Now this is just sad. And it pisses me off.

Fast Company has taken a serious problem -- sex selection and the preference for boys in some parts of the world -- and turned it into what supposedly is a competition to test the power of advertising to change cultural preferences but to me, more than anything, is nothing more than link bait.

So OK, I'll bite.

See, they had ad agencies create fake campaigns to "make the case for girls" -- ostensibly <a href="http://frogandsnail.com/2011/06/about-that-gallup-poll/">because of a Gallup poll that says that 54% of American men would prefer a boy</a>. We've discussed that poll in the past, but suffice it to say that to jump from a small majority of Americans with a hypothetical gender preference to infanticide in other countries is a dangerous jump.

But then to task professional agencies with creating campaigns that say that girls are the smart choice because boys have a shorter life span? That boys will set your things on fire so choose girl?

What message does that send?

And since when is it a choice?
<blockquote><a href="http://frogandsnail.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/girl-ad3-3.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1571" title="girl-ad3-3" src="http://frogandsnail.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/girl-ad3-3.jpeg" alt="" width="450" height="574" /></a></blockquote>
The writer of the article concludes with this,
<blockquote><em>My daughter will be brought up to understand her true value. That's a promise. As for all the little girls to be born around the world, the creation of these ads is an effort to show how imagination can change the conversation around their lives.</em></blockquote>
<em></em>That's great -- but what effect do stunts like this have on our sons? They have value too.

It's not us vs. them. I wish adults would grow up sometimes.

<em>How do you feel about these fake ads? Are they just a lame publicity stunt, or do they make a point?</em>

Via <a href="http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2011/11/25/could-an-ad-campaign-convince-you-to-want-a-girl/">Babble</a>