Comments on: Is it just me…

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:37:43 +0000

*shrugs* I personally don’t care about this. And did you know it ended up on failblog? The fact that the majority of people think a sign like this is stupid enough to go on a website for blogging fails makes me happy. Yes, I am both young, female and consider myself feminist. God, lighten up and focus on the REAL anti-feminist threats out there. Like Stephanie Meyer.

By: Kriti

Kriti — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:37:16 +0000

If this was the perfect pair of jeans (and we all know how hard those are to find), and if I had been looking for a pair for the last 1 year (as I have been right now), I would cry, after seeing this label, but I wouldn’t buy it.

Sexism is not acceptable.

By: Preeti

Preeti — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:19:20 +0000

Just a response to Aditya’s comment. How many Indian families do you know where it is the man’s job to take out the grabage? How many Indian neighbourhoods have garbage bins lined up neatly by the side of the kerb? How many Indian neighbourhoods have kerbs in the first place?

In most Inidan families, the kachra is kept besides the front door by the woman of the house, the practise you are talking about is so far removed from our cutural context that a comparison is entirely inappropriate.

Another thing: Do you know any Dalit who would not be offended if there was a sign on a garbage bin that said: “Give this to a Dalit. Its his job to empty it.” This would actually be factually true, because most waste-collectors in India are from lower castes, but it would be wonderful if Aditya Mehta could confidently walk up to a Dalit and ask innocently, “Dude do you really think jokes about Dalits are offensive? Lighten up already!”

Groups that have been historcally oppressed have a right to feel offended about humor that is based on insulting stereotypes about them. That is why anti-Semitic humor and racist humor is more offensive than humor about George Bush and other WASPS like him. Has Aditya ever tried a ‘nigger’ joke on an African American?
Preeti

By: Diya

Diya — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:34:30 +0000

Koyel, even I agree, now that you mention it, seems unreal, have never come across such a label in my life, no one knows the name of the brand either. I would like to say a thing or two to the brand and the store that dares to sell stuff with this ‘instruction’ on it! They won’t make a pretty sight when I am done with them, I promise!

By: Koyel

Koyel — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:27:01 +0000

hmmmm… I have a hunch about this label being not real… maybe because its absurdly anachronistic… but if this is in existence, it is of very bad taste, and there isn’t much new to say about the people who find it funny …

By: Amodini

Amodini — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:03:01 +0000

Not funny at all. And yes – I hear people telling me the same old “lighten up – it’s a joke” thing. It’s not. It’s not funny and it’s not a joke. When women are truly empowered and laundry and other “womanly” jobs are actually being done by women AND men, this **might** be funny (and then the label would say “Give it to your better half – it’s his/her job”.
I was thinking along similar lines while watching these adverts on TV – and just posted them to my blog yesterday :

http://reviewroom.blogspot.com/2008/12/censor-this.html

By: Red

Red — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:54:16 +0000

*barf*

Not even remotely funny. I’m a bit astonished that *anybody* found that funny! Must be the same kind of people who laugh at someone slipping on a banana peel.

By: Indrani

Indrani — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:55:57 +0000

A lousy advert… and am so tired of these sorts.. they not only categorise that it is women’s jobs to do laundry but (as a previous comment says) the language is so demeaning for men too (that they are not capable of washing their own jeans)!

But am even more disappointed at the response: when I see people taking it as a “joke”. Yes, we could avoid buying the brand and you shall probably forget the advert, but the “joke’s” already been made and snickered upon.

Probably gives us a cue to the ways we consume (and even enjoy) the loud (and not so loud) messages of gender stereotyping..

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:34:35 +0000

I think 95% of the men think this is funny but most won’t admit.

I had to smile about it. I don’t agree at all that it is a woman’s job but still had to smile about it.

PS Do we even know if this is a real label or that it isn’t photoshopped?

By: Beth

Beth — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:18:23 +0000

Definitely not funny. I can hardy believe this doozy of an artifact exists. Sigh.