Women are dumb! Giggle, giggle, faint.

One article you ought to read today, if you want something to gnash your teeth over:

Women vs. WomenWe Scream, We Swoon. How Dumb Can We Get?

This piece of "journalism", written by Washington Post columnist Charlotte Allen, got me so angry I started seething.

Essentially, if you don't feel like reading the article yourself, Allen starts with discussing the numbers of women who are getting a little overexcited at Barack Obama's election rallies. Fair enough, it's a little silly (although the prospect of actually having someone vaguely competent as US president might be justification enough for a little overexcitement). One point for Allen.

However, she then goes on to add further examples of women's "stupidity" and "mental deficiency" : reading trashy escapist novels and watching Grey's Anatomy seemingly the most damning. Oh, also, women are bad drivers. Never mind that her evidence says that men have worse/more fatal accidents.

I'm sorry, but a predilection for trashy TV and/or books is hardly a sign of mental deficiency. True, if women did nothing but watch/read this stuff, then maybe, but firstly, it's hardly all women who like it, secondly, it's meant to be ESCAPIST, and thirdly, there are plenty of male-oriented trashy shows involving car smashing, bike-building and plenty of semi-naked women.

And public displays of emotion? Don't even get me started on sports fans.

True, there may be fewer "female fighter pilots, architects, tax accountants, chemical engineers, Supreme Court justices and brain surgeons" in the world, but considering the endless years of sexism in the workforce, it's hardly surprising, and certainly not a sign that women should stop trying to fill our fair share of these positions. Girls are now outperforming boys at school at every level and they should be encouraged to go for any job they want.

To be honest, I have no idea what a piece of drivel like this is doing in a quality national newspaper. It's not even remotely funny, or tongue-in-cheek, something which might have allowed it to hang on with one little finger to a glimmer of credibility. No doubt the Post decided that publishing this would cause a little stir of controversy and push its ratings up, because I cannot see any other reason for publishing it.

It's completely unnecessary articles like this, intended to provoke feminist backlash, that are one of my personal betes noires. Why is a professional writer trying to perpetuate an outmoded stereotype against 50 per cent of the world's population? What on earth is the point?

Does she really think all women should give up and concentrate on "tenderness toward children and men and the weak and the ability to make a house a home"? In what way does journalism fall into that category? Shouldn't she be at home, arranging pillows on her sofa or knitting socks for her children? Charlotte, if you want to be dim, go ahead (this article is a great example of that...), but don't tar us all with your scrapbooking glue brush, thanks.