@trouble-bubble: She actually went into great detail about how it was safer: girls and women are at most risk when they can't screen and choose clients for themselves, anonymously. CL enabled them to do both.

@MmeSosostris: And prostitution SHOULD be legal; pimps and maybe even agencies should be illegal.

@MmeSosostris: As much as I'd like to see that too, I take issue with your approach. There are many more "mythical" normal women working in the sex trade than you think, and if we worked to de-stigmatize it, there wouldn't be the perception that hookers are all worthless nobodies who have no value to society. That…

@hollygirl: "Extras" meaning more sexual favors, those of the contact kind. BDSM and Domming on a professional level generally does not involve actual sexual contact. In professional circles it would be frowned upon because it crosses the line not only between prostitute and Domming, but also between the nature of…

@Not_Polly: In my opinion it's EXTREMELY irresponsible to NOT put the blame on advertisers. Their portrayal of societal normalcy is to blame for a lot of ills. It's called social responsibility.

If there's anything this thread shows, it's that people of any gender and sexuality and race enjoy pink controllers. Maybe not one group as much as another, but almost any "type" of person could end up buying one of these. Now advertisers, act accordingly.

@thenino85: Wow, blame our gender for buying things that they've been told all their lives, by ads, are "for" them. Not like anyone is ever a product of their environment, eh?

@Cheshire_kat24: I'm surprised they didn't do that, in fact.

@CrustyCanuck: I actually bought my cousin a pink DS for her birthday for that very reason. Well that, and the dusty pink rose is bitchin'.

@Yasai.Taichou: "Video game ads that feature only males were not meant to suggest that games were for guys only. "

The fuck ever. Maybe if the "critics" had felt an ounce of depth in the movies whatsoever (you know, like the show had, even when it descended into materialistic lunacy after about the second season) the franchise wouldn't have tanked.

@girl_detective: I'm PMSing, so I know it's totally affecting my emotions right now, but when I saw it I did get a little misty eyed. My boyfriend was like "OMG what's wrong?"

@Soaptastic: There are plenty of ways to make gender neutral ads without getting all huffy and acting like people are asswads for wanting it. You're ignoring a very valid complaint that advertising often dictates the status quo to people who are too ignorant or vulnerable to recognize it as a facade and marketing…

@Soaptastic: "It works" is not a good excuse for the status quo. I personally don't care if it's deliberate or not.

@Not_Polly: "This placement was most likely the result of a Target designer saying "gee, what products do we have to feature that I can stick in this cart?" rather than "I should put some detergent in for Mommy and some ice cream in for daddy, because that's what they buy."

@Not_Polly: You're missing the point. These ads may be a reflection of our society, but they've played an enormous part in preserving the status quo by portraying an image of "normalcy" that generations have been presented with and subsequently on a conscious or subconscious level try to mimic. I say this not only as…

@Kovitlac: Halo's graphics are beautiful, and I'm not even a fan.

@ChaiLatte: And of course the wealthy and the white are not actually fucking each other, but the Hispanic pool boy and the Asian "massage therapist".

@chloekinsicle: Thank you for sharing, that has inspired me to do the same in the future.

@Kovitlac: I felt the color scheme fit the game beautifully. It seems like that and the complaints about the graphics are typical gamer elitest drivel wherein a bunch of nerds get together and try to out-snob each other.