Caroline Criado-Perez, a blogger and co-founder of the Web site The Women’s Room, began her campaign months ago when she realized that soon there might be no women — except Queen Elizabeth II, of course — left on British bank notes. The issue seemed urgent: in April, the Bank of England had announced that the only woman currently featured among five historical figures, the social reformer Elizabeth Fry, would be replaced by Winston Churchill, indisputably male. Surely, Ms. Criado-Perez argued, there were enough women of note in British history to find at least one more?Nice to hear that bloggers are "high-profile." When do bloggers get pictured on bank notes? And why wasn't the Queen enough? This seems like a pretty lame feminist issue. By comparison, we women of the United States have never gotten a picture of one of our kind on the paper money. They keep putting one of us on a dollar coin...
... and then acting disappointed when no one wants to use it. Get rid of the damned dollar bill! George Washington is on the quarter, the favorite coin. All those already minted dollar coins would circulate like mad if you pushed Washington back to 1 not 2. And don't tell me Lincoln has 2, so Washington should have 2. We're not talking about testicles. We're talking about representation on money. Get rid of the penny and the dollar, push the 2 rivals for best President back to single representation, and it will free Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea to circulate through the pockets and vending machines of America. Release the women from that vault!
There. I — a female blogger — have started my campaign. Let's see if I can hit the high-profile heights of Caroline Criado-Perez.
So who are the nefarious attackers? They were nobodies:
“I’m going to pistol whip you over and over until you lose consciousness,” one Twitter user warned Ms. Criado-Perez, threatening to “then burn ur flesh.”...
Two men, ages 21 and 25, have been arrested so far in connection with the harassment. Scotland Yard’s electronic-crime unit is investigating the Twitter attacks involving mostly anonymous Internet users, so-called trolls.It's idiotic to threaten anyone on line, even if you think the target can't possibly believe an attack is in the offing. You'd think the hardcore fans of Charles Darwin would be more evolved.
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33 comments:
"..So who are the nefarious attackers?
“I’m going to pistol whip you over and over until you lose consciousness,” one Twitter user warned Ms. Criado-Perez,............."
Come one now. You know this is not serious. With the UK's gun-control laws, no one has a pistol. Hence, no 'whipping".
Canada did it right. They removed the dollar bill from circulation entirely, and now Looneys and Twoneys are in wide use and not inconvenient at all.
The dollar coins didn't work here because bills remained in circulation, and the dollar coins themselves sucked: The Suzie wasn't that distinguishable from a quarter, and the Sacagawea was just silly-looking, like Monopoly money if Parker Brothers had a mint.
They really uglified Anthony for that coin! Compare the original image.
Then they ridiculously prettified Sacagawea (and squished a baby onto her, like babies need representation too).
They cannot get it right!
It's like they deliberately mean to subordinate women.
You can practically see the nose job they did on the Sacagawea image, like they had something more noble, then decided to slice some away to make her cute.
Back here in Lowell, MA, the dollar coin is perfect for an hour at the parking meter. More dollar coins please.
Regards — Cliff
Ann, you are right. The only way to get people to use the dollar coins is to remove the paper bill. I actually like the $coins. But then I like the pound coins in UK. The solution is simple, the follow though is difficult for those in power to do.
Those failed female image dollar coins have already been replaced by the failed presidental series dollar coins. We don't want dollar coins.
The intertubes is filled with the stupid.
Anyone that campaigns for anything is going to attract the attention of some idiots who will feel compelled to send tweets and/or emails that will be both ungrammatical and threatening.
Back in the good old days when you had to have a good understanding of UNIX, modems, and telecommunications technology to get on the Internet this sort of thing happened less often, but only because there were fewer people to harass.
What's weird is that England has random people like Darwin on a coin. That said, this sounds like a dustup about nothing. This is a country that has a Queen at present on all the money. Worry about it some other time.
I like our system, where it is all founders/presidents mostly. I mean, it was fun for a little while to see all the state coins, but now I'm tired of it.
Sacagawea was a stupid political idea. If they wanted to put a woman on a coin put somebody like Martha Washington.
This would only matter if the coins were gold, which might make them popular. As is, I haven't seen one in years. But I suppose there an numerous small hobby groups unknown to the rest of us.
I'll know the government is serious about getting the dollar coin into circulation when they put Reagan on it. They have not done so yet for fear it would be too successful. The S. B. Anthony and Sacagwea coins were so badly done they seem like a deliberate sabotage of the idea.
They wanted Sacajawea to look like Disney's Pocohontas. Better for marketing. At least little girls will use the "Indian Princess" coins.
Susan B. Anthony was meant to reinforce the stereotype that feminists are stern women in sensible shoes who can't get a date.
Nudge!
Get rid of the penny and the dollar, push the 2 rivals for best President back to single representation,
Then the nickle should be dropped as well. Primarily because the dime is the right size and value for the smallest coin. Secondarily, because Jefferson is already on the $2 bill and he's not worthy of being the only president to be on a coin and a bill.
A dime today is worth less than a penny was when I first came to this country, and the country got along fine without a smaller denomination.
It will be better to get rid of coins entirely and replace them with paper, with 10 cents as the lowest denomination; perhaps red colored and smaller, and with cheaper paper, since it may not be that long before 1 dollar will be the smallest denomination we need.
AA: "Get rid of the penny and the dollar [bill], ..."
But move Washington to the dollar coin.
There are, numismatically speaking, literally binders full of women waiting to be released.
Dollar coins are popular until you try to carry more than a few in your pocket. It is easy to carry even 10 individual dollar bills -- 5 dollar coins are heavy and bulky. If we ever convert to all coinage, maybe it will bring back the fanny pack.
I get dollar coins as change from Amtrak and get rid of them as quickly as I can so I don't miss-use them as quarters. From reactions I get, I think that is the common perception of dollar coins. They are too close to quarters.
The British pound coin is distinctive. The dollar coin is not.
Serious question: if someone threatens you on twitter but you don't read tweets (directly, anyway), should you still feel threatened? Is it still actionable, even if you don't know about it?
If you insist on a coin and a woman, how about Oprah?
Surely, Ms. Criado-Perez argued, there were enough women of note in British history to find at least one more?
Isn't a major thesis of feminism that women were oppressed for centuries? And thus were prevented from things like, oh, becoming prominent or achieving things of note? A dearth of women with accomplishments qualifying for placement on currency is what a feminist should expect.
Darwin came up with the fundamental theory of the whole science of biology. Jane Austin wrote a few good novels. Winston Churchill successfully led Britain through an existential crisis that was also the biggest war in all history. Elizabeth Fry was some sort of prison reformer. If you're not being explicitly and deliberately tokenist, isn't it clear which two have achievements of true note?
They keep putting one of us on a dollar coin...and then acting disappointed when no one wants to use it. Get rid of the damned dollar bill!
Yes. People want light bulbs, large sodas, dollar bills, and all kinds of other crap they shouldn't have. It's time to eliminate "choice" and all this "free country" nonsense. We should all want what the government tells us to want, because they know better.
If the Federal Reserve Bank were to actually do what it was intended to do-preserve the value of the currency, there would be no need for this discussion.
Blogger Steven said...
Surely, Ms. Criado-Perez argued, there were enough women of note in British history to find at least one more?
Isn't a major thesis of feminism that women were oppressed for centuries? And thus were prevented from things like, oh, becoming prominent or achieving things of note? A dearth of women with accomplishments qualifying for placement on currency is what a feminist should expect.
Darwin came up with the fundamental theory of the whole science of biology. Jane Austin wrote a few good novels. Winston Churchill successfully led Britain through an existential crisis that was also the biggest war in all history. Elizabeth Fry was some sort of prison reformer. If you're not being explicitly and deliberately tokenist, isn't it clear which two have achievements of true note?
8/5/13, 10:44 AM
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Me thinks that Ms Perez is of the political stripe that would find a Margaret Thatcher coin an abomination.
"You'd think the hardcore fans of Charles Darwin would be more evolved."
Horrible, horrible, attempt at punning.
Yes. People want light bulbs, large sodas, dollar bills, and all kinds of other crap they shouldn't have. It's time to eliminate "choice" and all this "free country" nonsense. We should all want what the government tells us to want, because they know better.
Of all the hills to plant your libertarian-populist flag on, small-face-value fiat coinage versus small-face-value fiat paper is a rather peculiar choice. Coinage is a government function in a fiat-money economy. The wants of the end users are important for practical reasons, not philosophical reasons.
The professor's sounding very Gresham today.
Can we just get rid of coins instead?
While we are at it, let's eliminate all sub-dollar coins except dimes. Based on value per cubic or weight, pennies, nickles, and quarters are very inefficient.
And if we elliminate the quarter, there will be no confusion factor for the triumphant dollar coin.
Threatening someone on the Internet is stupid. It is also stupid to think that, because you have been threatened by random Internet people, Society is against you and you are a brave warrior speaking truth to power. Being threatened doesn't make you right or "the other side" (broadly defined) wrong.
raf said:
"Dollar coins are popular until you try to carry more than a few in your pocket... If we ever convert to all coinage, maybe it will bring back the fanny pack."
I seem to remember guys wearing fanny packs were almost always wearing shorts. And sandals with dark socks (usually).
Here we have the pound coin and the two pound coin, and no paper bills smaller than a £5, which is about $7. That means carrying around a lot of coins, which is not convenient
England takes Twitter and Facebook dust ups too seriously in general. But then, no first amendment. It makes a difference!
In fact, I'm going to guess having so many coins keeps a fair amount of money out of circulation. I have a Tupperware container full of coins that I can't figure out what do do with. That's money not being spent in the economy because its such a pain.
I had the same problem in Tokyo, where I ended up giving the container of coins to a local homeless man. But I don't like our local homeless guy here.
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