Back in the day, the Camp coffee label showed a Sikh servant bringing a Scottish soldier coffee:

To make the Sikh man slightly less servile, the manufacturers removed the tray several years ago, leaving his hand floating in mid-air like some obscure gang sign:

After some desi shopkeepers refused to stock the brand, alleging racism, the label changed to the new label up top.

… they got rid of the tray decades ago, either because it seemed too servile or because it had a bottle of Camp Coffee on it, which presented a troublesome conundrum: how could the scene on the label possibly be depicted on the bottle in the scene? And what about the bottle on the label on the bottle in the scene? These are the sorts of questions that occupy the very stoned. [Link]

But since the actual Scot on the label was charged with buggery while commanding in Ceylon and offed himself with a gun, a really camp label would look something like this, flag proudly erected:

Major-General Sir Hector McDonald… serving with distinction in the Afghan war and in India. He became known as “Fighting Mac”… [and was] later given command of the troops in Ceylon, where charges of homosexuality were brought against him. He shot himself in a Paris hotel in 1903, after reading about his impending court martial in the New York Times…

… as far as I’m concerned the changes aren’t happening fast enough. At this rate I may not live to see the Sikh and McDonald’s first kiss. [Link]

Here’s an old Camp coffee poster:

See also our hot older sister about Camp coffee.

Photos of Sikhs in tartan:

by Gary Voth