policy with pop

Palin Faces Sexism... from Media or McCain?

We’ve already discussed the alleged sexism Democrat Hillary Clinton faced in her primary defeat, but is Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin facing sexism in the general?

The McCain campaign and Republicans claims that Palin has been the victim of sexism, especially by the media. One example it frequently mentions is when questions are raised if Palin should be vice president because she is a mother of five. These questions do not arise when male politicians with children run for office. The campaign has also taken issue of the media and society trivializing her candidacy and invading her family’s privacy.

But the McCain campaign is not the only one to cry foul. A pro-Hillary group has also criticized the supposed sexism directed at Palin, even though they do not support her. Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona, who was an Obama supporter in the primary, also noted that Palin faced sexism.

More importantly, SNL has picked up and decided to expose the supposed sexism. Watch it here: 

But the media is not taking these charges lightly. CNN’s Campbell Brown made this declaration:

So is Palin the victim of sexism? And, if so, who’s at the oppressor? Is it the media and society? Or is the McCain campaign? And, what are fair questions and what are sexist?

Note: After Campbell’s charges that the McCain campaign was silencing Sarah Palin from speaking to the media, Palin finally had her first Q&A with the media. Coincidence?

Saved by the Pill… I Mean Bell

In high school, were you class president, an environmentalist, a pageant contestant, a feminist, part of the glee club, a waitress (The Max), reporter (Bayside High radio station KKTY), a cheerleader, a lead vocalists of a band (Zack Attack), and a salutatorian? 

That long list of achievements describes Jessica Myrtle “Jessie” Spano from Saved by Bell. Don’t you feel like an under-achiever? Anyway, in Zach’s crew Jessie was the ambitious one, hoping to gain admittance into Stanford and the prestigious Ivy League. The pressure of competitive admissions, other people's expectations and her drive to succeed, however, took a heavy toll. Watch this tragic recap:

Okay, so Save by the Bell substituted caffeine pills for adderall and other “study drugs” in the episode “Jessie’s Song.” That is kind of silly. But, the practice of using drugs that keep students awake and focused is a real and common practice, especially at the university level. And the health risk they carry is also real.

Unfortunately for Jessie, she did not get into her dream schools of Stanford, Harvard, Yale or Princeton. She ended up at Columbia University… not too shabby. But was the price worth it?

Is the practice of using “study drugs” understandable or unacceptable? Should we discipline students who take drugs (illegally) for study purposes differently than those that use drugs for recreational purposes? How do we curb this practice?

I’m so excited! I’m so excited to read your comments!

Oh and just so you know:

America Against Lively TV

Hilarious. As you can see Ugly Betty star America Ferrara rolled her eyes when her Sister of the Traveling Pants co-star, Blake Lively, talked about the new season of Gossip Girl. Thanks, Talk Soup, for the commentary.

Anyway, Blake was asked about the incident and graciously stuck up for America. How patriotic! She said, “She’s one of my best friends in the whole wide world and honestly, when you’re sitting in a room for three hours doing interviews… we were staring at a post-it with a smiley face, so I think I probably rolled my eyes a hundred times. I’m like ‘Oh gosh, this thing is still going on’.”

Blake was showing some sister solidarity. America decided to go for honesty.

During a magazine interview, America explained herself. According to America, “if you’re watching The Hills or 90210, all of the backstabbing shapes the way we act – you go to school, and you think your job is to find a sworn enemy and be jealous of each other.” She continued, “I mean, I love Black Lively; she’s a wonderful friend of mine, but show like Gossip Girl kind of condition us to be mean.” She also lamented that these shows lack “close, genuine female relationships.”

Girl, America does not mess around! Is she being mean or truthful? Do you think America’s assessment of the effects of teen dramas on its viewers is accurate?

And, if you were Blake, how would you respond to America’s explanation? More sisterly love? Or cat fight? Kidding...

Acting White with the Fresh Prince

When a black youth from the mean basketball courts of Philadelphia moves in with his rich Bel-Air relatives, comedy ensues. Yes, I am talking about the classic sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which launched the career of Will Smith.

Besides causing the chuckles, this show also addressed relevant social issues. In the episode “Blood is Thicker than Mud,” the Fresh Prince brought attention to the social theory of acting white. Watch this clip to get the gist:

Because Carlton is considered a “prep school, Bel-Air bred, sell-out,” his black peers in the fraternity deem him “not enough of a brother to be a brother.” At the end of the episode, Carlton relates the incident to his father. Philip Banks, who grew up poor and worked his way to become a prominent lawyer and judge, asks: Why is there a penalty for success in the black community?

Acting white is generally defined as over-achieving minorities (usually black students but also includes Latinos) being accused of behaving in ways that are perceived to be white characteristics by their minority peers. “Over-achieving” is the operative word for acting white.

Acting white can result in loss of popularity, ridicule and harassment. Apparently, minority students have to be a fool in school to be cool. Many sociologist blame the theory of acting white as one of the causes of the racial educational achievement gap.

Acting white is not a universally accepted concept. There are those who believe acting white is a myth. They cite a North Carolina study that found that black and white students had the same attitudes about achievement – they want it and know school is an important step to get it. Furthermore, some believe the theory of acting white is unfairly placing too much blame of the education gap on the black community, when they believe other factors are to blame.

Do you think acting white is a real phenomenon? Is it responsible for the education gap? And if so, how do you propose we fix it? Or is acting white an inaccurate theory that diverts responsibility away from other factors?

Oprah: See No Palin, Speak No Palin, Hear No Palin

Sarah Palin is in high demand. She made the cover of Time Magazine and countless tabloids. But, despite the attention, she avoided the Sunday political talk show circuit last week. Palin did however interview with ABC World News’ Charlie Gibson on Thursday and will take the hot seat with Fox News’ Sean Hannity next.

One person whom Palin will not be gabbing with before the election: Oprah Winfrey. The Queen of Daytime Talk reportedly refused to have a sit down with Palin on her show. Oprah denied these allegations.

Oprah is a huge Barack Obama supporter, publicly stumping and raising money for him.

She stated that since she publicly announced support for a politician - a first for the media mogul - she will not invite any of the candidates on the Oprah Winfrey Show until after the election. This policy includes Obama and Palin.

Some conservative women are upset at what they see as a slight to the first woman on the Republican presidential ticket. Some of them are calling for a boycott of the show until Oprah allows Palin onto the show.

Do you think Oprah’s self-imposed policy is reasonable and fair? Or do you think Oprah is being biased and is just trying to hinder the McCain-Palin campaign from reaching her legion of women viewers?

Abercrombie & Fitch: A Hot Mess?

Looks matter. But should it be the be-all, end-all?

Apparently it is at Abercrombie & Fitch. The clothing store has a policy of rating its employees’ hotness weekly. The scale is from a 0 to 5 scale. 0 means the employee is… not hot enough to help customers and is banished to the stockroom, away from customer eyes. And, a score of 5 means the employee is hot enough to be a “model” (known as “sales rep” at normal stores) on the retail floor. Oh, and there’s no in between score. You’re either hot or not.

If you recall, in 2005 Abercrombie was sued and later settled a lawsuit that claimed that the store racially discriminated against minorities in the hiring and promotion process. In the settlement, Abercrombie paid $40 million to the class action lawsuit participants, hired a diversity recruitment coordinator, and implemented specific policies to attract minority employees and have fair workplace practices.

Despite these steps, Abercrombie apparently still has questions about its treatment of minority. A court-appointed monitor recently noted that Asian Americans and Latinos were “entirely absent” in the store’s marketing campaign.

Minorities are legally protected by anti-discrimination laws. Being discriminated because of one’s appearance is not illegal, unless it is being used as a guise for racial discrimination or discrimination to any other protected group under the law.

Assuming that Abercrombie is not using the hotness test as a guise for racial discrimination, is it okay that the store dismisses an employee as sales representative because of his/her look, regardless of skill and ability? What message does this send to its youthful buyers? Should appearance-based discrimination be illegal?

Buffy Slays Church Attendance?

“In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed the trials and tribulations of a teenage girl, who happens to be super strong and has to save the world a lot. Buffy is the Chosen One but she’s not your typical Slayer. She has friends, loved vampires, and come back from death (twice). Unlike the stiff Superman-hero model, she broke stereotypes and was a relatable, humanized character.

The show has a huge, loyal following. In fact, university classes, academic conferences and papers have explored the social, cultural and philosophical impact this Sarah Michelle Gellar fronted show had.

While praised for its many social empowerment messages, Buffy is most often identified for its girl power theme. She staked vampires. She killed demons. She beat a god into submission. She has power.

But apparently Buffy’s power also challenged the God (Note the capital G. And, no, I’m not talking about Glory). One new academic study in the book Women and Religion in the West claims that Buffy is responsible for the decline in women’s attendance at church. The author, Dr. Kristin Aune, asserts that the show promoted Wicca with its use of witchcraft and made it cool, driving its female following away from the church.

Here’s the first episode, appropriately entitled “The Witch,” in which witchcraft is brought up:

Witchcraft is used throughout the show’s run, especially season six. I encourage Buffy watchers to comment on whether the witchcraft shown on Buffy promoted Wicca over Christianity or not. Give specifics!

And I’ll ask everyone: Is the show responsible for the decline in women church attendance? If so, what, if any, remedy should be applied? Or is Dr. Aune claim inaccurately shifting responsibility of the women’s decline in church on the hit TV show? If so, who or what is to blame?

Palin: Secret Life & Reba Combo?

Is it just me or did the presidential election become a crazy TV show? The recent headlines about the Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has brought a ton of drama to the tube. And she’s only been on the national scene less than a week.

A few days after John McCain selected Palin as his running mate, it was revealed that the religiously conservative governor’s unmarried, 17-year old daughter was… pregnant.

The teenage daughter’s pregnancy is similar to the summer hit show, The Secret Life of an American Teenager. This ABC Family show, a cross between 7th Heaven and a watered-down Juno, explores the tough “realities” of teen pregnancy.

But back to Palin: She got all Reba on us when she became the VP nominees and admitted that her daughter was in fact pregnant. Palin made this public statement, “Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned.” This is reminiscent of Reba, a sitcom that focused on a mother taking care of her untraditional family, which included her teenage-mother daughter. Reba, while realistic about her daughter’s actions, still openly welcomed and celebrated her granddaughter’s birth.

Now Palin’s story touches a lot of different issues (and a few TV shows apparently).

First, how do we prevent teenage pregnancy? Palin advocated abstinence-only education. Can she still make a strong case for that? Or is her daughter’s situation anomalous to that policy recommendation? Or does Palin’s story help support sex-education?

Second, once a teenager becomes pregnant and decides to go through with the pregnancy, how should society treat her? Do we hide it? Shun it? Many school districts segregate pregnant teens – taking them out of the school they were attending and placing them in special schools for pregnant teens (and delinquents). Is this a fair policy? Or do should we treat teen moms-to-be as they were before?

What message, if any, are sent to other teenagers and children with these policies? Should it matter?

Finally, should Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy be a factor in whether we should vote for her and McCain?