Progress? Yes, but

Seems like some parts of society are not keeping up with what people consider to be considerable progress.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_05/008753.php

DIVERSITY REDUX…Speaking of diversity, here’s some news about the portrayal of boys vs. girls in G-rated films:

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  There are three male characters for every female.

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  Fewer than one out of three (28 percent) of the speaking characters (real and animated) are female.

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  Less than one in five (17 percent) of the characters in crowd scenes are female.

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  More than four out of five (83 percent) of films’ narrators are male.

Very interesting report about the portrayal of male and female characters, as well.
Not to draw too many conclusions about this, but could it be that there is actual reason for feminists to keeping up the critique of society at large?

Anders, why won’t you just quietly oppress women like the rest of us? If you keep this up they might get ideas.

There are still G-rated movies?!

See, women have nipples. That’s not very G-rated of them, now is it?

Next week Joe Lieberman will co-sponsor a bill to keep women out of public so the FCC won’t have to fine everyone $5,000.

This is about as scientific and culturally relevant is pointing out 91% of men in television sitcoms are incompetent doofuses.

I think there is cultural relevance to it. Most of my students aren’t aware of how common the Idiotic-Shlump-Dad-Married-To-The-Hot-Longsuffering-Patient-Mom setup is on US sitcoms until they examine it in class.

I appreciate the original link; I have students analyze children’s books for portrayals of males & females, but I might expand it to films as well now.

unless it is specifically a chick flick, there are few movies with an equal male female ratio.

in one article i read, the author tried to prove her point by asking the reader to think up as many movies as you can where two female characters have a conversation that isn’t about a guy.

Is it useful simplicity or idiotic naivity to reduce humanity to a binary man/woman?

I thought that comment was someone mocking Brian, then I looked to see who the poster was, and…

Seriously, though, this thread isn’t “Judith Butler” material. The general answer to your question is “neither,” though it wouldn’t take a genius to cook up scenarios where either is apt.

So your theory is that popular culture has no effect on people. More to the point, that it doesn’t affect kids?
That culture is in fact nothing at all in relationship to society? That it is not reflection, challenge or inspiration?
That’s a bit odd, in my mind.
How about the fact that people don’t remark on this or find it odd? Is it possible to draw any conclusions from the fact that kids’ movies aren’t criticised at all for giving an incredibly slanted view of the world?

Is Brian actually making a joke, or was the irony of this statement unintentional?

People thrown out of Chinese buffet restaurant for wasting food. The Hell? According to the article, staff and management of Wee Flung Yoo, I mean The Dragon House, were fed up (no pun intended; well, maybe) with the Dersham fmaily, specifically the Dersham children, because

“They just take one bite and throw it away,” said cashier Lin Huyen. “They take four egg rolls and crab ragoon, take one bite of egg roll and throw the whole plate. That is wasting food.”

Now COME ON don’t add a crazy screechy overblown Asian accent to that quote, you goofs! It’s only slightly Engrish.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Bill, where’s the uh racism amok that you referenced in your title?

It’s right here:

Bob Oberbillig, an adjunct professor at the Drake Legal Clinic, says the patron would have no legal case against exclusion from a business unless there are other factors such as racial discrimination or mental health issues.

I’ll bet anyone here ONE MEELYAN DOLLAAAAAAAAAAHH that the Dersham family are as whiggity white as driven snow.

Interesting, hadn’t thought of that. Are there comparative numbers for other ratings?

No kidding, millions of little girls are led to think they get to have a pony when in fact, there will likely be no pony.

Of course I was raised by Lifetime Movies for Women, so I might have a somewhat skewed view of the world.

I grew up with four sisters. There are plenty of female characters in Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony.

I have a 5 year old.
All Disney heroes are female (the ones that matter in her world anyway).
According to her, all the Teletubbies are female. So are the heroes of Ice Age.
Nemo Is a girl (she accept that “his” father isn’t) and there’s no telling the sex on Scully and Mike.

This isn’t as much about women and girls as you want to make it sound. And recognising something as fiction does not preclude one from being influenced by the structures prevalent in fiction.