Organ Donation Fail

Thanks to Feministing for posting this incredible image from an Organ Donation Campaign:


If you cant read the text, it says "Becoming a donor is probably your only chance to get inside her."

Are you kidding me? I can't help but be offended. Why on earth would an organ donation campaign resort to this kind of disgusting angle? Full article here.

CNN Covers Sexist/Racist CNN? How Meta...

Finally, aggressive reader responses to one of CNN's thinly veiled sexist and/or racist articles has finally been awarded an acknowledgment from CNN. Clearly, there is no apology in this article on CNN.com today, but at the very least they quoted some strongly worded emails from readers who were offended by CNN's coverage of Obama as a "black" candidate and Clinton as the "top female candidate."

The article about which readers were specifically angered was "Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in S.C.", obvious from the title an article that takes political issues directly out of the equation for black women voters, assuming they vote only based on race or sex. Personally, I think the most amusing reader comment in the CNN response article was this:

An e-mailer named Tiffany responded sarcastically: "Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"

I'm so used to reading coverage of this election that is both racist and sexist, but finally I feel like I'm seeing legitimate angry responses to this disappointing trend. CNN may not have apologize for targeting their white, male audience and undermining the entire American voting population, but at least they are publishing some objections. For an example check out this great Op-Ed from Bob Herbert at The New York Times called "Politics and Misogyny".

Oh no! Our little boy might like girl things!

I read everything with a critical eye after a year of studying writing and reading feministing.com (unrelated to one another). Writing about a subject means its an issue, and declaring something an issue translates that people might have strong opinions on it. This article on CNN.com is one of those things that just drive me crazy. The article is about how is really is OK to let your son play with a toy kitchen. (Gasp! No Way!!) I can't believe an article needs to be written about this subject. When are we going to get over this dolls for girls and trucks for boys thing? Its just so irrational.

The title, "Toy kitchens for boys?" proposes that CNN is presenting some radical train of thought. How can this be radical?? The Rose Petal Cottage is just fine for little girls, because, obviously, they not only like to play in the kitchen, do laundry and decorate--but its natural!

The Story Highlights?
Toy kitchens for boys seen as OK
More men starring in TV cooking shows
More boys watch their fathers cooking dinner

A toy is a toy. Its not weird for a boy to play with a toy kitchen, and its not weird for a girl to hate the toy kitchen. Sigh.

Esquire, you Sexist Punk.

I have been reading Esquire for the last several months as part of a class assignment. Its just completely disgusting. It goes so far beyond "masculine" that it lands squarely on "sexist". Just the ideas put forth in this magazine, regardless of seriousness by the editorial staff, sicken me. But, to be honest, when this class is over I might still continue reading it just to get myself riled up—and because often the profiles are really stellar.

Here are just a few quotes from the December issue:

“The problem with the Dangerous Book For Boys is that it stopped before getting into the really risky stuff that gentlemen used to know. Things like how to live lavishly totally on credit, how to manage simultaneous affairs with a mother and a daughter, or how to get oneself proclaimed god-emperor of a Third World country.” –at least in their racism they capitalized “Third World” but they certainly didn’t soften the sexism of celebrating affairs with a mother and daughter…

In an article about skin cancer, the editor recommends a few steps a man should take after a bad sun burn: “see a dermatologist one a year, have someone – a lady, perhaps -- give you a head to toe exam, looking for any new moles or unexplained blemishes.”

In a section called “The Rules” the writer warns: “A man may use any euphemism for sex except 'making love' unless he’s referring to two animals having sex in which case, 'making love' is hilarious.”

Yeah. Just wanted to get those out there.