“Yes, We Have No Bananas” is the name of a famous old song. Sweden's Gender Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg clearly wants to hear that too.
what's that?
Well, here's the story: The employee actually requires staff to remove all bananas from the room prior to her arrival due to her phobia.
I know, I know, some of you may be saying, “I can't make this up,'' but I'm sure someone out there is thinking the same thing. I thought the same thing when I first heard this story on social media. “Okay, this might really be satire.” So I did a little research and found out that Hell's Bells is as real as a monkey's love for bananas.
It is therefore not enough for Sweden to declare itself the first country in the world to officially establish a “feminist” government. That the country's “Left Party” (his real name) once proposed a “men's tax” (yes, only on men), and that feminists in Sweden started a campaign to force boys to urinate while sitting. alone is not enough. It is not enough for Sweden to have a “Minister for Gender Equality”.
No, in this country that single-handedly proves that “fact is stranger than fiction,'' we have a minister for gender equality who is afraid of bananas.
Wait till you hear about this from the Fruit Equality Minister.
(Or are the Minister of Fruit Equality and the Minister of Gender Equality the same thing?)
don't wander around
Jokes aside, the BBC (which does propaganda but not satire) reported on the matter:
Local media outlet Expressen cited leaked emails it saw showing staff working for Minister Paulina Brandberg asking her to remove bananas before an official visit.
Brandberg…allegedly posted on X in 2020 that he had “the world's weirdest banana phobia.” The post has since been deleted.
Fellow Swedish politician Teresa Carvalho also told X that she too has a banana phobia and is united with Brandberg on this issue.
Seriously? Two Swedish female politicians have an incredibly rare phobia that no one has ever heard of. That sounds a bit like the Hollywood actor and Marin County resident who claim to have “two 'trans' children.” Well, that's perfectly consistent with probability.
full effect
However, to fully understand this story, you must read the original version on Expressen. Please note that although we identify Brandberg's problem below as an “allergy”, this does not appear to be true. The outlet reports (automatically translated from Swedish):
In February this year, Brandberg was invited to a so-called “VIP lunch” at the Swedish National Court Administration. Her Cabinet Secretary wrote in an email:
“Paulina Brandberg has a strong allergy to bananas, so we are thankful that there are no bananas in the space where she will be staying.”
The response from authorities was positive.
“I'll make sure the meeting is banana-free.”
In an email to the county board that same month, Brandberg employees were more direct in their tone.
“It is also prohibited to bring bananas onto the premises.”
Yet another politician said he was told, “There can't be any trace of bananas in government areas.''
As for “allergies,” Brandberg appears to have just been trying to justify his request and save face. For Expressen was able to successfully press her on the matter and, well, peel away the illusion. She later confessed in writing to the newspaper that her problem was actually a phobia.
“It's about me getting professional help,” Expressen said in her words.
It has not been reported whether Ms Brandberg also received professional help with her urge to become minister for gender equality.
banana lovers objects
Perhaps the problem is that Brandberg saw something like the following when he was still young and impressionable. If so, Paulina, please know that it's all a hoax.
But unlike my serious thesis, many people on the internet are predictably having fun with Bananagate.
For example, on X, Twitter poster “Jolly Roger” posted, “She said we would split if we didn't get rid of the bananas.”
However, not everyone was happy with this.
One Al Telego replied, “I don't think your puns are boring.”
Shannon Hillis on Twitter was empathetic and insightful, writing, “Freud would love this.”
But some observers clearly felt sympathy for Mr. Brandberg's teasing. For example, “My phobia, if you must tease me, is gorgeous women,” and “Brostradamus” chivalry draws fire from her and tries to draw fire towards himself. I confessed with great effort.
Some people pointed out the abnormality of so many “excellent people.”
A commenter on Metro.co.uk wrote: “That's insane, irrational politicians…”
And getting back to X, another tweeter said, “Mental illness seems to be a prerequisite for progressives.”
“That's actually true,” another user responded. “More than half of liberal women in America report being diagnosed with a mental illness,” he explained. He added: “The other half just haven't been diagnosed yet.” (I just reported this Friday.)
All I am saying is that if I were a Swede and were summoned to appear before Mr. Brandberg for some equality violation, I would comply. But I tell her my gender identity is “banana,” my pronouns are pudding/creampie, and I dress like this guy.
And now we know that Japanese commercials are probably as weird as Swedish ministers.
Anyway, exit question. Do you feel very normal considering what's going on in the world today?
Or does it now convince you that it's something you never want to be?
