Re: "Dress Code Politics"

I'm intrigued by the last post about clothing regulation in the work place. I agree with your conclusion that women should feel free to wear whatever they want -- but I arrive at it through different reasoning.

People criticize the temerity of women's work clothing as a way to criticize the women themselves for their boldness, fearlessness, and confidence. Women are unfairly demonized for demonstrating the very things that employers look for -- self-confidence, courage, and creativity. Employers and those they employ need to accept that confidence, courage, and creativity have always been and are becoming more genderized. See the following article in Newsweek Magazine (http://www.newsweek.com/id/140457) about Nerd Girls ..."they're smart, they're techie and they're hot" reads the tag line. These young women are engineers, good at what they do, driven, and creative. They've manufactured themselves using more of the tools at their disposal than their predecessors. No longer are nebbish she-nerds the prototypical and peripheral players on the science scene.

In short, women are powerful because of their brains and their bodies, as are men.

In the News: WSJ "Dress-Code Politics: Who Wears the Pants?" Christina Binkley

When a Man Regulates Attire At Work, Women Often See An Oppressor, Not a Mentor

Men have a one track mind, boobies. When men want to regulate the dress of women to be more conservative, they are ultimately saying they are unable to control wandering eyes and imaginations. Will a low top or a short skirt decrease a man's focus on the job? You bet! However, from a gender feminist perspective, perhaps increasing men's exposure to skin and cleavage in their daily experiences will decrease how much men as a group and as individual objectify women. This may seem counterintuitive, but by increasing men's exposure to visual stimuli of the woman's body perhaps their senses will be overloaded to the point that they are desensitized to their bodies or at least to the appearance of bare legs or cleavage. I endure the staring now in hopes of decreasing objectification of women in the future. Show some skin at work girls! If they can't focus we can and we will take any promotions for our superior performance, ha ha!

Beggin Strips aren't Bacon? I'll be the judge of that!

Have you ever heard of Beggin Strips? They are a doggy treat that looks, smells and tastes like bacon to dogs. My dog loves them. The treats are a great idea, right? WRONG!

This is a story all about how
my life got flipped turned upset down
and I'd like to take a minute just sitting right here
I'll tell you why I hate beggin strips -- I hope that it's clear

I found a bag of the treats in the garage and rewarded my dog with them when she obeyed commands during the day. In the evening, I generally ignore my dog so I stopped giving her commands and thus I stopped giving her the treats. Then out of no where my dog started sitting, laying down, and rolling over as if I were asking her to do these things (or even paying attention). I soon recognized that she was attempting to get a beggin strip in return for her behavior. I didn't even have any of the things with me at the time so I showed the dog my hands and pockets to show her that I did not have strips to give her. When she realized I didn't have any she looked at me with the evil eye only a dog can give. Then she started barking at me and scratching my legs for the rest of the night only pausing to scratch and lick herself.

The whole scene was a mess. My dog was acting as if I had given her crack, but it's been over a year since I've done that so I know that wasn't the problem. I decided there must be something extra 'special' in those bacon like strips to make my dog go ape bananas. I retrieved the package of the treat to examine its ingredients, but I was distracted the savory aroma of bacon eminating from the package. The beggin strips smelled so good and they smell just like bacon too... By the time I realized what I was doing, it was too late; the beggin strip was in my mouth. It smelled great, but its taste was disgusting! However, the resulting warm, effervescent, and relaxing feeling that overcame me a few minutes later was a pleasant surprise.

Despite the relatively satisfactory conclusion to this event, I was still disturbed by its occurrence. How could something like this happen? How could I allow myself to eat a dog treat? That's crazy! I would blame myself for this event, but that would cause me to take personal responsibility. Instead I blame the beggin strips company. Dogs really don't need a treat that looks and smells like bacon - dogs eat their own... well, dogs enjoy any snack that is not in their regular diet. Ultimately, beggin strips are designed to lure human people into buying them. People are enticed to the look and smell of bacon. Dogs don't care about what the treat looks like. If dogs could talk I'm confident they would say, "I can't believe you make me eat the same food everyday and pee outside. It's degrading. Just give me a shapeless but tasty doggy biscuit to ease my pain".

Although I don't like beggin' strips - it caused me to bite one somehow?! I do see an opportunity to for a new product in the snack food and dog treat industries. A food company needs to develop a treat that is safe for both humans and dogs to eat and tasty to them as well. Scooby and Shaggy ate the same snacks, don't you want to kick back and eat biscuits with your dog? Dogs are man's best friend, right? The follow up would be a lager safe for you and your lab - who wouldn't want to enjoy a cold brew with their bff?

Summary:
Beggin Strips: bad and addictive to humans and dogs.
Product Innovation Opportunity: snacks pet owners can share with their furry friends (please let me know if these products already exist or if you get this product developed, thanks)
Taste of Beggin Strips: Rubber-like and gritty after chewing. Taste like cardboard.

Do we need to separate music from the images of the artists that produce it?

As a rule, proper breakdancers (bboys, poppers, and/or lockers) only perform to specific styles of music. Often funky rhythms and beats of the 1970s and '80s are heard at jams along with some other music styles. However, techno music is NOT acceptable. at all. When breakdancers listen to silly techno songs, there are consequences. This is clearly evident in this now classic video.

I blame the music, not the parents. (Does anyone know the name of the song in that Video btw?)

In any case, I searched for the song "Candy" by Cameo earlier today. This song has a danceable rhythm and is respectably old enough that I consider it a 'proper' song for popping and have used it in the past to perform. However, after watching the video on youtube, I became viscerally aware that I am not fond of seeing men in tight leather pants with even tighter red spandex crotch guards. The red crotch guard was was particularly disturbing. Everyone knows that green is the only acceptable color for this accessory.

Attempting to ignore the strong fashion identity of the band, the technology used to produce the video is most interesting. Green screens? 35. White women? Even more. Black women, .66. Red crotch guard, 1 - but it was on high power. What's up with the floaty women around 2:37? They look like fish, not like candy.

To make a long story shorter, this video was very strange and has forced me to consider a very important question: can I enjoy music even if I can't stand the image of the band? I would like to say yes, but unfortunately a bright red crotch guard flickers in my memory and smacks me in the face distracting me from the song I once enjoyed so much. Perhaps it is important for the image of the band to align with the expectations developed by the listener. Simultaneously, however, spandex crotch guards may add to the music and not detract from it. I will have to think carefully about this question. What do you think?

Finally, is the guy wearing that crotch thing gay? It's okay for me to ask this question - I just need to understand the use of women in the video. I should also mention that I have gay friend(s) and am familiar with the television series "What Not to Wear", thank you!

commitment phobia

so far i have written in this blog sporadically at best. however, i would like to recommit myself to writing in it at least once daily. i know many of you enjoy the blog just the way it is, but i hope that the increased quantity of posts allows you to check in more often to find more of what you like! in any case, you don't have a choice in the matter so your silence is appreciated.

HUDS does NOT put laxatives in their food!

Several weeks ago I asked HUDS exec. director Ted Mayer if there were laxatives in the food served in the dining hall. He responded that this was absolutely false. Mayer also indicates this fact is published on snopes. The information is there, hidden in an article about Tim Horton's coffee. Unfortunately, one of my former Professors is going to have to explain his outrageous behavior after a student-faculty dinner... blaming it on the laxes in the food just isn't going to cut it anymore :)