Okay, I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse here, but I was a bit puzzled by this article as well. At first, it seemed to be about what the title suggests: that we should not focus on constructing our identities through brand names (agreed) or cultural/artistic products (not so sure I completely agree.) I was eager to give the article a go because it reminded me of that NYTimes article a while back about dumping people over their reading tastes-I wanted to get another take on it. But then it just seemed to drift away from that particular point, and it turned into a rant that was both against self-help lit and against the prejudice against self-help lit. And as for it being a humorous piece, well I definitely missed that. I didn't find it funny at all.

Let me just say that I would never judge someone by what brand of coffee they drink or what they wear. That's just silly. But I find nothing wrong with focusing on people's likes/dislikes and interests. I love that kind of stuff-books, movies, music, etc-and I love to hear what other people are interested in and what moves them. That's just interesting to me. Now I admit that I cringe inwardly when middle aged women come into the bookstore where I work and gush over those horrific Stephenie Meyer books or when the only book someone is interested in is the latest one Oprah's attached to. But I'm not going to actually think less of them as a person. I'm grownup enough to realize that not everyone shares my tastes and I'm okay with that.

As for self-help lit, some of it is ridiculous and even borderline offensive..cough "How Not to Look Old" cough..but some of it that details the intricacies of human behavior can be pretty interesting.

So I was a bit confused by this NYT article. "real women are close to extinct"? What does she mean by "real women." Female characters in movies that only care about womanly things like shopping and fucking and weddings and babies and romances with hot guys? God save us from that shit. I can't seem to get too concerned about this, because I'm pretty sure that I've seen female actors in quite a few kick-ass roles throughout the past few years, whether Hollywood or indie.

And I'm excited about this summer's movie season. I guess I'll just have to make do with Cate Blanchett and Karen Allen in Indy 4, Selma Blair in Hellboy, and Gillian Anderson's Dana Scully in The X Files.

"Let's be honest. It is almost not possible to exaggerate how much men hate and despise women."

Hmmm....then I'll be sure and forward a copy of this letter to my dad, brother, grandad, male roommate, uncles, cousins, work buddies, and comics buddies. 'Cuz I'm pretty sure that none of them got that memo.

I can never understand why people get so up in arms over terms of endearment. Sure they can be insulting if being used in an ironic or sarcastic manner, but if not, which most of the time they're not, then they're not insulting, in my opinion.

People, I think, sometimes almost unconsciously use them in order to placate somebody or to seem more pleasant or nonthreatening. Obama must have thought he was being rude by interrupting her and so it just slipped out...perhaps not appropriate for a presidential candidate, but certainly no indication of misogyny or a patronizing attitude.

For me it doesn't have that much to do with gender. It's a regional thing...it's very common in the South and in rural areas. I've been called sweetie and the like by tons of men of all ages, but I've also been called "honey" and "sweetie" by women, everyone from elderly women to 16-year-old girls waiting on me in restaurants and clothing shops. I've certainly never been offended by it.

"And when your symbol of the ideal girlfriend is, quite literally, two-dimensional, you're most definitely inviting cranky feminist bloggers to issue a big, fat "Ewwwww.'"

I'm almost positive that the original post said nothing about creating an "ideal girlfriend."

Come on people..this isn't the fucking Stepford Wives. The guy's not advocating getting rid of real women in order to create an artificial "ideal" woman. I know I've experienced intense loneliness and depression in the past (haven't we all?) So I'm sure as hell not going to judge someone else for how they deal with said loneliness as long as they're not harming anyone. This particular incident---not harming a damn soul.

Oh come on... I'm in complete agreement with all the other commenters--there is no way this shirt is actually supporting date rape. What it's doing is using offensive and attention getting tactics to make a political statement: that opposing abortion is akin to supporting rape, because you're saying that a woman should not have control over her own body.

And good lord...can I just say how utterly disappointed I am to see a Salon writer advocating censorship. I mean, would I wear this shirt myself? No, heck no. But I'm sure not going to freak out about it and send some ridiculous, hysterical email to the Amazon offices. Please.