Maybe His Dog Thought It was Funny
This sign is on prominent display on First Avenue in my hometown.
The sign apparently garnered enough complains that the local news station, WBMG-CBS 42, broadcast an interview with Chuck Biddinger, the store's owner (I'm hunting links for the interview at this moment, and I'll post it if I find it, as I'd kind of like to hear how he explains himself). The store is something of a fixture in the area partially because of this marquee sign, which often posts silly or unusual jokes.
I feel a little uneasy posting this here because I know Biddinger IRL; he also hosts a forum for the local community, where I used to post until the commentary became so overwhelmingly verbally abusive and intolerant that I've all but withdrawn from the conversation. My objectivity in this case isn't so hot, to say the least. While in my personal experience with this guy I've witnessed him saying a lot of sexist horsecrap in the relative privacy of the internet, this is the first time I know that he's used his marquee to publicly display his ass-haberdashery.
I'm trying to get over my rage in order to think of a constructive lead-in to a discussion. This is not a small town, and this man is an established businessman. How deeply entrenched is sexism in this environment when this sign can be displayed without serious consideration for how it's going to affect one's business? How blatant is the disregard when one can make the assumption that the people who are going to get offended by such a sign are business one doesn't want anyway?
The sign apparently garnered enough complains that the local news station, WBMG-CBS 42, broadcast an interview with Chuck Biddinger, the store's owner (I'm hunting links for the interview at this moment, and I'll post it if I find it, as I'd kind of like to hear how he explains himself). The store is something of a fixture in the area partially because of this marquee sign, which often posts silly or unusual jokes.
I feel a little uneasy posting this here because I know Biddinger IRL; he also hosts a forum for the local community, where I used to post until the commentary became so overwhelmingly verbally abusive and intolerant that I've all but withdrawn from the conversation. My objectivity in this case isn't so hot, to say the least. While in my personal experience with this guy I've witnessed him saying a lot of sexist horsecrap in the relative privacy of the internet, this is the first time I know that he's used his marquee to publicly display his ass-haberdashery.
I'm trying to get over my rage in order to think of a constructive lead-in to a discussion. This is not a small town, and this man is an established businessman. How deeply entrenched is sexism in this environment when this sign can be displayed without serious consideration for how it's going to affect one's business? How blatant is the disregard when one can make the assumption that the people who are going to get offended by such a sign are business one doesn't want anyway?