Miss Representation

Just saw an interesting preview of the movie Miss Representation.

I wonder if the producers and supporters of this movie realize that the media's portrayal of women is simply symptomatic of a morally decrepit society. I have the impression from the trailer and the website that the proposal is to force the media to properly represent women. That is ridiculous. The media is empowered by money, and the money comes from society.

The train of thought beginning at 1:40 really bugs me. Representation in Congress is by majority vote. I'm sure that someone could argue that there are less women politician candidates because of equality issues but regardless, the issue is again a symptom. What is parity? Is an equal # of men and women in political offices really parity? I see that women in my line of work have to make sacrifices that they don't want to make in order to be as effective as men. There are sacrifices that I don't want to make that make me less effective than other men. So its not a sexism issue, it's a choices issue. So, it doesn't surprise me that at 15, many women who previously wanted to be president no longer want to be president. Their aspirations and desires for life changed.

Condoleezaa Rice has a brief speaking part in the the trailer I saw; I have to say her comment portrayed the most realistic understanding of the root problem. So maybe there is a chance that the documentary hits the nail on the head but I suspect it will miss the mark.