Sorry about not posting very much this week.
I got some distressing news earlier this week and I haven't been able to post.
I will be back Monday with a new questionable ad!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Questionable Advertising Monday: Pedo Sun
This week's questionable advertising is for Roc sun screen and comes from the advertisement agency DDB in Milan, Italy.
It's not the usual questionable depiction one is used to in advertisements where ad agencies seem to have forgotten it is not still 1953. No, this one is...
apparently implying that the sun is some kind of child molester.
There is really no other way to look at it. This isn't a depiction where the sun is physically harming children or acting like some kind of bully. No, these ads depict a rather predatory looking sun offering two children toys as some kind of incentive to get closer.
But the toys alone aren't really enough to ruin this ad for me. Rather, it's the way the sun looks at the audience with a sort of knowing grin. It's just unsettling.
I suppose the ad is successful in that it depicts how a sunny day can tempt children outside regardless of the possible harm of UV rays, but I'd rather not imagine the sun then trying to play a game of "hide the pickle" afterwards.
The ad's slogan is “protect them from sun,” but god if I don't read it as "never let them outside again."
It's not the usual questionable depiction one is used to in advertisements where ad agencies seem to have forgotten it is not still 1953. No, this one is...
apparently implying that the sun is some kind of child molester.
There is really no other way to look at it. This isn't a depiction where the sun is physically harming children or acting like some kind of bully. No, these ads depict a rather predatory looking sun offering two children toys as some kind of incentive to get closer.
But the toys alone aren't really enough to ruin this ad for me. Rather, it's the way the sun looks at the audience with a sort of knowing grin. It's just unsettling.
I suppose the ad is successful in that it depicts how a sunny day can tempt children outside regardless of the possible harm of UV rays, but I'd rather not imagine the sun then trying to play a game of "hide the pickle" afterwards.
The ad's slogan is “protect them from sun,” but god if I don't read it as "never let them outside again."
Friday, September 10, 2010
Awesome Book Review Friday: Fun Home (A Family Tragicomic)
This week's book is Alison Bechdel's Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. It's a graphic novel, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a worthwhile read.
Alison Bechdel, the writer and illustrator of "Dyke's to Watch Out For," paints the story of her childhood, more specifically the relationship between herself and her father, while using her childhood home as a frame. She writes in a liner and yet non-liner fashion. Some chapters start at the beginning of one point and then end, while other are turned inside out starting at the end, returning to the beginning and then continuing on back to the end. The result is a beautiful, honest and painful autobiography.
Alison narrates the story as an adult giving new insight into her childhood relationships. It is by no means a fun or easy story to read, as there are clear and painful scars that she carries, but it is an insightful tale of a girl growing up with a closeted and abusive father and becoming a woman who comes to terms with her own sexuality.
It is an important book because it unflinchingly looks at issues many wish childhood didn't include such as sexuality, gender restraints, masturbation, abuse and suicide. Even more importantly it examins the ways we begin to realise as we grow up that our parents are people and have lives and feelings we can not comprehend. Alison Bechdel exposes her difficult childhood and it is a potent reminder that childhood isn't anything like how we depict it. That it is a difficult and scary time, but it is also the time that helped us to become who we are.
This book is a definite read, despite all the sadness it leaves you with the positive message that you will overcome all this, and you will be better for it.
Alison Bechdel, the writer and illustrator of "Dyke's to Watch Out For," paints the story of her childhood, more specifically the relationship between herself and her father, while using her childhood home as a frame. She writes in a liner and yet non-liner fashion. Some chapters start at the beginning of one point and then end, while other are turned inside out starting at the end, returning to the beginning and then continuing on back to the end. The result is a beautiful, honest and painful autobiography.
Alison narrates the story as an adult giving new insight into her childhood relationships. It is by no means a fun or easy story to read, as there are clear and painful scars that she carries, but it is an insightful tale of a girl growing up with a closeted and abusive father and becoming a woman who comes to terms with her own sexuality.
It is an important book because it unflinchingly looks at issues many wish childhood didn't include such as sexuality, gender restraints, masturbation, abuse and suicide. Even more importantly it examins the ways we begin to realise as we grow up that our parents are people and have lives and feelings we can not comprehend. Alison Bechdel exposes her difficult childhood and it is a potent reminder that childhood isn't anything like how we depict it. That it is a difficult and scary time, but it is also the time that helped us to become who we are.
This book is a definite read, despite all the sadness it leaves you with the positive message that you will overcome all this, and you will be better for it.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Will We Stand By While Ignorance Carries On?
The report about the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida planning to burn copies of the Qur’an has upset me because I see in these small minded people the same dangerous hate that Ray Bradbury in “Fahrenheit 451” and Orwell in “Nineteen Eighty-Four” warned us about. As a free country the United States enjoys the freedom of speech, but like all things actions, and speech, still comes with consequences. The freedom of speech gives you the right to speak your mind in a public it is quite literally the right to hold opinions without interference. It is the right to freedom of expression. It is not however carte blanch to extol hate without reserve or consequence.
Book burning is one of my great hates, right up there with destruction of art. It is truly the worst forms of censorship and most extreme demonstrations of ignorance that man has ever conceived. This is not the freedom of expression, but rather the repression of expression. I’m not going to go into how the Dove World Outreach Center is justifying their actions, you can check their 10 Reasons to Burn a Koran(sic) if you really want to. However, I don’t want to argue with this church or prove how wrong their reasons are. We already know that no matter the reason their actions come from a place of hatred and ignorance, expanding on the specifics won’t change anything.
No, what really needs to be discussed is how many people and religious institutions are taking this opportunity to fight hate and ignorance with love and understanding. As this small church prepares to become the figurative “firemen” of “Fahrenheit 451” larger Christian churches and Jewish temples are planning to read parts of the Qur’an this weekend to promote understanding and acceptance. I am proud that so many have responded to this act of hate with strong feelings and actions to the contrary. It gives me hope that the world takes a step closer to being a better place.
Book burning is one of my great hates, right up there with destruction of art. It is truly the worst forms of censorship and most extreme demonstrations of ignorance that man has ever conceived. This is not the freedom of expression, but rather the repression of expression. I’m not going to go into how the Dove World Outreach Center is justifying their actions, you can check their 10 Reasons to Burn a Koran(sic) if you really want to. However, I don’t want to argue with this church or prove how wrong their reasons are. We already know that no matter the reason their actions come from a place of hatred and ignorance, expanding on the specifics won’t change anything.
No, what really needs to be discussed is how many people and religious institutions are taking this opportunity to fight hate and ignorance with love and understanding. As this small church prepares to become the figurative “firemen” of “Fahrenheit 451” larger Christian churches and Jewish temples are planning to read parts of the Qur’an this weekend to promote understanding and acceptance. I am proud that so many have responded to this act of hate with strong feelings and actions to the contrary. It gives me hope that the world takes a step closer to being a better place.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Questionable Advertising Monday: Gender Status Quo
Ah, advertising. It permeates every part of almost every society, from food to politics. We can't get away from it. It also happens to be one of the greatest perpetrators of racism and sexism. Unfortunately even in the twenty-first century still many a good advertising company has created one or two questionable ads.
This week’s ad is “Growing Up Is...” for Nesquik and it comes from the McCann Erickson agency in Portugal.
It’s a rather banal ad for the Nestlé product, but it's…
Well, see for yourself.
There is nothing obviously offensive about the ad, which makes sense as it is aimed at parents, but then there's nothing contemporary about it either. At best it is a lazy attempt to portray male and female children. At worst it is another reinforcement of the same old gender roles. Not only is the imagery sexist, but in the bottom corner of each ad is a list of what “Growing Up Is…” for each sex. Girls get the usual princessy type stuff: caring for animals, kissing, and cake while boys get the usual manly type stuff: space ships, aliens, and …eating dog food? So according to this ad girls are princesses and boys are “special.”
I find it exasperating that this agency couldn’t move beyond breaking children down into their pre-assigned gender roles. Maybe they would have been better off sticking with the bunny.
This week’s ad is “Growing Up Is...” for Nesquik and it comes from the McCann Erickson agency in Portugal.
It’s a rather banal ad for the Nestlé product, but it's…
Well, see for yourself.
There is nothing obviously offensive about the ad, which makes sense as it is aimed at parents, but then there's nothing contemporary about it either. At best it is a lazy attempt to portray male and female children. At worst it is another reinforcement of the same old gender roles. Not only is the imagery sexist, but in the bottom corner of each ad is a list of what “Growing Up Is…” for each sex. Girls get the usual princessy type stuff: caring for animals, kissing, and cake while boys get the usual manly type stuff: space ships, aliens, and …eating dog food? So according to this ad girls are princesses and boys are “special.”
I find it exasperating that this agency couldn’t move beyond breaking children down into their pre-assigned gender roles. Maybe they would have been better off sticking with the bunny.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Awesome Book Review Friday: Pink Brain, Blue Brain
Because a little literature can go a long way I will be posting a review of an awesome book every Friday.
This week's book is "Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps And What We Can Do About It" by neuroscientist Lise Eliot.
It's a non-fiction book that explores, and disproves, the science of proving gender exists naturally. The chapters are separated by childhood development, starting at birth and finishing at teenage hood.
It would have been enough for Eliot to simply disprove the studies or expose the misinformation, but she takes it a step further. At the end of every chapter is a break-down of how you as a parent or teacher can actually work to help children develop without the constraints of genderization.
My favorite example of this is in the beginning chapters of the book where Eliot exposes the myth that gender can be effected through superficial means, such as toys or clothes. She gives the example of giving dolls to boys and trucks to girls. She points out that this method is doomed from the start because it doesn't address the real problem. Worst it often leads parents to believe that gender is natural.
Instead of simply swapping genderized items, Eliot suggests that parents should first focus on what each sex lacks due to gender constraints. For example she points out that girls rarely get to develop their spacial abilities while boys rarely get to develop their nurturing abilities. If a parent really wanted to help their children overcome gender barriers they would instead give their girls building toys, like Lego or K'Nex, and allow their boys to care for a small animal.
At times with Eliot's scientific approach to the source material the chapters can seem overwhelming. However, it is well worth giving this book a read through. I found that while I may not always understand the studies she discuses in the chapters, there is more than enough information and instruction at the end of each chapter to make up for it.
If you are a parent, teacher, gender studies student, or you just care about breaking gender barriers, Lise Eliot's "Pink Brain, Blue Brain" is read worth picking up.
This week's book is "Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow Into Troublesome Gaps And What We Can Do About It" by neuroscientist Lise Eliot.
It's a non-fiction book that explores, and disproves, the science of proving gender exists naturally. The chapters are separated by childhood development, starting at birth and finishing at teenage hood.
It would have been enough for Eliot to simply disprove the studies or expose the misinformation, but she takes it a step further. At the end of every chapter is a break-down of how you as a parent or teacher can actually work to help children develop without the constraints of genderization.
My favorite example of this is in the beginning chapters of the book where Eliot exposes the myth that gender can be effected through superficial means, such as toys or clothes. She gives the example of giving dolls to boys and trucks to girls. She points out that this method is doomed from the start because it doesn't address the real problem. Worst it often leads parents to believe that gender is natural.
Instead of simply swapping genderized items, Eliot suggests that parents should first focus on what each sex lacks due to gender constraints. For example she points out that girls rarely get to develop their spacial abilities while boys rarely get to develop their nurturing abilities. If a parent really wanted to help their children overcome gender barriers they would instead give their girls building toys, like Lego or K'Nex, and allow their boys to care for a small animal.
At times with Eliot's scientific approach to the source material the chapters can seem overwhelming. However, it is well worth giving this book a read through. I found that while I may not always understand the studies she discuses in the chapters, there is more than enough information and instruction at the end of each chapter to make up for it.
If you are a parent, teacher, gender studies student, or you just care about breaking gender barriers, Lise Eliot's "Pink Brain, Blue Brain" is read worth picking up.
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Problem With Unpaid Internships
There has been a huge stir lately in America over the legality of unpaid internships. It has been great for the discourse and all sorts of discussions are popping up. (Check out the response to the Times article on unpaid internships at Cartoon Brew and the subsequent comments underneath.) The biggest debate that has come out of this is whether or not the internships are worth it. This isn't really the issue, since the real problem is that unpaid internships are slave labour. I feel that most commentators who are in favor of unpaid internships ignore a very important point which is: "What will this cost YOU? What will this cost OTHERS?"
In every case the ones who enjoyed an unpaid internship, by their own admission, were only working for a short time (doing things they enjoyed or were at least relevant) and soon received a paying job. I have to guess that it did not cost them much since they never discuss how tight things were. It is easy to see why they would paint all internships with the same rose coloured brush. But it also means that they have not even considered their own privilege when taking this kind of work.
What sets volunteer work apart from unpaid internships is access. As a volunteer I don't need to have previous experience or a degree and I get to set my hours. As an unpaid intern I am required to have qualifications and I am performing a job that should be paid. Already anyone who doesn't have the support to afford to work for free is excluded, because they would not be allowed to work AND have the internship.
A lot of what I'm hearing in defense of unpaid internships is something akin to fear mongering. It's a lot of "But if you don't take this job you may NEVER get a job anywhere!" or "When you're young you need to pay your dues so buck up and quit being picky!" These arguments totally ignore the fact that no one gets a job (or anything for that matter) they enjoy without being picky. We hear horror stories all the time about people settling for a job they needed rather than seeking a job they wanted and how they got stuck. Now imagine the same scenario only you aren't being paid! You only have one life. Why waste it because someone is trying to scare you into taking the first offer.
Here are some things you should think about when you are considering and unpaid internship.
1) Ask yourself: Why Should I Pay Them To Work?
No matter where you work you are going to have to spend money and time. There is a huge difference between volunteering at a theater two nights a week and volunteering at a publishing company 9-6 every day and some weekends, but it's very likely in the end both jobs will get you to the same place. One more job on your resume. Really think about it. These companies are getting more out of you than they give back. You wouldn't date a person who takes your credit card and always forgets your birthday would you?
2)Ask yourself: Why Do I Think I'm Worthless?
Many students devalue themselves to a ridiculous degree because they buy into lies that tell them they have no abilities. They often buy the line "I'm a student. What could I have to offer?" Well the answer is obviously something if someone is willing to let you into their office. If you were so valueless as an employee even volunteer groups wouldn't touch you. So start having some confidence in yourself and research what you should be paid at your level. Really think about your abilities and write them down. If you think you are lacking in something see how you can improve. It will go a long way. Not only will you be less likely to be taken advantage of, but you may find that the quality of the jobs you seek will improve.
3) Ask questions before you agree and get EVERYTHING in writing.
This is the most important step before agreeing to any work.
There seems to be this odd fear on the part of students about asking for the terms of employment. How can you be expected to do your job if you don't know what it is you should be doing? There are certain questions most employment counselors suggest you not mention until you have been offered the job. Mainly questions about pay and benefits. So while you shouldn't be bringing these up at the interview there's no reason you can't ask once you've been offered the position. In fact if you aren't asking these questions at all you could be giving yourself one huge headache in the future.
I know a lot of students who don't know the first thing about contracts and it is really hurting them. A contract isn't just about money. It's a layout of everything you agree to do for the company and everything the company agrees to do for you. Without one, you will essentially remain in the dark and that makes you easy to take advantage of and difficult for you to know if you are benefiting or not.
4) An Internship is a Job
Understand that internship is not another word for volunteer. A company must be clear with you from the get go if this is or is not a paid position. If you are under the impression that the internship is paid and the company has done nothing to tell you otherwise you MUST ask about the pay. Nothing could be worse than finding out two weeks into an internship that it is unpaid. If you ask about pay and suddenly the job offer disappears know that this is a warning sign. A company on the up and up would either have already told you it was unpaid or would have replied to your query.
Most important of all realise that you don't need that unpaid internship to get where you want to go. Sometimes avoiding them means you need to get more creative. However, this means that in the long run you'll have put in the same hours, but you'll have been reimbursed for your hard work.
And really that is what everyone deserves.
For more info check out 5 Tips for Handling Internships and What to do About Unfair Internships
In every case the ones who enjoyed an unpaid internship, by their own admission, were only working for a short time (doing things they enjoyed or were at least relevant) and soon received a paying job. I have to guess that it did not cost them much since they never discuss how tight things were. It is easy to see why they would paint all internships with the same rose coloured brush. But it also means that they have not even considered their own privilege when taking this kind of work.
What sets volunteer work apart from unpaid internships is access. As a volunteer I don't need to have previous experience or a degree and I get to set my hours. As an unpaid intern I am required to have qualifications and I am performing a job that should be paid. Already anyone who doesn't have the support to afford to work for free is excluded, because they would not be allowed to work AND have the internship.
A lot of what I'm hearing in defense of unpaid internships is something akin to fear mongering. It's a lot of "But if you don't take this job you may NEVER get a job anywhere!" or "When you're young you need to pay your dues so buck up and quit being picky!" These arguments totally ignore the fact that no one gets a job (or anything for that matter) they enjoy without being picky. We hear horror stories all the time about people settling for a job they needed rather than seeking a job they wanted and how they got stuck. Now imagine the same scenario only you aren't being paid! You only have one life. Why waste it because someone is trying to scare you into taking the first offer.
Here are some things you should think about when you are considering and unpaid internship.
1) Ask yourself: Why Should I Pay Them To Work?
No matter where you work you are going to have to spend money and time. There is a huge difference between volunteering at a theater two nights a week and volunteering at a publishing company 9-6 every day and some weekends, but it's very likely in the end both jobs will get you to the same place. One more job on your resume. Really think about it. These companies are getting more out of you than they give back. You wouldn't date a person who takes your credit card and always forgets your birthday would you?
2)Ask yourself: Why Do I Think I'm Worthless?
Many students devalue themselves to a ridiculous degree because they buy into lies that tell them they have no abilities. They often buy the line "I'm a student. What could I have to offer?" Well the answer is obviously something if someone is willing to let you into their office. If you were so valueless as an employee even volunteer groups wouldn't touch you. So start having some confidence in yourself and research what you should be paid at your level. Really think about your abilities and write them down. If you think you are lacking in something see how you can improve. It will go a long way. Not only will you be less likely to be taken advantage of, but you may find that the quality of the jobs you seek will improve.
3) Ask questions before you agree and get EVERYTHING in writing.
This is the most important step before agreeing to any work.
There seems to be this odd fear on the part of students about asking for the terms of employment. How can you be expected to do your job if you don't know what it is you should be doing? There are certain questions most employment counselors suggest you not mention until you have been offered the job. Mainly questions about pay and benefits. So while you shouldn't be bringing these up at the interview there's no reason you can't ask once you've been offered the position. In fact if you aren't asking these questions at all you could be giving yourself one huge headache in the future.
I know a lot of students who don't know the first thing about contracts and it is really hurting them. A contract isn't just about money. It's a layout of everything you agree to do for the company and everything the company agrees to do for you. Without one, you will essentially remain in the dark and that makes you easy to take advantage of and difficult for you to know if you are benefiting or not.
4) An Internship is a Job
Understand that internship is not another word for volunteer. A company must be clear with you from the get go if this is or is not a paid position. If you are under the impression that the internship is paid and the company has done nothing to tell you otherwise you MUST ask about the pay. Nothing could be worse than finding out two weeks into an internship that it is unpaid. If you ask about pay and suddenly the job offer disappears know that this is a warning sign. A company on the up and up would either have already told you it was unpaid or would have replied to your query.
Most important of all realise that you don't need that unpaid internship to get where you want to go. Sometimes avoiding them means you need to get more creative. However, this means that in the long run you'll have put in the same hours, but you'll have been reimbursed for your hard work.
And really that is what everyone deserves.
For more info check out 5 Tips for Handling Internships and What to do About Unfair Internships
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