[sunny]

So this morning on the Bicycle Retailer website, their Quote for the Day was: "They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken."

As a woman, would this offend you?

I heard about it on mtbr.com when a woman posted the quote and commented that it had no place in a professional online journal. Discussion ensued about alienation of women customers by male shop employees as well as the bicycle industry as a whole.

Mine was the lone dissenting female voice. I think the quote is pretty funny. Do I need to be hit upside the head with the sensitivity stick?

 

[renorider40]

I'm not a women but i think it's all in good fun. i laughed.

 

[LordOpie]

I'm not a woman, but I am wearing women's clothes. Does that count?


Can that website's QotD be both funny and completely unprofessional?

 

[sunny]

I'm not a woman, but I am wearing women's clothes. Does that count?

Can that website's QotD be both funny and completely unprofessional?

That's choice #2... but you're not female, and it would skew the vote. So noted.

 

[sanjuro]

Well, the bike industry is certainly run by men, and obviously any woman has to deal some bad jokes.

I also hear plenty of racist and homophobic jokes, many of which are offensive. I also tell plenty of racist and homophobic jokes as well.

What you find offensive is your right. Is this a "Nappy Head Ho"-type comment? You tell me.

 

[altagirl]

If one of my friends emailed it to me or told it around the campfire - yeah - it's funny. But on their website? I think it's just stupid. Lots of things that are funny are completely unprofessional.

Putting it on their website was just plain stupid. Considering one of the main growth areas of their business is women - comparing women to cows on their front page isn't the brightest idea. Even if only a few women are offended by it - what's the sense?

 

[LordOpie]

... women to cows on their front page isn't the brightest idea.

A man takes his wife to the stock show
They start heading down the alley that has the bulls. They come up to the first bull, and his sign states: "This bull mated 50 times last year."

The wife turns to her husband and says, "He mated 50 times in a year; you could learn from him." They proceed to the next bull, and his sign states: "This bull mated 65 times last year." The wife turns to her husband and says, "This one mated 65 times last year. Thats over 5 times a month. You can learn from this one, too."

They proceed to the last bull, and his sign says: "This bull mated 365 times last year." The wifes mouth drops open, and she says, "WOW! He mated 365 times last year. Thats ONCE A DAY!!! You could really learn from this one."

The man, finally fed up with the nagging, turns to his wife and says, "Go ask if it was 365 times with the same cow."

 

[stinkyboy]

I'm offended by every white married guy in TV commercials is portrayed as a complete moron. If women were portrayed in this light, there would be hell to pay.

 

[TreeSaw]

Not offended...it's funny. BUT, it's not appropriate to put on the website (especially, as altagirl pointed out, women are such a growth area right now in the bike industry).

 

[geargrrl]

If one of my friends emailed it to me or told it around the campfire - yeah - it's funny. But on their website? I think it's just stupid. Lots of things that are funny are completely unprofessional.

Putting it on their website was just plain stupid. Considering one of the main growth areas of their business is women - comparing women to cows on their front page isn't the brightest idea. Even if only a few women are offended by it - what's the sense?

 

[mohshee]

the comment doesn't really offend me, I think it is just stupid. I can't identify with it and it didn't make me laugh. It's a cheap-lame-arse remark.

 

[sanjuro]

In defense of this thread, recently I made a joke to a guy about his buddy, who rides a Titus and is very cool. I said he is our only black customer, referencing how few blacks there are in the upper echelon of mountain biking and in the area our shop is located. It is also a play on how racist we can be with our jokes since we have few black customers in the shop.

Now, this is a private joke between friends. Would this kind of joke be appropriate for a wide audience?

We are debating whether the Bicycle retailer joke is offensive or not. I read it and promptly forgot about it. However, if there are some segments which do find it offensive, and if it is not taken in a good light, then it should not be publicized.

 

[huckqueen]

the comment doesn't really offend me, I think it is just stupid. I can't identify with it and it didn't make me laugh. It's a cheap-lame-arse remark.

I agree with mohshee.

 

[amydalayna]

I'm indifferent on the quote. Stuff like this never gets to me. Maybe it's because I only hang out w/ dudes. I don't really think it's offensive... but I also really don't think it's witty either.

 

[tmx]

taken out of context it's hard to say, but as a cold quote of the day in a major industry publication seems like poor form.

it's also inaccurate because pms rocks. just because this guy can't handle it he has to compare it to a deadly disease spread by heifers.
wimp.

 

[onetime]

I think maybe this was a better poll for how many men are lurking on this forum!

 

[Cupcake]

I have to say that initially, I did find it slightly humorous, but in thinking it over actually found it very offensive.
I do agree that number one, it's simply as tmx said, in Poor Form to post on a site in that way. Since it was a retailer, do they assume to not have female customers?
The thing with this joke is that it is under the disguise of being in good, harmless fun, when in fact it is not. I hear jokes like this all the time and perhaps because of that I, and many of you have become mostly desensitized to the insult. How many of us ride or formerly rode with packs of guys in which these jokes were a staple? And how many times have you laughed it off and made the same jokes with them? Ever think if you did do it, why you might have? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you'll all disagree. Let's face it: unfortunately there are many women out there that provide those comments with some truth.
As a woman, I am tired of the weight of my feelings, ideas, and opinions being based upon whether I'm on my period or not. And even more importantly, I'm tired of being likened to a cow, even in jest. So none of you find offense to being compared to an indifferent animal whose general function in life is to be milked, bred, and graze all damn day? Even a wild fighting cat is a step up from that, though no less offensive.
I most certainly find Lord Opie's 'joke' to be an insult. Did it ever occur to these men coming up with the jokes that the women were bored of their lumpy arses?
In regard to the fellow being insulted by TV shows that present men as fat, ignorant husbands: I find them to equally misrepresent and further diminish women. What do you suppose a show with the title "Yes, dear" simply suggests? The men here in spite of their doofiness, are presented as wanting to just have fun, while the women are there to be serious and spoil the fun.
What's the conclusion? I guess I'm supposed to laugh, eat my icecream, and try not to get into a cat fight.

 

[nervous_john]

Wow. In my years of extensive, and may I state almost obsessed, "research" into the workings of women I have come to several conslusions which have not been proven wrong. Ever. Until today. Judging by the posts in this thread I would have to assume that women don't take offense to being called heiffer, cow, porkchop etc. as long is it is in the guise of a poorly crafted joke.

I proudly cast my vote as male and offended, which incidentally doesn't mean I'm metro. I don't like fancy long shoes, I don't pluck my eyebrows, and no, I don't wear a moisturizing mask. I am a man-but not metro and certainly not a duuude.

The thing that's important about a joke is intent. If I refer to my portly friend as a fat bastard, ask him how his last physical went- did they find any blood in that fry grease that your heart pumps, etc. it's all in good fun. He knows I care about him, I deliver the joke with a laugh and a pat on the back and all is fun because he knows the intent. A potentially offensive and exclusionary joke on a website where the intent is unknown- not so funny. It's not even being PC, it's just being smart human being. And with the epidemic problem of eating disorders affecting women which likely stems from poor media portrayal and society's draconian ideas of "thin" I definitely don't think it's funny. Hell, I'm 6ft, 160lbs and I feel fat.

What bothers me even more is that it's on a bike retailers website. I like to think of our sport as being above the dudliness of something like football where dumbass guys ditch their wives, slam Miller lights, and generally show how classless and uncosmopolitan we as Americans have become. "No man, I love my wife enough to marry her- death do us part and all- but she's a bummer to hang out with. Pass me a Highlife. Go Steelers!". Way to attract more participants to a healthy, postive and really fun sport. It's much better to ridicule women by calling them cows, encouraging them to stay home and become overweight. Awesome idea braah! Someone get me a f'in Miller.

 

[LordOpie]

I think maybe this was a better poll for how many men are lurking on this forum!

well, if you click "new posts", this forum comes up, so we guys see all threads that way. If this forum was hidden from "new posts", many of us would never know what goes on here.

 

[altagirl]

What bothers me even more is that it's on a bike retailers website.

Just FYI. It bothered me too. I emailed them and said something about that I bet they're the same guys wondering why more women don't ride... think about the message you're sending here. They emailed me back promptly, removed the quote from the site and apologized.

 

[yadadada]

I voted... it's funny but unprofessional...

I have quite a few male friends, and usually jokes flow both ways, but thinking about it in a professional cycling setting makes me kind of upset. A lot of women get into biking to loose weight and become more fit and healthy. That's a horrible message to send to women who have any interest in pursuing mountain biking more seriously.

I'm gald to hear that they took it off their site and apologized.

 

[mohshee]

Just FYI. It bothered me too. I emailed them and said something about that I bet they're the same guys wondering why more women don't ride... think about the message you're sending here. They emailed me back promptly, removed the quote from the site and apologized.

Wow! Awesome you did that! I'm glad they replied promptly. While I had mentioned earlier that I wasn't offended by it personally, I didn't even think about all the implications the "joke" had. Cupcake rasied some good thoughts too!

 

[S.K.C.]

In your poll to determine offensiveness, I'm a male and I find it offensive that if I voted for "offended" I'm considered "kinda metro".

Your question to determine offensiveness has offended me.

:biggrin:

 

[tronfnknblows]

In your poll to determine offensiveness, I'm a male and I find it offensive that if I voted for "offended" I'm considered "kinda metro".

Your question to determine offensiveness has offended me.

:biggrin:

I agree, that is kinda lame. Just b/c a guy might think that is offensive for a girl doesn't mean he's metro... (not that there's anything wrong w/ being metro)

I don't really think the 'mad cow disease' thing is funny, but I'm not really offended by it either. Mostly it's just kinda stupid.

so, why is not okay for this company to have something like that, but its okay for Cove bikes to use the names that they use for their bikes... I guess it's not really the same kind of offensive, but some people would be offended by them, girls especially. I'm not offended, but I do think they are asinine, and I'd never own a bike of theirs. Either way, they are part of the bike industry and they use sexual innuendoes for their bike names. (I'm not even sure if you could consider them innuendoes, or if they would be just blatant...)

Of course, then you get into the question of- do you really want the bike industry to be 'professional'?

 

[LordOpie]

If the suggestion of being "metro" is offensive, then you most certainly are metro.

 

[geargrrl]

I agree, that is kinda lame. Just b/c a guy might think that is offensive for a girl doesn't mean he's metro... (not that there's anything wrong w/ being metro)

I don't really think the 'mad cow disease' thing is funny, but I'm not really offended by it either. Mostly it's just kinda stupid.

so, why is not okay for this company to have something like that, but its okay for Cove bikes to use the names that they use for their bikes... I guess it's not really the same kind of offensive, but some people would be offended by them, girls especially. I'm not offended, but I do think they are asinine, and I'd never own a bike of theirs. Either way, they are part of the bike industry and they use sexual innuendoes for their bike names. (I'm not even sure if you could consider them innuendoes, or if they would be just blatant...)

Of course, then you get into the question of- do you really want the bike industry to be 'professional'?

...gulp, tasty!!

Cove is naming it's bike after sexual things just tells me these guys are a little preoccupied. But the names they use aren't put downs. The reason some of us think that the BR quote is so bad is that it's essentially a put down, likening women with PMS to cows. Now, if Cove named a comfort bike the Fat Cow, that would probably be pretty insulting to it's target market. But name a bike the hand job? Says more about the buyer than the company...

 

[S.K.C.]

If the suggestion of being "metro" is offensive, then you most certainly are metro.

...so because I find a joke derogatory to women, that makes me metro? Hmmm.... Women have always said that my respect and understanding is what makes me an obnoxious bastard. That must be it.

Yes - you've "metro" outed me...

Now where did I put my spray-on bronzer and apricot scrub?

:biggrin:

EDIT: to answer the question - Funny? Yes. Derogatory? Yes. Appropriate content for an industry website? No.

Just FYI. It bothered me too. I emailed them and said something about that I bet they're the same guys wondering why more women don't ride... think about the message you're sending here. They emailed me back promptly, removed the quote from the site and apologized.

Well done.

 

[TreeSaw]

Just FYI. It bothered me too. I emailed them and said something about that I bet they're the same guys wondering why more women don't ride... think about the message you're sending here. They emailed me back promptly, removed the quote from the site and apologized.

That's AWESOME!!!

 

[TreeSaw]

I voted... it's funny but unprofessional...

I have quite a few male friends, and usually jokes flow both ways, but thinking about it in a professional cycling setting makes me kind of upset. A lot of women get into biking to loose weight and become more fit and healthy. That's a horrible message to send to women who have any interest in pursuing mountain biking more seriously.

I'm gald to hear that they took it off their site and apologized.

That's why I make it a point to smack all my guy friends on the a$$ and call them a "sally" when I pass them

 

[nervous_john]

I'd love to hop in and chat some more but after his spray on tan and face mask are complete, S.K.C, me, and the rest of the metro boys are going to put on our dark wash fitted boot cut jeans, shiny loafers, untucked and half unbuttoned peacock blue dress shirts and swing on by the Kenneth Cole sale down in SOHO. After that we're going to discuss bicycle industry discrimination and the finer points of "manscaping" while drinking venti lowfat skim mocha lattes with soy whipped cream at Starbucks.

Bike industry being more professional.. hmm. I don't think that it boils down to being more professional per se. I think it's a matter of the industry not positioning themselves as some kind of ridiculous insular boys club. The industry can still be fun, and for lack of a better word, unprofessional without being derogatory.

By the way let me go on record as saying some of the better discussions happen in this forum, thank you ladies.

 

[GrapeApe79]

After that we're going to discuss bicycle industry discrimination and the finer points of "manscaping" while drinking venti lowfat skim mocha lattes with soy whipped cream at Starbucks.

LOL! You just proved that you are NOT metro as you could not properly order a drink at Starbucks. My fiance always orders a "coffee slurpee" as he refuses to actually say the word "frappacino". The baristas hate him.

 

[Heath Sherratt]

Not offended...it's funny. BUT, it's not appropriate to put on the website (especially, as altagirl pointed out, women are such a growth area right now in the bike industry).

Numbers, numbers, people, numbers