Barefoot and Pregnant

[Sharkey]

The wage gap "debunking" inevitably trotted out by the usual troop of window lickers always amounts to "once you control for all the variables that cause the wage gap, the wage gap doesn't exist!" usually followed by some autofellatio regarding the commenter's own critical thinking skills. Every. Fucking. Time.

Also, I love that there's apparently a large enough segment of the population who are so insecure in their masculinity as to justify the marketing of shampoo in black bottles, emblazoned with "FOR MEN" in a bold impact font. Seriously, are you so worried about looking like a pouf that you need manly fucking shampoo? Because that should be far, far more embarrassing.

[Friday]

That kind of shit is why whenever anyone trots out the age old "women are more emotional and less rational" bullshit (well, it's true that we tend to consider other people's emotional reactions to our actions more, but that's also a function of how much testosterone in our systems) I just laugh and laugh.

It's true that women can be less rational at times due to their emotions. But holy jesus the amount of irrational shit done by men due to their bullshit and incredibly fragile egos is truly staggering.

I'm not shit talking men in general here. Decent people of either gender don't let their emotions or egos prevent them from acting properly. Women have egos too, and they're just as fragile at times. Men let emotions could their judgement all the time, as well, though even then it's considered manly. (A woman acting out of anger is letting her emotions control her, a man doing the same is fine.)

[Spooky Skeleton]

Well when a man acts emotionally it's "his testosterone" making him "act like a man" or at worst "act like an ape". The implied scene is one where a guy's pride was encroached on so he defiantly got physical with someone who pushed him too far with a serious, angry look on his face.

For some reason, this display of emotional fury, even though it often brings less desensitized men to tears, is not the same as when a woman gets emotional.

What I love is the amount of our media that presents the idea that sometimes a man needs to stand up for himself when in practice all that is going to do is make him enemies or get him beat up if he is not physically strong or a good fighter. A community standing up to a bully is a good idea, but a lone man attempting to brow beat anyone who doesn't like him is a good way to get ostracized real quick.

[Mongrel]

In lighthearted news, a pair of Illinois Republicans are sponsoring a bill that:

Provides that if the unmarried mother cannot or refuses to name the child’s father, either a father must be conclusively established by DNA evidence or, within 30 days after birth, another family member who will financially provide for the child must be named, in court, on the birth certificate. Provides that absent DNA evidence or a family member’s name, a birth certificate will not be issued and the mother will be ineligible for financial aid from the State for support of the child. Provides an exception for artificially inseminated mothers. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that a family that does not comply with the Vital Records Act provision concerning birth certificates of unmarried mothers shall be ineligible for aid for support of the child.

(via The Chicagoist)

[Büge]

Meteorologist forced to "cover up" on air after viewers complain about her dress.

[Mongrel]

The best part of that whole story is that if KTLA has a dress code, it sure must have changed since 2012!

[Grath]

Meteorologist forced to "cover up" on air after viewers complain about her dress.

After this, she spent the remainder of the 2-hour segment without the sweater, and it seems like there's a history of having fun with clothing mishaps - so this wasn't actually "omg you must be prude!", it was them making a joke and her playing along.

[Mongrel]

Sure to be all over the news shortly, but

Oklahoma just passed a law making it a felony for doctors to perform abortions.

That's a ban. Not a ban-in-disguise, not merely making it cripplingly difficult, that's just a straight-up ban.

Sure it'll be ruled unconstitutional, but Jesus fucking Christ, we're not even trying to pretend now.

[Sharkey]

There's just so much to unpack here:

WebMD has a magazine?

What the hemorrhaging fuck happened to her torso? Rob Liefeld's hat just spun around on his head and he doesn't know why. Somehow this manages to reach a new low even by the standards of photoshopped ladies on magazine covers. Forget Barbie, a fucking Bratz doll would this creature to see a goddamn doctor. A real one.

Oh god the article is about her "self acceptance." A spoon would stand up in the irony here.

Haha "Weight loss mysteries explained."

Munn has finally graduated from mere talentless annoyance to icon of everything that's wrong with someone celebritized solely for their appearance. This thing is like like the evolution of the world's most vapid pokemon.

[Mongrel]

For bonus points, you have to know that somewhere there are real doctor's offices where the magazine racks in the waiting room are full of this tripe.

This also brings up a peeve of mine, but I'll go post it in the correct thread instead of derailing this one.

[Cait]

I'll take those bonus points, please. I was just at the doctor's office yesterday and they had almost a year's worth of "Promotional Waiting Room Copy" editions of WebMD magazine.

[des]

as always, the comments section is a delightful cesspool of patronizing bullshit.

my favorite, hands down: "I've been rejected 2 times for a promotion because Intel is promoting empowered women, so as a male engineer I have to wait for females apply first, so yeah women are discriminated"

but hey, the video is amusing.

[Thad]

my favorite, hands down: "I've been rejected 2 times for a promotion because Intel is promoting empowered women, so as a male engineer I have to wait for females apply first, so yeah women are discriminated"

Intel's great about promoting Girls Who Code and other initiatives to support and encourage women in STEM fields. There's a great article about Sarah Sharp that went up while I was working there last year: Meet Sarah Sharp: Intel Software Champion

Sharp may be most famous for telling Linus Torvalds to stop being such an asshole. It didn't take.

[Mothra]

[Mongrel]

Is that the best consent instructional video ever? I'm not sure, but damned if it doesn't have a shot.

[Yoji]

And on that note, I'm going to make myself a cup of tea.

...if you know what I mean and I think you do?

And John Oliver spelled it out pretty good, too:

Because sex is like boxing; if both people didn't fully agree to participate, one of them is committing a crime. (graphic of pro boxer walloping a dude in business casual)

[Friday]

wait though

what if I really want them to drink my tea, you didn't cover that

I'm such a good tea maker and I have been there for her to make tea whenever she wanted but she kept buying the shitty store brand what a fucking idiot she is

[Friday]

obviously all girls have shit taste in tea, based on this one experience

now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go post on the internet. A lot.

[Esperath]

The Lipton of sex partners.

[Brantly B.]

I'm sucking bandwidth through a coffee stirrer right now so somebody else can de-hotlink the inevitable:

http://adm1370-tea.wikispaces.com/file/ ... cidtea.jpg