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OMG TV and Matt Lauer

You really need to see the latest from Matt Lauer. Take a look at the video and story here. Lauer makes a lame joke about Guthrie vacuuming and she flips him off. And no, it's not her index finger. Most people know I dislike TV. And I dislike their 'news' even more than other programming. But this whole segment is offensive in so many ways.

First, is testing vacuum cleaners news? Why is anyone even doing this on a news show? Even better, why is anyone doing this outdoors? We most surely have serious things to talk about. Morning news should be just that. If you want consumer information or light entertainment then call it that, but not 'news'.

Second, the whole setup is grossly sexist. Two women are competing at.....vacuuming! While a man watches! Why not just put the women in little white aprons and the man in a suit while smoking a pipe and reading a paper? And the women are positively squealing with 'delight' about their vacuum performance. Please. This is housework pornography complete with fake orgasms over the vacuum.

Third, Matt Lauer is out of control. I have been reading casually about his arguments on and off set with coworkers. He is a jerk. I can't say whether Guthrie is a sweetie, but a co-host should not be treated like this. There's Lauer as referee of a vacuuming competition while the co-host is a squealing, simpering user of a vacuum. That's public mistreatment. I understand he is rude and controlling off set as well. And don't make nasty, foolish jokes about a person when the relationship is strained. That's really dumb and mean.

Fourth, Guthrie was in a demeaning situation and was further demeaned on set. She was put in a no-win situation, where to chirpily admit to vacuum knowledge was to further all sorts of stereotypes, and to deny vacuum knowledge made her look like an out-of-touch bitch. That's the sort of trap anyone would resent. That is the sort of behavior that is sexist, stupid, mean.

And I applaud Guthrie for giving that asshole the bird. I wish she had admitted it on twitter rather than deny it. Lauer deserves it. And Guthrie deserves better treatment, whether she is a 'nice person' or not. Professional broadcasters should behave that way.

I really dislike man-bashing feminism. I dislike most -isms. But I understand them and have sympathy for them when I see behavior like that.

The Today Show was my favorite morning show as a child. I liked High Downs and Barbara Walters, and I loved Frank Blair reading the news (I thought he was Frank Flair for years). The show is now last in the mornings and it deserves it. Lauer should be fired. And NBC should get a good kick in the head for putting on a segment that objectifies women as squealing lovers of vacuums. Of course, if I had a choice between a vacuum cleaner and Matt Lauer, I would choose the vacuum.

Good for Savannah Guthrie!!

Ted

Comments

  1. Ted0330April 2, 2013 at 11:38 PM

    Another comment received by email-

    The Today Show is such old ‘news’ at this point that I think it serves only as fodder for the celebrity press. The latest ins-and-outs of the anchors is always good news for US Weekly and People Magazine – Ann Curry in / out, Katie Couric sweetie or swine, Matt Lauer saint or sinner – who gives a sh1t? The Big 3 networks are tattered vestiges at this point, having little or no impact on the broadcast world [however that can be defined today]. They remain [relatively speaking] heavily regulated by the FCC in a way that are none of the cable / satellite channels. This explains in large part their reliance on “reality” TV and similar dreck: Dancing with the Stars, 1,368,212 versions of Survivor, Splash [Diving with the Stars?], etc., etc., etc. Stack that up against HBO, CineMax, et alia with their high-quality productions like Band of Brothers, Boardwalk Empire, Treme, Game of Thrones, [not to mention the soft-porn Spartacus, The Tudors, Rome, and The Borgias] etc. While we [thee and me] may not find all of these to our liking, from a quality of production, writing, acting, etc point of view, these shows make ABC, NBC, and CBS look very worn and sad.



    Your other point concerning the presentation of gender roles in all this; we are in a great cultural dilemma here. Women are to be portrayed as strong, independent, self-actualized figures, in all ways the equals [or in many cases the betters] of any man or men. At the same time, women are depicted as wife-and-mother domestics or sex-kittens whose only purpose is to be seen in the nude / semi-nude whilst satisfying the “needs” of every randy male thereabouts. This sends great messages to our sons and daughters which, IMHO, cannot be reconciled in the media and can only be addressed in the home by example. The bit on the Today Show with the vacuums sends the clearest message of all: professional women are really just domestics at heart and their true value can ONLY be revealed in that way. I do not think that either you or I sought to raise our daughters this way, but so many people talk the talk but do not walk the walk.

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