Comments on: Closet racism/ageism/sexism is better than flipping the bird?

Closet racism/ageism/sexism is better than flipping the bird?

machaus — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:28:45 -0800

HIT!!! SQUISH!!! MASH!!! or BASH!!! your Buddy whenever the feelings of Road Rage come over you.

Please take a moment to let us know what you would like to see in the next buddy: Cow girl, Business Women, Old Geezer, Racial/Ethnic Taxi Cab Driver, Grandma, Black Businesswomen and man, Asian women, Valley Girl, Cop, Bus driver.

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:32:25 -0800

I almost needed one of these after I read that second post!

By: basilwhite

basilwhite — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:43:21 -0800

Heckler buddy. For standup comics.

By: Dick Paris

Dick Paris — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:45:21 -0800

And after those feelings come over you, and you've torn the stuffing out of the little fucker, look up just in time to see that you've crossed the center line of the road and are close enough to smell death embedded in the grill of that oncoming truck. These buddies? They're categorized? WTF?

By: troutfishing

troutfishing — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:47:28 -0800

I think my hypothetical choice of "buddy" might be considered illegal under the USA PATRIOT Act!

By: Songdog

Songdog — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:48:26 -0800

"Racial/Ethnic?"

By: SweetIceT

SweetIceT — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:50:24 -0800

How about a mefi Troll buddy!

By: mikrophon

mikrophon — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 07:59:03 -0800

"Racial/Ethnic?" Right, a cab driver possessing the quality of ethnicity. A doll of a race. I can dig it.

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:03:28 -0800

Of course a cab driver would have to be racial/ethnic (I'm assuming they intended to imply a race other than caucasian here) since all cab drivers must be "ethnic" Yeah, that's a really good idea, let's make a doll with distinct ethnic/racial characteristics with the intention of committing violent acts on it, no, this doesn't breed any hatred. The ONLY thing I can conceivably come up with in defense of this doll is that it would be better that people beat up effigies of a race than actual members of that race, but that's stretching it!

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:19:51 -0800

It's odd that there's no "lawyer" on the list; that's usually one of the prime ways to make fun of the whole profession (huh-huh-huh, first thing we do is kill all the lawyers). But seriously, wtf is a "cow girl"? And why specify black businessman/woman? Methinks the losers only got 10 suggestions for a new "buddy" and used them all, so as not to offend any of their vast pool of ~~redneck~~ customers.

By: signal

signal — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:21:50 -0800

Racial/Ethnic, right up there with "People of Color". Sheesh. If there's one thing worse than racism it's underhanded racism.

By: VelvetHellvis

VelvetHellvis — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:36:25 -0800

Is it just me or does it seem like lately that even the most innocuous MeFi post will eventually offend someone? I'm guilty of being offended by a few myself. And if it isn't one of us being offended, it's one of us feeling compelled to call someone else's post "lame." What gives with us?

By: iconomy

iconomy — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:40:32 -0800

But seriously, wtf is a "cow girl"? The opposite of a cow boy. Silly.

By: UKnowForKids

UKnowForKids — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:42:07 -0800

VelvetHellvis: Is it just me or does it seem like lately that even the most innocuous MeFi post will eventually offend someone? You might take a look at the title of the post: "Closet racism/ageism/sexism is better than flipping the bird?"

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:47:00 -0800

Jeez we need these in South Africa. Thanks to an understaffed traffic dept and our minibus taxis terrorising the road, road rage has been a mini-epidemic here lately. It all came to head about 2 years ago when a suburban dead, involved in a minor fender bender, beat the other motorist to death. With a hockey stick. In front of his kids.

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:48:20 -0800

uh... make that suburban dad.

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:49:06 -0800

That usually happens on the hockey rink here in the US, dads beating other dads to death in front of the kids, we use our guns for the road rage.

By: VelvetHellvis

VelvetHellvis — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 08:54:55 -0800

UKnowForKids: You might take a look at the title of the post: "Closet racism/ageism/sexism is better than flipping the bird?" I agree with you upon rereading the headline. I originally interpreted the post as much lighter in tone. I'm just making a more general comment that lately we all (including me) seem to be on edge. Clearly, Machaus posted this to make a point. I'm going to go tape my fingers together so I can't type and just say "Duh, VH, what were you thinking" over and over. Perhaps this is a lesson in how many different ways a post can be interpreted or misinterpreted...I wish the Internet had MeFi Cliffs Notes.

By: machaus

machaus — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:02:12 -0800

I found this while reading a half-ass MSNBC article that tried to metaphorically link road rage and increasing tensions in the Iraq debacle. It baffles me that the editors of MSNBC/Newsweek would include a photograph of the doll's creators without venturing to their misguided website.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:24:21 -0800

The idea of the Road Rage Buddies is rather cute - it's just a funny novelty item. I have a squishy rubber pig sitting on my hard drive that I abuse during moments of stress. The list, however, is rather disturbing with its targeting of a general class of people because of their age or skin colour. And not the least of my questions is..... Why would anyone want to beat up a representation of a group of people when they could beat up on a representation of someone who is specifically and characteristically offensive? Where is the Kathie Lee Gifford Road Rage Buddy?

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:24:27 -0800

And a lovely bunch they look too, machaus. You might also have mentioned the half-ass author of the article as well. Is it clearer now why there wasn't much editing (or content) in the article?

By: Dick Paris

Dick Paris — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:26:22 -0800

VH: I don't think you would be stretching it to say that the subject of this post is neither innocuous nor remotely inoffensive -- to anyone. (The material posted, not the post or poster, Machaus.) Sure, one could say they are not offended because it's "funny" or because there is nothing wrong with making a range of dolls of various ethnicities (I can not believe I just wrote that!) but this product really pushes the buttons. I am not even sure how much sense -- argh -- are we supposed to have a doll that represents the most likely candidate of who might trigger road rage or a doll that represents people we would most like to take a pot-shot at? Are cow girls or asian women particularly bad drivers? Or is the survey for a different kind of doll. (Skipping obvious link to sex toy site.) Kidding!

By: nylon

nylon — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:32:13 -0800

Designed for ages 5 and up. tricycle rage?

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 10:12:24 -0800

"1. 'Where'd you learn how to drive? A cornfield'" As someone who's irritated to the point of exasperation daily by the piss-poor driving habits of visitors from Idaho, I find that this statement, coming from a doll that has the expressed purpose of helping me vent my road rage and which is being produced by a company from Idaho, is the supreme pinnacle of irony.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 10:14:11 -0800

Also, "Use caution when operating a motor vehicle while beating your Buddy" is a little piece of advice everyone should live by.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 16 Jan 2003 23:30:42 -0800

>But seriously, wtf is a "cow girl"? >>The opposite of a cow boy. Silly. Or the opposite of a "bull girl," possibly.