Wal-Mart Listens. (Culture War).With U.S. smut smut, name for an order of parasitic fungi (Ustilaginales) and the various diseases of plants caused by them. Smuts produce sootlike masses of spores on the host. consumption reaching all-time highs, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. made a refreshing decision recently when it announced that it would no longer carry such racy men's magazines as Maxim, Stuff, FHM FHM For Him MagazineFHM Fachhochschule München (Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany) FHM Forest Health Monitoring FHM Familial Hemiplegic Migraine FHM Funeral Home Marker (genealogy) , and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. Apparently America's gag reflex gag reflex n. Retching or gagging caused by the contact of a foreign body with the mucous membrane of the throat. Gag reflex has finally kicked in, and shoppers complained to the retail chain about its soft-porn fare, causing it to drop the bawdy bawd·y adj. bawd·i·er, bawd·i·est 1. Humorously coarse; risqué. 2. Vulgar; lewd. bawd  i·ly adv. mags. Referring to consumer influence on Wal-Mart's decision, the March 6th New York Times reported: "Maxim has been sold in Wal-Mart for the last three years, while FHM was added recently. The standards and general content of the magazines have not changed, but Wal-Mart ... has been under pressure from Christian groups in the past over its distribution of various magazines." This decision will undoubtedly hearten heart·en tr.v. heart·ened, heart·en·ing, heart·ens To give strength, courage, or hope to; encourage. See Synonyms at encourage. those seeking to clean up the culture. A Wal-Mart spokeswoman told the New York Times that the decision was made after "listening to our customers and associates." |
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