The page's main quote is exactly the same as Clarke's Third Law and it is more appropriate on that page. I suggest we remove it from this page, or at least replace it.
It's pretty insulting to watch kid's toy commercials; for boys, there are things that make rubber bugs, remote-control spy cameras, and 'action figures.' For girls? "Magical" babies that really eat, cry and poop, Barbie who REALLY SAYS WORDS!, "magic" color-changing whatever...and Easy Bake Ovens. Wow. What's the message here? Sounds like "Hey boys; get into science, mechanics, technology, whatever! Oh, and girls; be magical sparkle-poo faries, bake cookies and have lots of babies!" Not only do ads treat girls like idiots, they treat them like the idea of changing diapers and burping babies should be "fun." I'm sounding like a Straw Feminist here; I'm not saying that it's bad to enjoy being a housewife and not consider raising kids a burden. It's just that it shouldn't be the only option for women. There should be a supposedly 'boyish toy' for girls too; or better, marketed to girls and boys.
Edited by Ju Hide / Show RepliesI agree with you on this. There's a company called "Girl Tech," but it seems to think girls will ONLY buy something that uses technology if it has to do with beads, alarm clocks that look like (creepy) cute bugs, makeovers, journals, or ways of keeping in touch (IM things, etc.) And I got all that just from looking at their website.
Well, it may be reinforcing stereotypes about girly activities, but it's also managing to shoot this trope into the ground. Considering that a lot of girls' toys are inherently of a "make-believe" variety, like light-up wands and dolls and such, overtly acknowledging the "it runs on a battery" part is a bit like Doing In the Wizard. "Let's pretend this is a magical fairy wand, even though it runs on a battery and has no power over preternatural or ontological forces. What are you doing with your life?"
You know how Clarke's Third Law goes something like "Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic"? Well...
Oh, you mean 'is this a literary/storytelling device that is found throughout various media?' Hm, gee, no, actually I don't think it is. Also, there's the fact that this trope may not be purely due to gender differences; notice how the things that are supposed to run on "magic" are all, well, either light-up wands and babydolls (in which case noting its "fakeness" kind of takes away from the fun of these toys in the first place.), and when say, GirlTech or some kind of electronic toy is being marketed, it never tries to make the claim that it's "magical". So yes, I see that there's probably reason to question this trope.
Edited by 76.28.217.19Should there be examples?
An open mind and compassionate heart are among the most important qualities we can have. Hide / Show RepliesI wonder if Clarke's Law allows a toy marketed (separately) to both boys and girls; with the only difference being the inclusion of a service manual in the boys' version... :-)
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Small-ish thing, started by spasticgecko on Jul 30th 2011 at 8:37:18 AM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman