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Ads that offend Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes something with the power to still shock and disgust.
About 40 kilometres west of London, Ont., sits the small community of Strathroy, home of Dale Wurfel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ltd. This is where president Dale Wurfel, hair slicked back and smiling, according to his website, offers potential car buyers "Hot Deals ... Cool Wheels!"
And a little something to snicker about in the boy's room at the local high school.
Last week, the dealership ran an ad in the London Free Press suggesting that if you're okay with a used woman, you're okay with a Dale Wurfel used vehicle, with financing at 4.99 per cent.
"You know you're not the first," the ad taunts. "But do you really care?"
A day later, it followed up with a similar ad depicting a man, who is actually U.S. fashion designer and director Tom Ford, with the same message. But it's not the same message, in more ways than one.
"It still plays into this idea that people who are non-virgins are depreciated, literally devalued, in the same way that a used car is not quite as good as a new car," said Gwen Sharp, assistant professor of sociology at Nevada State College and co-author of the Sociological Images blog.
There's more. No matter how you cut it, the ads are different. Because Mr. Wurfel didn't return my calls, I've no idea what was in his head, or whether he'd try to suggest that the old double standard is negated because the ads depict both a woman and a man.
The first ad goes in a bit closer on the woman, who, wearing a black dress, is depicted in a provocative pose, with her arm up, her hand pushing back her hair, and her chest prominent. My take is that the second ad shows the man, his tuxedo tie unmade, wearing a silky robe-type thing. He's leaning back, almost as though he's sitting on a throne, having already conquered, if you will.
She's showing more skin, he's got a couple of buttons undone, but that's about it, noted Prof. Sharp.
"They're both being objectified, but we live in a world where men and women are treated differently for being sexually active," she said. "We don't treat sexually active men the same as sexually active women."
She noted the very fact that certain phrases are "masculinized" for men, such as man-whore, and there's no vocabulary to poke fun at men who enjoy sex.
"The cultural background suggests that 'used' means something different for a woman than a man," Prof. Sharp said. "A man who's sexually experienced is not a worthless slut."
Men are not seen as vulnerable or objectified in the same way, she said, noting that "there's a sexual double standard where women are punished and men are not."
She has seen many such types of objectification, she added, so "I've been inured to these kinds of images, but I think it's worth thinking about the images that surround us."
Well, yes, there's the image of a used car salesman.
Home sales steady in March
Sales of existing homes in Canada were little changed in March, though Vancouver is looking frothy, as they say.
On a seasonally adjusted bases, sales inched up just 0.1 per cent from February. "It seems that purchasers looking to buy ahead of the March 18 change to mortgage rules did so earlier in the year, raising first-quarter home sales 4.5 per cent higher than [in the fourth quarter,] said Leslie Preston, an economic analyst at Toronto-Dominion Bank.
Aso seasonally adjusted, average prices rose 0.7 per cent last month. Unadjusted and compared to last year, prices are up almost 9 per cent. In the first quarter of the year, economists noted, prices were skewed by the expensive neighbourhoods of Greater Vancouver. Strip those out, and first-quarter prices are up by 4.3 per cent.
"Canada's housing market appears to be sailing into calmer waters - with one rather jarring exception - after the extreme ebbs and flows of the past three years," added Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns.
"Existing home sales nudged up 0.1 per cent in March in seasonally adjusted terms, leaving them down a moderate 6.6 per cent from the solid levels of a year ago. The year-ago comparisons get a lot friendlier over the next three months, so sales will likely soon be well above a year ago. That's even with the new tighter measures on mortgage insurance, which officially kicked in during March."
That jarring exception is Vancouver, where sales have now climbed 30 per cent in the past year. Again, stripping out Vancouver would leave the national average price well below the reported $366,000, Mr. Porter added.
While there is plenty of chatter about the possibility of a severe correction in Canadian housing, the risk looks highly concentrated in geographic terms," he said. "... Canada's housing market looks to be headed for a soft landing, at least in the vast majority of cities."
Toronto also accounted for a large portion of the first-quarter showing. Removing both Toronto and Vancouver, you're left with a "relatively subdued housing market in Canada," said Benjamin Tal of CIBC World Markets.
The sales-to-listing ratio is now 56.5 per cent, still within "balanced market territory," Mr. Tal added.
"But from past experience we know that this can change very quickly," he said. "We expect that the spring season will be relatively strong with activity probably surprising on the upside. Following the spring we expect the market to flatten - with potentially some moderate downward pressure on prices given reduced demand and some deterioration in affordability."
Vancouver boom cited for home price surge
Inflation woes mount
Fresh numbers released today highlight just how sticky a problem inflation has become in some regions, notably emerging countries such as China and India.
Both countries today reported uncomfortable inflation readings - 5.4 per cent in China in March, and almost 9 per cent in India, though its main measure is its Wholesale Price Index. In China, inflation now stands at its highest since mid-2008. Where so-called core inflation is concerned - that strips out volatile items - it's the fastest pace in China in about 10 years.
It's not just the emerging markets, though those are the super-high rates. Europe's statistics agency today revised an initial estimate to show inflation running at 2.7 per cent in March. That will no doubt heighten speculation that the European Central Bank will continue to hike interest rates.
Today's data also show China's economy expanded at a pace of 9.7 per cent, year over year, in the first quarter of the year, little changed from the fourth quarter's 9.8 per cent.
"The differences are small given the overall pace of growth, said economists Mark Williams and Qinwei Wang of Capital Economics.
The seasonally-adjusted quarter-over-quarter data should be more useful - the statistics bureau today released official estimates for the first time. They show the economy slowing from a 10-per-cent annualized pace in Q4 to 8.7 per cent in Q1. Unfortunately, these are the only data points available so far, making it hard to assess their reliability."
In the United States, overall inflation is also running a little hotter, though core prices are tame. Consumer prices rose 0.5 per cent in March, seasonally adjusted, boosted largely by food and costs at the gas pump. Still, on an annual basis, U.S. inflation is now running at 2.7 per cent, the fastest pace since late 2009.
Core prices rose just 0.1 per cent last month, and on an annual basis 1.2 per cent, leaving the Federal Reserve comfortable.
"The higher annual inflation rates are unlikely to change the Fed's loose stance on monetary policy for now," said economist Krishen Rangasamy of CIBC World Markets.
"The Fed views the current spike in energy prices as transitory and in its Beige Book it suggested that wage pressures are well contained, which means that it sees little risk at this point of higher energy prices spilling over into broad-based inflation."
China's inflation surges in March
Euro zone inflation rockets higher
Moody's dumps on Ireland
The luck of the Irish just keeps getting worse.
Moody's Investor Service today cut Ireland's credit rating to sit just above junk status. Ireland has already taken an international bailout, and its banking system is a mess, leaving one to wonder just how much worse it can get.
"Should the intended fiscal consolidation goals not be met, a further rating downgrade would likely follow. Moreover, a further deterioration in the country's economic outlook would also exert downward pressure on the rating," Dietmar Hornung, Moody's senior analyst on Ireland, said, according to The Associated Press.
Moody's cuts Ireland to near junk status
From today's Economy Lab
Not all small businesses deserve a tax break
Study shows young companies are better engines of job growth than mature firms and would benefit more from a tax break
From today's Personal Finance
Do Canadians really pay more taxes than Americans?
We look at the difference in tax rates and services offered on both sides of the border.
Why paying more tax today may lower your overall bill
To truly be tax efficient, you need to think beyond minimizing this year's tax filing, adviser Ted Rechtshaffen says.
Don't forget insurance when planning a reno
Vacating a property or making major repairs can affect your coverage, so do your homework before you begin renovating, writes Home Cents blogger Shelley White.
From today's Report on Business
Broadcasters call for CRTC to regulate Netflix service
As Google moves beyond search, costs soar