The XX Factor

We’re Talking About: President Palin, Mr. Mom, and Gay Jokes

-A cautionary tale: Palin may not be as “unelectable” as most Democrats assume; John Helleman charts how she could make it to the presidency. [ New York Magazine ]

-The Days of Her Life: New York Times Magazine talks to one of the actresses on Afghanistan’s first soap opera , “The Secrets of this House.” “I take so much humiliation for it,” she says of her acting job. [ New York Times ]

- Dan Savage , the man behind the celebrated “It Gets Better” campaign, talks about whether it’s OK to make gay jokes and whether they’re just getting old, anyway.  [ Daily Beast ]

-Manliness and Mr. Mom: 30 years later, men begin struggling with the life-work dilemma as “more is expected of them at home, but expectations have not shifted at work.” [ New York Times ]

-David Carr ponders The Awl’s unlikely success while the Web site launches a spinoff site for women, The Hairpin . Ever wonder if you should invest that $3,000 or buy a purse? Well, now you’ll know . [ New York Times , The Hairpin ]

Photograph by Jennifer Rosenberg for Wikimedia Commons.