As I noted several days ago, a temporary change in policy has brought ads for “Mail Order Russian Brides” as well as a number of other … interesting … products to the ad spaces on Scienceblogs.com. Since I pointed this out, other Scienceblog bloggers have apparently noticed it as well and complaints now abound among the bloggers and commenters. I had not personally noticed it, but apparently these new ads also include woovending. And of course, the site is still sponsored in part by Shell, which from a human rights perspective may be far more significant than Mail Order Russian Brides (but how does one compare, really).
The Russian Bride ads (and the other unsavory ads) are on their way out. The blog herders and editors at Seed/Scieneblogs.com are sympathetic to the concerns of the bloggers. However, I suspect that the Shell ads are not going anywhere because a) no one is stomping their feet and screaming about them; b) most people don’t know/care about environmental and human rights issues in Africa and c) a picture of a frog in a swamp does not evoke images of human sex trafficking and other unsavory ideas.
So symbolically, the Russian Brides have gotta go so that everyone can feel that the place (this blog network) is safe and clean and kind. But it won’t really be as much cleaner and safer and kinder as it will feel, and not just because of the Shell sponsorship. The truth is that the world is a complicated place and the way that corporations and foundations are structured the truth is that right now you, just by reading this blog, are probably crushing little puppies to death somewhere in the world without even knowing it.
A great example of this was studied by a friend of mine as part of her graduate work in non profit management. A major corporation that I shall not name but that you know and love (unless you use Linux and OSS like I do) is linked to a foundation that is known to do great work. There is a place in Africa where a major polluting source that causes early cancer-related and other deaths at a high rate in this region was mostly owned by the foundation (that is where their money is invested). Downstream and downwind from this major pollution source is a rural community that received funding from this foundation for educational and health facilities. So the interest garnered from an excellent investment (a good return because of lack of bothersome, costly environmental regulation) is spent buying notebooks and pens for the children, and putting a new roof on their school and getting them something for their giardia. So they can stay warm and dry and not hurt as much while they breath in polluted air and drink of the effluence of the world’s most polluting paper plant.
The important thing here is that the foundation wins because it is manipulating the symbols to make everyone feel good. And when science blogs get rid of the skanky Russian Bride ads, we will all feel great (and I support that) but the green frog in the swamp will still be staring out, cute as ever, mocking us all.
The following are the names of the “Ogoni Nine,” the nine environmental activists hanged by the neck until dead with the complicity of Shell Oil on November 10th 1995.
- Ken Saro-Wiwa
- Saturday Dobee
- Nordu Eawo
- Daniel Gbooko
- Paul Levera
- Felix Nuate
- Baribor Bera
- Barinem Kiobel
- John Kpuine
Even this is symbolic. Yes, they are nine real people hanged to death, but this a small number of the people who have died even since this time on the Delta, some working for Shell or its subsidiaries and subcontractors, some killed by mercenary or protective forces hired by Shell or its protective forces. People who trade oil futures note the number of dead per month in this low level war in Nigeria and use that number as one of their indices to oil futures (along with numbers of kidnappings, current hostages, etc.).
Life is complex, and so is Scienceblogs.com and the internet in general. Over the last several days we’ve seen flamboyant outcries to get rid of shockingly overt ads that make us feel that something really bad is happening. Getting rid of those ads is a good thing, but will probably have little overall effect on the suckiness of the world. Over the last several days (the entire month of June) we also saw a sustained effort to blog about, and discuss, the problem of post-war rape societies in Africa (and elsewhere) and we actually raised some money. Lots of bluster, lots of discussion, and I suspect a greater effect than our dealing with the ad issue.
But still not nearly enough.
Do more.
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I’m not really clear on how getting rid of the russian bride ads is a good thing, though. “Out of sight, out of mind” maybe? But I doubt they’re getting customers from sciblog readers, and if they’re removed from this site, they’ll just use their budget to go to another site with (most likely) more susceptible readers. If a creationist is giving away free copies of their book, isn’t it best to sign up for as many copies as possible, both to increase their cost and limit their influence? Shouldn’t the same principle apply here?
(Incidentally, now I’m getting ads for perpetual motion machines; zero point magnetic generators, even)
Well said, Greg, and of course you’re absolutely correct about Shell, and all the rest of the megacorporatocracy. I’ve avoided buying gas from Shell stations (and from Exxon stations, for different reasons), but that’s merely a shadow dance over the real problem, which is that I’m still dependent on a car to get to and from work every day. Then at work I use computers and other electronic equipment, which soon becomes outdated or broken, and are then shipped off to Ghana or other developing countries, to injure and poison children who must earn their living in deplorable conditions.
To your suggestion “Do more”, I would add the opposite “Do less“, but it doesn’t sound as good, and perhaps “Consume less” would be better. Like the first leg of “Reduce-Reuse-Recycle”, which is meant to be a progression, not equally sound options. Sure, it looks good (and smugly superior) to drive a Prius or other hybrid, but it might be better to hang onto an older fuel-efficient vehicle, and keep it well-maintained. Maybe we don’t need every new electronic gadget or computer upgrade, either. “Do less” unnecessary travel, and eat less well-traveled food, perhaps.
As an aside, I know a lot of people complain about PBS (and they have their own problems with corporate sponsors), but I think that the program Frontline World does a pretty good job of presenting important and interesting stories about the developing world, particularly Africa and Asia.
Those are Google ads. Google ads reflect the content of the site. If you have ads that are about a certain topic then that is because you invoked them. Or anti-invoked them.
Does any of the gasoline from a particular company’s station necessarily come out of the oil wells dug by that particular company?
My question is this: Are these mail order bride ads even real? Or are they a way of getting people to handover their credit card numbers?
Has anyone thought that that there is nothing wrong with the Russian bride ads? What is wrong with women living in poverty in a repressive setting wanting a way to get themselves out? How many Americans use dating services? This is different, but not that different. It may be exploitative to NOT have these ads on your blog site.
Dmitri (as if) don’t be an ass. For every post-hoc case of a “russian bride” or any kind of mail order bride being ‘saved’ from whatever there are countless stories of exploitation and worse.
This is not a matchmaking service, it is a legal slavery service.
Barn Owl: I completely agree that “doing less” is actually the way to go in relation to what you are talking about. Fox: I have exactly the same question, and I was guessing that there is only a vague relationship.
You are also getting creationism ads in the mix.
Dimitri,
Adverse selection is clearly at work here. The types of American men who import women for marriage are typically not the types of men who “save” women from bad situations.
Frog, do you personally know even one person who has been involved with an over seas arrangement of this kind?
The problems with Shell and affiliates overshadows this Russian Bride scam by an order of magnitude or two. An entire country (or two) is under Shell’s thumb. The Mail Order Bride industry is mainly a scam. Just consider for a moment how much money streams through these two channels?
The Internets is LOADED with sites using google ads that throw this kind of crap at us all the time. You and your so called siblings are overreacting. Get over it, and get an ad blocker and move on.
While I don’t know anything about Russian brides, I personally know people who worked for oil field services companies and major oil companies in Nigeria. The challenges working there are extreme. The company tells you when you arrive at the airport do not leave the airport with anyone other than their own company personnel. If you do take a taxi, expect to be robbed and left naked somewhere. When the companies store nasty industrial chemicals in clearly marked barrels, stored in a locked and guarded facility, they are stolen by the locals, dumped out and used as water containers. One project manager I know paid his security forces a low salary and a bonus equal to ten times their salary at the end of the month if nothing was stolen. Another more foolish project manager left his wife with guards at his home and she was raped by the guards. Dresser pulled out of Nigeria because so much equipment was stolen that they literally could not do their projects. All shipping crates they use are welded shut for transport because the locals steal everything. The folks I knew weren’t with Shell, but I doubt they have vastly different experiences.
I have as much pity on the locals as anyone, but the fact is the do not have basic functioning institutions of government. No company can go in and reform a country and a culture. Do you honestly believe the Nigerians would run their operations better independent of foreign companies? I don’t think there is much evidence for that.
You may think marriage prospects for women are far better in Russia, but I am skeptical. The fact is most women want to get married to a nice guy and have a family preferably not in poverty. If it is okay for people to use EHarmony or Match.com to find someone they want to spend their lives with why not a Russian service? Why is it less dignified for a woman to say up front she wants to get married and look for the men she is interested in, rather than hit the bars and hope for the best? Do these Russian services have a history of abusing women? Is there something I am missing?
I suspect the issue with the Russian Brides Ads would be “who gets the bulk of the money?” – the bride or the pimp?
This site catalogs everything you ever wanted to know (or did not want to know) about the topic of American men dating foreign women. Yikes.
http://www.online-dating-rights.com/forum/index.php
What “bulk of the money”? Dating services charge fees of both men and women. Women should not expect to get paid for using a matchmaker. If any guy offered me money to let him fix me up with a foreigner, I would run. I assume Russian women would as well. A matchmaker is not a pimp. It is an honorable service.
…not that honorable.
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1390/context/archive
Really not.
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