Yes, I intend this to be a controversial post, justifying my reason for waiting for RQ’s return.

The White Papers has glanced at the role of beauty in today’s society, but never discussed it in depth. Beauty has played a role throughout history and continues to dominate our public life. I don’t have any specific numbers, but I am certain that the cosmetic industry makes billions in profits. Fashion drives much of the marketplace all over the planet, from stores to magazines to an entire industry of models, hairstylists, hairdressers and the like. Like it or not, the desire to be beautiful is a stalwart of our economy.

Here is where the controversy comes in. Though men certainly do their share (more on that later), women for the most part consume the products offered. Women support a system where similar clothes (or ones that use even less material) costs more than what men pay. As uncomfortable as high heels may be, very few men wear them. And yes, men still generate toward and give favor to women they deem more attractive. Yes, some women try to make themselves less noticeable for their looks, but their efforts will hardly prevent some women from using their looks or men rewarding them for looking like they desire them too. Women now outperform scholastically, and one may surmise, in the workplace where the demographics are even (though the money is still not there).

This is where it gets a little dodgy. Though women can hardly be considered fuly responsible for their consumption, most cosmetics are made from some pretty nasty chemicals. No American companies make bras anymore, an extension of this fact suggests that the conditions under which they are made are less than desirable (and likely exploit women more than men). High heels, as sexy as they may be, displace the hips and alter ankle structure.

So what is the answer to beauty? Do men, who encourage women to look the way they do (some go further by purchasing breast implants) play an equal role in encouraging the beauty and fashion industry. If high heels are so bad (a common complaint), why do women still wear them? It really sucks that an attractive female (and sometimes males) get hired for positions solely for their looks. Yet, in many ways women still use their “power” to get what they want. Also how do we feel that stripping and prostitution, vocations based mostly on appearance, are the only ones where women make more than men? (Thanx, RQ for that fact).

Obviously, women are not solely responsible for the role beauty plays in our society, but they do possess, and inscreasngly so, the power of the pockebook to foster change. But will they use it? How should women see their beauty in light of the fact that they can compete equally with men? And no, I haven’t even mentioned the unrealistic standard to which women are asked to adhere (that’s up to you).

And yes, I am equally shallow as most men. A beautiful woman, even one way out my league will make me melt. A hottie will make me turn my head on the street. I still look at pictures, music videos and the like that feature unrealistically beautiful women; I am not immune. Nor do I have many answers, but I am sure all of you have a lot to say about this, whether you actually leave a comment or not!

Hey, we won’t tell anyone (snicker, snicker).

Love the outfit, babe!

Okay, so I’ve slacked on this. Sue me!

I must admit, cars come off the assembly line a lot better than before; it is difficult to find a hopptie that comes right off the lot, but I am sure I have found one: the Chevy Avalanche.

This baby is full of plastic. It’s a gas guzzler and can’t decide if it’s a pickup or an SUV. In other words, the worst of both: a pickup with a small bed and a SUV with not enough interior space. Not only that, the MSRP is near a paltry $32K for the base model.

I found an extra picture for this monster, one that people of certain persuasions would die for: the Iraqi Guntruck version!

Enjoy!

The question in the the title of this post is inspired by a NY Times article: At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust .

The articles makes very clear that women presently outperform men in scholastics. They remain more motivated throughout their college career, register and succeed in more difficult subjects and garner more academic rewards. Though success in school does not yet quite show up in the corporate world–men still make more than women–it may just be a matter of time before their scholastic triumphs transfer to the workday world. Whatever, your opinion about gender based economic inequality, overwhelming evidence suggests that American women’s desire to flourish outweighs that of men.

While this certainly bodes well for women, this reality troubles me in many ways as it should everyone. I know that successful women now complain about the difficulty of finding suitable men to date and marry; because they make more money and are better educated, their choices are limited to men below their social or economic status. One can easily extrapolate the circumstance to where we have a class of highly educated and motivated females running corporations ruling over less educated and motivated men. Yes, a bit of stretch, but certainly a possibility.

So my question to any of you still reading “The White Papers” is: Is it time to help men? Obviously, gender inequality still favors those with penises; our representative government is woefully short of female representatives; women still have more reason to fear men than the opposite. Nonetheless, an unequal society of any kind is worrisome for reasons already stated. Women still bear more responsibilty for child-rearing, but must they also find some way to motivate men to do more?

Personally, I am one of the unmotivated. My father, though he remained married to my mother until his death was a father in name only; he paid the bills (after many arguments) and that was it. My mother overcompensated for his absence and declared me, at a young age, as “The Man of the House”. I have struggled with this ever since. I mention this because the end of the article refers to men who isolate themselves to their rooms, neither going to class or socializing until they flunk out. I know that pain. Men generally do not have the support systems women do. The quiet loner is still seen as a romantic hero instead of a flawed underdeveloped human.

It is time to address the emotional needs of males in a different way. But how?

All experts agree, even the experts on this blog agree, the major problem Democrats face is trying to appeal to too many constituencies. Picking a platform that appeals to all risks being considered as pandering. Picking one that is too narrow risks leaving out groups that can swing an election one way or another.

How about this challenge? We don’t care who you vote for, just vote. At a 60% participation rate among possible voters the US stands at one of the lowest rates in democratic societies. If the Dems simply do everything possible to get out the vote, they probably would win and they could frame ingthe effort as one of patriotism. It would scare the hell out of all politiciansm, but would especially hurt the ‘publicans. It is something that everyone, no matter their political persuasion, would agree improves our political system.

I think it’s a brilliant idea. What do you think?

This is just a link to another column at the WA Post , but it does bring up the Mexican side of the story on immigration: Mexico’s Missing Prosperity

Remember, to vote for your new Mexican leader on Sunday!

I was thinking the other day about biofuels and wondering where my favorite planet fit into the scene:

This is what I found: hempcar.

More evidence that the right wing’s paranoia is leadin us away from sensible solutions under our noses. Hemp is easier to grow, causes less damage and grows faster than corn. If you take the politics out of the equation, hemp makes a better resource for biofuel than just about anything organic. Alas, it is just a dream for now, but it won’t be long before more people start asking: why not use hemp?

Some of you may not know this but RQ and I used to work toghether in temp-job hell. While we there, we (well mostly me) would play a little game called “Hooptie of the Week” For those who need a refresher, a hooptie is a car that most don’t have the pride to park in front of their house, let alone sport for even occasional use. Of course, one word can have many meanings so I refer you to the Urban Dictionary for their use of the word, hooptie.

Now that you know you feel free to nominate any hoopties you may find on the internet. For the most part the cars I will present are those that were hoopties before they left the assembly line. In that light I present the king of all Hoopties: The Lincoln Versailles. (yes, there is a website devoted to this monster).

No shame was spared in creating this beauty. The vinyl half-roof effect, the unneeded hump for the spare tire, plastic fake wired wheels and the unabashed look of the Ford Granada. This is what American car manufacturing is all about!

As you know sometimes I post about progress and attitudes toward it. In that light I am linking to an article about inequality and health-care. It’s more evidence that outdated thinking is leaving us with yesterdays solutions for today’s problems:

Economic equality is best medicine
Health of societies mostly relies on political and economic policies, not the individual treatment of disease

Please note that I commented on their blog under wsdeek. Yeah, I’m a pinko, commie.

In any case, hang in there. We ARE smarter than everyone else. It takes some people longer to catch on.