Sunday, May 18, 2008

Animal cruelty is not sexy

Cross-posted at XXBlaze

"Sex sells". When it is not selling me pants, sunglasses, bikini waxes, and a fat-complex it is now selling me morality. Take away the message and what is the difference between an ad like this and one like this? The answer is absolutely nothing. Naked women have nothing to do with Levi's pants or vegetarianism. The message, "this lifestyle promoted in this ad is sexy", does not vary between the two ads. The only difference is that one lifestyle is that of buying jeans, and the other is the lifestyle of not eating meat.

We humans must be incredibly stupid to fall for such shoddy marketing. I really have no words for a society that buys cheap body-spray en masse when the half-wit marketing experts at the firm have nothing more to say for their product other than it makes women take off their bras. How does it do that? Nobody knows, simply because there is a cognitive dissonance when I try to compute a reality in which people are convinced to buy a product on the promise of sex that it cannot possibly deliver.

Axe Body Spray is hardly the worst offender. Axe promotes no political agenda other than the dudely enjoyment of foul smelling cologne masking the fact that you have not showered in a week, or the simple-minded pursuit of titties. This ad campaign works, I might say, because the people who would use cheap cologne to excuse not taking a shower would be the kind of dupes to connect buying something with getting laid.

Liberals, however, claim to function on a higher level. Empathetic beings concerned with the plight of life everywhere do not need bared breasts and toned asses to buy, or not buy, a lifestyle.

Wrong.

Guess what bikini models have to do with the suffering of chickens? Absolutely nothing. If PETA really wished to highlight the suffering of animals, they would make their protests horrible, frightening, and sickening. With so shortage of horrifying images of animal suffering (five minutes of googling produced this, this, this, and this) why does PETA, among other organizations, feel the need to sell the idea that animals are suffering for our lifestyle with sex?

Melanie B, from the Spice Girls, would also like you to know that Sex Trafficking is hot. "Get your tits out for trafficking!" an activist asks us. We all know that strippers and prostitutes always get the best side of the law, because society as a whole values their opinions and personhood so much. Making our causes into our pimps and baring it all for a liberal cause, of course, wins the respect of many. It is also very relevant to the discussion at hand. Animal abuse and the unwilling trafficking of sexual slaves in our own country is titillating and sexy.

PETA reminds me of a circa-1970s Al Sharpton, who shot himself and his cause in the foot by involking the ire of New York Jews with some insensitive antisemitic remarks. To this day, Sharpton and his pose of goons continue to give activists a really bad name by various other classy shenanigans such as sexism and rape apology. Of course, the average American can tell you that he or she thinks Sharpton is full of shit. He or she will place Sharpton in the "bat-shit crazy" category alongside PETA. The most damaging person to their causes, obviously, is PETA activists and Sharpton themselves. The average American is not convinced. Thus Sharpton and PETA are unsuccessful.

In contrast, anti-abortion activists continue to get considerably more positive press than PETA. The reason why is not rocket science. Perhaps it is because their ad campaign is so blessedly simple and horrifying. I am firmly and absolutely pro-choice. However, I will say that if I had no opinion on eating meat or abortion, the anti-abortion ad would be significantly more morally compelling than a strip-tease for animal rights.

There are only two rules to good advertising: keep it simple and relevant. The anti-abortion ad is a picture of an abortion, thus it is relevant. It just states, "abortion is bad". The PETA ads, however, are convoluted and self-defeating. Alicia Silverstone with no clothes on does not really have anything to do with my greasy hamburger. The PETA ad asks the viewer to make a connection between nakedness, fur, and animal cruelty. The connection is tenuous, and thus, falls apart. The abortion ad achieves its purpose while the PETA ad does not.

Not only does PETA need to fire its marketing executives, the organization itself is probably the only thing on the planet more self-defeating than Al Sharpton. Commenters will poo-poo my critique all they want, but the fact remains that feminists can be agents of their own oppression especially when they sell their bodies for a cause that has nothing to do with sex. Yes, the woman who climbed into a cage while naked and pregnant in the cold to protest animal cruelty did so consensually. Would she, however, have posed nude if female nudity was not the biggest successful seller of unnecessary over-processed shit on the planet?

In conclusion, I hate PETA, and will continue to do so because:
(a) They utterly fail at marketing
(b) They protest the cruelty of animals with the objectification of the female body
(c) They diminish the horror of their cause with meaningless strip teases
(d) They diminish and poo-poo the objections of activists for other causes
(e) They are the most unintentionally self-parodying group on the face of this Earth

I will not continue to suffer any fools, especially sexist fools that sit on their high-horse naked and defeat feminism's basic tenements in order to diminish the real issue of the objectification of women, and to sexualize the suffering of animals.

Note: As the author of this post, I will delete comments that are trolling, offensive, and off-topic, and ask that all contributors to this tread ignore all those who will attempt to hijack the thread.

Note 2: After only having this thread open for three hours, I am closing the comments due to the thoughtless, rude, and asinine trolling of one Coyote Skinhead, self-proclaimed "critical thinker" and anti-feminist.

Note 3: Thank God for the ban-hammer. Comments on this post and some of my others will go back on, now with moderation. Thank you internet, for imposing moderation upon us by providing the world with anti-feminist trolls.

47 comments:

lindsay said...

The woman in the PETA state of the union video said they wanted to use unconventional methods to get people talking about animal rights... but no one is talking about animal rights as a result of exposing more skin. It's just making PETA look bad.

If they really want to get people concerned with animal rights, show Peaceable Kingdom.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
lindsay said...

I've gotta tell you, you two are just digging yourselves into a hole.

I don't think anyone wants to respond to you anymore (or at least they shouldn't). Post after post, you've just proven that you're here to be antagonizing, not to engage in real debate. There's nothing I like better than a good conversation talking about issues; I would argue religion and politics with my friend from high school for hours, both of us knowing full well we wouldn't be able to change the other's mind. It's not that I'm hellbent on changing minds; it's that I enjoy the intellectual sparring.

However, your inflammatory comments aren't worth my time anymore. At times, you've made good points, points worth discussing and responding to. But they're covered in such vile that I don't even want to dig through the intentionally insulting remarks that have been said with a goal of angering the people who respond here.

If you were looking for real debate, real engagement of the issues with someone who you knew wouldn't have the same viewpoint as you, you've ruined your chance. By stereotyping (all women are golddiggers), insulting (claims of vanity and self-importance), and demeaning arguments based on falsehoods (you just hate attractive/thin people), you've lost my respect and any chance of intellectual discussion. I will debate people I disagree with, but once the conversation stops being about the issues and instead turns into "how can I piss them off the most," I'm out.

I know some commenters here have been rude towards you, however, I'm speaking for myself and giving my reasons for not responding to you. I know other people feel the same as I do and you've almost guaranteed that several of the posters at this site won't respond to your inflammatory comments.

I know you'll say something along the lines of "oh, you can't handle our arguments and we trumped you." I don't care. I know I can respond to your claims (hidden under your contempt), but I don't want to and I'm not going to.

To quote E. Bennett, "had you behaved in a more [respectful] manner," I would be more inclined to respond to your comments.

lindsay said...

Sorry, Jen, for the off-topic comment. Let's get back to discussing PETA.

Amelia said...

It is interesting to me that PETA uses nakedness as a tactic to supposedly bring attention to the plight of animals, because honestly, what are people going to be talking about?

And your statement Axe promotes no political agenda other than the dudely enjoyment of foul smelling cologne masking the fact that you have not showered in a week, or the simple-minded pursuit of titties rubbed me the wrong way for some reason.

I guess because I don't believe that all guys are so dirty/sex fiends as that statement made it sound (perhaps I was wrong).

I guess I agree with most of what you wrote, just that the manner in which you wrote some of it rubbed me the wrong way. Just wanted to point that out, and I really really really hope I don't sound mean.

Forgive me if I came off that way.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ryan said...

Amelia,

Axe does kind of have that connotation. The whole idea of women wanting to have sex with you based on what essentially smells like a high school locker room is laughable and plays into that adolescent sex comedy dream.

As for PETA, I support vegetarianism (I used to be one) and am vehemently anti-cruelty, but this was just tacky and over the top. It takes away from the issue at hand and even the most ardent supporters for the group are cringing.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jenn said...

Amelia- that statement was supposed to rub you the wrong way, although I don't think that I got the sarcasm off the way I wanted to. It was supposed to be sarcastic; I don't actually think that all "dudes" are into not showering and the pursuit of boobies via buying cheap body spray.

Sorry I didn't pull that off the way I wanted to.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T RESPECT SOMEONE ELSE'S VOICE.

FEMINISTS DID IT 50 YEARS AGO, AND NOW I'M GONNA DO IT:

I'M GONNA SPAM IT OVER AND OVER UNTIL YOU LISTEN.

LOL

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

Anonymous said...

Seriously.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments.

I don't give a damn if it's your blog.

As long as I am here, I am a guest in your home.

I find it very rude how you delete my comments, no matter what they say, and then try to make me look bad by saying something like "Coyote, that was very offensive and insulting." even if I hadn't even said anything insulting!

This isn't about feminism anymore, or about rights.

It's about how you have treated Ennui and myself as guests in your house, so to speak.

If this is how you treat men who come into your world... do you ever expect to be taken seriously or have your "issues" coddled and fixed by men?

I am calling you out right now. Why is it okay for people to threaten us with violence, and call us names, but we're not even allowed to be "patronizing" without being chastised?

Tell me now, I really want to know. Don't avoid the issue. Answer it.

lindsay said...

I've never been a fan of Axe and it's always been a contentious issue for me that the same parent company owns both Axe, the horrible perpetrator of sexism, and Dove, with their Real Beauty campaign. I bet Axe has a much larger marketing budget than Dove, though. Maybe not.

For PETA, I think this was a case of "Sex sells! Let's use sex to sell our product!" gone horribly wrong.

Jenn said...

I am turning the comments on this thread off, for the spam posted above. Sorry to those who wanted to genuinely debate.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Amelia said...

(don't link to his site)

Andrew said...

I totally agree about Axe. I found it insulting to my intelligence even when I first started seeing the commercials back in middle school or something... I'd like to think I've grown a bit intellectually since then :)

Anonymous said...

What really bothers me about PETA using the "but sex sells!" excuse is why does sex always have to equal naked or scantily clad women? And only women? Can't men be sexy too? Can't naked men be used as well? I'm all for being naked, but when it's naked or half-dressed women, no one pays attention because those are the images we see everyday in billboards, magazines, on TV, etc etc. If PETA actually wanted to get people talking, they should get some penis out there. For real! People freak out about an y exposure of the almighty phallus. Then, while the sexism wouldn't be eradicated, it would at least be not as glaring. People = sex. Not Women = sex.

Anonymous said...

hey i was just browsing the net and i came across your blog. feminism aside, i find it very offensive that you call skinheads neonazis. many of my friends are skinheads and none of them are racist or neonazi. the idea of skinheads as neonazis is a misconception perpetuated by an alarmist media, and by posting that skinheads are neonazis, you are just as bad as the men who post that feminists hate men.

i would appreciate it if you changed that.

Radical Reminders said...

haha, yea right that "Anonymous" wrote that last comment. we know exactly who it was...

habladora said...

Hey, way to go for braving the onslaught and not letting sexist/racist/antisemitic idiots keep you from talking about interesting things. We eagerly await your next post.

Oh, and I couldn't agree more with you about PETA. It's a shame and an embarrassment that they stoop to this sort of stunt. And I'm really pro ethical treatment of animals, so they've done a terrible thing by pushing away women, and scientists, who would be due-paying members if PETA wern't so ... ugh.

Love the blog, as you know.

Anonymous said...

Hehe guess what hon.

You just won La Pobre Habladora a free pass for some emailing spamming.

See ya. :P

Amelia said...

Yes, he did just call me "hon."

Yes, he did just threaten to spam someone's e-mail.

No, he will not be allowed to comment here anymore.

Mike said...

I'm a pretty average guy with a pretty average guy mindset, ie. I don't mind looking at a few fine ladies every now and then. Of course i'm married so looking is ALL I do. But PETA is truly stupid when it comes to advertising, just because they put a scantily clad woman in an ad is not going to convince anyone to join their cause (unless that someone is a 13 year old boy). I recently watched a documentary about Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, and I was amazed at how self-serving these people are. I think they do care about animals, but when they go out and protest i think what they are really looking for is a pat on the back for their own self-satisfaction. There are so much more effective ways of doing things. Assaulting people, pouring fake blood on people definitely does more harm than good and PETA itself is it's number one enemy. Because PETA turns more people off than on.

As far as the AXE thing goes, I will admit that when axe first came out I was about 15 and I saw the commercial and I bought it because I was hoping that maybe the commercial was right and all of the sudden gangs of women would be throwing their panties at me...no such luck. Luckily I've grown up and now only buy AXE because it makes me smell pretty! (and maybe because I secretly hope a few women will chase me down and ravage me!...only joking...or am I?)

And, I may be wrong, but I believe you were thinking about Jesse Jackson and his "Hymietown" remark when you referred to Sharpton and his anitsemetic statements. Thats not to say that Sharpton isn't still a dipsh**

Jenn said...

Great American-

Dammit, you are right. It was Jackson, not Sharpton. That's what happens when you blog about historical events that happened before you were alive. Whoops. Although, Jackson and Sharpton were peas-on-a-pod back then, so it's not too outlandish to think that what one said the other seconded.

Anon -
I changed the skinhead thing. I apologize for my ignorance on that issue.