Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Half of the Human Race that's Not Smart

My roomies and I went out for dinner and a movie tonight, as Stephanie's old man will turn 27 on Monday.

As Steph and I waited for the show to start while the old man was in the bathroom, this commercial came up as a part of the pre-show show, and for a minute and a half, I learned that "the whole human race wants to be smart" but 98% of the human race was.... the *smart* people... were.... guess?

Mostly white, yes.

And completely male.

If you pay really close attention, you'll see what may be a feminine hand moving a chess piecs (denoted by the length of the nail) and if you don't blink, you might see two young girls practicing playing stringed instruments.

But the rest of the minute and a half?

Men.

The "human race."

Sometimes it hits me, these things we see and hear and soak up every day and take for granted; these things we see as so normalized that they become truth. And during those times when I'm able to step outside of it and critique it, it just fucking floors me.

7 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

David Moles said...

Also, all the smart people pictured were Asimov's message board posters.

Anonymous said...

There was also that chick in the beginning, dancing dorkily in the orange sweater!

Which brings the human race down to what, 97.8% men?

Kameron Hurley said...

Yeah, but note that the dorky girl was not held up as a fine prime example of "smart."

Anonymous said...

Hm, you may be right. Fuck!

Jackie M. said...

Oops.

I know I've complained about this before, but I'll just complain about it again: all of Neil deGrasse Tyson's neighbors are men? Or only the ones interested in science...?

Kameron Hurley said...

Didn't you know, Jackie?

ONLY MEN DO SCIENCE!

(this goes hand in hand with ONLY MEN ARE SMART)

Women just aren't interested in that sort of thing. We're too busy with our babies, who we have no interest in teaching SCIENCE.

Men are special creatures capable of being both parents AND smart scientists.

Women are only GIANT PULSING WOMBS!!!

(Ok, it's been a long day...)

Jackie M. said...

To Tyson's credit, he did have the grace to be embarrassed about it when a friend of mine cornered him at a meeting a few months ago.