Dubious advice on making cocktails with bacon, whether couples can make friends, confronting the idea of humourless feminists when people make sexist jokes, and the homework denial controversy. As usual, we have Dubious Sex Toy and our recommendations for the week.
FYCL #16, if you are still doing the old-fashioned-y downloading of each episode, rather than subscribing with our shiny new rss or via iTunes.
For further reading:
- Recipe and demonstration for making the bacon-infused old-fashioned.
- The offending t-shirt paperkingdoms’ student was wearing.
- The homework discussion started with this piece about the Calgary couple who signed a no-homework contract. There was supportive response from the Globe and Mail, and smackdown from an ESL teacher and someone who analysed the parents’ statements on RYS.
- Hamster Hotel report (with video)!
- Monty Python’s discussion of The Mouse Problem.
- The infamous Orangina advertisement.
- Awesome MuppetsStudio Channel on the youtube.
- Damn Cool Pics has a daily post of some kind of interesting visual.
- LoTR weaponry controversy on reddit.
- Gastroporn galore on Feasting on Art.
- Turkey jello mold contest winners: I was apparently talking about 2008, but 2009 is now up as well.
Apologies for the coughing husband in the background.
Closing music is a shout-out to Mr Falor; it’s Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros.
A reminder: although only the most recent 3 episodes are live in iTunes, you can always access back episodes of FYCL in our archive at uppitywomen.org/media/
What Ladder? 
I wanted to chime in about the “funny” sexist t-shirt and your consensus that the wearer be asked his intention. I pretty strongly disagreed with this answer. Saying that “some people might be offended” is exactly what opens up and reinforces the humorless feminist stereotype (i.e.: humorless feminists are the ones who would be offended by your shirt). It’s not about some extra-sensitive souls subjectively having their feelings hurt about the shirt. It’s about the shirt objectively promoting anti-woman propaganda that reflects on every woman everywhere, including the student’s classmates.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t quail, because it’s a difficult thing to do, but I do think I would feel it my duty on behalf of my female students to call it out, not as “offensive” but as bigoted. I could see trying to approach it with humor, definitely, and I wouldn’t want to make it into an “attack” (pointing out a problem is not an attack), but I just can’t see pretending that the graphic isn’t objectively harmful to women in hopes of coaxing the wee lamb around.
Let’s review: young women in a math class, having it advertised to them that their male classmate, as well as whatever genius people came up with the graphic and decided to market it, thinks that they are inherently not worth listening to on account of their ovaries, or at least thinks that message is amusing?
HELL no. That’s a hostile environment and unacceptable in a classroom.
Thanks for answering my somewhat pathetic question about making friends. You nailed the two things that are kind of difficult about making new friends in this situation: the complexities of couples trying to be friends with couples, and the problem of knowing where to set personal boundaries in relationships with new colleagues in a university department. I’m very “friendly” with many of my new colleagues, but departmental politics are so sticky that I’m trying to keep a safe professional distance. Those inevitable dinner parties can be fun (*can* be), but you’re still kind of on the job at them. No drunken table dancing. Boo.
But I know given time I’ll find someone I want to drink with in the evenings without my husband. Ideally this will be someone willing to get sloppy and sing karaoke with me. If anyone out there is in the Toronto area, I’m accepting applications.
Thanks for the input… I hadn’t thought about taking the question route. I still don’t know if I’ll actually say anything… it’ll depend heavily, I s’pose, on whether or not that shirt makes another appearance this term — bringing it up at this point would just be weird.