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June 19, 2007

Heather Mac Donald dismayed by Hallmark


Heather Mac Donald, originally uploaded by Lindsay Beyerstein.

Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan institute sniffs out cultural rot in the greeting card aisle:

The mandatory trek to the greeting card display, whether for an artificial holiday such as Father’s Day or for a birthday, is occasion for fear and loathing. There is only one melancholy upside to the rising muck of cards devoted to flatulence, impotence, and outsized mammary glands: Hallmark provides a darn good barometer of social breakdown—transformed, with all the cheerful non-judgmentalism of capitalism, into a business opportunity.

For years now, as one stared with increasing despair at the studly stud, dirty old man, and bathroom “humor,” new categories of card were blossoming luxuriantly. “Celebrating your divorce” or “For my second stepmother” cards began popping up regularly among the “From the dog” or “Incompetent duffer” standards. And this year’s display at a Manhattan stationer’s did not disappoint. In the small section devoted to Hallmark’s “African-American” line (of course there is one; it is called “Mahogany”), two card pockets advertised “For mother on Father’s Day” options. One card had apparently already sold out. The other was a tasteful and ingeniously designed card in the Mahogany line’s characteristic earthtones, with a lovely charcoal drawing of a beautiful black woman in one-quarter view.

The front of the card read:

for My Mother

ON FATHER’S DAY

Long story short: Mac Donald is appalled that someone might want to thank their single mom for doing the work of two parents and even more aghast that corporate America might sell them a product to help realize this desire.

Amanda's response about covers what needs to be said. I just wanted an excuse to re-post the picture.

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_Sniffs out cultural rot in the greeting card aisle_...

Talk about shooting fish in a barrel!

I can't believe Negroes have become uppity enough to apparently demand separate greeting card lines named after Diana Ross movies. White riot, I wanna riot.

"Someone, somewhere is not miserable enough. Damn!!"

- Heather MacDonald to herself.

Heather MacDonald: clinically depressed or just a morose misanthrope? (PC alert: if she is depressed, I hope she gets proper medical attention.)

"Heather MacDonald: clinically depressed or just a morose misanthrope? (PC alert: if she is depressed, I hope she gets proper medical attention.)"

Or maybe we can send her a card!

Actually, I've always felt the "Mahogany" line is emblematic of a sad situation, too.

It disappoints me that people, white and black, feel the need to segregate by greeting cards. I'm white, and I've never gotten a greeting card with a black face on it. Why? Because when there are white faces on a card, it's a Greeting Card. When there are black faces, it's a Greeting Card For Black People.

Unlike Amanda, I don't exploit these situations to get pissed off at someone, so I'm not blaming whites, blacks, or greeting card companies. But blacks and whites in America today all implicitly say, "oh, I have no problems with , I just don't want to live near them, worship with them, marry them, send my kids to school with them, send my kids to summer camp with them..." It's too bad that a trivial thing like greeting cards has to be divisive, too. I understand why it is that way; it's just disappointing, and it makes me think that dismantling the USA's legacy of racial disharmony is going to take a lot longer than I wish it would.

The above should have read "I have no problems with [other race]", but I used the "<>" characters so it thought I was using HTML. Whoops.

Hallmark is a sign of social breakdown--not because there are cards for non-traditional families, but because it embodies the commodification of emotional ties.

I mean, is it just me or does anybody else just think the very existence of greeting cards is extremely creepy?

Do we have any of these items? Pencils, crayons, some paper or cardboard, glue sticks, old magazines, newspapers, a computer, half-a-brain? Great...let's make our own!

Agreed Tom. Why think of how you feel about someone and writting it yourself in a card when you can pay someone to do it for you. Sort of like dolls in the US. Why get a child a favorite doll that they will have for years and love, when you can just replace it year after year with something new and better. The commodification of society in every facet of life is slowly unraveling our humanity.

Do we have any of these items? Pencils, crayons, some paper or cardboard, glue sticks, old magazines, newspapers, a computer, half-a-brain? Great...let's make our own!

There's also empty stationary you can buy to simplify the process...

"Hallmark is a sign of social breakdown--not because there are cards for non-traditional families, but because it embodies the commodification of emotional ties." - Tom Hilton

This is very true. Hallmark itself is not responsible for society's ills. As Tom points out, they merely are capitalizing on the disgusting trends in our world. I say "Good for them". If I could make a few bucks doing it, I would too.

Once again though, people want to blame an eveil corporation instead of blaming the morons of the world who create situations for cards like "For my second step-mom" or "Congrats on your divorce" or "Welcome home from prison for raping little kids".

My question is: why isn't Heather MacDonald dismayed by the disturbing trend of eroding morals in our society that allows Hallmark to put out the kinds of cards they do? If people were't so fucked up, thee would be no need for these cards.

If anyone can tell me where to find a "Congrats on your divorce" card, drop me a line.

I don't think it's as simple as capitalizing on preexisting ills. Advertizing does influence behavior, and all commercial advertizing is aimed at getting people to spend money. When the money is being spent on something that used to be free or that substitutes for person to person contact, it erodes the social glue of communities and families. There is no need to invoke some grand conspiracy - it's the same sort of emergent property of markets that lies behind the 'invisible hand' economists are so fond of. Anyone who can find a way to become an intermediary between people and charge for the service is rewarded. This creates an incentive to drive wedges between people to create needs that can be filled (for a price). Again, there is no need to invoke conspiracies or evil intent - just the basic amorality of the marketplace, unrestrained by countervailing forces.

Unlike Amanda, I don't exploit these situations to get pissed off at someone, so I'm not blaming whites, blacks, or greeting card companies.

Uh, I didn't get pissed about the cards.

"It disappoints me that people, white and black, feel the need to segregate by greeting cards. I'm white, and I've never gotten a greeting card with a black face on it. Why? Because when there are white faces on a card, it's a Greeting Card. When there are black faces, it's a Greeting Card For Black People."

Please tell me who is doing the segregating? Do not lump whites in there, call a spade a spade damn it and at least be honest, because I am damned sick and tired of the racial double standard that exists in this country!

"Do not lump whites in there"

Should read: Do not lump whites in there just to be PC,

Having keyboard issues today.

Tom Hilton: Hallmark is a sign of social breakdown--not because there are cards for non-traditional families, but because it embodies the commodification of emotional ties.

Interesting point. I hadn't thought of it that way.

I guess it is commodification of emotions...but when mass distribution of music came out (radio and phonograph), I'd bet some people said that was also commodification of emotions (i.e. art), because all of a sudden music wasn't played for a human audience; it was just played for machines. But I'd say the benefits outweighed the costs, and I'd probably say the same thing about greeting cards.

Personal note: I had a surgery last year which quite literally saved my life. Rightnow I'm typing this message at my desk, surrounded by the greeting cards my friends and family sent. I suppose they're inferior to handmade cards...but they're vastly superior to emails or phone calls.

Dave: Please tell me who is doing the segregating?

You must have failed to read the part of the message where I said, "I don't exploit these situations to get pissed off at someone."

Apparently you do. So I don't think we have much to talk about.

Nice way to admit you are wrong, if you are going to post something at least be honest instead of putting a group out there just to be PC.

P.S. I am no where near pissed off, just making an observation.


I guess it is commodification of emotions...but when mass distribution of music came out (radio and phonograph), I'd bet some people said that was also commodification of emotions (i.e. art), because all of a sudden music wasn't played for a human audience; it was just played for machines. But I'd say the benefits outweighed the costs, and I'd probably say the same thing about greeting cards.

I think mass distribution is the problem, since everything becomes mass distributed. Do as many people see the person live anymore? Is the music even made by the performer (Take Ashlee Simpson and Milli Vanilli)? Is that benefit worth the cost? When it's in every facet of your life, is the benefit worth the cost? I'd argue no. I think the problem is we are a society of incapable of moderation, we do things to extremes. We don't need to go to concerts anymore, the digitization of music has made the quality so good, nobody has to. Throws out an opportunity of social contact. People get on the bus/metro, put their Ipod on and tune out everyone around them (despite whether it's loud enough someone else to listen without headphones)with no possible chance for human interaction. The ways technology affects human contact and quality of life is huge, and the effects are just being felt. Just taking one instance doesn't seem to be a big deal, but when everything is similar in effect, the cumulative macro effect is much larger than just taking one instance of mass marketing and commoditization. I'm not saying technology is bad for society, just the way which have been using it. Couple that problem with the commodification of greeting cards, and it's no wonder why people don't even flinch at 100,000's of Iraqi's dying, or the current acceptance of torture in American society.

Commodification - overused word of the day!

Commodification - overused word of the day!

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