Sunday, February 7, 2010

Debasement


A man is kicking a woman in the stomach.

Repeatedly.

On television.

If you saw this, wouldn't you be outraged, furious, spurred to action?

Soon you are on the phone and on the Internet registering your loud and justified complaint about violence towards women.

And you would be right.

But wait.

Every day, you can see exactly this TV advertisement.

Except that a woman is kicking a man in the stomach.

She also punches him several times.

She is oh so funny and he is the Dope.

Ho ho ho.

Isn't that amusing.

That piece of male debasement is the work of a clever and irresponsible ad executive and his/her "creative team," who want to attract women to their client's product or service.

I believe the client in this case is BMO, the Bank of Montreal.

This dreadful unnecessary and socially destructive piece of trash is part of a long tradition in TV programming and advertising, both of which are aimed at the "female consumer."

Because that's what you are, ladies, in the warped minds of advertisers and their clients - consumers.

You USE stuff.

In this oft-repeated scenario, the woman always wins.

She is smarter, stronger, more clever, more resourceful.

The hubby is a colossal nitwit, a loser, an incompetent, who clearly could not function without his far superior partner to drag his sorry ass through life.

And this running sore of a theme helps children and families HOW?

If a man kicked a woman in the stomach in an ad on prime time television, it would be front page news and talk show fodder for weeks.

But having a woman kick a man in the stomach is apparently just funny.

No.

It is not funny.

It is sick.

Boys and girls need and want fathers they can respect and admire.

Women and men need to respect one another.

Ridicule is not the way.

Squirming and Cheering


Pete McMartin, the Sun columnist, wrote an excellent piece yesterday.

The headline pretty much catches the gist of the article:
"Why I loathe the Olympics and why I hope they succeed"

I think he has captured the mix of emotions that many are feeling.

Enlighten Me, Please


Does any one truly understand the "Missionaries Charged with Kidnapping" story?

Because I don't.

Are these people simply stupid or naive, scooping up 33 children and trying to rush them out of Haiti?

Are the deliberately posing as naive?

Are they, in fact, evil maniacs?

I really have no idea.

They keep telling any one who will listen - or bring them bread and water - that this is all simply a misunderstanding and a case of some innocently missing paper work.

It's possible...but...

Please explain your take on this peculiar circumstance.

Opinions not Wanted in Games Canada


An American reporter, who doesn't like The Games, has been turned back and not allowed into Canada by Canadian customs.

We have no information that this man is dangerous or violent or disruptive in any way.

But he does have an opinion.

Shame on him.

Can't he just buckle down and sing, "I believe?"

Victor is Mercerless


Not a week goes by without a half-page foto of Officially Annointed Comedian of Canada, Rick Mercer, being thrown out of a plane or some such running in full-color in every newspaper in Canada. And this costs the taxpayer how much? Our friend, Victor, has even found Mercer in his Shark's Fin Soup!


Last night we sat in a Chinese restaurant, surrounded by Chinese
patrons, eating glorious spicy fish while watching Rick Mercer on a
54 inch screen , mercifully with no sound. Surreal .

As virtually the only white person in the place, sitting among a
couple of hundred taxpaying Chinese Canadians who were ignoring the
mugging dork on the TV, I asked myself " Why do we have this guy"? I
also wondered what he is paid, how big is the budget that takes him
around the country and how large is his obscenely bloated CBC staff?

We have an Auditor General, a Governor General but do we need a
Comedian General? Paid for by taxpayers? Didn't syphilitic kings in
ancient times hire a court fool out of the public purse for the same
purpose? Aren't we beyond that?

I realize that I am out of sync with those Canadians who think his
painfully contrived skits, camera-hogging juvenility and gratuitous
anti-Americanism are are uproariously funny. But if he's that good,
why can't he get a sponsor to fund his efforts?

Then again, I am out of sync with all those Canadians who think that
the mere possession of a Newfoundland accent, applied to the most
puerile skits, is high comedy.