Quote:


To me the pulling out of one's chair is something that is different from most formalities/signs of courtesy. It is something exclusively done by men for women and really doesn't have a place in a business competition.



Is it sexist when the women accept the chair? Is it even that big of a deal? Up until now, between the many people that watch this show online and the people I know who watch it, I can't say that I remember hearing anyone comment on the pulling out of chairs in the context of sexism (which is a common point of discussion where this show in particular is concerned).

Quote:


Saying that a word can be substituted here and there is undermining the importance of semantics. 'Sweetheart' would never be accurate in describing Jennifer Massey.


I do think semantics is overrated here. Would it really have been that much better for him to find another word to describe Audrey other than sweetheart? Would 'bitch' have been better? My point in bringing up Jennifer is that people (viewers and contestants) criticized Jennifer for skating by and referred to her as a 'fembot.' Where was the outrage? Both 'sweetheart' and 'fembot' were pejorative terms based on the perception that each woman got by on feminine charms. And if Jennifer had been anything but a white blonde, she probably wouldn't have been referred to as 'fembot' either, so now her ethnicity is a possible factor. Again, why is it such a big deal now?

I don't think John is such an asshole. If he'd called her a brat, then by your argument, one might say he was 'ageist' for using a term like 'brat' or 'child' in part because she's young. If a candidate is going to confront/argue with another candidate, then at some point he/she is going to be 'talking down' to that person. And I'm not going to read sexism or chauvinism into John's comments, when IMO it's not consistent with his behavior towards the other female players. If I thought one of the other players was a weak link and her immaturity and reliance on feminine charms was all that she had to offer, 'sweetheart' seems like just one of the many words I could use to describe her. Sure it's condescending, but I tend to think that when two people are arguing, there's going to be some condescension on someone's part at some point.