Althouse: The proposed ban on gender stereotypes in advertising.

September 7, 2008

The proposed ban on gender stereotypes in advertising.

Don't get excited. Europe will be Europe.

43 comments:

Simon said...: Europe will be Europe. And if Obama gets in, we'll be getting a lot more Europe, too.; 9/7/08, 3:35 PM
vbspurs said...: First they came for cigarettes, but I didn't speak out because I wasn't a smoker.

Then they came for alcohol, but I didn't speak out because I wasn't a drinker.

Then they came for trans-fat, but I didn't speak out because I work out like 3 hours every day at Bally's.

Then they came for my bras and panties, and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Because everyone was busy hoarding porn at home.; 9/7/08, 3:39 PM
The Drill SGT said...: AA,

two other NYT stories in Week in Review that caught my eye.

The Public editor defending the NYT balance Palin coverage.

The Meida Bashing 101 story. poor abused media.; 9/7/08, 3:43 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Tell me why we spent so much time, effort, and money helping the Europeans fight Communist totalitarianism again?; 9/7/08, 3:48 PM
Palladian said...: Europe, as always, exists solely for our amusement.; 9/7/08, 3:54 PM
vbspurs said...: Yes.

It's a large amusement park, where you take the Paris ride on Monday, and on Tuesday you're braving the queues in Munich. And you know what they say about those carnies? Well, it's all true.; 9/7/08, 4:01 PM
EnigmatiCore said...: Europe will be Europe. And what happens there eventually gets advocated for over here.; 9/7/08, 4:11 PM
EnigmatiCore said...: "Then they came for my bras and panties, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

That wasn't Europe. That was your hubby. He's feeling... lonesome.; 9/7/08, 4:12 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/08, 4:13 PM
blake said...: Pretty sure it's the latter, Wurly.; 9/7/08, 4:28 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Isn't that the type of limited free speech that the looney left keeps trying to shove down our throats. It started with PC and it will escalate until we have no First Amendment left.; 9/7/08, 4:30 PM
Anonymous said...: Tell me why we spent so much time, effort, and money helping the Europeans fight Communist totalitarianism again?

It appears we are losing the Cold War after all.

Sigh.; 9/7/08, 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...: Fascism is continually descending upon the United States but always lands in Europe.; 9/7/08, 4:51 PM
rhhardin said...: Stereotypes snatched.; 9/7/08, 4:52 PM
vbspurs said...: Fascism is continually descending upon the United States

Indeed. If Ann Althouse would have her way, there would be Men In Shorts Gulags.; 9/7/08, 4:53 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Archie Bunker: You're supposed to be the big bug on the Constitution, right? Well the first amendment guarantees that baby the right to bear a machine gun?

Mike Stivic: The first amendment guarantees free speech.

Archie Bunker: Same thing, buddy boy. If you got a gun in your hand, you're free to make any speech you want to.

Stock pile the guns and ammo and keep those dirty, vicious, evil Eurotrashweenie ideas out of our country.; 9/7/08, 4:57 PM
umgrantb said...: That European government will once again be successful in trying reshape society through government control of speech, leading to disasterous unforeseen consequences?

It started with PC and it will escalate until we have no First Amendment left.

It appears we are losing the Cold War after all.

A little overstatement maybe?

This simply was a report by a committee of a legislative body that in reality has little to no authority over national governments. The real power is in the other parts of the EU - chiefly the Commission. At least, that's how I understand it.

Clearly, Britain's regulatory agency isn't having any of it.; 9/7/08, 5:08 PM
Unknown said...: Why is that Fascism is never more than a hair's breadth away from taking over in Europe?; 9/7/08, 5:23 PM
chickelit said...: From the Birkenstock to the Burqua is but a step.; 9/7/08, 5:37 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Brent said...
Why is that Fascism is never more than a hair's breadth away from taking over in Europe?

Because fascists live there and get put in charge of bureaucracies.; 9/7/08, 5:39 PM
vbspurs said...: I realise Ann will probably post about this later, but I saw this clip via the HillaryForum linked earlier:

Obama makes awful gaffe about his Muslim faith

This is radioactive.

Yes, it's a slip of the tongue, but there is no way I would trip up and refer to MY "Jewish faith" being a Roman Catholic.

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/7/08, 5:39 PM
EnigmatiCore said...: The longer clip is much less 'radioactive' and if the GOP is honorable they will stay far away from trying to pounce on that.

All it does is reinforce just how bad Obama is at talking without aid of a teleprompter.; 9/7/08, 5:43 PM
Alex said...: Obama admitting to be a Muslim is the end of his chances to win the election. Pure and simple. However, you can count on the MSM to cover it up now. Down the memory hole.; 9/7/08, 5:45 PM
George M. Spencer said...: I'll go further than Alex and Victoria and wager that Sen. Obama will have a meltdown on national TV ala the moment when Nixon shoved Ziegler, his press secretary.

We'll catch him yelling about his underdone croque Monsieur. Then he'll fire up a Gitanes and peel out in his Citroen.

The Naked Edge of a Nervous Breakdown.; 9/7/08, 6:02 PM
bleeper said...: This is your brain off teleprompting.

Who was it that said "facism keeps falling here in America but landing somewhere else"?; 9/7/08, 6:04 PM
Unknown said...: I watched the ABC interview with Obama.

This McCain supporter thought that Obama did pretty well for the most part, his only real stumble being the awkwardness of his answers about the surge. And as far as the "my Muslim faith" when he meant "Christian faith", give the guy a break: he's had to deal with the (ridiculous) rumors so long, a mix up is forgiveable.

What I saw was a thoughtful, likeable, smart and gifted young man. But I could not shake the view that if I were hiring him, I would not place him at the top job, but rather give him positions that would give him more experience and time to develop more judgment.

I even tried for several moments to perceive of Obama as someone who held the values I hold - would I then be open to wanting him to step into the Presidency, the top job? Again, the answer was easy - he's just not ready.

Another 8-10 years in the Senate, some real accomplishments - together with some real life-buffeting experiences - could actually make this man a formidable,tested, and trustworthy leader for all of America.; 9/7/08, 6:11 PM
Swifty Quick said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/08, 6:38 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Simon said...
Europe will be Europe. And if Obama gets in, we'll be getting a lot more Europe, too.

And children will be children and if Obama gets in we will be getting a lot more children too; running the government.; 9/7/08, 6:46 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: vbspurs said...
Yes, it's a slip of the tongue, but there is no way I would trip up and refer to MY "Jewish faith" being a Roman Catholic.

Unless you were really Jewish.

“Let’s not play games… you’re absolutely right John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith…”

Sounds more like a slip of the tongue to me. He was pretty direct.; 9/7/08, 6:52 PM
Simon said...: Alex, Victoria - I agree with Brent. Obama just made a slip of the tongue, or had a brain fart, whatever you want to call it. Branding it an "admission" isn't going to work and there are far stronger criticisms of Obama.; 9/7/08, 6:53 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: This could potentially mean an end to attractive women advertising perfume, housewives in the kitchen or men doing DIY.
Such classic adverts as the Diet Coke commercial featuring the bare-chested builder, or Wonderbra's "Hello Boys" featuring model Eva Herzigova would have been banned.

From the movie Roger Dodger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YOB48WGM4Y

Interestingly, a group of scientists in England... just announced their intention to fertilize an egg... without the use of sperm cells.
Every cell in the human body contains a copy of the genome pattern. The only reason sperm cells have all the fun is that up until now... they were the only ones with access. Within Christopher's lifetime, artifiicial insemination... will render sperm as useless as an assembly line worker in Detroit.
The species is not static. We're in a constant state of flux. Two genders has been the default setting for one reason only: So far it's been the only way to propagate the race.
So where are we headed? Equality? Equality, what is that? Is that a principle of nature?
Natural selection. Now that is a principle of nature. Selection. Something has to lose. Something has to be defeated... in order for something else to be selected. So, what does this mean?
Technology and evolution will have combined... to exclude sperm from procreation... and our fiinal destiny will be to lift couches... and wait for that day when telepathy overcomes gravity... and our gender's last remaining utility is lost forever.; 9/7/08, 7:02 PM
Swifty Quick said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/7/08, 7:26 PM
Susan said...: So I guess this ad won't be a parody anymore.; 9/7/08, 7:50 PM
George M. Spencer said...: Roger Dodger... fun movie..and with the exquisite Isabella Rossellini....kinda like "Mad Men"...the whole movie is up on Youtube....; 9/7/08, 7:50 PM
Synova said...: I would need a far longer clip of that to say at all if it was a slip or not. He didn't get an "Oh, crap!" look on his face so...

The thing is... people *have* been talking about Obama's Muslim Faith.

It sounds to me as if Obama has been forced to admit that McCain has not done this.

That's all.

Why on EARTH would he say, "McCain has not talked about my Christian Faith?" That makes no sense at all. So I'm sure he *meant* to say Muslim.

Now, he maybe shoulda-oughta have said, "McCain has not talked about my *supposed* Muslim Faith."

I think this is nit-picky. I doubt it was a "slip".

Now... I'm half convinced in my own heart that Obama is not a Christian *either*... but my own extreme christian humility means that I have to insist that I can not possibly say one way or the other about the state of his soul. As a Christian it would be anti-biblical to try to sort the wheat and the chaff before the harvest, so I must not.

But I don't think that failing the "supposed" in there is something a person would do who feels that his salvation rests on the blood of Jesus Christ.

But Muslim? No. I don't believe it for a moment.; 9/7/08, 8:12 PM
Henry said...: I think it means that from now on, all beautiful women in European advertisements must be smoking a cigarette.; 9/7/08, 8:35 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: I agree that Obama seems to have inartfully phrased that statement about his Muslim faith. My guess is that he was trying to say that McCain had not suggested that he was Muslim. But that is not what he actually said, which will likely be a problem.

Right after we hear that Obama was going on the offense, he inflicts a self-inflicted wound on himself that he will have to address, likely by clarifying what he meant. But that just makes him look wishy washy again.

He is being out maneuvered by the McCain camp, and can't figure out how to overcome that right now.; 9/7/08, 8:43 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Getting back to the original subject, as a male, I would love to see the elimination of gender stereotyping in advertising. I would suggest that there are far more ads on TV these days that denigrate men than women. How often do we see the smart woman helping out her clueless husband? That sort of thing. My guess is that there are many times this number of male bashing commercials for every beer commercial that shows beautiful women as sex objects and implies if you just buy their product (esp. beer), these beautiful women will flock to you.; 9/7/08, 8:47 PM
vbspurs said...: Alex, Victoria - I agree with Brent

No, I don't think he's admitting he's Muslim. I thought I had made that clear. It's a slip of the tongue, pure and simple.

I'm also shocked that anyone would connote anything I said with a man I consider a troll, Alex.

Cheers,
Victoria; 9/7/08, 9:06 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Get your hands off my gender stereotypes you filthy Eurotrashweenie apes.; 9/7/08, 9:54 PM
William said...: You may be sure that when McCain makes a similar mistake, there will be widespread speculation that this is a symptom of incipient Alzheimer's disease....I believe that Obama's people started a whisper campaign that he is a Muslim to draw attention away from the bald fact that Obama was a follower of the Rev Wright. I bet Mullah Sadr's sermons aren't a patch on those of the Rev Wright so far as anti-Americanism goes.; 9/7/08, 10:10 PM
Anonymous said...: "Getting back to the original subject, as a male, I would love to see the elimination of gender stereotyping in advertising. "

Then you, sirrah, are a goddam menace, to Free Speech, humor, human sexuality, and the rest of what makes advertising worth watching in the first place.

Sitzpinkler!!; 9/7/08, 10:50 PM
sean said...: I would interpret Prof. Althouse's comment, "Europe will be Europe," as meaning that European governments will continue to make rules which embody unattainable aspirations. Those rules will be enforced very sporadically, in a manner which results in isolated injustices but no large-scale social change. (Like the way the Kyoto protocols are enforced now.) Americans find offensive the idea of the state as a perpetrator of random bad acts in the service of various ideologies to which everyone gives lip service but no one actually obeys, but Europeans don't seem to mind.; 9/8/08, 9:46 AM