Blame Napster!

FROM: Greg
DATE: Tuesday April 16, 2002 -- 1:14:54 pm

Sales are down 5%! I guess these female pop music stars will have to prostitute their bodies in some other industry so they can still afford all their boob jobs and other plastic surgeries. Damn us all for forcing them to do this by simply using Napster!

FROM: jim
DATE: Wednesday April 17, 2002 -- 10:10:13 pm

Greg, please don't knock boob jobs and plastic surgery. They make this a better world and improve the quality of life.

jim

FROM: Elizabeth
DATE: Wednesday April 17, 2002 -- 11:27:28 pm

Okay, what is the deal here? Is the Ping turning into an Old Boys Club? Is it time for a boycott?

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Thursday April 18, 2002 -- 12:34:52 am

Thanks, Elizabeth. The testosterone level was getting a bit too high.

FROM: Greg
DATE: Thursday April 18, 2002 -- 1:41:29 pm

Here I was stating that women should use their talents and not their bodies to be successful and then I get called for being an "old boy". Well, I'll tell you, that's the last time I ever try to negatively criticize a woman for using their bodies to make money. To the strip club I go!

FROM: Elizabeth
DATE: Friday April 19, 2002 -- 10:15:50 pm

That is SO NOT what you were saying. Try again. For one thing, you were making the implicit assumption that female pop music stars need to be able to afford boob jobs and other plastic surgeries.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday April 19, 2002 -- 10:49:38 pm

I dunno -- when I originally read it, I took it as a direct shot at Britney Spears...

FROM: Jeani
DATE: Monday April 22, 2002 -- 5:27:16 pm

I'm a staunch feminist, and I think I'm with the boys on this one. I took Greg's post as a comment on how women generally have to capitalize on their bodies to make it in corporate pop music. And I find that to be all too true.

If anybody's comment should be challenged, it should be Jim's. While I found his comment ignorant and annoying, it's his opinion. The Ping is an opinionated site. And, just like in real life, there are lots of people out there who have opinions that I find to be pure idiocy. Policing the Ping isn't going to fix that.

FROM: jim
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 12:27:50 am

jeani -

it was meant as a joke and was meant to be sexist. annoying, yes. ignorant, no.

lighten up. remember, life is too important to be taken seriously!

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 12:13:59 pm

It's funny how a mention of Napster on the Ping manages to ruffle feathers. :)

FROM: Jeani
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 1:09:47 pm

Jim --
I'm glad it was meant as a joke. I often get annoyed by the lack of tone and facial expression involved in typing a response to something or someone. As a relatively new Pinger, I haven't read a lot of your comments and so probably don't "know" you well enough to tell if something is meant seriously.

I appreciate a sarcastic comment as much as the next gal (and I really do have a sense of humor, despite how seriously I come off here), but I still think it's valid to point out how difficult it is to tell whether someone is joking from the way something is typed.

My point here, I suppose, is that if you're going to post a comment that could be taken as offensive, be aware that others may assume that's how you meant it.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 3:44:21 pm

I guess I should reserve my "I LOVE BOOBIES!" Ping for a bit, then...

Nuts.

FROM: Robert [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 3:53:00 pm

All this talk of objectifying women in music has Bjork's "Pagan Poetry" video playing in my head. Aaaaah . . .

FROM: Greg
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 5:55:38 pm

I never really got to use Napster. However, I knew people who did and they got a song or two that I wanted off the internet. This was nice because there was no chance in hell I was going to buy an entire CD for one song that was just okay in the first place.

FROM: Elizabeth
DATE: Tuesday April 23, 2002 -- 8:19:10 pm

As an obviously large group of staunch feminists, I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree about what is offensive and what isn't. When I posted that I had just finished reading this book (actually really good, I recommend it) called "Fantasy Girls: Gender in the New Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy Televison". (ed. by Helford, E.R., 2000). So, I have been even more aware of stereotypes and offensive language as of late. Jeani is so very right in saying that the Ping attracts all kinds of viewpoints so when I see comments that I don't like, I will certainly disagree with them wholeheartedly, in the spirit of healthy debate and nothing more..

All this reminds me of a snippet from one of Mike Nelson's books. Actually a paraphrase. "Don't you hate black bears? I don't mean to gossip, but even my zookeeper friends are really getting sick of them." Let's hear some debate on that one.

And, oh yeah, Napster.

FROM: jim
DATE: Wednesday April 24, 2002 -- 12:12:34 am

I don't think it's fair to single out the poor black bear. Don't you think the topic should be broadened to 'don't you just hate bears.'