This is a post cobbled together through a few observations I've made over the past week or so. Bear with me, folks. I'm sure I have a point around here somewhere ...

Yeah, right, that's what we all say. "No, really, I do have a point!" "I'm sorry, teacher, I did have a point, but my dog ate it." "Me, I'm too cool to have a point." "Ha! Look at all the points that nerd has!" SO to sum up this conclusion, .

FIRSTLY: Did anyone else see that commercial during the Superbowl advertising the search for the sexiest people in America (or somesuch)? They begin it by saying things like "He has an IQ of 180" ... "She's a world famous musician" ... "He's won four gold medals" ... and then say "So What? Is he hot? Is she hot?"

Okay. I'm no sociologist, and I'm no moral crusader, but ... does this seem wrong to anyone else? Are these the values we're trying to teach our children? That as long as you're sexy you'll get through life just fine, and if you aren't sexy anything you do counts for squat? That just ... sucks. *decided to boycott whatever stupid channel is doing this*

Ugh, that commercial made me unhappy. I thought the exact same thing as you; I don't know what moron ad executive thought it was a good idea, but he should be strung up by his toes. Amazingly, it's ABC, rather than Fox, that's showing this particular piece of waste.

Oh, and you watched the SUpoerbowl? Aren't you Canadian or something? Isn't American football against the law up there?

SECONDLY: Observing commercials lately, and reading something somewhere (I forget exactly what and/or where), it seems apparent to me that the pendulum of gender discrimination in the media has swung to the other side. Once upon a time we belittled females in several commercials. This was wrong, undoubtedly. Yet in today's "enlightened" society, we still need to make fun of someone to sell something. We can't make fun of women anymore (rightfully so), but ... we can, it seems, make fun of men. Look at some commercials the next time you watch TV. A fair number of them portray the male as the dumb one. If it were women being portrayed this way in many commercials, you can bet there would be a fuss thrown ... so why is the opposite any better?

I'm surprised you're just now noticing this. I've heard other people comment on this, and I agree: heaven forbid we make fun of men, but as soon as someone makes a harmless joke about a woman, it's sexism of the highest order. This reaction is nowhere near the standard among women--most don't mind at all, and know that it's just kidding. There are feminists, though (Dworkin, if she's still alive, and I think she is, although I'm not up on militant feminism so I actually have no real idea, but I can't remember hearing about her dying and it seems like it would be news), that go beyond all bounds of rationality and well into the realm of reverse discrimination--which is okay, to them, since men are simple pigs and can be discriminated against as much as they please. My, that was a lot of words about a topic I know almost nothing about.

SIXTH AND LASTLY: Has anyone else noticed this trend among musicians? When it is a band with a male lead singer, the band usually is named so that the lead dude isn't put front and center, and everyone gets credit (Our Lady Peace, Nickelback, Creed, Counting Crows, Everclear, Smashing Pumpkins, Barenaked Ladies, Goo Goo Dolls, The Calling, Metallica ... the list goes on and on). There are exceptions, such as Enrique Inglacias and Bryan Adams, and some bands are named after the lead guy (Dave Matthews Band, for example), but generally the trend holds true.

However, when we look at bands where a female is the lead singer, the opposite seems true. Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, Jewel, Shania Twain, again the list goes on. There are once again exceptions (No Doubt, Dixie Chicks, Destiny's Child, for example), but ... does anyone else see the pattern here? Are men more willing to remain anonymous and give credit to everyone in the band, while women are not? Do women change band members all the time and thus not name the band as a whole? Are women just glory-hogs? This is not to criticize anyone ... I just find the difference interesting.

You know, I hadn't really noticed, but I do now. Interesting...

FOURTHLY: A woman in Ontario sued the police for an incident in the prison. The woman was originally charged with a minor offense, but refused to acknowledge it or go to court. Thus, the police had her arrested and placed in jail for the night to take her to court the next day. The woman complained that it was too cold in the prison, but the guards would (or could not) do anything about it. So she pretended to hang herself with her bra. This prompted the police officers to take all of her clothing away from her, to keep her from killing herself (or even pretending to; it's a threat they have to take seriously). The woman, now rather ashamed at her nakedness (in view of other prisoners, some male, some female), tried to hide in her cell where the cameras could not see her. The police asked her to stay where they could see her, but she refused, and so they handcuffed her to the bars to keep her in sight and keep her from hurting herself. The judge hearing the case turned it down, saying the police were only following procedure in such matters; the woman and her lawyer have appealed, of course.

So ... what do you think of this? Personally, I think the woman got what she deserves, and has no reason to complain about it. If a man did the same thing, the same would be done to him, made naked in view of the other prisoners (both male AND female, remember). Would he have sued? I don't know; but it's likely that this situation has happened before, since there is a procedure for it, and I've never heard of any legal action resulting from it (at least not any successful legal action; the procedures are still in place, right?). Should women be treated differently than men in such situations? Wouldn't this be discrimination, the very thing feminists fought against for so long? Do women only want to be equal in things that are to their benefit, but not equal in anything else?

Well, I think it's more likely that the woman was just a bit of a moron. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if a man, put in the same situation (where he is at fault, not the police), reacted the same way and sued. People are just stupid, I guess. How sad, for that to be the lesson of the day.

Nate

Froderick. I mean, William.


Stories grow from everywhere, they’re like some hideous alien moss that can just sprout up.
--Joss Whedon