What's the big deal?

Someone said to me the other day, "What's the big deal? They were just acting juvenile." I thought about that - and said, "If he'd filmed black women or men and made fun of their skin color or features, would that have been okay?" No. That would have been racist.

"If he'd filmed gay people and made fun of them..." Well, no. That's different.

"If he'd filmed Native Americans and made fun of them..." Still racist. So why is it "no big deal" if it's women?

So filming women without their consent or knowledge and humiliating them in a newsroom is "not a big deal" because it's just a bunch of men being juvenile? These men are managers - in their 30's, 40's and 50's. They're not college interns who need a stern talking to. They're big boys. They know better. And even if they have all the social skills of a 12-year old they all attended Media General's orientation. The ones I attended with cursed and denigrated women throughout the video when the trainer was out of the room - and according to the women in the Reidsville office the "F" word was a staple descriptor.

A major DC attorney (works for a firm that does a lot of legal work for Bush and Cheney) once told me that rape wasn't as traumatic for women as it was for men because "women grew up expecting to be raped someday." He has two daughters - both out of college now, and a son. I suppose he can take solace in the fact that his daughters won't suffer much if they're ever assaulted. That's the attitude this country has towards women. And women tolerate it? Why? Fight back. If you advertise with a Media General Newspaper or television station - stop. Boycott. Cancel your subscription. Let them know you're a consumer and you won't tolerate it.

So is it a big deal? Would you want your wife, daughter, child, girlfriend subjected to that kind of scrutiny and behavior? Obviously Media General doesn't think it's a big deal. They haven't done anything except fire me for blogging about it...In our politically correct world it's still okay for a news organization to humiliate women. And you won't read this in any Media General newspaper because they protect their own.