May 18, 2010

Geek Dad Still Keeping The Geek Moms Down

geek_dad_book.jpgSorry this outrageous scandal got stranded on my iPad. It's really too important to ignore.

That Ken Denmead, he's got some balls. Turns out Denmead, who edits Wired.com's project blog Geek Dad, is perpetuating our society's oppression of women by blatantly excluding moms from the title of his new book: GeekDad: Awesomely Geeky Projects And Activities for Dads and Kids to Share. And the NY Times just makes it worse with their obnoxious, condescending pandering:

Remember when you used to play catch with your dad? Or set up your Lionel train set together? How Gen X was that?

For all the latest crop of fathers (and mothers) out there yearning to turn your children on to the joys of making LED lamps, a new book can help. "GeekDad: Awesomely Geeky Projects And Activities for Dads and Kids" to Share includes scores of illustrated projects that a parent and child can do together, using many materials that barely existed a few years ago.

OUTrageous. Fortunately, almost every single commenter points this out:
JT, New York, NY

it's really obnoxious to put mothers in parentheses-- like there aren't daughters out there who played catch and put together train sets with their dads, and now want to build little LED wallets with their kids. way to contribute to stereotypes about male and female interests, nytimes.

...

Fabiana Etcovitch, Montreal, Canada
Misogynistic book.

It's about damn time someone took a stand against the sexist stereotypes pervading the parenting media. Moms change batteries, too, you know!

Geeks at Play [nyt]
Five chauvinist stars?? Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share

8 Comments

I find it funnier that the NYT calls one of Wired's most popular blogs an "online feature" instead of a blog.

Also GeekDad seems to be pretty well read by women if the comments are any indication.

So, I don't know if I'm picking up what you're laying down. My thinking is it's not saying who is eligible to do the projects in the book (obviously my engineer wife would have a great time with it) but more of who would self-identify and glorify the geek identity. I think that would be mainly Dads. I think it's okay to have a book that's meant for Dads. How many books are aimed at Moms solely? Until every parenting resource everywhere is unisex, I think this book is fine.

I thought I was laying down humor, but since I have to explain it, I'll go with a thick layer of incredulous sarcasm.

I agree with "Dad is in the House." I see no reason why someone who writes a blog called "GeekDad" (which is meant as a blog for Dads) can't write a book to that audience. I take greater issue with "Parenting Magazine." In the issues I've read 99% of every page is for Moms. It should be called "Mom's Magazine" that way I would know what to expect inside. I also think this is kind of a funny attack from a site called DaddyTypes (what's the difference?).

You had me going there for a minute! Really, the book is for geek parents- but the GeekDad branding is better for the Father's Day selling season (how's that for cynical?). People just don't buy as many books for "Parents Day."

Ok, I guess lack of sleep and the "thick layer of incredulous sarcasm" made me miss the point (I missed the sarcasm bit). I'm just tired of every parenting pamphlet, magazine, book...etc. being written exclusively with the Mother as the expected reader. It's like they think Dads will never read anything to do with having a kid.

Claim your kid is keeping you up at night, that covers a multitude of thickheadednesses.

I'm a Mom, and I think that looks awesome. For my husband. Seriously. God forbid the mainstream media acknowledge that he has *interest* that might be shared with my daughter! The horror!

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