Thursday, February 4, 2010

Planned Parenthood, Athletes Respond to Tebow Super Bowl Ad



Two former professional athletes are calling for the "respect of women's choices" in response to the upcoming Super Bowl advertisement featuring the pro-life birth story of college football standout Tim Tebow.


FOX News
Thursday, Feb. 43, 2010

The YouTube video, released by Planned Parenthood, features Olympic gold medalist Al Joyner and former NFL player Sean James. While James says he "respects and honors Mrs. Tebow's decision," every woman's decision must be "valued … trusted and respected."

"My mom showed me that women are strong and wise," James says in the advertisement. "She taught me that only women can make the best decisions about their health and their future."

In a statement accompanying the video, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said Tebow's story was "compelling," but added that every woman must be able to make important medical decisions for herself and her family.

"The Tebow story underlines what Planned Parenthood has learned from the millions of women doctors and nurses at its health centers have cared for over nearly a century," Richards' statement read. "Women take decisions about their health very seriously. They consider their doctors’ advice, they talk with their loved ones and people they trust, including religious leaders, and they carefully weigh all considerations before making the best decision for themselves and their families."

Joyner, meanwhile, said he trusts his daughter to "take care of herself" during the Planned Parenthood video.

"My daughter will always be my little girl," Joyner says. "But I am proud everyday as I watch her grow up to be her own person, a smart, confident young woman. I trust her to take care of herself. We celebrate families by supporting our mothers, by supporting our daughters. By trusting women."

Richards said Focus on the Family, the organization that paid for Tebow's 30-second advertisement to run on Sunday, is "far outside the mainstream" of American life.


Monday, February 1, 2010

Journal 1: The Rise of Bromances



One interesting phenomenon over the past decade has been the rise of so-called "bromances," intimate, but non-sexual, relationships between men. Affectionate male bonding has a centuries-long tradition around the world, yet American society has generally drawn rigid lines between two males who are friends. Bromances are said to break down many of those barriers, allowing a man to be more expressive of both his own feelings and his feelings toward his friend. Just why American male friendships are seemingly more open these days is up to debate. Some argue these bonds have been shaped by everything from feminist mothers raising more emotionally open sons to the gay rights movement to younger generations of men simply breaking from old societal taboos. But are younger men today really more open to intimate male friendships? Is this truly a new phenomenon or have men always been free to express themselves emotionally with other men? For this journal, explore the phenomenon of bromances.

Include at least one of the following pieces in your discussion:
  • "Are You in a Bromance? (Or Is It Just a Man Crush?)" (Details Magazine)
  • "Bromances Aren't Uncommon as Guys Delay Marriage" (The Seattle Times)
  • "I Love You, Man (as a Friend)" (The New York Times)
  • "The Collective Mind: Affectionate Men" (SFGate.com)
Articles are located in the eR.

Due: Wednesday, Feb. 10

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Week 2



The old theory was: Marry an older man because they're more mature.
But the new theory is: Men don't mature. Marry a younger one.

—Rita Rudner

Week 2

M 2.1
READ: TP, p. 3-42
IN-CLASS: Introductions

W 2.3
READ: TP, 43-76
IN-CLASS: Diagnostic essay

UPCOMING:

Week 3
M 2.8
READ: CR—“Talk in the Intimate Relationship: His and Hers” by Deborah Tannen, “Libation as Liberation?” by Barbara Ehrenreich, “Red Sex, Blue Sex” by Margaret Talbot; PT, p. 77-102
IN-CLASS: Essay discussion; Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. I”; Preview—Research Paper

W 2.10
READ: CR—“War Stories” by Tobias Wolff, “The Backlash Against Circumcision” by Jeninne Lee-St. John, “The Men We Carry in Our Minds” by Scott Russell Sanders; PT, p. 103-132
IN-CLASS: Reading discussion; Sample PowerPoint presentation; Presentation sign-ups; Lecture—“Steps of the Writing Process, Pt. II”
DUE: Journal 1