Letters to the Editor
chimpygo
Published Letters: 215 Editor's Choice: 2
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oh dear
[Read the article: Louisiana schools open to creationism?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]all of it
the Creationists looking reality in the face (the flu is evolving right now, which is why we're always coming up with new vaccines) and saying "6,000 yrs"
Dawkins acting like an ideologue and then saying that what happened before the Big Bang "doesn't matter"
the anti-poor, southern rural bigotry that's still trendy
of course, this is all basically just that old human competitive urge to beat the out-group manifesting itself in a variety of ways
animal nature
ya know what Flava Flav says?
are you ready for the real revolution
which is the evolution of the mind
if you seek
than you shall find
that we all come from the divine
what a whacko, huh? ;)
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lol
[Read the article: Tennessee Dem leader suggests Obama has terrorist connections]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]i don't meant to be rude, but...
rich man step on my poor head
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yikes
[Read the article: Bad Dad Gift Guide]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]brightstar, i don't like the tone of some of the comments, either, which seem to want to stick it to men as a class
of course, i don't like the behavior of deadbeat dads, and don't immediately get defensive when someone criticizes them
i do get suspicious of Salon trying to drum of flame wars/appeal to the anger of so many Clinton supporters
[that said, how about Dick Cheney, whose policies and rhetoric hurt his own daughter?]
would it be productive to name the top ten worst mothers? well, maybe, if there was true humor and deftness of touch, and it wasn't designed to caricuature women as evil ___, but to show that women as a class aren't uniformly evil or benevolent...
that said, a man and a woman can work together as a team to raise children, sharing discipline and teaching respect and responsibility without necessarily being harshly punative
and to teach them that human beings can relate to each other in a whole host of ways that has nothing to do with sex/gender roles, etc.
if you think i'm weak, lol, i guess we can armwrestle
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speaking of monkeys
[Read the article: Tennessee Dem leader suggests Obama has terrorist connections]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]doesn't this delightful piece of memoribilia sound like a treasure that any Obama supporter would be happy to have?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080614/ap_on_el_pr/obama_monkey_doll_1;_ylt=AmX9IqywTn_I8DNqfKfF4o5h24cA
http://www.plunderbund.com/2008/06/12/obama-monkey-doll-seller-our-intention-is-not-to-offend/
Maybe it's just me, but this montage of racist caricatures comes to mind:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=C45g3YP7JOk
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way to step up
[Read the article: Tennessee Dem leader suggests Obama has terrorist connections]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"WHITE TRAILER-TRASH HILLBILLY KKK GARBAGE"
and strike a blow for tolerance
it would be a shame if this sort of thing devolved into slurs and stereotypes
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rcdart laughable troll
[Read the article: Tennessee Dem leader suggests Obama has terrorist connections]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]who's "giving credence"?
most thinkin folk realize this is kindergarten smear type stuff
and of course you bring no facts to the table
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rcdart: i'm sorry!
[Read the article: Tennessee Dem leader suggests Obama has terrorist connections]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]sorry for my hastiness!
a bit prickly i guess i am
i'm off to soak my head
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How about a clear distiction
[Read the article: Tin-eared at MSNBC]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]between sexist things said about Hillary
and things which weren't sexist, but were merely unflattering portrayals of her campaign (such as the amoral "kitchen sink" strategy)?
Seems kind of sloppy to assume that they're one and the same. If fighting sexism is the ultimate goal, conflating them doesn't help at all.
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pro-man, man-bashing and so on
[Read the article: Turns out, advertising stereotypes men too]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have mixed feelings. Some of this kind of stuff causes me to laugh good-naturedly. I saw tshirt once that said "Real men don't ask for directions" and showed a vacation-bound station wagon packed with a family and camping gear careening out of earth's orbit and heading for who knows where.
Some that are geared toward men seem to poke fun at men but mostly reinforce and encourage these stereotypes (women, when not dressed as cheerleaders, are just impediments to sports).
Some geared toward women do portray men as foolish oafs.
I'm all for a playful humor, especially as a way of talking about important but sensitive issues, but I also get concerned that parents and adults in general are lame and out of touch. I didn't used to be this way, lol. Advertising in general isn't known for appealing to our highest natures.
I have a healthy skepticism of men's groups—as some do seem pretty reactionary against the women's movement—but do think it's an important and wonderful idea to pay attention to men's mental health, to the effect gender roles have on men's ability to develop into whole people.
Here's an interesting book by a woman (a lesbian, which is relevant) who goes undercover as a man and discovers all kinds of things she hadn't realized and actually ends up at a men's retreat...
http://www.norahvincent.net/
Whether our romantic partners are same sex or not, we all have a lot to gain from trying to empathize with one another.
Ultimately, if more men learn emotional intelligence, ways of talking about and managing their emotions other than anger, and that it's okay to be tender and loving, etc., we'll have a more functional society it seems to me, one that is healthier for both men and women.
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@CitizenRob
[Read the article: Turns out, advertising stereotypes men too]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for the reply. This is a good point, but I think maybe both could be true, that maintaining eye contact (and other body language) can also be about power dynamics and can even hold the threat of violence.
On a different subject, what do people think about Homer Simpson, that big collage of satirical stereotypes who manages in the end to have heart?
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wow there sure are a lot of letters attached to this post
[Read the article: Pipe down, Cindy McCain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]is this reflective of readership?
Meanwhile, here's something else to think about:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8lFgw93b5Jg
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Women's Rights are Human Rights!!!!
[Read the article: Why Clinton voters say they won't support Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I agree. Who's the author of that catchy "Bomb Iran" ditty?
Is life better for women in Iraq these days? Do women (and men) count as humans if they're far away in another country?
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@SusanGSMcGee
[Read the article: Why Clinton voters say they won't support Obama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"I truly don't believe that you can be a real feminist without being anti-racist...I rejoice that a non-white will be in the white house, and will not be divided and pitted against my truly progressive brothers and sisters of color, many of whom have been fighting against sexism and misogyny as they've been fighting against racism."
Thanks! I appreciate your voice. Let's all stick together. Frankly, though, I wouldn't vote against a good white male candidate just based on gender/melanin.