Thus Spake Zuska

While I’ve been away from the blogiverse, it appears that you’ve had the misfortune to be treated to all manner of disgusting ads popping up here at ScienceBlogs. Mail Order Brides, Naughty Singles, and I don’t know what all else. Isis has some details here. She says:

…if you’ve been visiting me for any length of time then you know how I feel about the exploitation of women, especially racial minorities and women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. That’s the entire point of the Letters to Our Daughters Project and the Silence is the Enemy Project, right?

That said, I cannot in good faith continue to contribute content here while these ads remain visible. This also makes me sad because I love being at ScienceBlogs. I love my Sciblings (well, most of them) and I believe in the establishment of community for the promotion of science. But, it would not be right for my page views to generate revenue that funds individuals who exploit women. The morality in this matter seems pretty black and white.

I believe the management here at ScienceBlogs when they tell me that they are working to have their ad agency remove the ads, but the traffic generated in the meantime while those ads still appear still puts money in the pockets of those who exploit women. So, until I receive confirmation from the Overlords here at ScienceBlogs that these ads are gone, I’m taking a hiatus.

Well said. Can’t think of a thing to add at this point. I’ll be back when the ads are gone. In the meantime, I sincerely apologize to those of you who have been offended by the ads, and I hope that someday you’ll receive an apology from ScienceBlogs, too.

Comments

#1 Juniper Shoemaker
July 3, 2009

I hope you can come back soon, Zuska!
#2 Flora
July 3, 2009

Fie on sleazy ads. I’ll miss reading you. Do you blog anywhere else?
#3 Zuska
July 3, 2009

I don’t, but there is still the old obscure original site of TSZ…could possibly post there. Will let you know on blog here if I decide to do that.
#4 AlekNovy
July 4, 2009

I’ve never seen the ads. They’re probably based on geographic region. The program serves different ads based on your ip (location).

I would love to see what all the fuss is about. That being said… I find it funny using words such as “exploit women”.

The only person you can call exploited is one who has a gun pointed to their gun and physically forced to do something. Women who voluntarily choose to sell their looks and dignity in exchange for a better life can hardly be called “exploited”.

I find it kind of ironic that most of these commentaries about “exploitation” are coming from rich, white women who’ve never seen a day of hardship in their life. When was the last time you saw such a complaint coming from one of the actual women affected?

So you get the ads removed. Does ignoring the problem solve it? Those women will still be poor and barely making ends meet. How about fighting FOR something, like say donating to groups that go around the world and provide those women with education? Its very easy to fight AGAINST something, but it never solves a problem.
#5 Barn Owl
July 4, 2009

Also hoping that you’ll return soon, with more Gender Knot posts, and that you’re feeling better. I had to play a bit of catch-up, but I’m in the middle of Chapter 2 now.

A related question has popped into my head while perusing ScienceBlogs this week – not sure whether it’s addressed in The Gender Knot, but perhaps I’ll send you an e-mail about it.
#6 SKM
July 4, 2009

With you 100%, Zuska. Sorry this is happening, and maybe I’ll contact ScienceBlogs to let them know that an apology/statement against such ads would be in order.

We see, even in this very thread, how necessary your work is, so I hope you and Isis can continue soon in good conscience.
#7 Peggy
July 5, 2009

The advertising is really unfortunate. It’s not just the exploitation aspect of the Russian bride ads, which is bad. It’s also the “ads targeted only to Doodz” aspect, which makes me feel a bit unwelcome.

FWIW, at the moment Greg Laden’s Russian-bride related post is still showing Russian bride ads, but neither your blog nor Dr. Isis’s blog seem to be currently showing them, which is a tiny improvement, I guess.
#8 Peggy
July 5, 2009

Oops, Greg Laden’s post is showing a Russian dating site, not a Russian bride site. Still, any ads that are “selling” a bikini-clad woman are clearly not meant for me or other heterosexual women (and I’m not sure the web site includes same sex dating either).
#9 jc
July 6, 2009

The ad at the top of the page right now is from Snap Linkad and reads: Mail Order Brides Click Here Steam Iron Click Here Ironing Click Here Migraines Click Here Mail Order Bride Click Here Private Insurance Click Here Timekeeping Click Here Omni Click Here Animal Behavior Click Here Windows Install Click Here Gould Click Here Wrinkles Click Here Pillow Cases Click Here Molybdenum

On Isis, the top of her page was the “WarCraft” ad. yeah, better.

Alek d00d, take yer head outta yer privileged ass and troll elsewhere.
#10 bioephemera
July 6, 2009

Come back Zuska! So you can post on this: http://bit.ly/HVMi1
#11 Carlie
July 6, 2009

Isis says she got an apology letter and SciBlogs have stopped it – have you gotten one too? Thanks for taking this on.
#12 jc
July 6, 2009

unfuckingreal. I WAS going to write that the ad is gone. I checked a few times in the past few hours, and it was not there. The ad at the top was about credit scores before I clicked on this post to submit a comment that the shit was gone. and Poof!

This is at the top right now! GRRRRRR!:
Mail Order Brides Click Here Animal Behavior Click Here Medical School Click Here Omni Click Here Dispensing Click Here Migraines Click Here Gould Click Here Private Insurance Click Here Windows Install Click Here Russian Brides

Zuska, I emailed you a screenshot of it to send the overlordz.
#13 Erin
July 7, 2009

To readers who are still seeing text ads for mail dating services- you may need to clear your cache for the ads to disappear.