Graffiti is Bad but Vulgar Words Makes Us MONEY!!

This is a bus stop across the street from Union Station. From this bus stop you can  connect to the Metrolink, Gold Line, Red Line, Amtrak as well as busses and expresses that go all over the city.

Across the way is Olvera Street.

There are many children who walk by this bus stop all of the time. On this day I noticed the sweetest little girl looking up at this poster. I took a picture of her. Her eyes where big and she was motioning her sister over. I wanted to cover her eyes, but these damn posters are all over the bus stops and busses.

 

They both stood there looking at this vulgar poster with the phrase, "Tuesdays are a bitch," carefully splattered across it in a classy typeface.

This isn't Metro's fault, the street furniture is owned by CBS/Decaux, so that Metro can make money. This isn't CBS/Decaux's fault, because they are just trying to make money. This isn't the City of LA's fault, because they need money and selling the streets of LA off to the highest bidder helps in getting money.

So whose fault is it?

Why is it OK that little girls have to see the word "bitch" while they are walking up the street with their big sister?

I think a part of livable streets should be that little girls and women and people in general should be able to walk around without having (city-sanctioned) sexist interpretations of women thrown in their faces.

by Browne Molyneux

Comments

[Spokker]

Tuesdays can be a bit of a bitch. What are *you* implying, though? That those women are bitches? I'm very offended by your interpretation.

[Spokker]

Here's the 1994 original: http://www.cinemasterpieces.com/melrosejan08.jpg

I used to watch Melrose Place when I was an impressionable 12-year-old and got my kicks off of it, but I wouldn't watch the remake even if it were good.

Still, I love living in an era where there are people who are offended by absolutely everything.

[Rosemary]

Ugh, I hate these Melrose Place posters. There are also a few around town that say something along the lines of "Tuesday is the new Hump Day" or "Menage a Tuesday." What bothers me is the lack of creativity in this type of advertising--are sexy innuendo and nasty name calling the only way to promote a product? And I agree with Spokker, I wouldn't watch this (or the new 90210--as a kid, I loved the original) at all.

[Erik G.]

And then there are those loud obnoxious twits on the Clever Cleaver segment on Transit TV with their stereotypical costumes. Last week they had a Chinese recipe and one of the guys actually had on faux-long braid!

And the the quiz told us that "Godthaab" was the capital of Greenland! The city has been called by its original name, Nuuk, for many, many years!

Who approves this stuff?

[Spokker]

I agree that the creativity is not there. Melrose Place was hot in the early 90s. Today, not so much. Its time has passed and I don't see the need to resurrect the series.

As far as sexism goes, well, these same types of ads have been running since the original Melrose Place, and today more women are enrolled in college than men.

I doubt there is a negative effect on society. I think that parents who are outraged over things like this lack the education to have an open, honest discussion with their children about media and its implications.

It reminds me of the violence in video games debate. Do violent video games make a child go crazy and kill people? Absolutely not. There was violence before games and there's less violent crime today than there ever was.

Same with these types of ads. There was sexism before mass media and there is less sexism today than ever before.

At the end of the day, the ad was clever in the 1990s, but I wouldn't call for it to be removed. I don't want to live in a world where media is sanitized for the kiddies. Kids are smarter than you give them credit for.

[browne]

@Spokker

It's not just the ad its the term bitch. I view the term bitch in the same way I view racial slurs. I have just as much problem with the word bitch as I do the terms nigger or wetback or jap or fag or whatever...

Of course you don't care. You're a guy. That's not a violent term to you. That's not going to make people think of you as if you're nothing.

If you have enough money to have a car or enough time to pre-walk routes then your child never has to be exposed to these words. Shouldn't parents have a choice of what their child is exposed to at least in regards to having the bus stop be safe.

I never heard cursing at all until I came here. I never knew that bad words existed until I was 10 years old. I thought darn was a bad word.

If you had a daughter Spokker would you be ok with someone saying bitch and fuck in front of her?

It's the word. For the word bitch to be used like that in public where little kids can see it, it's just outrageous. That little girl is so young she is holding a doll. It's unacceptable. The ad sexist uncreative crap, but this is LA so what am I going to do, but the sexist slurs in words, no, that's not ok. Young women shouldn't be desensitized into thinking that being called a bitch isn't a big deal. If you are a kid and you see this, you think bitch isn't a slur against women, you will think this is something women are called and if someone calls you a bitch you won't be insulted.

Bitch is an insult.

That's what I see on the bus, I see young women being treated like pieces of meat and they think it's ok, because that's all they see, they've been desensitized to sexism. They think their point in life is to be some guy's fucktoy, and it's very obvious.

Do you know how many assholes have just come up and touched me? Actually put their hands on me, because they think that they have a right to touch me, because of this kind of crap. The young women on the bus think this kind of thing is a compliment. These young men think I'm odd for being insulted when they touch me and I don't appreciate it.

And I'm not ok with a four year old being ok with the word bitch. I would be mortified. I would be mortified if someone said bitch in front of someone four years old in my presence.

@Erik
I will keep an eye out for that ad on Transit TV. I always want to film those but can never get my camera out in time. I have noticed in the past that it was racially offensive, but also putting out wrong information, that's great.

Browne

[Damien Newton]

First, vulgarity isn't just forced on transit riders and pedestrians. They got big honking billboards that say "bitch," "hump day," and "menage a tues." Everyone gets to join in the fun.

Second, I absolutely think that part of a "livable streets" agenda is clean and reduced streets advertising. It's bad enough to clutter up our streets with garish advertisements every 20 feet. It's downright terrible that they feel the need to try and "push the envelope" with vapid "naughty words" to try and push the envelope.

[Mike P.]

I completely agree that some posters in our city are offensive.
By the way, to the Author of the article:
the word "busses" spells with one "s" (i.e. buses).
So...
back to the posters.
Yeah, in West Hollywood, for example, the print posters are especially offensive, where they're provoking homosexuality, and showing completely disgusting pictures of faggots hugging each other, or a naked pervert holding a rubber duck to cover his private parts!! (for the "ReallyCheckYourself.org" print ad)
This is disgusting, and is wrong on so many levels!
Where is the City coming to!!
Shame on L.A.!!

[Randall BusTard]

"Mike P."-
You have completely missed the point—and not just because you spelled "author" with a capital "A" nor your wrong-headed "correction" regarding the plural of "bus." (It is busses, and until you learn some decent grammar and manners, please feel free to shut up.)
Just as you have a problem with other folks' sexuality, we at The Bus Bench have a problem with folks' stupidity. As such, we are surprised that you are not offended by our posts—seeing as they are meant to to provoke critical thinking about certain topics.
But since you are stupid, Mike P., I imagine that was not clear to you. With hope, this missive was sparkling clear.

[Kymberleigh Richards]

Once again, a distortion of the facts.

The shelters are indeed owned by CBS/Decaux, but Metro does NOT make any money from the advertising on them. That money is split between Decaux and the City, who contracts with them.

I know you hate Metro, Browne, but that is no excuse for not getting the facts straight.

[browne]

I don't hate Metro. That was a mistake I'll make correction. I assumed that Metro and their busses and LA City/CBS Decaux were connected because the same ads are on the busses and the bus stops, but you're right Metro makes no money off the bus stops.

[E]

Randall Bustard.

Open a dictionary. please.

Bus - noun, plural bus-es, bus-ses, verb, bused or bussed, bus-ing or bus-sing.

[Erik]

But Metro does make $$$ off of the racist and apparently traitorous Transit TV.

Yesterday's quiz asked "What nation issued the 5 dollar bill found in Lincoln's pocket when he was assasinated?" Answer was "The Confederate States of America"

Bzzt! The "CSA" was not ever a recognized nation!!

Be gone TransitTV!! (and take your KKKrappy monitors with you!

P.S. Metrolink got one in Covina tonight!

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_13211811

[browne]

I need to keep my eyes open on the bus or at least keep my camera open.

[Erik]

I just wanted to apoligize for the above statement where I said "Metrolink got one in Covina..."

Using the term "got one" is not appropriate, even if it turns out to have been a suicide that led to thousands of people getting home after 9pm last night after a 3-plus hour delay.

[ubrayj02]

I'm not a woman, but this ad pisses me off. We throw kids lives away for scribbling on the walls, but these big money cretins can abuse us to our face and we're supposed to stand there and smile about it?

Git me a bukit of paint ma' I'm gunna go fix that thar bus stop.

[KateNonymous]

"It's not just the ad its the term bitch. I view the term bitch in the same way I view racial slurs. I have just as much problem with the word bitch as I do the terms nigger or wetback or jap or fag or whatever..."

Whereas I'm bothered by specific uses of the word "bitch," not the word itself. I think it's used much too broadly, but I think it's based on behavior (which we can choose to exhibit or not, and sometimes I choose to) rather than the essence of who a person is.

(I'm not saying you're wrong, Browne--I'm sure we've had different experiences with the word, being different people.)

However, I do think they should have come up with a better way to advertise the show. But then that's asking a lot of people who couldn't even come up with a new show.

[browne]

I understand what you are saying Katenonymous, but the term is sexist. It's hate speech. It's dangerous. It's saying a trait based stictly on biology something you can't control can dictate behavior. And it's also stating that women are negative, that a strong women is a negative thing. That a woman who isn't happy and going with the program is bad.

Who gets called a bitch? Smart women, black women, lesbian women, women who state their opinion, women who are in charge, women who don't do what people want, women who are uppity.

Barbara Bush is horrible, but no one calls her a bitch because she's nice and goes along with the program.

Language is powerful. I think there is a strong connection between the violence that is now being committed on women in top universities (the shooting at UCI the throat being slitting at UCLA) owing exactly to the use of the term bitch. Things start off little and become big. Bitch used to only be a problem (the word not the sexism we know that's across class lines) in the inner city, now bitch is an upper middle class woman problem. Racism, sexism, homophobia needs to be nipped in the butt before people get their throats slit in university labs because they don't want to date someone.

Browne

[KateNonymous]

I think you do have a point, and I think it's a complex issue. Thanks for sharing more of your thoughts. I agree with a lot of your points, but it sounds like my response is different--my behavior is my behavior regardless of what people call it, so I sometimes choose to say, "That's right, I'm a bitch" rather than consistently reject the word. But I also agree that all too often we're judged differently for the same behavior, and there's nothing right about that.

What bugs me even more, though, is that too many of the slurs for men are actually slurs on their mothers.

[Randall BusTard]

Kym-

You idiot. Metro DOES make money from these ads because the same prints are on the busses. So please, shut up, stop being stupid and please, Please, PLEASE put on a clean tee-shirt when you are out in public.