Sexism, Only This Time About Men

Submitted by Mastodon on Sat, 2014-08-09 02:13

Article here. Excerpt:

'From terrorism to natural disasters, the standard reporting on casualties is often like this by Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep:

"First, we go to Gaza," recited Inskeep. "The health ministry there says more than 500 people have been killed – many of them women and children."

Why, Larry Kalikow of Warrington, Penn, wrote, were women's lives being singled out?

"Are NPR reporters specially trained to promote such flagrant sexism?" he asked. "When will NPR and its news journalists and reporters finally accept the egalitarian principle that all human lives are equally precious, and that the loss of men's lives is no less tragic than the loss of women's lives?"'

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Comments

Amazing article, a textbook example of rationalization and cognitive dissonance.

Heaven forbid he criticize or allow to go unchallenged criticisms of his colleagues and employer, even as he starts out his piece by acknowleding the correctness of them. The conclusion of it tells the reader to expect the whole "including women and children" thing to continue and that it remains justifiable.

Well, he probably wants to keep his job. The temerity! But did he have to write this article? That is, was he assigned it by his editor/supervising reporter? If not, then what, is this a bucking-for-promotion move?

Ugh.

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Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2014-08-09 12:43

If they want to contextualize the deaths, why don't they break it down as:

x dead
y soldiers
z civilians
w children

I think that is as about non-sexist as you can get. And it creates a much more accurate picture than assuming there are no female soldiers, and no male civilians, an assumption that is beyond ridiculous. Don't donate to NPR (Naturally Putrid Rationalization) any time soon.

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Submitted by xtrnl on Sat, 2014-08-09 20:45