Posts Tagged ‘ super bowl ’

Why I Wish I Wasn’t a Feminist on Super Bowl Sunday

February 3, 2013
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Why I Wish I Wasn’t a Feminist on Super Bowl Sunday

On Super Bowl Sunday, I imagine what it would be like to not be a feminist. I imagine being excited about “the greatest game on the grandest stage.” I wish I could find the magic in two brothers coaching against each other. I wish I could support making it a national holiday. And if I can’t support the notion it’s a spiritual event complete with divine intervention, then at least I’d like to simply enjoy a good party with beer and wings. But alas, no Super Bowl fun for me. The New York Times says, the Super Bowl speaks to all of us in different ways. For me, that means wondering if the threat of sex trafficking is real, how women can enjoy a game where the only role they’re allowed to play is half-dressed eye candy, what the long-term impact of sexist ads will be on my daughter, if people really think throwing a pigskin can lead to redemption for anyone, especially guys like Ray Lewis and, a few years ago, Ben Roethlisberger? It’s no fun being a feminist on Super Bowl Sunday. For just one day, I wish I could simply kick back and enjoy the game. It [...]

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Viewer’s Guide to Super Bowl XLV

February 6, 2011
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Viewer’s Guide to Super Bowl XLV

Will you be one of the 110 million people watching the Super Bowl today? Enjoy the game, the party, the beer and the snacks. For smart commentary on what’s happening on the field, check out Sarah and ClumberKim over at DraftDaySuit. But also, be an informed viewer about the culture that surrounds the game marred by sexual assault charges. Have you heard the oft-cited statistic that incidences of domestic violence increase on Super Bowl Sunday? Not true. Domestic violence is a problem everyday and there is no proof to support a spike on game day. According to the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Why is it important to set the record straight about Super Bowl Sunday? Because some have used the misinformation as a way to discredit the advocates and feminists working towards awareness, education and help for domestic violence victims. If you need help, call the Domestic Violence Hotline 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY). Dallas officials and sex trafficking advocates are warning people that Super Bowl host cities are hot spots for sex trafficking.  Deena Graves, executive director of child advocacy group Traffick911 told [...]

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News From Around the Web

January 17, 2011
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News From Around the Web

Truth be told, we’re just not up for writing about some of the stories in the news right now. So here’s a roundup of links to some of the topics we should be paying attention to: Sex trafficking spikes in Super Bowl host cities around the big game. Local officials in Texas are working to educate the community so as to prevent prostitution and help victims. Stories in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal about the Arizona gunman who shot and killed many at a constituent event held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords reveal his misogynistic attitudes. Speaking of misogyny, Kayne West’s new music video for his song “Monster” features dead women hanging from chains and lying in bed wearing only lingerie. You can read more and view the leaked video in the following link but let us first caution you it is very disturbing. We hesitate to bring any attention to this tasteless celebrity but we need to talk about the implications of these types of images in the media. As a nation we are examining the level of vitriol and hatred that has infiltrated our political debates and what role it did or didn’t play in [...]

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2010 Political Review (Slideshow)

December 31, 2010
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Here is a look back at just a few of the political stories we were talking about in 2010. What do you think 2011 will bring?

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Women Well Represented Among Pulitzer Winners

April 14, 2010
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Women Well Represented Among Pulitzer Winners

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced earlier this week and women won quite a few awards. In the Journalism Prizes, Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman of the Philadelphia Daily News won in the Investigative Reporting category for their coverage of a police narcotics squad, and Sheri Fink of ProPublica won for a story on doctors cut off by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. In the Local Reporting category, Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won for her reporting on fraud and abuse in a child-care program for low-wage working parents. Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post won in the Commentary category and Sarah Kaufman, also from The Washington Post, won in the Criticism category.  Mary Chind of The Des Moines Register won the prize in the Photography category for her photo of a rescuer dangling above a dam attempting to save a trapped woman. And in the Editorial Writing category, Colleen McCain Nelson won the award along with Tod Robberson and William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News. In the Letters and Drama Prizes, Rae Armantrout won the Poetry category and Jennifer Higdon won in the Music category. These wins are significant not only because the Pulitzer honors excellence, but [...]

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For the Ladies

February 12, 2010
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Remember that Dodge Charger ad titled, “Man’s Last Stand” that aired during the Super Bowl? The one where the man says he will drive the car he wants to drive since the woman in his life makes him do oppressive things like put his dirty socks in the hamper, clean the sink after he shaves and carry her lip balm. Well, there is a “Woman’s Last Stand“ commercial too. And you must see it. This one, is for the ladies. Enjoy the weekend!

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Super Bowl Backlash

February 9, 2010
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Super Bowl Backlash

This year’s Super Bowl ads revealed a common, and bizarre, theme. More jarring than even any of the GoDaddy.com spots, were the number of ads that portrayed women as controlling, emasculating and domineering. Or did they portray men as weak, pathetic and incompetent? It was hard to tell. For starters, there was the Dodge Charger ad titled, “Man’s Last Stand.” The ad implied that because of women, men have it tough, real tough. Men (because of the bossy women in their lives) have to walk the dog, eat fruit, shave, clean the sink, take our calls, say yes when we want them to say yes, listen to our opinions and put the toilet seat down. I might have felt sorry for these pathetic creatures portrayed in the ad, if I hadn’t remembered that men do not have to do the majority of the housework, don’t take home .77 cents on the dollar in their checks every week, are occupying the corner office, and Don’t. Give. Birth! And Flo TV’s ad “Spineless” painted an equally upsetting image of a poor man’s life. In this spot, sportscaster Jim Nantz, whose own marriage suffered when his wife lost interest in his career, informed [...]

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Happy Friday

February 5, 2010
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Happy Friday

Happy Friday. Enjoy the weekend. We will be back after the Hypocrisy Bowl. In the meantime, enjoy this cartoon from Instapundit (sent to me by my bff Steve). It’s another commentary on Apple’s branding brilliance.

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Dear CBS

February 4, 2010
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Dear CBS

Dear CBS: This weekend my family is going to spend time together celebrating life –we are going to watch the Super Bowl. I hope that during the event you won’t air any frightening or violent commercials for prime-time television shows like CSI or for R-rated movies. My children get really frightened when they see those ads during Sunday afternoon games in the regular season. Actually, forgive me for suggesting you would air any inappropriate commercials this weekend. After all, I know you have gone to great lengths to protect my children. Thanks to you, my kids won’t hear the phrase “Go to hell” in any ads from Electronic Arts. That would have been just shocking. “Hell awaits” is much more family-friendly. And I am so relieved that because of you my children won’t see two men kissing in a ManCrunch ad. Seeing that ad might have forced me to teach my children acceptance and tolerance and they are much too young for that. Since you handled those other thorny issues so well, I am hoping you can help me with another tough parenting topic. When my young daughter asks about the half-naked, NFL cheerleaders gyrating on the sidelines during the [...]

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Super Bowl, Super Hypocrisy

February 3, 2010
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Super Bowl, Super Hypocrisy

As you have probably heard, there is a major controversy brewing around one of the Super Bowl ads scheduled to run this year. CBS has accepted an ad from Focus on the Family featuring college football player and Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother Pam. While living in the Philippines and pregnant with Tim, Pam Tebow says she was counseled to have an abortion because she had been taking harmful medication to treat dysentery. Pam chose to keep the baby and the result was her football star son. Focus on the Family describes itself as, “a global non-profit Christian organization with a vision for healing brokenness in families, communities and societies worldwide through Christ. The purpose of the ministry is to strengthen, defend and celebrate the institution of the traditional family and to highlight the unique and irreplaceable role that it plays in God’s larger story of redemption.” In January the group issued a press release about the ad. “The 30-second spot from the international family-help organization will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. They will share a personal story centered on the theme of “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.” The Women’s Media Center (WMC) has called [...]

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