Without issuing a statement on Katie Couric (and, really, how many of us have worked in a big TV newsroom?), this board has shown that sexism is still defensible in public discourse in a way that racism is not.

Bigotry (because that's what sexism is, fundamentally, like racism and homophobia) is ignoble no matter who's dishing it out.

While I agree that McCain chose Palin as VP for rather nefarious reasons, she and her political programme are reprehensible enough to tear apart without resorting to a two page long misogynistic joke. That kind of thing is what I'd expect from the GOP, not from Salon.

As a presidential candidate, it's McCain's duty to establish his political and philosophical programme, through debate against Obama, with the American people and with the world. McCain is not only behaving like a coward in this matter, but he's disrespecting every single one of the voting public. I’m sick of the US president electing to not show up.

How do you empower sex workers without also empowering traffickers and pimps?

Institute free, no-questions clinics for medical and psychiatric care, criminalize those who perpetuate the sex industry -- pimps and johns -- rather than prostitutes (like they do in Sweden), and develop and fund serious rehabilitation programs so that these women and men, illegal immigrants or citizens, can actually get out, stay out, and prosper.

With infrastructure like the above, the anomalous sex workers who are satisfied with their situations will be able to keep on with impunity, and the vast majority of those who aren't will be able to escape the system that consumes them physically and psychologically.

Like Clark-Flory, but perhaps for different reasons, I think it’s unfortunate and ridiculous that objectification has to be proven physiologically.

So saying, of course women (the beautiful, the ugly, the feminist, the internizedly oppressed) want to feel sexy, to be desired, and to get laid at every positive opportunity – the sexes aren’t that different. We just don’t want to be treated like public toilets or other utilities (which this study reports is happening). Reading through the more vitriolic comments, I wonder, why is this so terrible to some men? Is it because we may someday stop torturing ourselves at the plastic surgeon’s and instead be like “hey, boyfriend, your high socioeconomic status as indicated by your beer belly doesn't do it for me, please hit the gym ASAP”?

L'etat conservatif c'est lui? Though I cringe because Louis XIV was relatively progressive for his station and era (plus, he knew how to present himself), perhaps bombastic, out-of-touch Limbaugh is an accurate picture of those who manage to remain conservative despite the alarming place in which conservatism has landed this country.

Almost every poster who congratulates Paglia on this uniquely uninformed piece of writing identifies as conservative; most of them, calling Obama "communist" and "Stalinist", are clearly innocent of a dictionary and wakefulness during history class. This audience makes a strong statement about the where, intellectually and politically, the self-identifying 'liberal' and 'feminist' author is today.

Why does Salon, which identifies as a smart, progressive periodical, still support this person who hasn't published anything cohesive since the 90's and spends most of her column not-so-covertly rooting for the other team?

Because we can't privilege the female orgasm, ever, especially not in a way that resembles the way in which the male orgasm reigns supreme. Then, you know, women will be all like "you're going to the strip club? Fine. I'm going to the head club", or something.

Not like things like this should replace connected sex between people (as the sex industry does to a large extent, unfortunately). But since there exists the enormous, parenthetically-mentioned industry serving men's sexual impulses, an analog may as well be developed expressly for women. It's only fair.