I see that Neal Boortz is retiring. Guess spreading hate and ignorance takes it out of you.
He’s being replaced by Herman Cain. Aw shucky ducky. Hope his staff can tell him where Uzbeki-beki-beki-bekistan is.
(I would never waste time or brain cells listening to either of them.)
WF
Doug Richards, a reporter and blogger I actually will miss, has a post up about the hiring practices in some TV newsrooms these days. Commenter “bk” points out:
Decisions by station owners pushing “multi-media journalists” have little to do with the quality of the product and everything to do with maximizing profits.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, as this is nothing new. Network warned us about it nearly 40 years ago
I saw a commercial which disturbed me greatly.
http://www.adstorical.com/embed/2785/
Media criticism is not usually my area, but let’s just look at a couple of things here.
First of all, what kind of person completely overhauls an entire room of a shared house without lots of discussion with his/her significant other? We’re not talking simply moving furniture here.
Second, reinforce stereotypes much? The “Mom Cave” is all done up in pink and throw pillows and frilly. Look at that art! Women like art! No man likes art unless it’s dogs playing poker or Playboy centerfolds tacked to the wall! And is that a chaise lounge? No properly feminine woman would be caught in a *gasp* La-Z-Boy! It even says “Boy” right in the name! And while she’s online at that point, there’s a BOOK on the ottoman! In a room where the TV should be! How many different male/female stereotypes can we pile into one commercial?
Third, and possibly the most insidious…when the man had the room, it was the “Man Cave.” (Not a term I care for, but it seems to be the standard now.) Now that the woman has it, notice that it’s not the “Woman Cave.” Even though I see no markers of children, because the commercial shows a married/heterosexually-partnered woman of or just past childbearing age the default position is that this is a mother. The character herself confirms what we are culturally led to believe and refers to it as….the “Mom Cave.”
Not the “Woman Cave” – the “Mom Cave.”
The segregated space for the male is defined solely in terms of biological gender. The segregated space for the female is defined solely in terms of acceptable societal role. A man is a man no matter what, and thus worthy of a “cave,” but a woman is only allowed to have her own space if she first fulfills her duty and gives birth to a child.
Anyone else bothered by that?
Here’s some personal information. My wife and I have no kids. There are many reasons for this, but rest assured that this is our choice. Do not tell me that my wife, who is every bit my equal in terms of basic human-ness (as is every human being), is somehow not worthy of her own space because she has not given birth.
Yes, this is just a silly commercial, designed to sell us stuff we don’t need. But knowing how this works will help us as a species shed those ideas which only serve to separate us.
WF
So I happened to watch one of those “celebrity gossip” shows for about two minutes the other day, and I have a question:
When did the definition of “celebrity” expand to include “someone on a reality TV show?”
Also, it looks like they’re including people who appear on some network called The C…W? Did I spell that right?
WF
Here in the Atlanta metro area, we have I-285 (the “Perimeter”) and I-20. I-285 is a belt interstate which circles the city. I-20 runs east-west and splits the city pretty much right down the middle. Most of the lower- and working-class types – as well as the bulk of the minority population – live south of I-20 and/or ITP (“Inside the Perimeter”). Most of the upper-middle and upper-class types – as well as the bulk of the white population – live north of I-20 and/or OTP (“Outside the Perimeter”).
This can’t surprise either of my readers, but Jawa Girl and I live south of I-20 and ITP. This was not accidental. Not only is my job south of here and it’s easier to deal with the traffic, but anyone who knows me knows how not-gladly I suffer fools and rich white self-entitled people (and I say that as someone who *is* white and wouldn’t mind being rich). I like living in a diverse neighborhood. I like the fact that not everyone looks like me. I recognize that makes me a minority (ha!) amongst my fellow members of the Pale ‘n’ Portly, especially down here, but that’s alright with me. I’ve never been one to go with the flow, except for that one incident in 8th/9th grade, and in my defense I looked really good in the pastel Don Johnson jacket.
So when a local hospital put an ad on the TeeVee that said “Taking Healthcare outside the Perimeter – where people actually live!”, it got my dander up. ITP and south of I-20 get enough negativity as it is. Yes, crime is, statistically speaking, higher here. Not gonna deny that. But – and understand this is not to excuse bad behavior, but rather to understand – this area has consistently been ignored/blamed/put upon by the Powers That Be down here. It the city of Atlanta, many north-south streets actually change names at Ponce de Leon (the previous line of demarcation, before I-20 was built) so that people up north (mostly white) wouldn’t have to live on the same streets as people down south (mostly non-white).
I have a message for Dekalb Medical Center – Hillandale: People – real people – actually do live inside the Perimeter. Don’t absorb the racism and classism that have too long plagued this area.
WF
I don’t know if it’s because there are a billion different features on “stuff for your kids to do!” or the standard local-news-everything-can-kill-you sensationalism or the fact that the local Fox affiliate “interviewed” the “director” of the Sarah Palin movie (and treated the “director” seriously instead of the slackjawed laughing-stock that he is), but I have come to the conclusion that we’d all be better off – and more knowledgeable – watching old Bugs Bunny cartoons instead.
(The Onion News Network’s “Today Now!” program absolutely nails the local morning news vibe, by the way.)
WF
Wes Flinn Music 