Slatecom: Let's Talk Oscars Entry 4: Forget Seth MacFarlane's sexist jokes. This was the End of Men Oscars.

5th_Law_of_Robotics · 2013-02-25T22:09:42+00:00

We’re one reproductive-technology breakthrough away from not needing men at the Oscars at all.

Men sure are useless. Once we don't need them for reproduction we won't have the around at all. Tee-hee.

/any other who made a crack like this about artificial wombs would be done. Their career would be over.

marauding-lunatic · 2013-02-25T21:11:19+00:00

A defensive anxiety about the ascendant power of women

It seems that the writer herself is suffering from such an anxiety towards the opposite sex.

No wonder Seth McFarlane’s worried. We’re one reproductive-technology breakthrough away from not needing men at the Oscars at all.

I rest my case.

DavidByron · 2013-02-25T18:50:03+00:00

I guess some people have a job writing that sort of crap. You can't really expect originality when you have to pump it out so often. The only thing illustrated by the article is that mild anti-male attacks are the humdrum go-to position if you're suffering from writers block.

fascistgases · 2013-02-26T01:23:44+00:00

Slate is one of the worst websites ever. Almost on par with Gawker.

2013-02-26T02:33:32+00:00

The "Ascendant Power of Women" - in a "Deeply Patriarchal Society That Holds Back Women"

Cognitive dissonance at its finest...

TracyMorganFreeman · 2013-02-26T06:05:10+00:00

MacFarlane’s inevitable failure as an Oscar host, but the actresses’ mortified faces, put-on or not, expressed the audience’s own discomfort with this high-concept kickoff

"This was staged, but the audience totally meant it because I think they would be".

(The Internet in its wisdom has provided GIFs of the best reactions to the song, including Naomi Watts’, perhaps best described as “the death of a smile,” and Charlize Theron’s, perhaps best described as “ice-cold daggers hurled directly from the eyeballs.”)

Or Jennifer Lawrence being a good sport about it. It's almost as if they were in on it.

A defensive anxiety about the ascendant power of women

"If they're talking about boobs, it must be because they're afraid of acknowledging the special capacity for greatness unique to women".

emblematized, later on, by the pairing of the statuesque Theron with the wee Dustin Hoffman as awards presenters.

Ah yes, a 5'10 woman is statuesque, and let's make fun of a man's height. Nevermind commenting on a woman's curves or lack of curves or any aspect of their appearance is "sexist".

Quvenzhané Wallis soon being old enough to date George Clooney, etc.

Or it was a jab at Clooney...

it was a night dominated by a trio of powerful, glittering, seemingly indomitable women: 76-year-old Shirley Bassey in a bronze column dress, belting the Bond theme “Goldfinger” with old-time showbiz bravura; Adele in sparkly silver, bringing down the house with a magnificently simple (if poorly sound-mixed) rendition of her own 007 song, “Skyfall,” which went on to win Best Song; and, in the only real gasp-worthy surprise of the night, Michelle Obama in severer, more armor-like silver

This woman is talking a lot about what these women were wearing and not what they actually did.

I’m afraid to step into the maelstrom of Anne Hathaway feelings that I know each one of us holds inside

Wat.

But wasn’t that widdle-girl whisper (and much of the speech that followed) a very generous self-sprinkling of pixie dust

Nothing more indomitable for a woman than to be seen as a little girl. The writer can't even be consistent.

Who did you think did manage to nail that impossible razor’s edge between fake humility and genuine vainglory—other than Daniel Day-Lewis, who seems to be permanently operating on a plane of humanity that makes the rest of us look like grunting cavemen

Wait so it was genuine, but Hathaway is a gifted performer, so now it was an act and that's to be lauded?

Oh, and: Has Jennifer Lawrence ever made a savvier career move than tripping over her pale-pink giant-skirted brocade gown on the way to the podium, then making it back to her feet on her own, waving off the proffered help of both Bradley Cooper and Hugh Jackman

"Oh that Jennifer Lawrence, pretending to be helpless and making those guys look silly. She's so clever."

We’re one reproductive-technology breakthrough away from not needing men at the Oscars at al

My eyes are up here

So after all this aggrandizing of women for wearing nice dresses, for acting coy, for being genuine yet at the same time good actors and not even being sure which one is which, for apparently being a powerful woman by emulating a little girl, you play the victim?

This isn't even a good essay. They start with the thesis that it was the "End of Men" Oscars, and then goes on about what women did in their awards as if the men didn't do anything, praises women for doing what is stereotypical for women, and then lazily makes an off color remark about men being replaceable as if women aren't. It doesn't address the thesis at all, but certainly spouts off some pretty words to make it sound as if whatever they're writing is correct or coherent.

NegativeChirality · 2013-02-25T18:03:17+00:00

Bah. Typo in the title. Should be "Slate.com". Oh well.

rogersmith25 · 2013-02-26T14:32:37+00:00

A defensive anxiety about the ascendant power of women (emblematized, later on, by the pairing of the statuesque Theron with the wee Dustin Hoffman as awards presenters.)

If we're going to go down the path of symbolism, specifically that height is emblematic of power, then one must also ponder the significance of the high-heeled shoe. The red carpet was filled with tall beautiful women, each boosted by a 3-6 inch artificial height-enhancer so that they could stand on par with men.

And such boosts for women are not only acceptable, but encouraged. We have "statuesque" women like Theron getting a boost, while the diminutive Hoffman "stands tall" on only on his own merits.

This symbolism echoes the push for a 40% quota on female membership in corporate board rooms - a career "high heel" for women who otherwise may not be able to compete.

Title	Slatecom: Let's Talk Oscars Entry 4: Forget Seth MacFarlane's sexist jokes. This was the End of Men Oscars.
Author	NegativeChirality
Upvotes	15
Comments	9
Date	February 25, 2013 6:02 PM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensrights/comments/197bk2/slatecom-lets-talk-oscars-entry-4-forget-seth-/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/slatecom-lets-talk-oscars-entry-4-forget-seth.1606976 https://theredarchive.com/post/1606976

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