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October 12, 2008 – 8:23 pm

Utah kind of makes me laugh some days. This is from the Deseret News a few days ago:

I’m in Provo for school, a senior studying English and editing at Brigham Young University. I have limited experience with reading the Deseret News, but the article I read (Oct. 4) could well turn me off from reading it again. While berating the BYU team, Dick Harmon riddled his column with countless and highly offensive sexist comments. These weren’t just vague, in-passing turns of phrase that could be argued to be bolstering his style. They were blatant and chauvinistic. He equated everything that went wrong with the Utah State game on Friday with femininity, and his tone is so outrageously disparaging that your readers can’t help but mentally equate those feminine things with weakness. Since when is “a Band of Sisters” a negative term? Don’t forget his list of “chick flicks” as parallels to the way the offense played. And of course the most offensive: his use of the sexist term “chicks” and apologizing for the offense that they “were playing without (their) Midol.”
How did this article ever get past the editors? I would appreciate reading an apology.

Cassie Randall

Provo

Well reasoned, right? Here’s some of the responses:

I’m also a student at the Y and I thought the article was funny. No need to get worked up

-Chris

You’re a guy.

I read Harmon every day. While I haven’t been bothered by his “sexism”, I normally find his columns to be full of errors, omissions, and poor grammar.

-Dick

You’re a guy

I hadn’t read the column, but I’ve read it now.

Do you really think this is any kind of a serious swipe against women? If you are truely offended I suggest you learn to tell the difference between something which demeans and something which is just talkin trash. They aren’t necessarily the same.

I don’t think there is one person who read this column who afterward has a lower opinion of women that before they read it, it was all in fun and

In case you hadn’t noticed, so far as physical strength, women are the weaker sex.

-re Cassie

Ummm…?

  1. 3 Responses to “Preview this post.”

  2. You’re right. Those responders are guys — not men.

    By Rebecca on Oct 13, 2008

  3. @ Rebecca

    I’m glad we agree on the Guy-Man distinction.

    By Rob on Oct 13, 2008

  4. Utah only makes you laugh “some days?” I wished I shared your optimism and TOTAL lack of cynicism…

    By Amanda A on Oct 31, 2008

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