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"Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer" Pulled From Amazon

New submitter clcto writes Back in 2010, Computer Engineer Barbie was released. Now, with the attention brought to the Frozen themed programming game from Disney and Code.org, unwanted attention has been given to the surprisingly real book "Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer". So much so, that Mattel has pulled the book from Amazon. The book shows Barbie attempting to write a computer game. However, instead of writing the code, she enlists two boys to write the code as she just does the design. She then proceeds to infect her computer and her sister's computer with a virus and must enlist the boys to fix that for her as well. In the end she takes all the credit, and proclaims "I guess I can be a computer engineer!" A blog post commenting on the book (as well as giving pictures of the book and its text) has been moved to Gizmodo due to high demand.

11 of 561 comments (clear)

  1. From Experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This book sounds just like real life.

    1. Re:From Experience by funwithBSD · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Which means she is a Project Manager.

      --
      Never answer an anonymous letter. - Yogi Berra
    2. Re:From Experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      More like Barbie Business Analyst: "Hey guys, I don't know anything about business or technology, but if I invite 20 business people and programmers to a meeting, then I can type what they say into a horribly formatted Word document (that the programmers will fix for me later) and collect $125/hr".

    3. Re:From Experience by Julia+Cameron · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Tell that to Ada Lovelace.

      --
      Julia Cameron
      Oich ù agus hiùraibh éile
  2. Re:So close, so far by rs79 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Barbie is a manager. Coding is for suckers.

    Perspective.

    --
    Need Mercedes parts ?
  3. Re:So close, so far by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know people with young daughters (like, under 5).

    Dora tells little girls they can do anything they want to, and grow up to do cool things. Barbie teaches women to be stereotypes, dumb blondes, and how to fake your way through life.

    So, for birthday gifts, we give chemistry lab play sets, National Geographic books on space and dinosaurs, and actual educational stuff.

    It's fun to see a four year old excited about a book on space.

    If Barbie can't be a good role model after 50 years or so, just don't buy it.

    There's so many good toys out there for kids that unless the child is asking for Barbie, you can skip it altogether.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  4. Re:*Spoiler alert* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Then in the next book Ken and his SJW friends try to destroy the lives of anyone who point's it out.

  5. Re:Slash Jezebel by sinij · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wait, but what about STARVING AFRICAN CHILDREN, why worry about privileged white women in first-world countries when CHILDREN ARE STARVING?!?! What kind of monster are you?! I expect you to dedicate all your attention to issues that I care about! NOW!

  6. Re:So close, so far by dywolf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's already most of the posts here, and it's only been an hour.

    Godwin Feminist Corollary: As an online discussion about sexism continues, the probability of a woman who speaks out being called a feminazi approaches one.

    Moff's Law: As comments continue in a discussion of pop culture in relation to feminism, the probability of someone saying 'why do you have to analyze it? it's just a movie/cartoon/book!' approaches one.

    And perhaps the best one, Lewis's Law: Comments on any article about feminism justify feminism.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
  7. Re:"Acceptable"? WTF? by Ionized · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How could anyone, in 2014, have thought this was acceptable?

    "Acceptable"? Was the First Amendment declared null and void, while I was sleeping? What do you mean by "acceptable", mister thought-policeman?

    If burning American flag, calling for killing of the sitting President, or publicly defecating on a police car is acceptable, having a book with a hare-brained bimbo as one of the characters certainly is too.

    none of those things are acceptable either. 'legal' and 'acceptable' are not the same thing.

    this is very clearly unacceptable. it was legal, but it was fucking terrible, and should be called out as such.

    mattel has the right to produce terrible products, and everyone else has the right to mock and berate them for doing so. free speech runs both ways.

  8. Re:LOL ... w00t? by Alrescha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Tragically, I am forced into the disgrace of responding to my own post: "Two wrongs don't make a right.".

    For the ironically-challenged, I found it somewhat funny/sad that in a thread nominally about stereotypes and the inappropriateness of judging people by their race, gender, et al, someone would refer to the wrongdoers specifically by their *race and gender*.

    A.

    (note to the angry responders: sorry, I have little time for the 'professionally offended', who assume the worst and then get all hot and bothered over their own error)

    --
    ...bringing you cynical quips since 1998