Mourning the Death of a Dream

The recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, calls the attention of feminists around the globe and urges them to mourn. Bhutto was the first female prime minister of any Muslim nation and had huge plans for change. She urged moderation in a time of extremist views and was determined bring equality to women in Pakistan. She was, and still is, a role model for women everywhere. She gracefully balanced her political career with her other role, a wife and mother of three.

Bhutto showed the world that women are fit for the workplace as well as the home (and don't need to chose between one or the other), but her tragic assassination shows the opposition that women face. Benazir Bhutto represented the dream that many women have, and she was giving hope to millions by paving the way. We do not know all the facts as to what happened or who killed her, but we know one thing for sure; a great leader and great hope is gone. However, determination and desire for both democracy and equality in the world remains. Her 19-year-old son has taken her place as the head of her political party and is now running in the Pakistani elections, which should be held the 8th of January. Now it is time for the rest of the world to mourn the loss and finish what the amazing woman started.

Christmastime is here, Tony Blair!

And my present to you is a Catholicised controversy that doesn't involve little boys.

Apparently, former Brit prime-minister Tony Blair has converted to Catholicism. He's being welcomed with open arms by the pontiff himself, but other Catholics are challenging Blair's past voting record, a generally liberal stance punctuated with "Blair government’s support for stem cell research, gay adoptions and the legalization of gay civil unions, as well as [his] resistance to toughening Britain’s abortion laws." One Christian advocate says, “We need to hear a full repudiation from him. Without one, having Blair as a Catholic is like having a vegetarian in a meat-eating club. It simply does not make sense."

If Blair honestly wishes to repudiate his previous decisions, then that is a different matter. But if he choses to do such while still secretly holding pro-choice, pro-LGBT rights views, then that's going to take a lot of chutzpah.

I'll take "Stereotypes in the Media" for $200, Alex

I noticed, as I collapsed on the couch watching a TV marathon, that the Game Show Network (all game shows, all the time) was going to air a marathon celebrating male game show hosts: recognizable names like Bob Barker (The Price is Right) and Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!). I could list more male game show gurus, from the hosts of contemporary contests to obscure 80's programs, but, the fact is, my list would be enormous. So when it came time for me to think of notable female hosts to counter this list, I came up quite empty-handed, only thinking of Meredith Vieira, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's second host, and Anne Robinson of The Weakest Link fame. (Vanna White does not count as a host, since her presence does not further the action of The Wheel of Fortune.) Why the short list? Survey says, "stereotypes!"

Game shows work so well because we find something likable or interesting about the host that we identify with. The more recent Don't Forget the Lyrics show appeals to the masses since the public sees comedian/host Wayne Brady as the trendy, hip, type who would know the lyrics to many popular songs. He's likable. Other male game show hosts, like Trebek, give the impression of having great intelligence, or like Barker, charm. Do women lack these qualities? Certainly not.

But the men who watch game shows don't want to be compromised by the wits or the appeal of a female host. Sure, they're happy when a female host is attractive, like Vieira, or in the case of Robinson, has a "bitchy" persona they can root against. Yet female hosts with the intelligent aurora of Trebek, the charm of Barker, and the hipness of Wayne Brady, although realistic and presumably already existing people, are intimidating and seen as emasculating.

When we watch the twenty-six beautiful ladies on Deal or No Deal strut down the steps, a woman in host Howie Mandel's place, sans sexed-up set, seems radical and new. In an industry where women have only been the seductive presenters of prizes, I fear TV viewers will shun a strong female host, but it's certainly time to take a gamble. Society, buy a vowel, open the case, and use your 50/50 lifeline- it's time to embrace change.

Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

Britney Spears' kid sister and Nickelodeon's Zoey 101 star, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn, is pregnant. She told the press, "I definitely don't think [premarital sex]'s something you should do; it's better to wait...but I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in." She's choosing to keep the baby; the child's father is 19 years old and may be charged with statutory rape, yet so far the media has not blatantly judged him like it has Spears.

It's awful the media is making such a hoo-hah about this, and it's terrible the internet is filled with angry folk planning to boycott her show because now they have to give their kids the sex talk. Big whoop. No denying that Jamie Lynn is a marketed, edited, product, but she is a person, not a TV character.

"Responsibility" is the key word thrown around like a bomb, but in my opinion, it's irrelevant. The fact is, Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant, it's her family's business, and throwing around blame and shame won't pay for an abortion, a plane flight to an adoptive family, or a college education. Society should be more concerned about the other pregnant girls, the girls without a lucrative television career to tend to the expenses that come with pregnancy/abortion/childbirth.

Saudi King Pardons Woman Who Shouldn't Have Been Convicted of Anything in the First Place

Saudi Arabian King Abdullah lifted the "punishment" of the young woman sentenced to 200 lashes after being raped.

A Shot at Change with Tila Tequila

With "A Shot at Love's" first season winding down and having just watched the all-day marathon, I was inspired to write a post.

This show has gotten a lot of flack for being yet another show that exhibits the slut culture that America loves, and for good reason. The girls wear shirts that display their Vaseline shined cleavage and the guys' lack of shirts displays their Vaseline shined abs of steel. There's a little bit of eye candy for all of us. But that's hardly the reason why I'm writing this post. "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" is the first reality television show that puts a spotlight on lesbian/bisexual people. Watchers of the show couldn't care less about the guys! It's all about Tila Tequila and her lesbian harem trying to win her love. As the guys and girls compete for Tila's affections, the show tells MTV America a little bit about the struggles that lesbian and bisexual women endure.

The most prominent offense to the lesbians on the show is the confusion that many of the guys posses. They have been called "he-she's" and one guy described them as "technically men" even when they all identify as women! This is an EXTREMELY common error that average heterosexual or even gay people make. Regardless of whether or not a lesbian identifies as a "butch" or "femme," they are still women and should be regarded as such. Another thing the show manages to do is to show stereotypes of "butch" or "femme" while softening the stereotypes and making the girls human, with real emotions, and less like a parody. All of the women who are on the show are genuine and personable, with the exception of the whores who make their way onto any dating reality show.

Kudos to "A Shot at Love" attempting to bring some awareness of Bisexual and Lesbian culture to the masses, but it might take another season or two to make the change stick.

To Infinity and Beyond!

In a recent JC Penny television ad [sorry, no vid.], a child goes to a garage scale, wobbles across the sidewalk with a wagon full of spare parts, and builds "North Pole Explorer". As the kid zooms up into the sky, the screen reads something along the lines of, "This is the time to believe." Normally, I wouldn't look twice, but this ad stood out among all the crafy-kid gimmicks because the child was a girl. Call me corny, but I thought the commercial was quite empowering, especially when, traditionally, TV boys make the cars, trucks, and log cabins, and the girls make breakfast at toy kitchens.
Just something to look out for.