Bottom-of-the-barrel news

Posted at 4:05 PM on September 28, 2009 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)

Sadly, there's usually no shortage of candidates in the category of "news that makes you want to give up."

· An Egyptian scholar is calling for the death penalty for people who import a device that allows women to fake virginity on their wedding night. (BBC)

· It takes a lot to claim the title of "stupidest poll on Facebook." But a quiz asking whether Barack Obama should be assassinated wins easily. (TPM) The Secret Service is investigating. (AP)

· A teenage boy -- who would have guessed? -- has been arrested in the duct-taping of a cat, which was then put it in a shopping bag, and left it in a neighbor's back yard. (PennLive.com)

Comments (1)

Let's think for a moment about the social and cultural implication that says a woman's worth is based on whether she is a virgin or not. These non-virgin women know how much stigma and shame they face if it is discovered that they haven't lived up to an unrealistic expectation, regardless of what culture or religion you're in. This stigma is even greater for women who appear to be non-virgins due to rape or otherwise non-consensual sex. Maybe, instead of going after the manufacturers of this device, they should take a look at themselves and their own practices and think about what is driving women to think they need this anyway.

Posted by Kim V | September 29, 2009 12:22 PM

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