At this point, J., I think both men and women are affected by blatant stereotyping, yes – but when faced with it, they are picking their battles based on their own personal causes/energy levels. In the case of the Barbie, that likely was noticed by, and raised the ire of, more parents than non-parents – and probably parents of both sexes, I’d guess. But non-parents may well have completely missed the buzz about it – and yet have other stereotyping issues (maybe at work) about which they get passionate.

For me – the humor in the video makes the topic more accessible and gives the discussion a safer environment to play out in mixed-gender settings. As you mention, J., it may not be the best tool for serious analysis since it is so broad-stroke, but for people who are uncomfortable about the whole topic in general, or scared they see a little of themselves in the video’s depictions – does it force a little bit of an opening to make them stop and think? I am such a Pollyanna – I admit.

Are we affected any more by blatant stereotyping or has it become something we simply dismiss as Neanderthal and no longer of great concern? As a “for instance,” in mid-July, the news and blogosphere buzzed with news about the latest Barbie – patterned after a comic book character called “Black Canary.” They called her BDSM Barbie, and if you Google “Black Canary Barbie” you’ll see why. The story popped for a few days and then just died. So does this mean we have accepted the advanced sexualization of what was just an egregiously ill-proportioned doll? Or have we simply resigned ourselves to this level of absurdity in our culture?