{"id":26750,"date":"2009-07-03T02:58:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-03T02:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scienceblogs.com\/gregladen\/2009\/07\/03\/mail-order-russian-brides-woov\/"},"modified":"2009-07-03T02:58:00","modified_gmt":"2009-07-03T02:58:00","slug":"mail-order-russian-brides-woov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregladen.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/03\/mail-order-russian-brides-woov\/","title":{"rendered":"Mail Order Russian Brides, Woovending, Shell Oil and Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I noted several days ago<\/a>, 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<\/a> as well and complaints now abound<\/a> among the bloggers and commenters. I had not personally noticed it, but apparently these new ads also include woovending<\/a>. And of course, the site is still sponsored in part by Shell<\/a>, which from a human rights perspective<\/a> may be far more significant<\/a> than Mail Order Russian Brides (but how does one compare, really).<\/p>\n


\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n