Monthly Archives: January 2015

For those Who Decry the Degraded State of the English Language

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Racist claims to the contrary (as in the Urban Dictionary’s definition of Ebonics as “A poor excuse for a failure to grasp the basics of English”), it’s good to remember that language is ALWAYS changing . . . and it’s so easy to forget–or claim shock on discovering–earlier meanings. The

Cultural Anthropology, Language Change, Language politics, Linguistic Anthropology, Racism Read more

Are We Stuck in the ‘Fifties?

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This set of fourteen offensively sexist ads from the 1950s is so over-the-top, it’s easy to dismiss them, relegating them to a “Thank goodness we’re beyond this and have made some progress” trash bin. But many of the recent comments added to a website that uploaded the ads suggest otherwise.

Advertising, Cultural Anthropology, Feminism, Politics of representation, Sexism, Women's issues Read more