FUN with FALLACIES Assignment

Now, highlight logical issues in the article. NOTE: Both articles contain serious fallacies/gaps in logic. Remember that a logical argument moves from one focused point to the next. Each point contains proof/evidence. Examine the article and find flaws in the logic. Then write the flaws you see. You can use bullet points if you like. Find at least 2 flaws. Approximately 50-100 words.

Barbie

Dumb Blonde - or Diehard Feminist?

Barbie turns 50 next year. Should women be celebrating this anniversary - or turning their backs in disgust on one of the world's most popular dolls? In pictures: Barbie's many guises through the years (Links to an external site.)

Thu 18 Dec 2008 19.01 ESTFirst published on Thu 18 Dec 2008 19.01 EST

Barbie: a fabulous toy for independent-minded girls? Photograph: Linda Nylind

For Moira Redmond

What's the one thing you know about Barbie dolls? If a real woman had that shape she'd fall over. Right? Well, wrong actually. She has impressive proportions, but they are by no means outside the normal range. How do I know this? Because as Barbie's loyal defender, I once sat with pieces of thread, measuring her and sizing up the results, before debating the outcome with some fellow journalists. And while there is no definitive answer as to exactly what Barbie's real-life dimensions would be (the dolls themselves vary) yes, she could stand up, and yes, she would not look outrageous. She would look - are you ready for this? - like a feminist icon.

Barbie is a fabulous toy for independent-minded girls for all sorts of reasons. One is that she's the only toy that girls have that their brothers don't share, but do envy - why else would boys get so worked up about Barbies, threatening and attacking their sisters' toys? Another is that she is cheap. Nobody says that you have to buy the expensive accessories, and there is always one loss-leader Princess Barbie that comes in at under 10 if you look carefully.

Then there's the fact that Barbie lets the imagination run free - you can make your Barbies do anything, be anything, and you can even beat her up (which research suggests is a favourite activity for young girls). As one friend of mine says, playing with "a Barbie is like being in control of the coolest, hottest, most desired and admired girl in school or in the celebrity world, deciding what she wears, giving her a new hairdo, flinging her across the room or hiding her in a cupboard when you don't feel like being outshone". She lets girls live out their fantasies in a safe context: a great psychological tool.

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When it comes to careers, Barbie is also a brilliant role model. She's been a doctor, a vet, a palaeontologist, an astronaut, a firefighter, a pop singer, a teacher and a film star. She has even been a presidential candidate. Here are some things I defy you to imagine Barbie doing: housework; sucking up to men; cowering; being bullied or intimidated; being sexually harassed.

Of course, Barbie is pretty interested in her appearance, but she is also interested in animals, food, a career and the world around her. You can style her hair, but you can also buy her horse's head (Godfather Barbie?) and style its mane if you prefer.

The Barbies from around the world are neat and charming: most nationalities are either authentic (a resident of Kenya told me Masai Barbie was amazingly accurate) or glamorous and respectful - Princess of Ireland Barbie. And think what the world would lose without Barbie as a metaphor. Within days of Sarah Palin being picked as vice-presidential candidate, the term Caribou Barbie had been coined online, which was appropriate, and not particularly offensive or insulting - just funny.

Right now Toys R Us is selling something called the Barbie Party Plane/Ship (with no implication that Barbie needs a man to sail the boat or pilot the plane) and all for a bargain 19.56. "This fantastic 2-in-1 playset ... features a fold-down table, laptop computer, galley kitchen, pool, disco room and more!" says the description.

So there you have it - every aspect of a woman's empowered, independent life covered, in a form that folds away when not in use. I'm disappointed in any feminist who doesn't want one.