Stickball

A Rant on Sexism, Gender Equality, Political Correctness, Hypocrisy, and Rhetoric

So I recently read an article about the push for politically correct language. Words and phrases such as "manhole", "master bedroom", and "gentleman's agreement" are being labeled by some groups as offensive. Now this just seems silly to me. I really doubt that words like "snowman" are contributing to inequality of the sexes and arguing about these words just distracts from larger and more important issues. On the flip-side, anti-male sentiment has become popularized in modern media. In TV shows and commercials there are numerous example of the "dumb man" and the "smart woman pairing. But that isn't very disconcerting. I recently came across a "Chicks Rule" calendar at the locals Borders bookstore and what I saw worried me. Here are some images contained in these calendars:

When people look at these pictures some may see female empowerment and others may see the subjugation of males. Now, as a male, I am not threatened by these images, but the fact remains that they are sexist. But of course there's no great outrage about them, which isn't surprising. So of course what bothers me is the hypocrisy of it. Blatant sexism against males is allowed, but suddenly "snowman" just isn't sensitive. Doesn't give the feminist movement much credibility when they say they want gender equality.

Besides examining the hypocrisy, it's important to ask what this is doing to the younger generations. I remember a popular rhyme from my youth that I believe is still around: "girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider." While this popular chant is grammatically incorrect, it is hurtful and sexist. Well I can't say anything for certain as I am not an expert and child studies, I feel that our society's children could be growing up in an increasingly male-intolerant environment.

There has a been a big controversy about a book and line of clothing produced by the clothing company David and Goliath. The products that this company sells carry slogans such as "Boys tell likes, poke them in the eyes", "Boys make good pets, everyone should own one", "Girls will be girls, boys will be toys", and "Boys aren't housebroken". These T-shirt designs often depict boys as being stupid or slovenly and portray acts of violence against boys. Masculinist critics decry these images saying they encourage misandry (which is the hatred of men, the male equivalent of misogyny). Other people say that such images are all in good fun and creator Todd Goldman has stated that they are meant to be humorous.

It doesn't really matter what the intentions behind these kind of images are, it still stands that they can be considered offensive and hurtful. Again, we see the hypocrisy. There is no market for "Girls Are Stupid" products because feminists would yell and protest until they were off the shelves. But we are no strangers to hypocrisy so that is not the most important issue at hand. What is important how these products affect young boys. Yes, the images are supposed to be funny but boys may not get in on the joke. Masculinists argue that these kind of images stigmatize and victimize young boys, which may not be too far off. In general, girls seem to being performing better than boys in many scholastic areas. Boys are much more likely to develop social and behavioral issues. Now, masculinists contend that boys are being confronted with a new crisis of self esteem. Imagine being a 10-year old boy and seeing someone wearing a T-shirt that says you're dumb and that girls should hurt you. How would that make you feel? And if you were a girl that saw a T-shirt that made fun of girls and encourage violence towards girls, how would you feel? It's not acceptable either way. These kinds of images can either be considered a form of bullying or can lead to bullying.

While some people believe the concerns raised about the "Boys Are Stupid..." products may be exaggerated, I think that it's an issue that deserves more attention than the debate over the political correctness of using "spokesperson" instead of "spokesman". Should we shorten "woman" to "wo"?

On an almost-related note I feel like discussing this image:

Now, at the surface this seems like an interesting statistic that is supposed to spark some sort of moral outrage. This is a poster made by the Guerrilla Girls, a feminist group dedicated to exposing "sexism, racism, and corruption in politics, film, art, and pop culture." I'm all for that I just don't like it when people go about it in stupid ways that leads to a loss of credibility in my eyes (which is really also my problem with PETA). But let's look at the poster. "Less than 3% of the artists in the Met. Museum are women but 83% of the nudes are female." Now, I know what the argument behind this poster is supposed to be: women are unfairly unrepresented in museums due to sexism. That's what they're trying to say but I feel they did it in a poor way. If you examine it more closely, you'll see that the statistics they have provided are completely irrelevant to their argument if examined in a logical way. 

The Metropolitan Museum of art is filled with art, thousands of years worth. It's a sad truth that women's rights have only really emerged in the past 100 years or so. It has been a male-dominated world for most of history. While there have always been female artists, historically they have either been outnumbered by men or overshadowed by men for whatever reason. I am an outsider to the art world and have only a very limited knowledge of art history. I have learned and heard about Dali, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Picasso, Monet, and van Gogh and all the other "great" artists that everyone knows. The only notable female artists I can recall coming across are Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo. Now my lack of knowledge can be the result of sexism in the art world or something else. Maybe the reason I don't know about many female artists is because they were ignored in their time. That is probably true to some extent. However, we cannot reconcile the prejudices of old. 

I find it perfectly reasonable that only most of the art in the Met is made by men. I believe that in history there have probably been a greater number of male artists (or at least a greater number of successful male artists) than female of artists in history. From what I have seen men have been the dominant cultural force in art. If this is not true then there must be a conspiracy amongst art historians. Do I believe that the curators of the Met purposefully left out art by females? No (but then again I may just be naive). Besides, should there be a quota for pieces of art by females? Would that accomplish anything? 

The next part that gets me is the fact that 83% of the nudes are females. Interesting, but irrelevant. In my mind this statistic was included to make an emotional connection to the subjection of women. But I know rhetoric when I see it. Let's see: most of the art is by men and a lot of men find the female figure beautiful so it only makes sense that most of the nudes would be female. Would it be less sexist if all the nudes were male? Probably not. The statistic is included merely as a rhetorical ploy to inflame emotions. Is celebrating the female body sexist? If so why do so many women like the Vagina Monlogues?

The point I'm trying to make that the two statistics really have no meaningful connection. "Do women have to be naked to get into U.S. museums?" Well I believe museums follow the policy of "no shirt, no shoes, no service". 

Maybe I'm completely wrong. Perhaps museum curators and popular historians have been hiding the truth. Maybe there have been just as many female artists as males who are just as capable and I'm just talking out of my ass.  That's extremely possible. The Guerrilla Girls may very well be on to something. I'm just always wary of rhetoric, whether it comes from right-wing pundits on Fox News or left-wing activist groups such as PETA. I think the Guerrilla Girls have a worthy cause, I just wish they didn't make it seem so petty.

Stickball

Worst. Survival instincts. Ever.

Product Placement

Creature Comforts

Movies: District 9

The previews definitely for this movie definitely caught my eye. Shot partly documentary-style, this movie is about the internment of aliens in a Johannesburg shanty town. It's easy to pick up on the racial undertones. Picture "Cry The Beloved Country" with lasers, kind of like Darth Vader meets Umfundisi (get it? they're both James Earl Jones). Except not at all. It's actually more like a sci-fi version of "Blood Diamond" with graphic violence. Not a bad movie.

Hiatus

On Sunday I'll be headed for a place the Internet can't find me: New Hampshire. So that means I won't be posting anything until August 22nd or later. So if you regularly check this then don't waste your time until the 22nd. Hopefully by then I'll have a surplus of comics. Maybe I won't. 

Party.

Album Review: "Can't Maintain" by Andrew Jackson Jihad

This band was brought to my attention by friend Sepanta and boy was it a good find. Andrew Jackson Jihad is a folk-punk band out of Arizona. Sean Bonnette plays guitar and provides lead vocals while Ben Gallaty plays upright bass. They formed in 2004 and started releasing recordings in 2005. 

Recently, I listened to their latest full-length album, Can't Maintain, which will be released in September. My first impression of Andrew Jackson Jihad was that they sounded like a mix between The Mountain Goats and Dead Kennedys. I sensed a bit of Neutral Milk Hotel folk-punk influence, which was reinforced when I saw one of their singles that featured a cover of "Two Headed Boy" and had artwork that took off the cover for In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. 

The album starts off with "Heartilation", one of the most straight-up punk tracks on the album. The vocals on this track, like many of the others, sound urgent and nervous, almost yelpy. "Love in the Time of Human Papillomavirus" is probably the most beautiful song on the album, with a somber string arrangement and female back-up vocals. The silliest song on the album goes to "Kazoo Sonata in C Major" which is exactly what is sounds like. Overall this is a good album. The lyrics are honest and sharp. Bonnette rips out his heart and slams it down over

every song. The music is bouncy and fun. Listen to it.

Andrew Jackson Jihad's website

Andrew Jihad Jackson on Myspace

The Thinker

Stickball

Assorted Nuts

Kong

Poetry Corner

A haiku for you

Romantic as skies are blue

Haiku rhymes with poo

Movies: Funny People

At first glance I thought this movie was going to be an Adam Sandler biography. However it is not. It follows a comedian whose career is similar to Sandler's and actually borrows real video footage of a younger Sandler. This is a funny movie. However, it is a little bit long and doesn't flow well. Some parts of the movie could've been longer, some parts could've been a lot shorter, and some parts could've gotten cut out. But the movie is carried a long by the comedy and there are a good supply of funny jokes from the cast. Another pleasant surprise is the abundance of cameos. 

Oh and this movie taught me something. Wilco, Wilco, Wilco will love you baby.

The Greatest Rock Band That Will Never Be

It's time for another supergroup that will never happen. This time I decided to make rock band entirely out of dead musicians. They're not the liveliest bunch (LOLZ) but hey they were pretty fresh when they weren't rotting in the ground. Freakishly enough, they all ended up having names that start with "J". Weird.

Vocals - Jeff Buckley

Now, sharing a list with classic rock icons, Jeff Buckley may seem out of place, seeing as how he didn't come until the 90's and he only had 1 studio album but he's dead so he fits the bill. I realized Jeff Buckley belonged at the helm of a rock band when I noticed that parts of "Mojo Pin" sounded like Led Zeppelin. He was a tremendous vocalist with a voice that was both beautiful and powerful. As the leader of my imaginary band he would break the taboo of the classic rock vocalist with the high-pitch half-scream voice. Though he was good at being soft and sensitive (see "Hallelujah") he also proved he could rock (see the road version of "Eternal Life" and "Kick Out The Jams"). He showed great talent in his songwriting and showed promise in the few recordings he left behind. His guitar abilities and his brooding good looks make him a no-brainer front man. If someone ever makes a Hollywood film about him, I would bet they cast James Franco in the leading role.

Guitar - Jimi Hendrix

I realize that Jimi was a front man but let's face it, his guitar did the real singing. Hendrix is widely considered by many to be the greatest guitarist in rock music history. While he was only active on the music scene for 4 years he was immensely influential on the rock world both as a musician and a producer. On the guitar he pioneered the use of amplifier feedback and helped to popularize the wah pedal. Not only did Hendrix have an extremely original and experimental lead guitar style, he also had a trademark style for rhythm guitar, which is perhaps what I am most fond of him for. His noodling-bluesy rhythm style has been emulated by guitarists like John Frusciante, Henry Garza, John Mayer, and at least half the people who pick up a Stratocaster. Plus his flamboyant psychedelic style made for a quintessential rock look. If I were to have any guitarist in my band it would be Jimi for sure.

Bass - John Entwistle

John Entwistle makes it in as the longest-lived musician on the list. While I've never been a fan of The Who, I must say that John Entwistle was an incredible bassist. He could do on bass what many people strive to do on guitar. People didn't call this guy "Thunderfingers" for nothing. The fingers on his right hand must've been beastly strong. Need proof? Check out this video

Drums - John Bonham

If you're going to pick a dead drummer for an imaginary rock band, it's got to be John Bonham. Known for his power and his quick right foot, "Bonzo'' was one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. Just listen to "Good Times, Bad Times." No, he's not using a double bass drum there. Without him, Led Zeppelin wouldn't have been half as good. His interplay with the rest of band and use of complex rhythms contributed to a unique sense of groove. There is no more solid base, no harder beat, to build a rock band on.

Well, there you go. That's my band and I'm sticking to it.

Jon Sigurdsson approves.

The Prize Inside