My response to the May 23 Doonesbury comic strip at:
http://www.doonesbury.com/media/contact/index.htmlGarry Trudeau apologized for running the May 23 "head on a platter" strip so soon after Nicholas Berg's beheading in Iraq. As a men's issues advocate, I have to ask why it would be OK to have published the cartoon if the beheading had not recently taken place.
There is a double standard in the media in which violence against women is (rightly) presented as abhorrent, while violence against men is (wrongly) portrayed as humorous and well-deserved. This particular strip is yet another example of this.
In my view, sexism in the media is a two-way street. While the media is vigilant against misogyny, it's male-bashing (misandry) goes largely unchecked. This must cease if Western society is to achieve a balanced approach to gender equality for men as well as women.
Steven G. Van Valkenburg
Founder of Men's Issues Online
-a voice for men's advocacy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MensIssuesOnline