Blatant Sexist Anti-Hillary Clinton Product at popular store

You may have seen this Hillary Clinton nutcracker around, but did you know they are selling it at the super popular Urban Outfitters?


Analiese M. said that when she "ran across this item in Urban Outfitters online store... [she] emptied [her] shopping cart." Awesome, Analiese!

More sexism and racism in the 2008 elections: sexist anti-Hillary propaganda, comparing sexism and racism, and "How do we beat the bitch?"

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"No Homo": Negating Gayness

Today a student told me about the phrase "no homo," a phrase popular among the young 'uns. Urban Dictionary's definition:

no homo: Said to show that you aren't gay after saying something that
sounded gay.
Hay man, pass the nuts. No homo.
I cornered him in my room and nailed him with a board. No homo.

It'll be great to use in discussions of male bonding and homophobia.

Thanks, Krystal-lynn M.!

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

The first time I saw this, I was suspicious that it might be a hoax. But it turns out it's real (at least Snopes says so).

Thanks, Orla H.!

MIssissippi Law Would Ban Obese People from Eating at Restaurants

Click below to download the text of Mississippi House Bill 282, which would prohibit restaurants from serving individuals defined as obese by the State Department of Health guidelines.

DOWNLOAD FILE

A summary with a link to the complete text is also available here. MHB 282 is currently before the State Legislature. The author admits it is unlikely to pass but that he is bringing attention to the issue of obesity.

This could be useful for a discussion of our views of fat people, how it is ok to ridicule or openly stigmatize fat people in a way that is not acceptable for other social characteristics, and the way fat has been turned into a sign of a weak character (i.e., a fat person just doesn't, or won't, have the self-control to stop eating).

Thanks for the tip, Kelly V.!

"Spear an Indian, Save a Fish": Racial Conflict over Natural Resource Use

In the late 1980s a controversy erupted in northern Wisconsin over spearfishing by the Chippewa nation. The Chippewa are guaranteed a certain number of fish each year under a treaty they signed with the U.S. government. In the late '80s the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reduced the annual harvest available to both American Indians and non-Indians. When non-Indians (overwhelmingly whites) saw Indians out spearfishing they were furious, since the number of fishing permits they could get had been reduced. Protesters showed up at the lakes where the Chippewa were spearfishing, carrying fake spears with plastic Indian heads on them and holding signs saying things like, "Spear an Indian, save a fish." This poster also appeared.

Blatent racism and sexism: is one more acceptable than the other?

While we're on the topic of the current presidential campaign...

I've noticed something interesting about the images and phrases used to criticize Clinton and Obama. Why does the majority of anti-Clinton rhetoric use sexist images and language? And how prevelant is the (expected?) matching racism in the anti-Obama rhetoric and images? Why, instead, does Obama's national allegiance and patriotism come into question? I think this would make for a great class discussion on intersectionality, an what prejudices are perceived to be "socially acceptable."

Some possible questions for discussion:

• Is it more socially acceptable to be overtly sexist than overtly racist? Why?
• Why might it seem to be more okay to question someone's patriotism/nationalism than to be overtly racist? What is the difference?
  
• What is really racist that doesn't immediately appear racist?

And the images-- again these come from Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members. See also previous images of Hillary Clinton here and here.

above "stop mad cow"


And now for Obama...




And here are some attacking Barack Obama's nationality and patriotism:




And the infamous image above (more info from snopes.com)

Sexist To The Last Drop*

I guess this is what sexism used to look like (before it looked like this and this and this and this and this):



This Folgers commercial is a doozy:



Thanks David P. for sending us both the ad, found here, and the commercial!

* I stole the title of this post from HeatherShow.

Racism In Disney's Fantasia

The centaur scene in Disney's highly acclaimed cartoon Fantasia (1940) clearly communicates gendered expectations for men and women, but there are also racial politics. First, note that, in the film as released, all of the centaurs end up in color-matched heterosexual pairs:



Also, most people do not know that the original centaur scene included a pickaninny slave to the centaur females:



Below are parts of the original centaur scene (in three clips) that have since been suppressed:







Don't miss our post showing bugs bunny in blackface, too.

Products Shaped Like Female Bodies

Laura L. sent me all these images. She says many of them came from feministing.com. They go along with this and this post. Thanks, Laura!


NEW: Molly M. found this mousepad:



Classy. Molly also noted how the package includes a hole so you can poke her boob, You know, test her out before you pay for her.

Sigh.

Via feministing.

an Urban Dictionary look at campaign politics

These aren't images... but I think they're interesting enough in terms of race, gender and sexuality to count. And they'd make for a great class discussion on the power of words and names and how they are re/defined in ways that perpetuate stereotypes and inequality.

I'm not sure if I want to thank Gwen for turning me on to the Urban Dictionary. I think I was better off not knowing what the kids are saying these days.

So, here is some of the Hillary Clinton-related slang. And there is more that was actually too replusive for my slightly-prudish self to publish here.

hillary:

1. Describes a bull form of lesbian. The manly one of the couple.

Did you she that lesbian? What a hillary! She got bigger balls than Bill.

2. pulling a "Hillary"....when a woman lets her man, or baby's daddy, do whatever the fuck he wants, specifically when they are married...if not, what the fuck she cares. ie. a weak woman

That lady pulled a Hillary, and now she's screaming at him for it.

hillaryus: Hillary Clinton... a chick... president of the U.S.? Hillary + U.S. = hilarious.

"It'll be hillaryus if Hillary's the president."

Hillareeza Clinton: The version of presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton when she is speaking to a black audience.

Hillary Clinton "In America I believe it is important that we reconsider the health care issues of our time"

Hillareeza Clinton "In America, all y'alls need health benefits and shit, no what I'm sayin? That's what I'm talking about,, hollaah"

Hillary Clit'on: Bill's private nickname for the 21st century's Eleanor Roosevelt.

Bill: Hey Hillary Clit'on, wanna make another Chelsea?
Hillary: Why don't you go find Monica? I've got some campaigning to do!

And for Barack Obama:

1. Obama:

1. A zealous cry of political victory over one's contemporary political adversary.

2. To win the spoils in a bureaucratically oriented competition; victory over one's campaign competitor.

3."To 0wn", "to win", "to be the victor", "to brag about one's sexual exploits", "to claim victory" (especially in the area of sexual gratification)

I Obama'd yo mama last night!

OBAMA!!!

2. obama: A unit for measuring awesome.

I just decreased my carbon footprint! My awesome level just went up a few obamas.

3. Obama: Synonymous with Hope and a Belief that Change is Possible. Being also unwilling to stoop to attacks from other candidates.

This is an Obama moment: Our community is jumping out of its skins to go turn out voters this election.

4. An Obama: Someone who can pass for a black person, but in fact is only a small part black and not even a descendant of african american slaves. These fakes are usually the ones who expect and even seek out special treatment because of their self declared "race".

or

Someone who white people befriend or vote for to seem less racist, only to prove it instead.

"Damn, Cletus, what the fuck is powder doing here? I thought this was a black only church!"

"Nope, thats not powder, its Senator Barrack Obama", said Cletus

or

"Yeah she invited me to her work party to make it look like she is not racist, I feel like a fuckin Obama!"

I tried to find some interesting slang for the republicans (I didn't want to make them feel left out) but I couldn't find anything...

Insult Comedy

This comic, Lisa Lampanelli, is a very successful comic whose entire act involves aggressively offending every possible group and congratulating herself on getting us to lighten up. The audience thinks it's great. Gwen and I saw her on Comedy Central tonight doing her own special, so this is mainstream comedy.

So how do we analyze this sociologically? Gwen and I are too demoralized to formulate a coherent response at this time. But at least we now know that it's not rape if he's good lookin'.

Coverage Of Race- And Ethnic-Themed Parties

Click here to watch a two-and-a-half minute video on CNN that addresses last year's spate of race- and ethnicity-themed parties (see here). What is perhaps most amazing about it is the unbelievably impoverished analysis of what is happening and the fact that the video for some reason decides to end on an uplifting note ("their classmates had an important lesson on the danger of stereotyping").

Thanks to Richard for this lead.

Women as Gold Diggers and Sex Providers: FOX News Commentator's Book

Rudov is a regular commentator on FOX News. Here is the text from the website selling this book:

"Are You Wining & Dining Her for Sex?

Most men pay their girlfriends and wives like prostitutes—cash, dinners, vacations, jewelry, cars, homes, and clothing—in exchange for sex. Not only unnecessary and emasculating, such stupid male behavior induces “purchased and entitled” women to fake their orgasms.

Like a car, a woman will take you where you guide her—assuming she’s a good match and you’re a good driver. Ignore her pings and rattles, and she’ll stop operating, strand you, or put you in a ditch.

Marc Rudov's new book—Under the Clitoral Hood: How to Crank Her Engine Without Cash, Booze, or Jumper Cables^TM—helps men avoid golddiggers, learn what really turns women on, and end self-destructive chivalry. This provocative and hilarious book is a perfect sequel and companion to The Man's No-Nonsense Guide to Women. There's no book like it in the world."

Here's a companion graphic about gold-diggers:

anti-Hillary Clinton sexist images

Despite all kinds of "truces" and "promises" in the media lately about "leaving race and gender out" of the democratic primaries, gender and race are obviously a part of this presidential election cycle.

But, here's a newsflash: even when the candidates are all white men, gender and race are STILL a part of the decisions made about who should be president.

Think back to 2004 for a moment-- remember all those political cartoons criticizing Kerry for being too "French" (as opposed to American Cowboy) and generally feminizing his image (feminine = bad for politics) in political cartoons. Here are 2 examples:


I'm fascinated by the anti-Hillary Clinton facebook groups. There are dozens of these groups, but four groups have the most members.

• Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich-- 30,000+ members
• Anti Hillary Clinton for President '08-- 65,000+ members
• Stop Hillary Clinton: One Million Strong AGAINST Hillary-- 700,000+ members
• Life's a Bitch, Why Vote for One?-- 14,000+ members
  

So this morning I spent some time looking at the images that dominate these groups. The images these groups use to criticize Clinton as a presidential candidate make it pretty clear that sexism is alive and well (beyond the protesters asking Clinton to iron their shirts)-- and that gendered ways to talk about politics are as cogent as ever! Here's a smattering for you-- there are so many I couldn't possibly post them all!













And the intersection of race and gender...

Misogynist Slang I Didn't Even Know Existed

Thanks to Laura K. for bringing my attention to UrbanDictionary.com, a site where users provide definitions for slang terms and examples of their usage. Here's a real gem:

Life support system for a pussy: Any human being that is female. Good lord, woman, all you are is a life support system for a pussy!

That's...great. Note the tags on the post too--equally charming.

Excellent find, Laura K.!

Racist And Anti-Immigrant Signs

These signs, photographed for posterity by their author, have each had their day outside of Casa D'Ici in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. There are more signs on the website.