Sexism

Geranium

I know this isn't particularly interesting but I'm really angry at this. A class in my school were given €1,400 from McDonalds to buy comics from Forbidden Planet to put in our library. Two representatives from the class had to go and pick all of the comics but there was a rule that they both had to be male. I thought that was really, really stupid. Why was that?

John

Because your school/McDonalds think that only boys like comics obviously. And here's me thinking this thread was going to be all about how unrealistic the female characters are in some comics (both physically and in terms of how they act).

Fysh

I have no idea why that was, why don't you ask the people who made up the rule? I mean, I agree that it sucks and is very much unfair, but i don't really get what this post is going to achieve.

Mind you, some sort of campaign to get more girls/women reading graphic novels would be in no way a bad thing. There's loads of stuff out there that can easily appeal to both genders easily, but there seems to be not much awareness of it.

DoctorEdgeWild

Better ask your teachers or principal there geranium! Its nothing to do with comic fans at large.

Geranium

Fysh wrote:

Mind you, some sort of campaign to get more girls/women reading graphic novels would be in no way a bad thing. There's loads of stuff out there that can easily appeal to both genders easily, but there seems to be not much awareness of it.

That'd only happen if the companies felt it worth their while. Also, I don't get females who complain about how women are drawn or portrayed in comics, men aren't always big hunks of muscle in real life either. Plus, it'd be worse if women were always drawn as ugly.

Fysh

But it is worth while. Contrary to popular belief theres quite a lot of people out there whose primary love of comics isnt about superheroes in spandex going out to fight crime. The problem is that the public perception of comics has not advanced on what comics were in the sixties (ie just after the pulps and horrors were banned for being too violent, but before the real indie/graphic novel revolution); part of this is that comic fans are fat nerdy boys who read about Insert-Power-Here-Man and his crime-fighting antics.

There's loads of comics that can appeal to both genders, and if the market weren't so content with keeping it as a broadly boys-only club there would be more revenue available - not just for the indie books but potentially for the superhero books.

I'd definitely suggest a complaint to your school about that - blatant sexism shouldn't be tolerated, especially not if it means that a couple of comics nerds get to buy every over-priced issue of crapman! instead of getting a decent selection of comics that non-comic fans might be interested in.

Geranium

Actually, they did buy pretty boring ones, the people that went didn't even like comics. I mean, Tombraider, it's worse than the freakin' OC. Still, I'm not complaining, I can read them for free!
I will complain to the school about it. It's totally unfair.

simu

Geranium wrote:

I know this isn't particularly interesting but I'm really angry at this. A class in my school were given €1,400 from McDonalds to buy comics from Forbidden Planet to put in our library. Two representatives from the class had to go and pick all of the comics but there was a rule that they both had to be male. I thought that was really, really stupid. Why was that?

Are you sure about that? If it's true WHAT A SCANDAL! (I'm being serious). That's an absolute disgrace and probably illegal - kick their sexist asses! Complain, complain, complain - write in to Maccy D's, to Forbidden Planet, to your local newspaper and radio station, get your parents to complain to the school etc etc. Write to the Irish Times as well - they have a feature every week where a student can write in about an issue that really bothers them.



It's also pretty disgraceful that purveyors of mucky fast food are making inroads into schools like this. :mad:

][cEMAN**

Who made the rule that it could only be males? McDonalds? Your school? Or was it just your teacher who told you this?

This might be an issue best suited for humanities rather than comics, if it is a sexism issue.

Geranium

Apparently it was McDonalds but the teacher was challenged about it and she did nothing about it. What would be the average ratio or percentage of male to female comic readers, just out of interest?

(Sorry for posting in your forum, I wasn't sure where to go.)

Fysh

Geranium wrote:

Apparently it was McDonalds but the teacher was challenged about it and she did nothing about it. What would be the average ratio or percentage of male to female comic readers, just out of interest?

(Sorry for posting in your forum, I wasn't sure where to go.)

Wow, that's spectactularly stupid of McDonalds given its efforts to market itself as a friendly modern company. Judging by what I see in my local comic store, I would say that male comics readers are between 2/3 and 4/5 of the comic reading population...others might differ, but I know few people who like comics generally and fewer still who are female to boot.

Draco

I know one girl who reads comics off her own bat and I've known a few that have liked the stuff I've given them. There is only a tiny percentage of comic reading girls out there.

Why did McDonald's give the money to buy comics anyway? Strike me as a little strange itself.

anyway, as pointed out, terribly sexist and more than likely illegal to have insisted upon it.

Sangre

I seriously, seriously doubt McDonalds would specify a male only rule.

Geranium

I'd say it was more someone at McDonalds saying "get some guys to pick them out" and then the teacher followed it exactly. They gave us money to buy comics for our local library, it's really nice of them actually.

Sangre

Thats probably more like, or some low level idiot.

McDonalds didn't get to where it was today by enforcing rules that would be suicidal publicity wise.

Geranium

Yeah, it was more the school that was being annoying, I mean McDonalds just gave us over a thousand euro to buy comics, that seems a really strange (but great!) thing to do, you'd think they'd sponsor trees in the community or something.

Duras

simu wrote:

Are you sure about that? If it's true WHAT A SCANDAL! (I'm being serious). That's an absolute disgrace and probably illegal - kick their sexist asses! Complain, complain, complain - write in to Maccy D's, to Forbidden Planet, to your local newspaper and radio station, get your parents to complain to the school etc etc. Write to the Irish Times as well - they have a feature every week where a student can write in about an issue that really bothers them.

You MUST be joking... or if not, for sure you are overreacting. Maybe they had some reasoning beyound our understanding or maybe the idea was just stupid. Still this is not something to go on National News... unless people are reeeeealllyyy bored

simu

But it really sucks - I'm not saying it's worthy of the headlines but it would be good to piss MacD's off a bit. Local newspapers are full of boring stuff about incredibly dull stuff anyway so this might brighten it up and I suggested the Irish Times thing because it's set up specifically to give students a voice on issues like this (and would give publicity to comics - cool!)

The ratio of female to male readers of comics is totally irrelevant.

But, are you sure it was McDonald's that put in the gender clause? It sounds more like the typical thing some rusty aul' teacher would come up with.

Geranium

Yeah, that's the thing, there wasn't an actual contract so it's more the teacher's fault, I'm thankful to McDonalds, I'd never really read any comics before this happened.

arrietty

Let us know what happened, Geranium, if you're still around! That's crazy ****. Although McDonalds giving out money for comics is also somewhat crazy...

But definitely stand up and do something if you can.

(I'm a comic-reading girl!)

spooydermot

Yeah it would be interesting to see what happenend in the end. I'm still mystified as to why McDonalds would give a school money for comics (no that theres anything wrong with a few good comics)

Did they get any decent ones? (Tomb Raider aside)

That said, I agree with what was said elsewhere in the post, companies like McDonalds should not be making in-roads into schools in that manner, it sets a precedent for this kind of activity.

Geranium

Well, what happened is our library has a new comics section, so I'm happy and the incident is all but forgotten about. They got fairly standard/boring fare. Loads of X-men and Superman for some reason. Batman Year One is there as well as a couple of large hardbacks of different artist's work. And some Calvin and Hobbes. So yeah, not the best variety, but I still enjoy it!

The whole thing has kinda just made me more aware of sexism, and I'm being a little less complacent about it, (hoprfully without becoming a feminazi). That is, when I'm not reading Tombraider.