The Washington Post Cartoon

Recently, the Washington Post editorial section posted the following picture.

The Post Editorial staff claimed that the dead chimpanzee referenced an earlier story in the week regarding police officers having to shoot and kill a monkey that attacked and killed a woman. The cartoonist claims he was commenting that the latest stimulus bill was written by a bunch of dumb monkeys (congressmen). But others disagree.

Many claim that the monkey could be seen as a racist comment on one of the chief architects of the stimulus bill, President Obama. They claim that the editors should have recognized that the editorial could be misconstrued and should have pulled the cartoon. For a summary of this story, click here .

What’s your take? Is the cartoon O.K. or is it racially insensitive? Is this a legitimate argument or in our quest for political correctness, have we become too sensitive?

Was A-Rod an A-hole to the Media?

I'd like you to watch the following clip about the A-Rod steroid case by clicking here. The testing that happened years ago was supposed to be anonymous, yet A-Rod's name was published. Some journalists have argued that the other 103 names that tested positive for steroids don't need to be published. What do you think? Should their names be released just like A-Rod's. Do you think A-Rod was targeted because he has had poor relations with the media in the past.
What about A-Rod's claim that the Sports Illustrated reporter has been unnecessarily hounding him. Apparently there will be another press conference by A-Rod today around 1:30.
Do you think the press needs to be more active in covering steroid abuse in professional sports? What do you think about "public shame" that the video clip mentions? Is that the role that the media should serve in these cases?

Let's Talk About Sex

Last week's talk about Jessica Simpson got us talking about sex a little bit so let's stay with the topic. Late last year, CNN published a piece on a RAND study linking teen pregnancy to watching sex on television. First, read the piece here. After reading i want you to address a few questions.
1. Do you think the results are correct? Does watching more sex on tv lead to teen pregnancy?
2. What other factors are also leading to teen pregnancy? In the piece one person says that too many things other than parenting are always blamed for teen pregnancy. Do you agree? Could good parenting counter the effects of watching too much sex on TV.
3. Could there be a third variable going on here? Teen pregnancy is on the rise. Sex on TV is on the rise. The number of hours of TV watched is on the rise? What's going on?
4. The term Media Literacy is used. This means teaching people how to critically interpret and understand the media with which they engage. (Basically you're taking a class in media literacy right now). Is there a place for this in the classroom? And how can we teach media literacy in the classroom when education budgets are being slashed and we are barely getting basic skills like reading and writing taught in the classroom?

The Female Body Image

Looking at the celebrity gossip pages this week, i saw a story regarding singer/actress Jessica Simpson. Gossip columnists posted pictures of Simpson saying that she has gotten "fat". Here's a pic of her portraying Daisy Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard movie.





And here's a current photo





Many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum (also known for showing off their body) state that people should leave Jessica alone and stop ridiculing someone for their weight gain.


Here's my question. There is no doubt that a key reason behind Simpson's success (as well as Kardashian and Klum's) happens to be their body image. All of these women use their sexuality to sell items. In essence, part of their "product" or "brand" is their body. Are we as consumers, entitled to speak negatively of someone when that "brand" is not up to the same standard it has been in the past. In other words, because these women make money off their body, can we ridicule them when we think they have "let themselves go." Or, is that a sexist notion. If we commented on the appearance of a woman who was not a sex symbol, would we be considered sexist? The argument goes both ways. Marlon Brando was viewed as a sex symbol but many made fun of his weight gain towards the end of his life. Should anyone be concerned about Simpson's weight?


Also, i've been having trouble associating your post id's to an actual name. Please write your name at the bottom of your posts so i can ensure you get your points.