Blue Man Group, the famous musical and artistic performance group, sent shockwaves through the automotive industry this Wednesday. Believe it or not, they made an announcement that they will be suing car companies that use Bluetooth technology in their vehicles, like the 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer and the 2020 Chevy Trax, citing the term “Bluetooth” as “offensive to people who are blue.”
The announcement came as the nation is dealing with its racist past, and many corporate brands, like Aunt Jemima, are being changed and rebranded, while dozens of statues of racist white men are being toppled by angry protestors outside of state capitols the country over.
“Our nation has a dismal history of not treating people of all skin colors—black, brown, yellow, and blue—equally, and it is time we deal with this issue head-on,” stated the group. “We believe car companies have aided and abetted this racist past by implementing technology that belittles and mocks people with blue skin.”
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Michigan, has caused carmakers to scramble and has put them in a tricky spot. That is especially true for General Motors and its well-known brand, Chevy, which was listed by name in the suit. Chevy, the maker of SUVs like the Trailblazer and Trax, has long used Bluetooth technology.
In fact, according to Chevy’s website, both the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer and 2020 Trax come with Bluetooth technology on some trims and are among several of the models cited in the suit. So in response to the unexpected lawsuit, Jim Clearskin, a spokesperson for Chevy, responded with understanding and a vow to do better. “We acknowledge that our use of Bluetooth technology may be off-putting to some and can be interpreted as offensive by those with blue skin like the Blue Man Group,” began Clearskin. “We love blue-skinned people and want them to continue to buy and drive our cars. We are working with our marketing and engineering departments to try to come up with new names for our technologies that will be less offensive so that we will appear more progressive and inclusive on social media.”
While Blue Man Group acknowledged that Chevy’s statement was a step in the right direction, they firmly believe more has to be done. “Chevy can say whatever they want, and we are glad they responded so quickly,” explained the group late Wednesday afternoon, “but as long as they use Bluetooth technology, we will still be offended.”
When asked if there were other terms the group found offensive toward them and others with blue skin, the group mentioned blueberries and wondered why Paul Bunyan’s Babe the Blue Ox was blue. “And don’t even get us started on the Smurfs,” responded the group. “The most recent Smurf movie set Blue rights back at least a decade.”
While there is still much to be determined with the lawsuit, and little is known about when car companies will actually remove Bluetooth from their vehicles, rest assured that we are following the story closely and will update our readers as developments occur.
