Stupid stunts

Damn. Roxanne got to the "Soup Nazi" joke before I did. Seriously though. This reminds me a lot of that "affirmative action bake sale" stunt.

In both cases, the participants were pretty loathsome. The authorities freaked out and shut them down on a technicality in the case of the bake sale. I thought this was heavy-handed and shifted the discussion from where it should be, i.e. how the College Republicans were acting like absolute douchbags, to freedom of speech issues. The French are also cracking down on "Identity Soup". I feel more ambivalent about that. Should we chase after the cockroaches with slippers, or let them scurry back into their holes with the disinfecting sunlight of societal disapprobation? (This assumes, of course, that there are widespread disapprobation these types of actions.)

Talking about affirmative-action and members of the dominant caste who like to act like victims instead, Amanda of the Pandagon brings us the charming story of Doug Anglin, who is suing the school for discrimination against boys. On what grounds?

Among Anglin’s allegations: Girls face fewer restrictions from teachers, like being able to wander the hallways without passes, and girls are rewarded for abiding by the rules, while boys’ more rebellious ways are punished.

Hmm. Those who abide by the rules are rewarded, those who don't are punished...shocking, that.

Amanda nails it:

What’s distressing about this is how anti-feminists describe a real gap in the average work ethic between boys and girls, but because of their belief in male superiority, they have to cast boys’ behavior in flattering terms. What should be characterized as slacking off is characterized as charming rebellion. And what would be characterized as an admirable work ethic in boys instead is now obsequieous teacher’s pet behavior in girls. More than one feminist has described how behavior patterns get judged positively or negatively according to the sex of the person performing them–art if a man does it, craft if a woman; chef if a man does it, cook if a woman; stud if a man does it, slut if a woman does it.