Strollerderby : offensive

The Demise of the Fairy Tale

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Do you read traditional fairy tales to your kids? If so, you are in a dwindling group of parents. According to a survey of 3,000 British parents, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel are increasingly being replaced by happier modern favorites like Gruffalo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 25 percent of parents choose not to ever read fairy tales to their kids and 65 percent do not choose fairy tales for bedtime stories.

According to the parents who object to fairytales, Cinderella is not empowered enough. Rapunzel is “too dark.” Little Red Hiding is a bad role model for kids because she walks alone in the woods. And one-tenth of parents believe Snow White is offensive because of the un-PC term “dwarf.”

I can certainly understand the need to carefully introduce your kids to fairy tales—some of them are pretty scary, and I’ll be the first to admit that being rescued from a life of servitude by a handsome prince is no healthy goal for a young girl. But if you’re going to shield your child from Cinderella so as to avoid imparting gender stereotypes, you would have to shield her from nearly all pop culture. If Little Red Riding Hood is violent or scary, even commercials for the latest Superman movie are downright terrifying. And if Snow White wrongly teaches young women the value of being the “fairest in all the land,” Bratz dolls wrongly teach girls to be the most scantily clad in all the land.

This is not to say that we should just give up on fighting media that gives kids the wrong messages, but perhaps Jack and the Beanstalk is not the best battlefield.

Photo: The Daily Mail

Torn Nipple Ad

Cole Gamble — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Here is the infamous ad:

Of course, such bodily mutilation won't occur if you happen to buy the brand of nipple lotion advertised here. As a copywriter, I think it's pretty damn clever, but what do you think? Offensive?

More by this author:

A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 1: The Cons)

Banana Dildos and the 10 Worst Toys and Gifts This Christmas (part 1)

Skinny Jeans for Little Boys?

Desert Island Disks – Kid Music Edition

Gangsta’ Muppets: 12 of the Best Kids Show/Rap Mash-Ups

The Worst Baby Products Ever (Part I)

10 Things You May Not Know About Pregnancy (and might shock you)

The 26 Most Disturbing Kids Movies Ever

Retarded movie boycott

Brett Singer — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:45:00 GMT

So – how do you get disparate groups representing the mentally challenged to get together on something?

Release a movie that makes gratuitous use of the word 'retard'.

That's what "Tropic Thunder" does, and some people are fighting mad about it. Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, told the New York Times that a boycott of the film, "Not only might…happen, it will happen."

What's their beef? Well, Ben Stiller plays a character named Tugg Speedman. Tugg appeared in a film called "Simple Jack", which was about "a mindless dolt" (according to the New York Times). Tugg did "Simple Jack" in an attempt to win an Oscar and show off his acting chops. Apparently there is "an off-color discussion with Robert Downey Jr.'s character about the merits of going 'full retard' for a role in the pursuit of Oscar gold."

This isn't the first complaint about "Thunder." There was a fake promotional web site for "Simple Jack" that included the line, "Once upon a time there was a retard." The site is now gone, presumably because of the outcry from various groups. That didn't appease them, though; Defamer says the demands were, "Paramount/DreamWorks should pull all scenes and clips that include Ben Stiller’s portrayal of Simple Jack from the movie, DVD, trailers, promotional material and merchandising" – um, yeah, and the executives will come over and do your laundry while giving you a foot massage. Defamer also mentions "Sean Penn's grossly condescending role in 'I Am Sam'", which makes me wonder why it's OK for someone to make a movie with a mentally challenged character, but it's not OK to make a movie that makes fun of someone for making a movie about a mentally challenged character. (Now say that ten times fast.) You know, as a joke. Anyone who saw even the trailer for 'Radio' will probably know what's being poked at. ("Tropic Thunder" screenwriter Justin Theroux explains what he and Stiller were trying to do here.)

So it's a joke, and as near as I can tell, the only group being made fun of is actors. The problem seems to be the very use of the word "retard." The n-word is verboten (but that doesn't stop movies featuring racist characters from getting made). You don't hear a lot of the f-a-g-g-o-t word, although "gay" is still thrown around a lot. Should "the r-word" be added to the list of words we can't say, or does everyone need to lighten up?

image: Defamer

Strollerderby : offensive

The Demise of the Fairy Tale

Torn Nipple Ad

A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 1: The Cons)

Banana Dildos and the 10 Worst Toys and Gifts This Christmas (part 1)

Skinny Jeans for Little Boys?

Desert Island Disks – Kid Music Edition

Gangsta’ Muppets: 12 of the Best Kids Show/Rap Mash-Ups

Retarded movie boycott

Schools tying up autistic kids

Michael Savage says kids with autism need to get over themselves

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters

S&M Barbie

Man locks daughters in cage while he works

5 things that would make parents' lives easier

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

Is it ever OK to hit your kids?

How to be an annoying camp parent

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Readin', writin' and Dianetics?

Baby Penis Album only five bucks

More stuff YUPPIE parents like

Savage stands by his stupid words

When playgrounds attack, the sequel