Sisterhood, You Say?

I don’t, as a feminist, want to undermine your earning capacity, but…

Tim Newman finds plenty to poke at in a clip from This Morning, about feminism and glamour models in televised darts competitions. Do note who condescends and does the interrupting.

Comments

[Mags]

What strikes me about the hectoring, condescending, dismissive tone adopted by Howard towards the two walk-on girls is how old-fashioned she appears. For all her talk about “outdated” practices and her doubtless conceit that she exemplifies modern women, she sounds for all the world like the harridan wife of a hen-pecked vicar in the 1930s lecturing the lower-classes on morals and the virtues of good housekeeping.

That. :-)

[David]

I’m still chortling at the extracts from Ms Howard’s LinkedIn profile. And I can’t help thinking it’s significant that Ms Howard seems more comfortable talking to the male presenter than to either of the ladies sitting next to her, and whose livelihood she finds so terribly problematic.

[Sam]

"It's great that you don't feel demeaned, but…"

*starts to condescend and demean*

[David]

*starts to condescend and demean*

It does look an awful lot like a status game. “Why don’t these working-class women – who aren’t travel-and-lifestyle journalists and don’t even have a Master’s in gender studies – why don’t they know their place…?”

[R. Sherman]

So, am I to understand that every other social problem in the UK has been resolved, thereby allowing us to concentrate on how darts tournaments are orchestrated?

[dan]

"We don't cook with lard" - no we use toxic crap instead which is far more unhealthy because smart-alecs hectored everyone into changing.

I like the way the blond model looks like she is about to burst into laughter every time the pasty lady talks.

[Tim Newman]

We don't cook with lard

I forgot about that little remark. I cook with lard, especially when making pies and toad-in-the-hole.

[Tim Newman]

Groan. Fucked up the HTML

[David]

Nice save, Newman.

[Hector Drummond, Vile Novelist]

She's one of the women that Bertie Wooster is always careful not to get engaged to.

[R. Sherman]

I cook with lard, especially when making pies...

I have my (Alabama) grandmother's pie crust recipe where the first ingredient before "flour" is "lard," written "LARD!!! NOT Shortening."

[David]

Having peered in the fridge, I see we too have lard available. Though I suspect it only gets used once a year, at Christmas.

[Pogonip]

“I don’t, as a feminist, want to undermine your earning capacity, but you’re young and pretty and I’m so jealous I can’t think straight, so I’m going to make a fool of myself attempting to undermine your earning capacity.”

[Pogonip]

So how’d the flambeed lard turn out?

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

For my cultural edification, are upper class UK twits getting wrapped around the axle over these women at darts tournaments about the same as upper class US twits getting wrapped around the axle about Army of Northern Virginia flags at NASCAR races ? IOW, if one doesn't watch, why the hell does one even care, other than deriving joy from making someone else miserable ?

[David]

if one doesn’t watch, why the hell does one even care, other than deriving joy from making someone else miserable?

Well, quite. I’m assuming Ms Howard isn’t representative of the demographic for televised darts tournaments. But for some, scolding signals status.

[R. Sherman]

IOW, if one doesn't watch, why the hell does one even care, other than deriving joy from making someone else miserable?

Because everything must be bent to the will of the Progressive Left. Nothing outside the state, as it were. These are the people who view Dean "No fun of any kind!" Wormer as a role model.

And btw, my college educated, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Fulbright-winning daughter just reported from some dart championship she attended in London over the holidays. She loved it, but then she's from decidedly "deplorable" stock, which probably explains it. Although, query whether I should denounce her for cultural appropriation?

[Sam Duncan]

There's a similar debate going on right now about the use of “grid girls” in Formula 1. They're “outdated” and “embarrassing” too. But whenever anyone (hem-hem) points out that what we're talking about here is denying women the right to choose how they earn a living, they're “making excuses”, or being “intellecutally dishonest” (no, I don't know either; I think the implication is that I simply concocted this argument in some kind of machiavellian scheme to continue ogling women's bottoms... because once a fortnight on TV during the summer is the only way I can do that).

Tim: “The only thing I don’t understand is how the two northern lasses remained so calm and polite.”

'Cos they were brung up proper, that's how.

“She's one of the women that Bertie Wooster is always careful not to get engaged to.”

Definitely a touch of Florence Craye about her, yes.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

There's a similar debate going on right now about the use of “grid girls” in Formula 1. They're “outdated” and “embarrassing” too.

Meanwhile, in the real non SJW world, far from being embarrassing, they are the only thing left that is interesting about Formula 1 any more, and I can't recall seeing any that were outdated.

However, I have got to pondering, is there any reason we couldn't form a corporation and install a private darts pitch (or whatever they are called) and employ these ladies ourselves, being generous and caring as we are, so as to save them from what surely will become a life of dissipation ?

[Chester Draws]

I don't just cook with lard, I'll happily cook lard itself.

Fried bread smothered in lard is a favourite, especially if there's tasty dripping to go with it.

[Adam]

Maybe it's time to ban darts. You can put an eye out with one of those things. Two if you lean in just a bit.

[[+]]

"So this week two things have got feminists cheering and whooping. First, the coming together of BBC women to demand a hike in their already eye-watering levels of pay. And secondly, the erasure of the walk-on women from darts - the sacking, effectively, of these beautiful, usually working-class women who bring a touch of glamour to a game dominated by portly blokes fond of their lager. Feminists applaud the wealthy, well-educated women of the Beeb who demand more money yet care not one jot for poorer women who, courtesy of the 21st-century lust for destroying outdated or allegedly offensive things, have just lost a source of their income. How brilliantly revealing. That these two stories have exploded at the same time and are battling it out for the front pages of the papers — the Guardian has gone for the BBC women story, natch, while the Sun is backing the sacked darts women — tells us a lot about modern feminism."

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/01/feminists-have-a-new-target-working-class-women/

[Lisboeta]

Maybe it's time to ban darts.

P'raps that's part of the issue for Ms Howard: darts is such a low class pastime.
/s for avoidance of doubt!

[David]

From the Spectator piece:

journalist and feminist Sally Howard said… their job losses are “necessary” — “every social change has people who suffer from it.”

I’m still not sure who the unspecified victims are supposed to be, the people for whom this “social change” is being pursued by condescending feminists. I’m no expert on the interior lives of little girls, but I doubt many will have been traumatised by the fact that glamorous young ladies can be seen if you pay enough attention to televised darts tournaments.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

...darts is such a low class pastime.

OK, let's see, so are virtually all sports, upper class activities like riding to the hounds are clean out, sporting clays involve icky guns, so I guess if you run down all the possibilities that leaves amateur cricket, and competitive moaning ?

[Heather]

Recently I decided that I should raise the level of my cooking beyond the basics. It has been a lot of fun learning new skills and cookbooks make for entertaining reading, especially the older ones that say things like "dig a pit and place a whole hog in it." Even the disasters have been interesting, but I am lucky to have a patient guinea pig with a good sense of humor. All of this is to explain that the lard statement made me curious. I haven't used it yet in anything, but I am fairly certain that you can't cook authentic Mexican food without it. Turns out that Dan is correct, apparently lard is not bad for you in comparison to Crisco.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2009/06/lard.html

Would really like your grandmother's recipe, Mr. Sherman, but I guess that is another blog.

[David]

Would really like your grandmother’s recipe, Mr. Sherman, but I guess that is another blog.

No need to be shy here. By all means trade those pie crust recipes. :-)

Even the disasters have been interesting,

One day I’ll share the tale of the mishap that resulted in garlic bananas.

[Megaera]

Mishap, Pah! How did they taste?

[David]

How did they taste?

I want to stress that it wasn’t a fusion of flavours I’d planned. It involved a hastily-prepared dessert, dim lighting, and an unwashed chopping board. I think it’s safe to say it was not my finest pudding.

I’m still paying for it, years later, in cruel and gratuitous mockery.

[Sam Duncan]

Don't worry, Kelly Brook's on the case:

TV’S Kelly Brook has blasted darts bosses for caving in to snowflakes and axing walk-on girls — saying they are denying women a lucrative job.

Model Kelly, 38, speaking as a petition to reverse the ban hit 30,000, rubbished claims that the traditional darts girls are sexist and “demeaning” to women — insisting: “It’s a well-paid job.”

Kelly said she used to do similar work as a Formula 1 flag girl and added: “It’s one of the best jobs I ever had.

“You dress glamorously and obviously it’s about being presentable but I never felt I was taken advantage of.”

I didn't think it was possible to be more attracted to Kel than I already was.

Joking aside, and forget what Kel looks like; she's obviously got a damn sight more common sense than the likes of Howard. I'm (often) reminded of a colleague of an uncle of mine who'd been doing a job at a University: “See thae professors? They've got that many brains it's knocked them stupit.”

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Not entirely unrelated as it involves more fine students of the London School of Oriental and African Studies and people who just don't quite get it, it appears Churchill was a "nazi" and "fascist".

Admire the students as they bravely disrupt diners who had the temerity to eat at a Churchill themed eatery, then scroll down for the Deep Thoughts™ of one Andy Cuff.

[pst314]

it appears Churchill was a "nazi" and "fascist".

Missing link?

[David]

Fixed.

[pst314]

Thanks Dave. Another link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5323519/Winston-Churchill-inspired-Blighty-cafe-stormed.html

[WTP]

it appears Churchill was a "nazi" and "fascist".

OK, this has been bothering me....in "whinged", is the "g" silent or pronounced?

[WTP]

Another link

Halimo Hussein, 24, stormed the Blighty UK cafe in Finsbury Park, north London, and urged customers to boycott it for 'colonialism' and chanted 'Churchill was racist'.

If Halimo Hussein is so opposed to colonialism, WTF is he doing in north London?

[David]

in “whinged”, is the “g” silent or pronounced?

It’s a soft g, like a j.

[Darleen]

journalist and feminist Sally Howard said… their job losses are “necessary” — “every social change has people who suffer from it.”

Re: Bill Ayers speaks, former Weathermen, contemporary professor

In No Place to Hide, Grathwohl explains that the Weathermen actually believed that they would be successful in overthrowing the U.S. government and that, with the help of the Cubans, Chinese, Russians, and North Vietnamese, they would occupy America. Americans would have to be "re-educated" in camps, similar to what the communists did in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and other countries they had taken over. Here is one of the chilling revelations Larry Grathwohl made in the film:

I asked, "Well what is going to happen to those people we can't reeducate, that are diehard capitalists?" And the reply was that they'd have to be eliminated.

And when I pursued this further, they estimated they would have to eliminate 25 million people in these reeducation centers.

And when I say "eliminate," I mean "kill."

Twenty-five million people.

I want you to imagine sitting in a room with 25 people, most of which have graduate degrees, from Columbia and other well-known educational centers, and hear them figuring out the logistics for the elimination of 25 million people and they were dead serious.

[Spiny Norman]

If Halimo Hussein is so opposed to colonialism, WTF is he doing in north London?

Al-hijra.

Halimo Hussein, 24, stormed the Blighty UK cafe...

Unknowningly, but perfectly illustrating what Sir Winston once wrote about Islam, that "the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world".

[Adam]

I have deciphered a bit of the feminist code: "demeaning" = men like it

[David]

“demeaning” = men like it

I’m still not sure who’s supposed to be hurt by it. The job is cheesy, certainly, but hardly indecent. It exists on the same plane of mild titillation as a magician’s glamorous assistant.

[Boatswain's Mate]

I tried to post this at Tim's blog, but couldn't seem to make the grade. So maybe Tim will see it here.

Someone posted the following: “I cannot properly credit the source any more, but 'feminism was invented to give ugly women access to the levers of power.'"

American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh used to say (maybe still does, I've not listened in donkey's years) that feminism is about giving ugly women access to the mainstream.

Heh.

[R. Sherman]

@Heather

I'll dig it up and post it, with the kind indulgence of our host. Make sure you have pastry fork, though.

[Hal]

. . . mild titillation as a magician’s glamorous assistant.

Ask and ye shall receive.

What?

[David Taylor]

I find this a tricky one. Not the harpy saying saying the victims she's trying to 'save' are a worthwhile sacrifice while bringing about the new world order - she's obviously a ruthless authoritarian - nothing tricky there.

Omelettes, eggs, etc. As soon as sacrificing other people for their own good comes up, you have to wonder at the sanity of the saviour.

But I cringe when I see grid girls, as much as I like looking at them. And I cringe when I think about how 'hostesses' must be attractive and are employed equally as much for blokes at functions to look at as for handing out the canapes.

The fact they voluntarily sign up for these jobs with tacit agreement to get oogled and/or groped doesn't make it an unambiguous freedom of choice issue for me. I'm not saying these jobs have to be axed but it doesn't feel entirely kosher.

[R. Sherman]

I’m still paying for it, years later, in cruel and gratuitous mockery.

Forgive the long comment to come.

This past week, I moved my 88 year old mother into an assisted living facility which resulted in us going through her stuff and saving things we wanted. Among those were her collection of recipes, one of which was for a Baked Alaska.

I recall being very young--six or seven. Each Sunday evening, our decidedly middle class family would have a nice dinner together in the dining room, complete with the wedding gift china, silver flatware and crystal. The purpose was to teach my brother and me how to behave once we were on our own. Undoubtedly, it was the sort of activity at which the upper classes would derisively sneer as being "above our station."

Nonetheless, we persisted. Dad and we two boys wore our Sunday best and Mom would serve the courses and instruct us on which implement to use. We were required to sit still and--gasp--engage in conversation without any of the typical boyhood high-jinks to which we accustomed.

On one such occasion, the desert (pudding) for the evening was to be a Baked Alaska. Mom spent quite a bit of time whipping the egg whites into submission and we all were excited to behold the final effort.

Alas, it was not to be. The electric oven was cantankerous that particular evening, and the whole thing would up in a gooey pile on the floor of the oven.

Good news: We got to change clothes and drive a couple of miles to Ted Drewes.

To this day, my mom blushes when one mentions "Baked Alaska," but I kept the recipe.

[Pogonip]

The baked Alaska incident, and the garlic banana incident, sound like my experiment with Brunswick stew. It calls for squirrel and chicken. I didn’t have any squirrels and nowhere to get any (city squirrels aren’t safe to eat), so I doubled the chicken. It called for lima beans, which I don’t like, so I used black beans. Several substitutions later, I had...well, something full of incompatible ingredients. The neighbor’s dog loved it. Everybody else, not so much. Considering the amount of chicken I used, up until the onset of rich “pet parents” and expensive gourmet pet food, that Brunswick stew had to be the most expensive dog food ever.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Meanwhile, back in the world of sports and things about which to be offended, this git at ESPN thinks "The Fighting Irish" is offensive, or racist, or something, and needs to change.

Personally, as a Muldoon, I'd like to know who these alleged "Irish" offended are, as I've never run into one, and I am sure the 69th Infantry Regiment of the NYARNG would like to have a chat with him about it, because "Fighting Irish" can only refer to drunks.

It never ceases to amaze me that these clowns who profess to be offended by stereotypes, only know the stereotypes.

[Trevor]

The baked Alaska incident, and the garlic banana incident, sound like my experiment with Brunswick stew.

My cooking cock-up involved cheese and potato pie. The mistake was to mash and combine the ingredients in a plastic bowl that I had recently used to steam my head. Lessons learned: Olbas Oil taints plastic and is unlikely to be the next big culinary trend.

[champ]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/throw-away-the-thong-granny-panties-are-suddenly-hip-and-trendy/ar-AAq4y1N?li=BBnbfcL

Does this mean David will give up the velour blogging thong?

[WTP]

ESPN thinks "The Fighting Irish" is offensive, or racist, or somethinG

Yes, that has come up before in saner times and ignored. I’ve been anticipating its return. Given the current environment And the current academic entities there, I’ve also been awaiting the renouncement of The Michigan State (Nazi) Spartans.

[Spiny Norman]

granny panties are suddenly hip and trendy

No, just... no.

(>_<)

(Damned hipsters and their pretentious "irony". < Charlton Heston voice on > Damn them all to hell.)

[Spiny Norman]

[ clicks champ's link ]

Okay, now waitaminute. Except for the 2 or 3 "high-waisted" models, those are way too skimpy for "granny panties". Those look like what women wore in the 1970s and '80s.

I guess we get to see a return of "panty lines" in clingy dresses and pants.

[Sonny Wayze]

"It exists on the same plane of mild titillation as a magician’s glamorous assistant."

Jeez, David, don't give them any ideas!

[Daniel Ream]

Someone posted the following

Oh, that was me. Did it originate with Rush? I couldn't remember.

[champ]

Oh, nooo...

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-30/white-people-practicing-yoga-are-xenophobes-michigan-state-professor-claims

[Hal]

Personally, as a Muldoon, I'd like to know who these alleged "Irish" offended are, as I've never run into one, and I am sure the 69th Infantry Regiment of the NYARNG would like to have a chat with him about it, because "Fighting Irish" can only refer to drunks.

Uh huh . . . . For a slight bit of rephrasing to get the exact same general idea . . .

[David Taylor]

There's been a few people whinging about the cultural appropriation of yoga over the last 12 months.

I don't see anyone complaining about the cultural appropriation of cricket by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, etc. It's an outrage!

[Aus_Autarch]

Since there are many stories of cooking disasters, let me contribute.

I like curries, but didn't make them. My wife loves them, so I carefully followed the recipe and made "Hyderabadi Lamb", which was made with 3 large green chillies. It was delicious, and appreciated by all.

I decided to make it again, and collected the ingredients, but couldn't find any large green chillies. Reasoning that one of the large chillies was equal in size to five of the small ones, I purchased 15 of the birdseyes, and prepared the meal exactly as before, substituting 15 small chillies for 3 large ones.

This is how I learned about the Scoville Heat Unit scale...

[Alice]

Sisterhood...

https://twitter.com/MartinDaubney/status/958630273717035008

[Boatswain's Mate]

Daniel, I don't know if Limbaugh coined it or merely modified someone else's earlier quip, but he certainly popularised it.

Spot on, I say.

[Sam Duncan]

Goddammit!

Sorry, girls, looks like you're out of a job. It's for your own good.

As one comment I saw said, it's a very odd way of promoting feminism, making an event proportionally more male.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Sorry, girls, looks like you're out of a job. It's for your own good.

Now there is no reason to watch F1, NASCAR, OTOH...

[Sam Duncan]

Strong, independent, modern women, Farnsworth. That's what I like to see.

(And I don't suppose I need point out in this company that I'm not being remotely sarcastic. They're earning their own livings, not sucking at the teat of the taxpayer, like some people we could mention.)

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Sam,

They are also diverse ! (Which we know is the most important criteria for anything these days)

[WKrebs]

Meanwhile, back in the world of sports and things about which to be offended, this git at ESPN thinks "The Fighting Irish" is offensive, or racist, or something, and needs to change.

It's to ensure consistency with their bloviations about Native Americans.

[Governor Squid]

When Washington came to Minnesota for a (non-metric) football game some time ago, some wag observed that there was one team on the field whose mascot represented a bunch of savages who raped, pillaged, plundered, and terrorized tens of thousands of decent farmers and townspeople, and another team whose mascot was offensive.

I believe he got four Problematics for his observation.

[PiperPaul]

"It’s a soft g, like a j."

Heh, that reminds me of the times I have to spell words in French containing those two letters. The letter 'g' in French sounds like 'j' and vice versa.

So what usually happens is that the listener assumes I'm getting it wrong (because I don't have an outrageous French accent), so they do a wrong letter substitution.

This causes me to send them this:

.