Kevin Drum, after taking a shellacking for having the temerity to ask about the lack of influential women bloggers, has invited some female journalists to post on topics relevant to women bloggers. Talk about navel gazing. I’m not sure if Kevin’s offering of penance is a solitary burden that he’s bearing or if he’s shifted the burden on to his readership. I favor the latter viewpoint, for I’m definitely feeling that it’s my eyes that are glazing over while Kevin thinks he’s achieved redemption. The first two posts by his guests had a normal amount of comments but as they beat this horse to death the readership seems to be showing a lack of interest.
Rather than playing into the stereotype that women bloggers only write about women’s issues and that this narrow focus is a snore to most people, hence the lack of female influence in the blogosphere, Kevin should have followed the practice we have at this blog, which is not to stereotype our female colleagues in such a fashion. Far better for Kevin’s guests to have a free hand in the choice of topics so that Kevin’s readership could be exposed to the true interests and voices of these women. If they wanted to write about being women in the blogosphere, well then, Kevin would be free of the charge of abetting the crime of gender stereotyping for the women would have been hoisted by their own petard. As it is now, Kevin’s just dug himself deeper into the hole by reinforcing the stereotype that women simply write about women’s issues.
For your analytic pleasure, I’ve gathered the data on this experiment. All of the women’s posts since this adventure began are listed below the fold, with the comments highlighted. To establish a yardstick I’ve used all of Kevin’s posts that were on his front page.
Data Below the Fold.
Amy Sullivan
AND NOW THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR–GIRLS AND BLOGS Comments: 14 NOW, IN SPECIAL FEMALE-FREE VARIETIES Comments: 28 ATTN: WOMEN–PLEASE WRITE FOR US Comments: 39 A RESPONSE TO KATHA POLLITT Comments: 71
Garance Franke-Ruta
AMITY IN THE U.K Comments: 8WOMEN IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: THE DATA Comments: 44THE BROADER PROBLEM Comments: 17
Katha Pollitt
PRIDE, PREJUDICE, BLOGS Comments: 25TOO FEMINIST FOR THE TIMES? Comments: 44TERRIFIC WOMEN ALREADY EXIST Comments: 106
Kevin Drum
BUNNING WATCH Comments: 32 THE VIEW FROM BAGHDAD Comments:96EDUCATION SPENDING Comments: 51SOCIAL SECURITY vs. MEDICARE Comments: 69RANDOM, FREE-FLOATING, NON-POLITICAL WHINING THREAD Comments: 88ON THE USES AND ABUSES OF TERRI SCHIAVO Comments: 113SOCIAL SECURITY LINGUISTICS Comments: 48TERRI SCHIAVO AND THE LIMITS OF CYNICISM, PART 2 Comments: 113GLOBALIZATION Comments: 61VALERIE PLAME UPDATE Comments: 50
Posted by TangoMan at 12:19 AM