Lately, it seems there's been more discussion of what it means to be a man. Maybe because old school notions are becoming so unworkable that there's a critical mass of resentful partners in hetero relationships; perhaps Hilary's presidential run is raising some eyebrows in sheltered communities; certainly, movies like Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, which portray an alarmingly large group of American males that exist in perpetual adolescence, have attracted media attention.
OK, I know everyone doesn't like Jezebel. Sometimes I don't, but mostly I do - it can be informative and amusing much of the time. Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, they've got a funny April Fool's joke going on right now and are writing the site as though it has been purchased by CondeNast. From the "new" editor's letter: "For starters, there will be less focus on issues that dominate the six o'clock news (isn't there a limit to how much upsetting news a
There's a great article on Womensenews about "Torture Porn" makers co-opting the word feminism as an excuse for their extreme graphic violence. Torture Porn, a term coined by David Edelstein in this NYT article, refers to movies like Saw, Hostel, Captivity, Vacancy and The Devil's Rejects, among others, with over the top sadistic violence. Edelstein notes "Unlike the old seventies and eighties hack-’em-ups (or their jokey remakes, like Scream), in which masked maniacs punished nubile teens for promiscuity (the spurt of blood was equivalent to the money shot in porn), the victims here are neither interchangeable nor expendable...Some of these movies are so viciously nihilistic that the only point seems to be to force you to suspend moral judgments altogether."
Now your children can experience A & F outside the mall! In the emergency room! Gee, I sure hope the doctors and nurses are wearing comfortable khakis and fake-vintage, offensive t shirts. CNN reports that Boston-based Campaign For A Commercial Free Childhood is asking Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, OH) to reconsider using the Abercrombie and Fitch name on its Emergency Room, to which the company pledged $10 million dollars. While many people agree that corporate naming of public and semi-public i