So, I have been working on a blog entry about Cynthia Enloe and curiosity over the past few days (yes, it usually takes me a few days to finish an entry). I happened to be in Rochester, MN today and thought that I would finish it up at a local Pantera (or, what many of you might call Panera) since they have free wifi. Anyway, I clicked on the bookmark for Trouble and got a message indicating that my blog was blocked. Here is the explanation they gave me:
Really? According to what definition is this blog pornography? Who determined it to be such–(or what keyword/topic triggered the block)? Why are any sites being blocked? There are many, many reasons being blocked bothers me (not the least of which is the fact that I wasn’t able to finish my blog entry and have to work on it tomorrow). Sigh….so, what do you think? What bothers you about certain blogs/websites being blocked at restaurants? Or coffee shops–Caribou, I am talking to you.
Note: Sociological Images seems like an excellent resource for teaching with blogs. I am very excited to look at it carefully when I have more time. They even have a section on assignments–cool!
As seen in the Kmart Blue Friday door buster ad: The Huffy Major Flirt Bike for GIRLS and the Huffy Major Trouble Bike for BOYS. The bikes are in the bottom right corner of the flyer.
There are many ways that I could discuss why the names of the bikes bother me. But, because this is an “oh bother” post, I won’t get into any lengthy dissertation on the bothersome reduction of boys to Trouble and girls to Flirt or the problematic way these labels, and the ideologies about “proper” boy and girl behavior that undergird them, hail us into existence as real boys who use our bikes to get into trouble or as real girls who use our bikes to flirt (yes, I did just reference Althusser and his account of interpellation!).
There is one point I would like to make. I was initially thinking of posing the question: Just who does Huffy (the maker of these bikes) imagine a 3-6 year old girl to be flirting with? But instead of focusing on that question and the problematic ways naming a bike “Major Flirt,” could contribute to the over-sexualizing of very little girls, I want to offer another way in which to bother/be bothered by the label. According to dictionary.com, flirt is described as: merely playing with, not taking seriously, and showing only superficial interest without commitment. What stereotypes of little girls do these definitions of flirt (as superficial, etc) reinforce? Oh bother!
I saw this image in the November issue of Bon Appetit. It really doesn’t make me so mad that I can’t be bothered to think about it. For some reason, even as I find it to be rather problematic, I like it and that bothers me. We will be discussing this image at length in my queering theory class today–in connection with Judith Butler and her idea of performativity (as it is articulated in Gender Trouble). I can’t wait to see what the students think about it…
The ad copy reads: “Chill, ladies. Take a cue from our entertainment sink that chills champagne.”
I wouldn’t say this sign, found in the women’s bathroom at my dad’s church, bothers me as much as some of the other “oh bother!” posts. But, it does raise some interesting questions for me (about freedom, choice, 1980s fashion…). What do you think?
While skimming through a magazine this morning, I found this *wonderful* image. Quick, when you look at it, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? And how does it fit with the text? What exactly are they trying to sell here? Oh bother! Since I haven’t done one of these “oh bother!” entries for a couple of weeks, check here for a reminder on how they work.
This is the second in my ongoing series of events/ideas/objects that make me say, “oh bother!” As a reminder, here is the purpose of these brief entries (you can also find this explanation at the end of my about the categories post here:
This category will include anything that I find particularly reprehensible, repulsive, or just plain annoying. The term, bother, has been one that I have adopted as of late in order to stop saying f**k (which is a favorite word of mine) in front of my highly impressionable kids (who are 3 and 6). Any resemblance to Winnie the Pooh’s catch-phrase is purely coincidental. (Don’t get me wrong, I really like classic Winnie the Pooh. But, somehow, I don’t think Pooh meant “oh bother” in the same spirit that I do.) Like I said, I started uttering “oh bother” about a year ago when my kids got old enough to understand and repeat inappropriate words. It seems rather fitting to use this phrase in relation to making/staying in trouble. After all, to be bothered by something is another way of being troubled by it, right? To bother someone is to trouble them, right? To be in a state of botherment (is this a word?) is to be in a state of trouble. This category is different from my other categories. The “oh bother” examples are meant to be analyzed by you, dear reader, and not me. I want to know what you think about these examples. Perhaps the “oh bother” is a request or a command–as in, (won’t you please) bother these examples for me because I can’t or don’t want to.
Check out this news article about Harvard Professor Gates being arrested for breaking and entering into his own home. I first heard about it on facebook and then saw this blog entry about it on Angry Black Woman via Alas a blog. Words cannot express how much this bothers me. What about you?
I am starting a new category this morning called “oh bother.” This category will include anything that I find particularly reprehensible, repulsive, or just plain annoying. The term, bother, has been one that I have adopted as of late in order to stop saying f**k (which is a favorite word of mine) in front of my highly impressionable kids (who are 3 and 6).
Have you seen the promo for More to Love? No? Well, here you go (and down below too!). Enjoy!
All I have to say is, “OH BOTHER!” There is much to say about why this show is a problem (and perhaps a little about why it might possibly have just a tiny bit of good deep within it), but I simply can’t be bothered to respond. It just bothers me too much. I would rather leave it to Kathleen LeBesco, Big Fat Blog, and you. Seriously, I would love to read your reactions to this promo. Go ahead, tell me why I should or shouldn’t bother.
