Ines Sainz and the New York Jets-Part I

Women sportscasters have never been taken seriously. Couple that with the fact that they are not all the same in skill or appearance and you can begin to see at least one of the inherent problem.

For one view on women sportscasters take the fans who runs Hogwild.net; "For the most part, these women are articulate and knowledgeable about sports. But for the most part, us men don't care."

Male sportscasters can be knowledgeable and ascetically pleasing without drawing attention away from their commentary or interviews. In most areas in society men are judged on skill first and appearance second if at all. Women, not so much. If Sainz had worn a burlap sack she would still be considered attractive right? Then why are people saying that she asked to be insulted because her jeans were too tight.

Sainz isn't just attractive mind you. Other words used to describe her include smoking hot, babe, sizzler and those are just the nice ones. Really this is a lose lose situation for her no matter what she does. I don't know whether she is a stand up sportscaster or not but the deck is stacked against this women whether she knows her shit or not. Can you say that she is doing her job to the best of her ability? I don't know. Is she a respected member of the sports media and all they stand for? I doubt it. Women weren't even allowed equal access to post game interviews until a court decision in 1978.

What I do know is that any women who is above average looking instead of just regular looking on one level it all comes down to how much society can blame her because of what she was wearing. But don't worry, Sainz seems relatively okay with the incident. First she says she was harassed, then she says she wasn't harassed, says she was offended, then she says she wasn't offended and so on and so forth. The media is already placing blame on those man hating feminists blowing the whole situation out of proportion. Maybe they did. For all we know Sainz is the one to blame for looking "sexy" enough to throw those male athletes into a tizzy. Boys being boys, right? We can't expect a group of adult men to be able to control themselves in the locker room, especially baited with a women whose behind I am told has its own fan club, that would just be too much to ask. Isn't it?

My solution to this is simple. Move interviews out of the locker rooms period. In terms of professional attire we have my second solution, create a dress code for sports reporters.

If women are excluded from equal access to do their job then the problem lies in where they are trying to gain access, the locker room. It may not be fair but it clearly isn't the same thing to ask me how I would feel if a male reporter came to visit me in my woman's only gym locker room to ask me to give a quote on the days step aerobics class. That just goes to show that gender stereotypes hurt both men and women. If the fraternal culture, apparently so alive in today's locker rooms is that integral to professional male athletic teams than they need to argue that fact and conduct all interviews somewhere else. They should be able to keep their teams "boys only club" as women can opt for a girls only locker room (not that women can join male professional sports at all) as long as they don't discriminate against the sportscasters who happen to be female.

Spike.com rates Feminists on "Cuteness"

Can Feminists be cute? Spike.com sure thinks that Feminists can be cute and in order to prove it they made up a comprehensive list of the top seven (usually it's top ten but we are talking about Feminists and should count ourselves lucky that they found seven)cutest, yes, cutest Feminists.

First, we should be thanking them for answering the age old question that asks "Can intelligent women be easy on the eyes too?"

Second we should praise the clear display of class by Spike.com for ranking these cutesy she-devils on yup, you got it, "inner beauty"

So, who had the honor of gracing the list of cute Feminists? Third-wave Feminist Jennifer Baumgardner, U.K. activist Kat Banyard, New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, Feminist porn star Nina Hartley, author of "The Beauty Myth" Naomi Wolf, Jezebel's Jessica Coen and Nicole Kidman.

Does anyone know why Nicole Kidman is on that list? I'm confused.

Does anyone see a women on this list that isn't white? No.

Sure, it's really nice of Spike.com to put anything promoting these ladies accomplishments up on their web site and acknowledging that Feminism is still a thing when some young women today would rather be called a c*#t instead of the dreaded F word.

And now for the but. BUT, this is a really idiotic thing to do. This is a really irritating and unnecessary thing to do in a really obnoxious way.

"Oh, how super that women who act like people have these cute little ideas about equality."

So, white traditionally beautiful independent women thinkers can still go ahead and sleep well at night. It's okay ladies, Spike.com thinks you have (inner) beauty and brains.

Wow.

http://www.spike.com/blog/top-seven-cutest/99982?page=1&numPerPage=1

Filler up

Writing my review on Cabaret at the Oberon starring Amanda Palmer is taking a lot longer than expected. Instead of forcing a sub-par piece I will continue to fine tune it. In the mean time I wanted to share some cool and interesting things going on in the next few weeks.

1. Park(ing)Day Friday September 17th 2010.
Park(ing) Day is a simultaneous but independent world wide demonstration that transforms metered parking spaces into temporary outdoor public spaces. Participants sign a license agreement to use the trademark on parkingday.org but otherwise the rest of it is up to you. Participants conceptualize and design their own space and invite the public to join them in enjoying the temporary "park". What's the whole point? Well as stated by the founders of this 2005 DIY experience; "The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out"! Cool.

2. The Big E
Not that I would drive to West Springfield for this only but I grew up right across the bridge and have many a fond memory of times spent at the Eastern States Exposition. This year the dates are September 17th-October 3rd. If fairs are your cup of tea you should really check out New England's biggest one. Granted it comes with all of the bad things about fairs (spending a ton of money, other people's children, looking at one hundred kinds of cowboy hats, cowboy boots, engraved jewelry, leather stalls, tacky outfits, bad Christmas gifts to be, bad pop music headliners and product demonstrations that are downright frightening) but the fair does also have games and rides, animals (cows!), crazy delicious Maine baked potatoes, a strip of buildings devoted to each New England State (Vermont=ice cream and cheese!)and of course a giant slide, fudge, candy apples and perhaps most importantly Fried Dough! Check out the specifics, http://www.thebige.com/ese/index.asp.

3.Union Square Fluff Festival-September 25th, 3-7p Union Square Plaza
Yes, it's true. Fluff was invented in Somerville by a man named Archibald Query. Though that happened in 1917, Fluff festival is only in its fifth year celebration. Go join the fun and don't forget that this years homage goes out to the Whoopie Pie.
Oh and if you are super excited about that marshmallowy goodness, What the Fluff? has its own facebook page too. Rain date is the same time on Sunday, 9/26.

The only thing we have to fear is that crazy pastor in Flordia burning the Qur'an.

You must have heard by now, Pastor Terry Jones of Florida plans to host something he is calling "International Burn a Koran Day" on September 11th. Jones was kicked out of the last congregation he led because he used the church till to pay for his own expenses but don't let that fool you into thinking this Pentecostal pastor isn't on a mission that he has been called to by God himself. Though everyone from local to national politicians, army generals and embassies from foreign countries have spoke out rejecting the demonstration, Jones has insisted that he and his 50 person congregation will continue their plan to burn one of the most holy and revered text in the world.

Do I think he's crazy? Absolutely. Jones stated on CBS "We are definitely probably insulting all Muslims," um, yeah, you think?

Jones is not phased by offending roughly 22% of the world population because in his mind "The fact that we offend them is the lesser of two evils." You see, Jones argues that because radical Islam is going to eventually take over America we have to be even more radical in defending our American way of life from Islamic zealots. What did pastor Jones say about endangering the lives of American soldiers in Afghanistan? "We understand what the general is saying, and I'm sure that it has somewhat some truth to it."

The most upsetting thing about this display comes from another quote from Jones CBS interview. He states, "We think it's time to turn the tables, and instead of possibly blaming us for what could happen, we put the blame where it belongs - on the people who would do it," he said. "And maybe instead of addressing us, we should address radical Islam and send a very clear warning that they are not to retaliate in any form."

Oh, okay. So we burn the holy text believed to be verbatim the word of God taught by the holy prophet Muhammad and then we just tell the rest of the world that they better not do anything about it. Even if we could prevent retaliation directed at America in general, the many soldiers and American diplomats scattered through the middle east are already being targeted because of Pastor John's inability to make any damn sense.

This so-called congregation reminds me more of a cult than of a group of 50 passionate Pentecostals fighting evil. Do I think this falls under the category of exercising the right to free speech? Yes, but just as much as shouting "fire" in a crowded theater falls under the good old first amendment. This time however, inciting a stampede of panicked movie goers seems a lot more amusing than furthering an agenda of violent intolerant hate. If you want to endanger yourself to make a statement then that is one thing. Taking on the role of a hateful, ignorant, crooked pastor who wants to send a message to the Islamic world while hiding behind the constitution and the FBI while safely in wherever the fuck Florida USA, is a completely different and much more gutless action.

Could we send Pastor Jones a basket full of snakes and a pitcher of red kool-aid? Maybe some white nikes? Perhaps the good pastor just needs a distraction to realize how bat-shit crazy it is to light any book, especially one with such loaded dangerous ramifications on fire to make a statement about the dangers of radical religious intolerance.

Your back alley or mine? (or The A Word Part I)

Regardless of any argument to restrict or ban legal abortions one thing remains an absolute constant. Abortions will happen no matter what. Abortions have occurred no matter what. Even if you shut down every clinic in the entire United States (or the world), abortions will be performed, period. If you honestly think that women who need/choose/want abortions deserve to risk their life for one than you can go ahead and call yourself a misogynist but you cannot call yourself pro-life.

You can say that you would never personally have an abortion but that doesn't make you pro life. What the hell is pro life anyway? Pro choice is not pro death and anti choice doesn't say it all either. If you believe that women should be denied a safe and legal abortion you are not protecting the unborn nor the rights of said fetus. You certainly aren't protecting the life of the women who is actually a real live out of womb person.

A fetus is not a baby. It is a pre-human. It has the potential to become a human. If you believe that life begins at fertilization than to you any human cells are considered alive, scientifically and any part of the human body has the equipment of a potential human being. Author Leonard Peikoff puts it this way:

"That tiny growth, that mass of protoplasm, exists as a part of a woman's body. It is not an independently existing, biologically formed organism, let alone a person. That which lives within the body of another can claim no right against its host. Rights belong only to individuals, not to collectives or to parts of an individual.(http://www.peikoff.com/essays_and_articles/abortion-rights-are-pro-life/).

Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged was strongly against the term pro life as well as the idea that anyone except the individual women should decide whether or not to carry a fetus to full term.

"Abortion is a moral right—which should be left to the sole discretion of the woman involved; morally, nothing other than her wish in the matter is to be considered. Who can conceivably have the right to dictate to her what disposition she is to make of the functions of her own body?("Of Living Death" The voice of reason, p58,59.)"

The pro life movement in and of itself is filled with lies. Worse than that are the women who actively protest and fight to deny all women safe legal abortions and then have an abortion when they find themselves in the same situation. Even typing in the phrase on google "pro life women who have abortions" you will find out several horrifying things. One is that there really are women who have chosen to have an abortion that still consider themselves pro life (their abortion doesn't count). Also disturbing is the amount of women who will tell you how much their abortion ruined their lives and thus want to deny any women from making the same decision. These are women who chose to have an abortion for whatever reason and because they regret that decision they want to take away the option for other women. Case in point, in the instance of the landmark case Roe v. Wade, Norma McCorvey (i.e. Jane Roe) later came out as anti-abortion and wanted the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.

All in all, I don't know what possessives individuals to dedicate themselves to "saving the unborn" from the clutches of terrible evil women who want to deny their biological destiny. Imagine how much money and time is spent by organizations lobbying to take away the rights of others or printing giant posters with blown up pictures of partial fetuses. Imagine how much effort and resources are eaten up by the constant protests at any known location known to provide abortions. For now I can only offer this, perhaps it has not crossed the minds of these individuals that this general fervor on their part over "life" may well be better spent on those children who are already alive.


To be continued...

Day off musings, Earl and The Tin Thistles

     I don't know what's worse a big hurricane coming towards the Cape and Boston-ish area or the thousands of new college students who blow in all at once?

     Managing a coffee shop during the summer is grueling in actual physical labor. Once Fall nears the toll begins on in the mental side of things. The individual students themselves suck just as much as any other co-hort but there exists an added insult to injury from this particular vast temporary diaspora. Naive, youthful students who are brimming over with potential and hope dangling right in front of them are not only annoying to those of us who stayed her after college but these same students also take up a ton of space.

     In theory, I think college students are supposed to exist in their microcosm of coffee shop culture. A lot of these students probably got their first laptop at age 12 and still can't leave the house without it. We may fiscally benefit from the influx of the student population but that doesn't mean we can decide where they spend their time. Cafes attract students like magnets. Think about it; Cafes have food, caffeinated beverages,  tables and public bathrooms. What else does one need while writing an 18-page research paper on colony collapse disorder?

  Fresh with new found freedom students get sick of their roommate or dorm surroundings and spill out into the local bars, restaurants and clubs for entertainment. The dollars start flowing into the local economy and everybody wins, right? We'll sort of. For now we must put up with crowded trains, drunken frat boys and even the occasional Frisbee to the head (keep your eyes peeled should you walk through a college quad) but you don't have to despair entirely, Winter break is a mere 3 and 1/2 months away. Until then I would suggest venturing out to explore new and different things to do and eat in Boston because chances are it will be a long time before you're able to snatch a seat in any cafe in your immediate area again.


Looking for something to do?

The Tin Thistles- Tonight at the Middle East Upstairs! Starts at 9:00pm and costs only $10 for this 18+ show. Come early the Thistles are opening. Other bands include Hot Molasses and Slow Century. For more info check out
http://www.mideastclub.com/

Tucker Max (or I have no sense of humor)

Many Feminists have weighed in on their opinions of Tucker Max, author of  I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and the soon to be published Assholes Finish First. The deliberation is vast and divided. Some women like him and point out that his audience has a sizable female following. Some women laud the text as an instruction manual on how to avoid dating douche bags. There are women who think he perpetuates negative gender stereotypes and should be stopped. Tucker himself writes openly about taking advantage of women and has a female rating scale that labels women in the 1-star category as "common stock pig".

One thing that has tilted my own scale to neither pro nor anti Tucker Max status is that I understand he is trying to be funny. The success of his books have been based on the fact that people will buy them. It is women who put money in his pocket as well as men. People like Tucker Max and they also think he's hilarious. The reactions he elicits add fuel to any chance of long standing popularity. One way or the other Tucker Max demands attention.

If you read Tucker Max in all seriousness as I do you clearly don't think that he is funny.  I think he says horrible things in vulgar demeaning language and his outlandish immature lifestyle grows boring quickly. I think he is misogynist because his defense is that women deserve to be treated like shit. Women who don't "demand respect" have target written all over them and deserve any unfortunate treatment that may befall them as a result.

The fact remains that he has every right to feel how he feels. Ardent protesters don't understand that denying Tucker Max the right to say the things he says and write the things he writes is ludricous. More than that in alot of ways it incites contradiction. Either way being an asshole is not yet a crime. I cannot say that I find his writing to be be funny and entertaining because to me throwing around the word rape and calling anyone a pig isn't funny. If you don't think Tucker Max is funny you shouldn't read his writing.

Want to decide for yourself? Tucker Max will be signing books at Porter Square Books on October 2. For more information on Tucker Max visit his website tuckermax.com. For more information on the book signing visit portersquarebooks.com