Today The New York Post published an article by their own Page Six columnist promoting her own cooking blog. Already I find this to be troubling but, I understand. Most columnists at publications are treated as freelancers and you’re always struggling to make a name for yourself and be treated as a true journalist, not to mention the struggle for full time compensation, benefits etc. Then you read this article.

To call this article and the concept for her blog “problematic” is a huge understatement. These two quotes sum it up in total:

Each morning, he would ask, “Honey, how long you have been awake?” “About 15 minutes,” I’d reply. “You’ve been up for 15 minutes and you haven’t made me a sandwich?”

and then

As he finished that last bite, he made an unexpected declaration of how much he loved me and that sandwich: “Honey, you’re 300 sandwiches away from an engagement ring!”

Yes, this is real. This isn’t something that I made up to make a point, this isn’t an Onion satirical piece, this is real life. I understand what’s going on here, this is a form of trolling. Ms. Smith knows that this will stir up controversy in an online community which is seeing the biggest boom in self educated feminism ever. She knows that this will article will be shared, mostly by people who are horrified by her statements, and that any press is good press. She even takes a moment to point this fact out.

“How ‘Stepford Wives’ of you!” said one single gal whose kitchen was used for shoe storage.

Whoa, incredible. In one sentence she’s able to show the resistance to her thought process while immediately disarming it. This quote is coming from a silly “gal” who is obviously more focused on some bullshit cosmopolitan lifestyle than working for something more important and rewarding, like getting a husband. Also obviously too lazy and drunk to even use her kitchen. A privileged person who can afford to not cook and go out every single meal. We’re dealing with a real deal professional troll here.

This kind of thinking is the genesis of this very blog. Most of the men (and let’s be honest here, most of them are boys) that are featured on this blog, I feel, are using the “Make Me A Sandwich, Bitch!” troupe as a form of sarcasm. They are more than likely not hateful people in their personal lives and believe the “joke” resides in the fact that they’re brazenly making a statement that is anti-PC. With just a little digging we see that they’re usually very emotional, sad, frustrated people with a lot to learn. But this concept of “I’m just joking” or “you take things too seriously” is what’s wrong here. These phrases are coming from men/boys who fear a new dynamic in our culture. A dynamic of educated, assertive, non complacent women who will defend themselves. The very line “make me a sandwich” is meant to be thrown out to a woman who has just said something empowering to immediately rob them of that power.

I watched the brilliant minds of Michael Hale and Stefan use the concept of “Twitter Couplets” retweeting in order to point out the stupidity of users. It was an incredibly smart, funny, and unique way to disarm very alarming thoughts. Mike started retweeting people calling Obama racial slurs then would immediately follow up with their most asinine bullshit, exposing who this person truly is. Stefan used it as a way to break down 9/11 Truthers claiming to know the science behind jet fuel and melting temperatures of steel, and then proving their true idiocy. It was the perfect format to expose and disarm the men who made this “joke”. Not to mention how many idiots just tweet this phrase out on a daily basis.

Frequently in the second retweet of the Bitch Sandwich couplet there is a sadness exposed. This article is no exception, there is a lot of sadness here. Smith fondly remembers the first time she made her loving boyfriend a sandwich:

Eric devoured the sandwich as if it were a five-star meal, diving in with large, eager bites. “Babes, this is delicious!” he exclaimed.

The term babe here is so incredibly dismissive it actually pains me to read. This statement screams “first time Eric has ever given his girlfriend a compliment”. Also, “bitch” has been not so cleverly covered up with the condescending "babe" in order to sell t-shirts. Make no mistake about it, this is directly what Eric Schulte is referring to.

Eric is a hideous monster. He is a computer programmer. He is a Star Wars fanatic. He’s a foodie. He’s more than likely a Reddit User, I’m willing to take that bet. He’s a “skeptic” (Smith Makes reference to him not believing in Astrology). Look at that acoustic guitar and that horrific piece of modern art on the wall. The bracelet around his wrist. His hairline. This man owns a fedora, I can smell it. This man has been “friendzoned”.

Stephanie Smith is playing with a concept here that she feels is funny and lighthearted and in turn is making some major sacrifices in her actual life. If you want to make 300 sandwiches, go for it. To do it for “an engagement ring” (if there’s a more awful way to say GET MARRIED, I don’t know what it is) is demeaning to yourself as a human being.

That being said I have a 2 word review for this article and her blog in total: Shit Sandwich.