The unimportant news thread

Started by Lethevich, March 05, 2008, 07:14:50 AM

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ibanezmonster

Quote from: karlhenning on March 06, 2014, 09:31:43 AM
The average is beautiful doll.
I saw that before. Kinda dumb that there is anyone who expects women to look like a Barbie, which would be freaky, anyway. And of course, there are male action figures/superheroes that unrealistically portray how a man "should" look, but funny to see how no one cares (including me).
Well, stupid people who think everything is offensive, here is your solution.  8)

Karl Henning

Quote from: Greg on March 09, 2014, 11:08:38 AM
I saw that before. Kinda dumb that there is anyone who expects women to look like a Barbie, which would be freaky, anyway.

I take your point;  but there are enough people around who take seriously the idea that, having such a toy serves as subliminal suggestion, I find it difficult to dismiss the notion as simply dumb.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

ibanezmonster

Quote from: karlhenning on March 10, 2014, 04:04:47 AM
I take your point;  but there are enough people around who take seriously the idea that, having such a toy serves as subliminal suggestion, I find it difficult to dismiss the notion as simply dumb.
It seems, though, with that same line of thought that maybe male action figures who looked jacked up on steroids need to be replaced with more realistic proportions, too? If some girls go through anorexia or bulimia (or just lack of confidence) because Barbie is a sort of standard of what women should look like, maybe Superman or He-Man should be less muscular, since you're only gonna get that big and ripped with steroids (and of course their effects are likewise dangerous, not only to users but also to other people). Strangeness of the notion aside, if people are going to take that line of thought, they should at least stick with it for both genders for consistency.

kishnevi

Quote from: Greg on March 11, 2014, 04:34:42 PM
It seems, though, with that same line of thought that maybe male action figures who looked jacked up on steroids need to be replaced with more realistic proportions, too? If some girls go through anorexia or bulimia (or just lack of confidence) because Barbie is a sort of standard of what women should look like, maybe Superman or He-Man should be less muscular, since you're only gonna get that big and ripped with steroids (and of course their effects are likewise dangerous, not only to users but also to other people). Strangeness of the notion aside, if people are going to take that line of thought, they should at least stick with it for both genders for consistency.

There is actually a subtle difference between the two sexes*--to look like Barbie a girl will have to be born with the right genetic material; if you're born to have big bones,  no amount of effort on your part will slim you down enough to reach Barbie-is proportions., and such efforts as you might make will be inevitably bad for your health.  Whereas no matter what your genetic inheritance,  muscular development aka body building requires intense work on your part.  To the best of my knowledge no one can be born with "good muscles".   And up to a certain level (that level being roughly the point at which steroid intake starts to occur),  the exercise involved in bodybuilding is good for health (and, if your job requires intense physical effort as a normal routine, probably helps you on the job as well).

*Isn't there a difference between gender and sex? Or do I simply have my post modernism all confuzled? 

Todd

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on March 12, 2014, 05:20:34 PMTo the best of my knowledge no one can be born with "good muscles".


Actually, some pure (or near-pure) mesomorphs are born with good muscles - ie, they need not engage in any regular physical activity to achieve washboard abs, big arms, etc.  They are rare, but I've personally met some, male and female.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

ibanezmonster

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on March 12, 2014, 05:20:34 PM
There is actually a subtle difference between the two sexes*--to look like Barbie a girl will have to be born with the right genetic material; if you're born to have big bones,  no amount of effort on your part will slim you down enough to reach Barbie-is proportions., and such efforts as you might make will be inevitably bad for your health.  Whereas no matter what your genetic inheritance,  muscular development aka body building requires intense work on your part.  To the best of my knowledge no one can be born with "good muscles".   And up to a certain level (that level being roughly the point at which steroid intake starts to occur),  the exercise involved in bodybuilding is good for health (and, if your job requires intense physical effort as a normal routine, probably helps you on the job as well).

*Isn't there a difference between gender and sex? Or do I simply have my post modernism all confuzled?
As intense as you or I could possibly work out, we will never look like this without steroids:



It's not the exact same situation, but it's pretty similar between genders.... if a woman is just trying to get thin, there's only so far she can go based on genetics. Likewise, if a guy is trying to build muscle, there is only so far he can go based on genetics. I'm just glad that at least most people don't see Barbie or He-man as a model of what a person is "supposed" to look like.

amw

Quote from: Greg on March 12, 2014, 07:13:59 PM
It's not the exact same situation, but it's pretty similar between genders.... if a woman is just trying to get thin, there's only so far she can go based on genetics. Likewise, if a guy is trying to build muscle, there is only so far he can go based on genetics.

Of course, there are lots and lots of role models for young boys that don't have bulging muscles, whereas there are almost no role models for young girls that aren't thin and beautiful.

ibanezmonster

Quote from: amw on March 12, 2014, 07:52:14 PM
Of course, there are lots and lots of role models for young boys that don't have bulging muscles, whereas there are almost no role models for young girls that aren't thin and beautiful.
Sure, but the issue here is Barbie, or maybe even toy models in general; also, it depends on how you define role model, which can be anything.

kishnevi

Quote from: amw on March 12, 2014, 07:52:14 PM
Of course, there are lots and lots of role models for young boys that don't have bulging muscles, whereas there are almost no role models for young girls that aren't thin and beautiful.

Oprah Winfrey?  Certainly she's not ugly, but her career was certainly not built on "look how pretty I am", and her seesaw battle with weight gain is not exactly a secret. 

Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama, to name four occupants of the White House whose physical attributes certainly are not part of their success, although I suppose having a career built on the fact that you're married to someone important (even if, like Clinton,  you've carved out your own successful career and political identity) is not a formula most people can follow.

amw

This does go somewhat beyond the issue of dolls (how many boys play with dolls anyway?) but I think the reason there is much more emphasis on presenting girls than boys with "realistic" models is that influential male public figures—musicians, actors, politicians, news anchors, athletes, etc—present a much wider variety of body types and general appearances than do influential female public figures. I am not by any means saying that e.g. Angela Merkel is supermodel material, but of the women we see on TV, on magazine covers, in photos, advertisements, etc, most of them are not going to look like Angela Merkel. Moreover, there is a tendency to bring up a woman's looks even in cases where they have no relevance to her position (for instance in our own field of classical music one particular study found that female musicians judged to be more attractive were also considered to be worse performers) due to the whole mind/body thing.

kishnevi

Quote from: amw on March 12, 2014, 09:22:54 PM
Moreover, there is a tendency to bring up a woman's looks even in cases where they have no relevance to her position (for instance in our own field of classical music one particular study found that female musicians judged to be more attractive were also considered to be worse performers) due to the whole mind/body thing.

That study obviously did not include Sarge.

Boys don't play with dolls; they play with action figures.  And yes,  the difference in terminology probably does mean something.

But your last point is true,  but I thing points to something wider; the assumption many people make that beauty and brains don't really go together--if a woman is pretty, she succeeded on looks (so the prejudice goes) and not on interior qualities;  which is totally unfair both to beautiful and unbeautiful, intelligent and unintelligent.  It's a prejudice that also affects how people view males, with brawn replacing beauty,  albeit not quite so widespread in its impact

mc ukrneal

I'm not sure where to post this. It's not unimportant, and it was really interesting. It's a Senate hearing on healthcare with numerous experts and international experience. Check out the Cspan video: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-watch-a-canadian-20140312,0,2995139.story#axzz2vrJAMJZw
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Brian

NYT is reporting that Obama will support the end of bulk phone record collection by the NSA and get court approval for any requests from phone companies. The phone companies will be allowed to delete the data after the period they'd normally wait before deleting it. Requesting info for people "two hops" from suspects would still be okay. No word on other parts of the NSA rule. Still... baby steps.

Todd

Quote from: Brian on March 24, 2014, 06:01:40 PMNYT is reporting that Obama will support the end of bulk phone record collection by the NSA and get court approval for any requests from phone companies. The phone companies will be allowed to delete the data after the period they'd normally wait before deleting it. Requesting info for people "two hops" from suspects would still be okay. No word on other parts of the NSA rule. Still... baby steps.



Good news, but I wonder why Obama doesn't just order an end to bulk collection.  The article cites section 215 of the Patriot Act, which was implemented as is unilaterally, so one would think it could be stopped unilaterally, especially given its dubious legality and effectiveness.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Todd

#835
?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?


(One certainly hopes this is a case of the Indian press making up a story about the Pakistanis.)
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Todd on April 06, 2014, 12:35:15 PM
?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?


(One certainly hopes this is a case of the Indian press making up a story about the Pakistanis.)

I saw that story on CNN Friday AM. Although if it IS the Indian press, CNN may have picked it up off the wires. Apparently the baby isn't considered a flight risk, so released on his own recognizance.  ::)

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

Todd

#837
Today's Science-y word of the day is bi-literate.


I rather enjoy this little bit:

Wolf, one of the world's foremost experts on the study of reading, was startled last year to discover her brain was apparently adapting, too. After a day of scrolling through the Web and hundreds of e-mails, she sat down one evening to read Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game."

"I'm not kidding: I couldn't do it," she said . . .



There might be another reason or two she couldn't read Hesse.
The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya

Octave

Help support GMG by purchasing items from Amazon through this link.

Todd

The universe is change; life is opinion. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

People would rather believe than know - E.O. Wilson

Propaganda death ensemble - Tom Araya