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The Week In Patriarchy

The Daily Mail published research finding that people of all sexes agree: Women make poor bosses, are too moody. Everyone sort of blamed the (alleged!) victim in the firing of Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd over a sexual harassment investigation. Two women, an Assistant District Attorney and an investigator, were touched inappropriately by 70 year old Superior Court Judge Kenneth Nix; they’ve declined to press charges because, you know, it’s “their experience that the victim often becomes the target of criticism in sex crimes.” Which, working within the legal system and all, they would know.

RDCA, an academy of martial arts, released some ads encouraging parents to get their boys to karate lessons if they start acting like girls. What marks the Sexual Revolution of the 21st Century? Blowjobs, said Brea Malacrad, a University of Alberta researcher. A West Bengali woman was forced by to walk naked for six miles and sexually assaulted for having an “illicit love affair with a man from another community.” Argentina was found to underserve the medical needs of women–despite its relatively good laws.

Popular comic strip Cathy outlived Jesus. Ack ack ack!! jokes will live on forever, though. Dr. Laura Schlessenger dropped the N word like a million times while trying to make a “philosophical point.” A lot of teenagers are using Botox to… it’s hard even to say why.

Tonya Hunter, a Cleveland marriage and family counselor, was murdered after local police failed to serve two warrants for her abusive husband’s arrest. A Tallahassee woman was forcibly hospitalized and made a ward of the state because she didn’t want to quit smoking while pregnant. Echoing her co-star’s sentiments, January Jones seemed to appreciate the gentlemanly sexism of days yore.

10 Comments

  1. Laila wrote:

    Slight correction: To my knowledge, Mark Hurd was technically cleared of the sexual harassment charges.

    Friday, August 13, 2010 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
  2. Jonah wrote:

    Wanna be super depressed? Look at the “best” and “worst” comments at the Daily Mail site.

    Friday, August 13, 2010 at 8:34 pm | Permalink
  3. snobographer wrote:

    Playboy republished some of the outtakes from a shoot Jodie Fisher did with them like 30 years ago.
    I got into an argument with somebody on Gawker that just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s a tacky, exploitative dick move on Father Hef’s part.
    Opposing argument: B-b-but SHE SIGNED A FOOOORRRRMMM!!!

    Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 4:20 am | Permalink
  4. snobographer wrote:

    Correction: “…just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s not a tacky, exploitative dick move…”

    Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 4:21 am | Permalink
  5. kristinc wrote:

    I am SO GLAD to see Cathy finally cough itself into the sunset. That strip was never funny, not once. And it was consistently rage-inducing in its stupidity. The only comics “artist” I know of with less talent is whoever draws Mallard Fillmore.

    Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 8:26 pm | Permalink
  6. Raemon wrote:

    Not really relevant to this post but I wasn’t sure if there was an official channel to make such a request: I just saw Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and spent the whole movie psychoanalyzing it for sexual power dynamics, and was curious if the folks of Tiger Beatdown had any comments on it. (In particular given the discussion of the trailer that happened a while back).

    Also, I realize this is a ways ways late in the asking, but I originally came to Tiger Beatdown because of the post about the show “Dollhouse” and was wondering what Sady’s (and people in general’s) thoughts about how it ended.

    Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 11:28 pm | Permalink
  7. Em wrote:

    Oh, wow, no more Cathy. I have a relative who’s going to be heartbroken. I, on the other hand, am assured of never receiving another page-a-day Cathy calendar again. Woo-hoo!

    Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 8:56 am | Permalink
  8. dihutenosa wrote:

    @Em don’t count your chickens, my father still gave me a Far Side calendar for a couple years after it ended… (Now it’s Get Fuzzy. uck.)

    Monday, August 16, 2010 at 3:38 am | Permalink
  9. kate wrote:

    I just listened to the audio for the Schlessinger show, and I cannot believe that this woman holds a PhD in anything. The issue seems to be getting lost in the mix of all of this babble about whether she is wrong or not. There should be no question about it, she is wrong, without a doubt. The weight of that word may get lighter when it comes out of a black persons mouth but when it comes out of a white persons mouth it holds the weight of decades of discrimination and abuse. Anyone educated past the 6th grade can understand that, or can’t they?

    Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:30 am | Permalink
  10. Ahab wrote:

    Thank you for these articles — they’re very informative!

    The article from West Bengal is just harrowing. As for the karate ad, it saddens me that toxic gender stereotypes like that still persist in the 21st century. Still so much work to do …

    Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:15 pm | Permalink