On Fixed news with Greta Van Susteren (video).

I immediately thought of the 1960's board game "Mystery Date" that my sisters used to play.

The object was to meet a successful, handsome young man with a bright future, but you had to watch out for the "dud."

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Too bad they don't include prison togs...

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Why is it that even a slightly negative portrayal of a woman (not ALL women) is considered "misogynist" but an extremely negative portrayal of ALL men is just a "feminist analysis"?

Is there ANY logic at all to this? Or is a statement only true if it can appeal to a feminist's prejudices?

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I cry for our language.

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I remember reading your Cloverfield 9/11 piece a while back. It made me want to see the movie. I hope you will take my advice and stop wasting your time on these dumbed down moronic pop culture gimmics. You're much too good a writer to waste your talent on such garbage.

I doubt you'd agree with me when I say that Gloria Steinem has done more damage to america than all the bimbos on all the computer screens combined. But you need to hear it.

Doesnt it bother you that there are so many single mothers out there trying to raise children? Most feminists think its perfectly ok, because they will get along just fine without men. But they are ignoring the obvious trend that the US is following.... a trend that is clearly leading to 3rd world status. It is only the credit that has kept this country rich enough to where women could get by without men. And as we now know, the credit bubble is collapsing. What that means to all feminists is that they have got to start thinking about how they are going to get by in a country that is significantly less stable than it once was. And how to do it without a man. How to get by while carrying these rediculous ideas that so divide our culture precisely at a time when we need unity. That wont be easy. Feminists who live in denial about this are setting themselves up for a lot of pain and suffering in the coming years. Every feminist is going to realize that they've literally been had. Played like a fiddle by the CFR. Feminism, like many things, was used to destroy this country.

It's sad, and I can assure you that the horror of knowing all this for years, and slowly watching it unfold exactly as predicted, is just as devastating as seeing the twin towers burn from a distance close enough to hear the thumps from the falling bodies. I would rather watch something like that, than see my worst fears about the future of america materialize. But still, even now, people dont want to listen to me, especially feminists. My words are instantly hated because feminists are programmed to respond with blanket denial by the very forces that I'm fighting against. But I think feminists would listen to you.

I think you would be happier fighting against the powers that be. Rather than writing divide-and-conquer style attack pieces on the idiocy of men. We're so far beyond that now it isnt even funny. We all know that men are stupid. But women are stupid too, and highlighting each other's stupidity is not helping the situation. We've all been played. It's easy to laugh at the thought of some guy actually paying money to buy bimbo bucks. I personally think it's hilarious. But he's doing that for a reason. And that reason is because there is no supportive female role model in his life. And that is because the women are too busy working and shopping and... talking about how dumb the men are. If there is to be any hope for this culture at all, then it simply MUST move beyond this. You could play an import role in that process.

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On a recent trip to the department store for PJs, my four-year-old daughter only wanted "Bratz" options. I calmly asked her why she wanted them to which she replied all her friends wore them. We talked about the images of the characters (e.g., distorted, sexualized, heavy make-up, etc.). My daughter decided these images did not look like real girls.

Beside the plethora of "Bratz" pajamas was a collection of "Dora the Explorer" sets. These outfits, and their accompanying images, matched her personal body image and perception of her friends.

Why would "Bratz" items be marketed to girls so young? (Yes, the question is rhetorical.)

Each of us must do what we can to change a culture that cashes in on the objectifying of women, girls, toddlers, and babies. The first line of defense has to be in our homes with our daughters; instilling in them a strong sense of self-worth, self-respect, and healthy body image. Next, we can start making changes in our respective spheres of influence (e.g., classrooms, churches, girl scouts, slumber parties, friends, etc.) by sensitively, but explicitly, exposing the inappropriateness of these images.

My daughter will have a healthy self-image and my complete support. She will be able to ask questions about cultural messages that seek to define a myopic view of the "perfect" or, more insidiously, "acceptable" girl. I hope to help other girls experience the same personal empowerment.

By the way, in case you weren't sure, we purchased the "Dora" pajama sets! :D

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By the standards of the author, is there anything on the planet which ISN'T misogynistic?

Really, now. The described game is not about ALL women, it uses a fictional female character. How is that misogynistic?

Is it misogynistic to use ANY female characters ANYWHERE in ANY kind of negative context? We should only show female characters in a positive context or else it's woman-hating? Really, now? The idea is just pathetic.

And if we're going to look at video games, there are dozens upon dozens of which involve shooting-up characters who are clearly male, but no one ever complains about the gendered-violence in those games. Yet if there's a female airhead character in a video game, oh, no it's ZOMG MISOGYNY!!!

And that's just moronic.

Why should it be that female characters should be exempted from any and all less-than-positive portrayal because they are women? Are they a special category of super-delicate humans who are easily damaged by cultural messaging?

The only logic here is that anything a feminist doesn't like is misogynistic. Just gotta haul-out that M-bomb whatever the situation is. OOoh, and we can't argue with that cuz she's (long pause) A FEMINIST and disagreeing with a feminist is sexism.

Anti-intellectualism at its worst.

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... and the point of this article is? Maybe to fill space. BTW Wonder Showzen is not a "brilliant children's TV program". Its an adult program, if the author is not smart enough to figure that out why is Alternet posting this ridiculous piece.

I'm sure there are plenty of writers out there that would be willing to post relevant, meaningful pieces in the Reproductive Justice and Gender category... please stop with the Huffpost Enquirer pieces.

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Whenever a gender issues article gets posted to Alternet, the conversation tends to wander far and wide, indicating strong feelings.

What was this article about? An online game that makes a bad joke of the notion that unhealthy female bodies are sexy. And also that women are stupid for buying into it.

If this is supposed to be covert social satire, I'm skeptical of its potential. Women, as women, aren't necessarily suckers for "buying into" the unhealthy pursuit of thinness. My mother is 56 and for unexpected reasons has to re-enter the workforce after a long absence. She's not a young tart fresh from business school, but will be competing with them for attention, and her body is a source of anxiety. She's been working out more, for the sake of economic security. Q30 would be right to call this a "sob story". It's a true story.

All kinds of male bodies are represented in the media and celebrated. The buff male athlete and the nerdy male scientist can be heroes in popular narratives, and the grey-headed male anchor can be the man you trust to deliver the news. But the female readers of news are almost always young and look remarkably uniform, and the characters in the shows we watch are almost always, well, hot (if they're to be main characters).

This is generally the case. The fact it isn't always the case signifies real progress. The fact that some are willing to call this equality signifies their conservative viewpoint.

I grant that men have suffered from stereotypes as well. It's definitely insulting when it's insinuated that I, as a man, am insensitive and emotionally retarded because I'm a man, or that my sex drive wholly determines my actions.

Clearly we're still expected to perform certain roles according to gender, be it male or female, just like we're assigned roles according to class, race, etc. This is a social fact. The question that confronts serious people is this: what is the proper, progressive response to this fact?

It could be instructive to look at other views we would consider progressive:
- It should be the case that a poorer person should be able to make important social decisions, which has historically been a role for rich persons.
- It should be the case that black Americans can walk through Macy's without being eyed suspiciously or followed.

Poor people have risen above circumstance, and not every black person is treated like a criminal all the time. Some progress, yeah, but a long way to go. If you're really against racism and sexism, you shouldn't be patting yourself on the back, you should be vigilant about the small, precious territory that justice and equality have gained in the past century. And plotting the next campaign in the good fight.

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Yours are the best two posts in this contentious and often puerile collection of responses--and in fact better written than the original blog post. It's gratifying to see that one can still find intellectually efficacious responses regarding feminism on Alternet. The only thing I would challenge is your comment on Q30's use of the phrase "sob story"...I suppose you could say it would be technically correct regarding your mother, but the spirit of his comment is clearly sarcastic. Rather than "sob story", I would say it's simply a harsh reality--one that he doesn't seem capable of sincerely appreciating. Nevertheless, thanks for the uplifting words.

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Hilarious cartoon, the article is a weird skim, but now onto more real and serious things!

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I'd rather my daughter be influenced by Miss Bimbo than by Miss Wakeman.

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Why is it that as soon as women's rights come up in an alternet article, anyone that wants to discuss it is silenced and shamed out? I thought this was a space for democracy and making progress. I guess it is as long as it's not about sexism. Why are you silencing people? If you don't care about this issue and see nothing to talk about, then why do you bother to comment? Do you go to articles about other issues and try to tell people they shouldn't talk about it? I'm guessing that as long as it's not a threat to you and your lifestyle it's okay, but as soon as people want to talk about something effecting women (or in this case GIRLS-that's who the site is for, not women) certain people get uncomfortable. Is it because you like to look at little girls naked and you can't face your own guilt? Oh was that shocking? Was that completely irrelevant? Well so are your comments about this not being an issue for people. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't! Get off the thread and allow us to have a discussion, not a fascist suppression of our ideas and speech. If that's what you want then go to FOX news where you'll be welcome. They love you there, trust me! Anything to shut those screeching women up! I'm sorry it's so uncomfortable for you to see people being concerned about the media provided to our children. That's what this is about. It's propaganda directed at girls and young women, that will have a direct impact on their self esteem and self worth. So if you don't have a problem with people telling our daughters to take diet pills every day as medication,find her value in her appearance and sexual availability and suppress her intelligence and individuality, then just go AWAY and allow the rest of us to do our jobs by protecting our kids from harm. We know you benefit from sexism and it makes you feel like a man to see women put down, and you have to join in on the game and make sure that your ideas or actions are never challenged. We know you feel entitled and justified in your hatred, cuz that's what patriarchy wants you to do. That's what conservatives want you to do. In the mean time, people that care about progress and justice and peace and democracy will not shut up and we won't go away just to please you. We know your ideas are fragile and you can't take the pressure, so maybe you should go to another article that's about something much safer than this. Go talk to people about things you could never be found guilty of, cause that's what your fear is about. Just like people during segregation in this country did too. They didn't want to face the guilt of being an accomplice, so it was better to expect black people to just shut up and stop talking about it. maybe they'd go away and get back in their place. That's where we're at in the fight against sexism in this country. Part of what's really holding us back are so called progressives that don't want us to spoil the mood by talking about something they could feel guilty for. On top of the fact that they don't really see women as human, so they don't know if women really deserve these human rights or not. Cause you know, you might actually have to change something, or stop doing something just because of a bunch of women. You might actually have to give us respect and not get away with hate speech in public. Anyway, if people want to discuss an article on this site it is their right, and they're doing nothing wrong. If you want to join the discussion, that would be great, but if you just want to silence us, then GET OUT! Go get a job with our government or maybe China's government and you'll find yourself much more comfortable. This bimbo site is a direct attack on our children and if you don't think it's real or you think it's satire, then just go to the site and you'll see that it's real. They've already been pressured to remove the diet pills on the site and will continue to face pressure from us until they're shut down. THIS is what democracy looks like!

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I feel sick reading all these comments. Do the men who read alternet call themselves progressive?

I have an 18-year-old son and it is WORK to guide him into seeing women's rights and voices as important as his own. He's an avid ESPN fan...have you seen some of those commercials? His father is sexist and racist, as was his grandfather. The TV and the internet tell him every day what women's roles and bodies should be. The stereotyping just never ends.

So, for folks who demonize feminists, you seem to need a reminder of the definition of feminism: the principle that women should have political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men.
Anyone who doesn't agree with this is a waste of time.

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I don't get it. I just don't understand this story. Gloria S is running around naked? and she's 15% hungry? What does that mean? I guess I'm just to old for this site.

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