The lines are made pink and wider just for women

In the city Iksan in South Korea, there are designated women only parking spaces:

Iksan is the “first woman-friendly city” according to the South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.  The pink lines are 2.5 meters wide instead of 2.3 meters, which is the standard width of parking lines.  They are purposely made wider to make things easier for women drivers.

Oh gosh, what are we going to do with these women folk who can’t drive or park for the life of them?  How thoughtful of them to be so considerate of women drivers who obviously suck at parking!  Perfect how the lines are painted pink, because all women love the color pink.  And of course the parking lines have to be painted wider because women are so unskilled at parking.

I love how a city who has special parking spots for women declares itself the “first woman-friendly city” when it is obviously sexist in putting women inferior to and not as capable as are men when it comes to parking skills.

Things I wish I considered when deciding which college to go to

Because it’s April and a lot of high school seniors are touring colleges they got accepted into and these past two days have been April Open House, I have been thinking a lot about things I wish I considered when deciding which college to attend.  These are things that I couldn’t possibly have even thought of back then as a high school senior, but these are things I now know and would recommend that high school seniors now take into consideration when making their decision.

1. Diversity on campus

We’ve blogged about this before but diversity is more than just having friends of different ethnic/racial backgrounds.  It is more than eating lots of different ethnic foods.  To truly understand diversity one must factor in institutionalized power differentials between racial groups that enfranchise some while disenfranchise others.  One must be especially mindful of the way racism plays off as “natural” or “just the way things are”.  Just because racist stereotypes and remarks are so ubiquitous and normalized does not mean that they are acceptable or not worth questioning.  Overlooking and ignoring them just reinforces and perpetuates them even more.

When lyrics ruin the song

Sometimes, you’re listening to a song you kind of like, maybe even singing along. And while you used to just enjoy the catchy beat or some other quality of the song, this time, you pay some attention to what the lyrics actually say. Sometimes, the lyrics don’t strike you as unusual or worrisome. But sometimes, they do.*

That was my experience listening to Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.”** It must have been the tenth time I’d heard it on my car radio, so I decided to listen to the lyrics so I could sing along to the catchy tune. What I heard really scared me, since this song is immensely popular:

I’ve had a little bit too much (much)
All of the people start to rush (start to rush by)
A dizzy twisted dance
Can’t find my drink, oh man
Where are my keys? I lost my phone

What’s going on on the floor?
I love this record baby, but I can’t see straight anymore
Keep it cool; what’s the name of this club?
I can’t remember but it’s all right, all right

Just dance …