Cheers Vanilla - it's good to see most posters making headway and coming to some common ground. I'd concur with your last post there.

Ultimately, we're all responsible for how we treat ourselves and our relationships. We can blame it on society or conditioning or whatever the hell we want, but at the end I think most of that's a copout.

I guess what bothers me is when people don't actually reason with other posters or present rational arguments, and when presented with information that clearly doesn't jibe, they just malfunction, create a short circuit, then reboot.

I'd concur with most of that Whitty.

JamesH - I dunno about the use of the 'give this ad the boot' as being violent. Technically you might be right, but when I apply the common sense factor I can't help but think nobody can or should give a damn about a pretty tame phrase.

Vanilla, no additional demographics to add to what I posted on that thread. I posted it because it seemed relevant to one of the sub plots going on in that debate but it's not a topic that I've found a lot of quality material on. Most of what I found when looking for material had the kind of introductions which suggested that the authors had worked out what outcomes they wanted and then wrote to suit (advocacy research).

Hope that you are having a great easter.

R0bert

Dr Zeus I am not,

but ute ryhmes with boot, the only problem with a ute is that it doesn't have a boot.

So you cant in a ute have a boot hanging from a boot. because there aint no boot in a ute.

You can have a boot in a ute, or even a boot hanging from a ute.

But boot, ute, flute

Flute sounds good, but a flute does not have a boot, so give the flute ute the boot,

But boot, ute, flute and toot,

Toot sounds good, you can have a car that sounds toot.

In car you toot the horn, not the flute

A car that sounds toot, can have a boot.

then you can have toot and boot with a boot hanging from a boot, in car that sounds toot.

No I haven't been smoking any strange stuff, I just wanted to be ridiculaous for a change.

so the challenge is to come up with more to ryhme.

Whitty,
Yes, you’ve noted a few times that I’m thicker and less reasonable than you originally thought. Unfortunately, pretty much everyone I know comes to this sad realisation eventually.

But you can’t just say something’s wrong because I’m not as brainy as I pretend to be. If you think the Rutger’s research is a crock, why? I thought it quite reputable, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest the feminist-driven sexual revolution changed and continues to affect our sex lives — it isn’t an uncommon belief, even among those who thank feminism for nothing else. I, for one, am not keen to go back to the 50s and do it missionary.

All and sundry,
So, I wrote to both Harper’s and Loula and told them that I thought the ad was fine and was appalled that they’d been forced to bin it. I asked them not to judge all feminists by the Tankard’s standards.

Nevertheless… all this talk... what have we come up with? I’m worried that we’re still heading toward a world where advertisers and novelty knife makers alike are forbidden from playing with imagery that’s dark or violent or may possibly offend someone, somewhere. It irritates me when people claim they hate political correctness, but then have a problem with something that doesn’t suit their own brand of prejudice.

Sorry. Feeling strangely pessimistic.

PS. Wrote this, got distracted, went to post, then saw your post James. I'll try some rhymes later.

"Nevertheless… all this talk... what have we come up with? I’m worried that we’re still heading toward a world where advertisers and novelty knife makers alike are forbidden from playing with imagery that’s dark or violent or may possibly offend someone, somewhere. It irritates me when people claim they hate political correctness, but then have a problem with something that doesn’t suit their own brand of prejudice.

Sorry. Feeling strangely pessimistic.
Posted by Vanilla, Saturday, 22 March 2008 10:52:14 PM"
__________________

Pessimistic? Yes me too; and for me it's entirely predictable. In part insomnia, in part by the arrogance of your above comment, Vanilla.

'Political Correctness/Freedom of Speech'..? Rubbishy phrases that mean little more than a good excuse!

I do not like the ad, because I see it as obnoxious. I do not like the knife holder: ditto.

Like it or not, Vanilla, I have the right to disagree with your view! I don't feel the need to explain to you WHY I feel that way; whether my distaste is valid, or whatever else you need to know.

To be categorized in such a condescending manner because I don't see things your way, is absurd! (The 'I' is a generalized term).

I don't know Reist OR her politics/view's per sé, and to be honest, I don't really care about them. I have agreed with her views on this occasion, and don't give a damn if that agreement is upsetting to your way of looking at things.

It saddens me that we as a society need to resort to this kind of advertising/novelties to sell our wares. It troubles me a great deal, but doesn't 'irritate' me, that there are those of you who not only see it as OK., but object to those who have the temerity to..object!

Clearly you are angered by those who caused the banning of this ad. I see that as no different to your endorsement of it on behalf of feminists! You do NOT speak for me, or many other feminists I suspect.
Prejudice is clearly in the eye of the beholder, is it not?

Vanilla: "Actually, the divorce rate has been falling since 2001, "

The RAW divorce rate has been falling, but not as fast as the rate of marriage, which means the rate of divorce is INCREASING as a proportion of the number of marriages.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/26D94B4C9A4769E6CA25732C00207644?opendocument#TRENDS%20IN%20MARRIAGE%20AND%20DIVORCE
That is one reason for the push to get single mothers working, which is why I mentioned it. The article was meant to be light-hearted, but it does back up my point, which is that feminism is leading to a reduction in opportunities for relationships, as women's expectations become unrealistic and men get ever-more fearful of the consequences of getting someone pregnant.

"Men & women who call themselves feminists do have better sex: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2211202,00.html"

Not my work, but a nice rebuttal of that article (by a "feminist"). To say the "research" is weak is to understate the matter. Hardly surprising, as
http://viv.id.au/blog/?p=1051

"the happiest people — men and women — are those who take personal responsibility.
I agree completely, and that puts me at odds with most of those professing "feminism", who promulgate an attitude that women need take no responsibility for anything (unless they want to, of course). While that may be fine and dandy, men are expected to accept their own responsibilities, whether chosen or imposed, as a matter of course. The CSA is a very good example of responsibility being imposed, as it makes little difference what either parent wants as long as one of them is receiving Government benefits, which most mothers do for at least some years. IOW, while the mother is supported, the father is hounded for money. Not much of an incentive for "better sex" is it?

Whitty:"I just think since feminism society is happy to protect females at too high a cost to males in some areas"

It was always that way (the vast majority of survivors of the Titanic were women: "women and children first"). Feminists have taken that noble spirit and turned "women first" into an obligation on all men at all times, whether it is justified or not.