Battle of the sexes

For a while now I have believed the media was going nuts with Sarah Palin. I didn't make a fuss, I kept my mouth shut, but the situation is at an all-time level of pathetic. I came across an article about the merchandising of Palin products, including a scantily clad schoolgirl action figure and (try not to throw up in your mouth) thong underwear featuring Palin's smiling face and signature updo. Why is it that she has to suffer the marketing of sexist, immature and disrespectful novelty crap while Joe Biden gets away with a lame that-was-clever-eight-years-ago "Joe Biden is my homeboy" T-shirt?! Admittedly, some of these products make me laugh, but to see them on such extreme ends of the spectrum isn't fair. The candidates all knew the cans of mockery and humiliation they were opening when they jumped onto the scene; I'm sure they expect stuff like this. But how about making them all suffer the same fate instead of singling out the woman? See for yourself at http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/11/merchandisers-cash-in-on-palins-popularity/

Excuses, excuses

Oh, great. As if men need another excuse for their bad behavior. A story appeared on the "Today Show" yesterday about the so-called "monogamy gene" in men, suggesting a genetic predisposition to cheating. It was primarily linked to bonding, meaning that men who feel less bonded to their partners will cheat. What happened to the old fashioned idea of breaking up when you feel the bond with your partner is weak and not improving? I can hear it now: "I swear, I never wanted to cheat. It's just who I am. I can't control my genetic makeup." It's more than a little discouraging to me that we live in a world where people have incurable diseases, yet brilliant researchers are putting their time into monogamy. Equally discouraging is that I agree with Dr. Phil that biology is not destiny. We as Americans relish our liberties, our freedoms, yet when we’re held accountable for our actions we rely on those oh-so irksome words of Shaggy: “It wasn’t me.” To read the story visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26523972/

Count me in

One of my students made the glaring generalization in class today that all wives keep blogs. Never one to be behind the trends (even those that are sexist, stupid, inaccurate or all of the above), I immediately got to work five hours later. So students, this is for you. And I'm going to say it all in AP Style!