- Birth control without copays could become mandatory – “…contraception could become part of a package of preventive benefits that every health plan would have to cover without patient cost-sharing. In other words, it would become effectively free.” From Audrey and Mark.
- Everything is wrong with this douching ad – From Zapski, “A video that shows men fighting for the vajayjay throughout history, and concludes that they’ll fight even harder if you douche.”
- The rape of men – “Sexual violence is one of the most horrific weapons of war, an instrument of terror used against women. Yet huge numbers of men are also victims.” From Agranulocytosis.
- Anti-depressants and effect size – Another great Science Based Medicine piece by Harriet Hall.
The Rape of Men doesn’t link anywhere? I’m also the only commenter? Did the rapture finally kick in something?
*or something.
Didn’t these things used to have an edit button? I’m putting question marks at the end of regular sentences?
Quick Google Search turns up this Guardian link for Rape of Men.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men
Re: The ad… that was just bizarre.
here’s that link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men
Thanks for the back up, guys!
What in the world is an article about male rape doing here? I just assumed you bunch of funhating feminazis wanted to beat them into oppression! Boy, am I red in the face!
On a serious note, that article is absolutely heartbreaking. One of the comments on it caught my attention –
I understand and applaud Doland for his efforts but is he buying into some of the language of stereotyping by describing the men as ‘weak’. They have been raped. This has nothing to do with weakness or strength.
I think that’s absolutely the heart of this — being raped has nothing to do with how weak or strong you are, intimidation, force, and coercion can happen on so many different levels and can happen to anyone.
I just saw that ad this morning! And my first thought was, I wonder if Amanda’s seen that. :)
The Rape of Men article was… difficult to read, even for someone who’s never been a victim of sexual violence. The link should probably have a trigger-warning.
That said, I want to echo Ologies’ reaction–getting out of the mindset that “rape victim” = “weak” (with its corresponding, though less frequently stated outright implication that “rape perpetrator” = “strong”) is perhaps one of the most vital elements of battling rape culture, in all its forms, in the first place.
The ad was just bizaare.
And on anti-depressants… what I’d really like to see is a study that compared a control group against every possible combination of anti-depressant or placebo with therapy. (So there would be groups who took no pill, but participated in therapy, those who took a placebo, and those who took an actual anti-depressant.) I SUSPECT, from personal experience, that the anti-depressant + psychotherapy group would do the best, but it would be nice to have some scientific confirmation.
Ugh, why did I read the comments on that birth control article. People are so grossly misinformed, it’s just ridiculous.
1) That rape article was hard to read. I guess there’s “less” stigma if you’re a female rape victim?
2) I hate the term vajayjay. HATE it.
Precisely why the term was chosen. It telegraphs the stupidity of the ad.
I too had the misfortune to see that Summer’s Eve ad before Harry Potter. I was so flabbergasted and angry that they’d be promoting such a damaging product (not just physically but also promoting dissatisfaction with one’s natural and healthy body; with the studies correlating anxiety about appearance/smell with less sexual fulfillment and happiness, I consider it psychologically detrimental too).
But even there, it seems like ineffective marketing to begin with. We’re inundated with ads for medical treatments and other products so often that I don’t want to see the whole range of commercials making their way into movie theaters too. Marketing dollars promoting entertainment media, or snacks, drinks, etc. seems more or less targeted at the audience.
Basically it bugged me because it was a terrible commercial for a bad product in the wrong damn venue.
Last Friday my wife and I saw that Summer’s Eve ad at the movie theater during the previews. The movie was Horrible Bosses. We just looked at each other and said “that’s wrong”.
Afterward we discussed that commercial more than the movie. So I guess they won in some small way.
The commercial suggests the motivation for men through all history was the pursuit of pussy. We fight, battle, die for it, the most important thing in the universe. All the while the woman waits on the side to see who she gets to spread her legs for.
The entire thing is demeaning to men and women.
That article on male rape was heartbreaking. It’s unbelievably horrible what human will do to human. Thank you for sharing that article, no matter how difficult it was to read.