Kate Stanton's Blog

Lord of the Flies Meets Reality TV?

Kate Stanton — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:03:32 EDT

"40 Children, 40 Days, No Adults. Can they do it? Can they build a better world than grown-ups?"

This is the promotional tagline for a controversial new reality show on CBS called "Kid Nation," where forty kids aged 8-15 are left to fend for themselves in a New Mexico ghost town, frontier-style. And there's no parental supervision whatsoever. Sure, it all sounds like good times, but its definitely not your average slumber party. Charged with the task of building a new society from the ground-up, the kids elect representatives, attend townhall meetings, and even run their own saloon.

You've got to check out the official CBS trailer:

Are Girls Going "Mild?"

Kate Stanton — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:23:21 EDT

Do Bratz dolls make you nauseous? Feeling pressure to be sexually aggressive? Do you abhor tight, low-rise jeans? Well, you are not alone.

ABC News reported on Friday that legions of young women are fast becoming part of a growing "modesty movement," an effort to rail against the traditionally feminist belief that sexual liberation empowers women. These women champion high necklines, looser clothing and sexually "mild" behavior. (What fun!) Although this might sound like the grumblings of sexually-repressed religious righters, its actually coming from thousands of young women from all sides of the political spectrum. They've begun to shop, read, and even blog about modesty. Many hope to resurrect the old idea that its cool to be a "good girl."

Mingling with the Other Side

Kate Stanton — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:25:07 EDT

Ramya's Friday blog post on conservative hotspot, Smith Point, caused a lot of excitement here at Campus Progress. Obviously, the possibilities seemed endless. Send one of our progressive interns to infiltrate the elite hangout of the likes of Barb and Jenna Bush. Let the hilarity ensue. Imagine my surprise then on Friday night when I accidentally (I must stress this word) and unknowingly wandered in to the side entrance of Smith Point. And I wasn't even wearing pearls!

Pro-Life "Objectivity"

Kate Stanton — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:41:38 EDT

D.C. commuters may have noticed a series of unusual advertisements appearing on the public bus system in the past few months. Sponsored by an enigmatic organization known as the “Second Look Project,” the ads feature solemn-looking young women accompanied by provocative messages about abortion in America.

One particularly absurd ad reads:

“Myth: Abortion is legal only in the first three months of pregnancy. Fact: It’s legal for the entire nine months for virtually any reason.”

Um, no. A woman can’t just ask for an abortion in her third term because she "feels like it," for example. Late-term abortions occur rarely and are always subject to a multitude of restrictions.

"Evan Almighty"--Good, Clean Christian Comedy

Kate Stanton — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:00:53 EDT

When perusing through the 700 Club’s website this morning (I like a bit of comedy to start my day), I noticed a “Special Features” link to the upcoming Steve Carell film, “Evan Almighty,” about a modern-day Noah. Right there on Pat Robertson’s website, you can not only learn about the movie, you can also “test your Ark knowledge” or build your own metaphorical ark! How strange to see the former “Daily Show” golden boy and star of the delightfully crude “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” suddenly doing it for the Lord.