[TStoneMBD]

to those riding the wave of drama and media scrutiny, good luck digging a foot hole in the poker community to go on to live prosperous lives. the attention youve received can and has assisted you in trying to attain your goals. so while there are downsides to remaining under scrutiny, youve likely benefited greatly from it. look at the great life that has been handed to paris hilton, just because shes america's favorite train wreck.

brandi, if anything, you seem rather genuine about clearing up your name and image which is at least a start in the right direction. while i cant fault you if you opt to turn your life into a circus act to benefit off the gifts of fame, you should be trying to succeed in the poker world based on your skill as a poker player. i respect the fact that you at least appear to be studying and taking the game seriously, which is certainly an appearance that most players dont seem to have these days.

jennfox, youre right that this forum can be quite chauvinistic, but that has alot to do with how woman have acted in the poker world for years and years. in media driven fields, being photogenic and sexually attractive gets you things that take skillful and determined people much longer to get. brandi is not a skillful enough poker player to warrant the attention shes received, she has only gotten it because of her fix in the limelight. there have only been a handful of women who have ever turned out to be skilled poker players, deserving of their media attention. most women entering the poker world try to make it to the top by sitting in front of mirrors wondering how theyll pose the next time a camera is in their face. now i have nothing against women, and i certainly dont think that men were born with a greater propensity to learn poker than women. however, i respect the people who dedicate themselves to learn this game and are set out to truly earn their fruits the right way. unfortunately, most people want everything the easy way and because media attention in a media driven field can deliver that, attractive girls are put in a situation where theyre likely to get ahead quicker if they spend more time straightening their hair than hitting the books. now like i said, i dont fault people for taking advantage of whatever media attention they can get, and if i was brandi i would probably capitalize on the attention shes received as much as she has, if not moreso. but when you factor in that most people are jealous of the fame that brandi has received for the reasons shes received it, you can now see where and why chauvinism starts to develop. most humans are bad at putting themselves in the shoes of others and are bad at recognizing that they would likely do similar things if they were put in the same circumstance as others. the result is a collective people frustrated with a system and therefore take their anger out on those who benefit from it.

schneids, thanks for swimming upstream and trying to keep this thread true to its title. sorry that i swam with the current.