The point being that cutting strand pastas is for little children.
The “real Italians” stuff is just purism.
This story correlates with the BB post from yesterday: “A map of the worst countries in the world in which to be a worker” where the US ranks together with Sierra Leone or Pakistan. I’m fascinated that it’s apparently allowed and enforceable to regulate the private life of your employee in the US. Wal Mart tried this in Germany and were shot down by the courts faster than they could blink (not much longer and they had to give up their operations in Germany).
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Can someone please explain to me what the point of cheerleaders is
So when the brain damaged players sprain their ankles and the game safely comes to a pause, the on-hand medical staff can come a’ running whilst the cheerleader girls can shriek in horror and show grave concern for the brave lads.
Meanwhile… in a place that doesn’t do “pause” and one’s closest “cheerleader” is a shark swimming beneath the water:
(And, yes, she’s only got one arm. A shark bit off the other one while surfing.)
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By your tone, I think you approve of forcing our daughters to surf because it seems radical and edgy
Yes, by gun point because I’m radical and edgy like that. I can only hope that all our daughters get their appendages torn off and eaten by sharks in the process. Because, I’m radical… and I’m edgy.
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These Girls are Looks Very Good
Nobody’s ignoring it: it’s just not relevant. It’s not OK to break the law and use abusive employment conditions just because those you’re criminally underpaying may have ulterior or non-financial motives. Its like saying a veterinarian doesn’t have to pay her workers minimum wage because they really like animals and didn’t take the job just for the money.
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This reminds me of the case of beauty pageants. You’re often forbidden to get any non- pageant work. Too bad for you if they’re not bothering to book such work for you. Too many jobs out there rely on a continuous stream of suckers.
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Green Bay is in an entirely different universe than the other NFL teams in so many ways.
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You don’t know the Bethany Hamilton story, I take it.
The story is not just “job has bad conditions”. As you say, many job conditions are far worse.
This is a highly glorified job, in which the workers are regarded as cultural elites. In a sense they are the female counterpart to the male pro football player (a job which pays very well).
The story is that even women who are celebrated and admired - even the women who serve as role models for so many girls - are obsessively controlled and ruthlessly exploited.
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So, cheerleaders are really not very good at negotiating contracts and rates?
I am very appalled at the misogyny in this comment section.
So the cheerleaders have been characterized (by several commenters here) as gold diggers, workers who are “asking for it”, and dumb people (as in FEMALE “people”) who are “not very good at negotiating contracts and rates”. The cheerleaders aren’t actually performing a skilled job that requires years of dance and gymnastic training - under extremely exploitative working conditions ? For teams that pay certain players MILLIONS of dollars per season ? WTF Commenter Dudes of BB ?
I think there is a whole lot wrong with North American sports culture - and mainstream culture as a whole. That does not somehow excuse the behaviour of the teams that employ cheerleaders.
How did this go from a discussion of how extremely exploitative the working conditions are - and the lawsuits begun on this basis - to a dismissal of the women who are cheerleaders as less than human ? Who should “know better” ?
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Thank you.
Just because you think the job is worthless and don’t understand why someone would want to do it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be paid a fair wage for their work.
Likewise “It’s a job they enjoy and chose to do” is also not a reason to not pay a fair wage. If it were, I (and a lot of you) would also be working for free.
“She’s pretty” is not a good reason not to be paid a fair wage. “Her job is sexist” is not a good reason to not be paid a fair wage.
Need I go on?
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I do not understand the “take-it-or-leave-it” attitude some of you show for underpaid or undervalued workers. The NFL is not hurting for money. The league brings it in hand over fist. And whether or not you think the work is valid or worthwhile, cheerleaders are still people who deserve to be treated fairly.
But to blame the cheerleaders for being exploited while giving a complete pass to the the wealthy teams who pay their salary and treat them like dirt… Seriously? Do you really believe that they deserve it? That because the cheerleaders show up the NFL teams are justified in how they treat their employees?
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I’d love to see some game-day collective bargaining by these cheerleaders.
The players are on the turf, ESPN is broadcasting, the crowd is getting excited. A representative from the Raiderettes approaches the manager to inform them that the squad has agreed there will be no performance today unless a few conditions are met.
Or even better
Contract negotiations having failed, the Buffalo Jills take to the field during half-time to perform an unauthorized protest routine in which their official uniforms are turned inside out to reveal letters which spell out: WE CAN’T LIVE ON NOTHING when facing one way, and FAIR PAY NOW! on the other. Cameras cut away, and officials try to clear the field once they realize what’s happening, but the damage has been done.
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As great as this would be to see it wouldn’t work. There’s a reason there are tryouts for the job. The first to pull this sort of stunt would be quickly replaced with the hopefuls that didn’t make the grade before. Sure there would be a few events without cheerleaders, but the replacements would be brought up to speed soon enough.
There are tryouts for Major League Baseball, too.
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Because they’re women…duh.
/s
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While misogyny may exacerbate the issues here, there are more fundamental forces at play.
Those in control of our society are pushing for pricing at ‘what the market will bear’. In purely capitalist reasoning there’s still lots of competition to becoming a cheerleader, so why are highly employable attractive women still choosing to do it in spite of all the awfulness? Commenters are seeking to understand the behavior.
Unpaid internships, reduced minimum wages for wait staff who make tips, cheerleaders, illegal farmworkers and those hired as associates/partners rather than employees are all outcomes of a purely capitalist/free market approach.
If a job is desirable enough to do it for free, then people will do it for free. Cheerleading supply significantly exceeds demand in spite of everything.
Most of us have to pay for our hobbies and clubs. How is this any different?
A hobby implies a group of like minded others. People may spend a great deal of money on their hobby to satisfy their own interests, friendship contacts, etc.
I know of no hobby where enthusiasts are employed by an extremely profitable enterprise (ie major sports team), and given an extremely binding contract that has rules about weight, grooming standards, deportment, pantyhose and suggested tampon use.
While you may not see the misogyny, this does not mean it is not an inherent aspect of this sports culture, or exploitative contract.
Certain athletes like football players are selected and groomed while at the highschool level. What becomes of the girls/young women who have excelled at things like dance, gymnastics and cheerleading ? Do they have promising scholarships or lucrative endorsement deals to look forward to when they graduate ? Most female gymnasts reach the peak of performance excellence far before the age of 18. The social construct of being a cheerleader for a national sports team is dangled like a carrot - marketed to the athletic girls/women who can fulfill a certain standard of beauty AND performance. This construct - with things like posters, personal appearances, etc. and proximity to the real performers (ie the “real athletes”) provide the illusion that this may lead to greater things - like success, being a celebrity, being "discovered"on the basis of their talent or star quality. The reality is that it is a complete rip-off. The women who spoke out were promptly fired.
Have you ever applied for a job where you were assessed on your suitability for the job while a panel of people graded you on your physical appearance ? While you did physically challenging manouvers in what was basically underwear ? And while this position had been culturally sold to you for your entire lifetime - there was no one to warn you how exploitative this was ? So that when the terms of your employment were sold to you - like you had won a BIG PRIZE that you had to take very careful care of - lest you be replaced for a minor infraction. It is an inherently abusive arrangement.
I know you would like to believe that this is not a product of misogyny - that all that stuff was gotten rid of in the 70’s. That these poor dumb gold-digging cheerleaders are just doing it to themselves. That there are so many other better opportunities for them.
Here, read this story, about the author’s mother, who was a tenured professor of medicine, who discovered that her male colleagues with similar credentials and education were paid up to FIVE TIMES as much as she was - and when she fought back she was fired:
And as a dude, explain again to all the ladies how this is not just another instance of misogyny at work and play. Tell me again how there are just as many women’s sports teams, where athletes are paid the same as the male superstars, who get the same amount of national airtime, endorsements, etc. Tell me again about all the opportunities those cheerleading women have to professionally pursue what they have been trained to do since girlhood.
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