Thursday, February 18, 2010

Gender based ethical standards

I've often claimed that society expects less of boys and men - phrases such as "He's only a boy" are heard a lot, especially among mothers and grandmothers. But of course, I don't do that. I treat my boys the same as my daughter. Obviously.

I was just watching one of those obnoxious Nestle ads where they talk about how they are saving the world with their processed foods. It was the second one I've seen, but this one had an extra hit - the person speaking on behalf of Nestle was a woman. I was instinctively more disgusted by a woman's lack of integrity (as perceived by me) than by that of a man. Damn I hate being confronted by my own prejudice. I'll remember to be equally disgusted by men, and stop accepting it as some sort of inevitability as a result of looking like a bloke.

2 comments:

  1. I've never expected less of my boys because they are boys. I've had to defend them occassionally when they are expected to act older than they are.
    There again many women think they are superior to men ...

    As for the ads I rarely watch ads so I haven't seen them. I'll have to make a point of it to see what rubbish they arew spouting. I rarely by Nestle on purpose, maybe they need the business?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to get emails from Nestle wanting me to take part in silly surveys that rate their advertising. I'll forward you the next one!

    ReplyDelete