Hey, Jane Jetson, Get a Job!

Ever notice how Jane Jetson, Hanna-Barbera’s well-coiffed cartoon woman of the future, spends her time?

Working Woman magazine has noticed: “In 1990, when over 60% of all mothers in the real world are in the labor force, Jane occupies her time like a stereotypical ‘50s housewife--shopping, primping and nagging her husband.”

In consigning Jane Jetson to its Hall of Shame for cartoon females, the January issue of Working Mother argues that reinforcing such stereotypes hurts girls and boys alike. Too often, the magazine notes, the characters who populate these Saturday morning staples are legions of active, individualized males and an occasional generic female.

Other cartoon women who came in for criticism included Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble of “The Flintstones” (“archetypal passive wives”); TV reporter April O’Neill of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (“How does a competent career woman keep getting into so much trouble”), and Janine of “Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters” (“a whiny, gum-cracking secretary who is always trying to shirk her responsibilities and never participates directly in the exorcising work of the firm.”)

On the positive side, Working Woman praises superheroine She-Ra, who was “so brave and tough, even the boys admired her!”

As for Jane Jetson, the article points out that she was created more than 25 years ago and that writers at Hanna-Barbera have tried to update her character without sacrificing its “continuity.” Their solution, in “Jetsons: The Movie,” released last year, was to have her do volunteer work for the environment.

Too Close for Comfort

John Keating is beginning to tire of the coincidences.

It was bad enough when people confused him with Charles H. Keating Jr., the nation’s most notorious former thrift owner, and thought that the bank he heads, Encino-based Lincoln National Bank, was somehow related to Charles Keating’s scandal-plagued Lincoln Savings & Loan. The unwanted attention forced the bank to shed its name earlier this year in favor of California United Bank.

Now John Keating has discovered yet another coincidence. A recent arrest photo he spotted of Charles Keating showed the former thrift executive holding up a sign with his name and date of birth on it. Turns out the two men even share the same birthday, Dec. 4.

Suuueeee! Come and Get It!

The junk food that people eat on the job is enough to give the American Heart Assn. indigestion. To help head off high blood pressure and heart disease, the association’s Greater Los Angeles Affiliate has produced a pamphlet, “Heart at Work Guide to a Healthy Office.” The guide suggests breadsticks, rice cakes or unsalted pretzels as an alternative to high-fat chips and crackers, fruit juice or flavored mineral water instead of sugary soft drinks and dried fruits rather than cookies or candy.

The pamphlet is available free from Presto Food Products Inc. of City of Industry.