Mercurial

I'm with you. It's not funny.

I suppose it's funny (a) because of what value is it to the exploited to have their images used in coverage of their exploitation? and (b) because of the contrast between the worker's knowledgeable discussion of the coverage and our expectation of his education and awareness of such matters.

I suppose I can see how it would be offensive, particularly because you could say that (b) is at the subject's expense. But at the same time it's a pretty standard Onion gag that few would object to if the subject were not in a group we're sensitive about. If it were, say, a frat boy pictured on the cover of an issue of Off Our Backs (maybe a feature on men who watch pr0n?) who discussed his appearance in feminist lingo, we'd think if was funny.

Ugh. I can assume the state-of-mind that may find the irony a bit humorous--darkly so. But I don't have that sense of humor, and my reaction is the same as yours: bad taste. That's the kind of thing that--if Forest saw it--I'd have to go back and tell him how that's just not right.