Casually and unironically referring to adults as “girls” is part of the problem.
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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.
1 Like
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.
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?
