In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Month: February 2005

Friday Random Ten – The “Who the Hell Started This Meme?” Edition

This edition is named in honor of The Republic of T, with author Terence being the originator of this meme. Hi Terence! Terence informs me that he did not start this meme. Who did?

Tired ol’ directions: Upload all your mp3s into your music player of choice, set to random, hit play. List the first ten songs. No cheating.

  1. Aretha Franklin – Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
  2. Millie Jackson – Lick It Before You Stick It
    (Jackson is featured on the Worst Cover Albums list repeatedly. This song is a suggestion for men in a heterosexually active relationship.)
  3. Red Elvises – Rocket Man
    (Saw them in a local venue last year, a Russian rockabilly band that did the soundtrack for “Six String Samurai.” Wow.)
  4. Cee-Lo Green – The Art of Noise
  5. Teddy Pendergrass – Me and Mrs. Jones
  6. Melt Banana – Surfin’ USA
    (Really bad cover.)
  7. 7L and Esoteric ft. Inspectah Deck – Speaking Real Words
  8. The Cramps – Surfin’ Bird
    (Another really bad cover.)
  9. Har Mar Superstar – Girl, Let Me Use Your Ride
  10. Pharcyde – Runnin’

Also, see this week’s downloads.

Pablo, Reclined


Pablo declares himself king of the bed.


Pablo voluptuously rolls through the sunlight. If life were only this easy.

Paul may have ruined my kitty blogging glee for a week, but it was quickly restored.

Bedroom Art

After the Great Cleaning of 2005, I realized that my bedroom was unforgivably bare. The only things in there were my bed, a dresser, a hamper, a lamp, and an alarm clock. While I’m all for living simply, I felt like I was sleeping in a jail cell.

The vintage clothing store I wrote about earlier this year, is going out of business, partially because of a lack of customers and partially for a lack of time. I went in this week to find their going-out-of-business sale. I wanted to chat with the owner for a bit, but my shopping buddy was limping around on a bad knee. Long, rambling story short, I bought three framed pictures of children on park benches doing kid things.

Does this picture not rock? A little girl knitting in the great outdoors, a ball of yarn spilling out of her bag? Awesome!

If you don’t like it, keep your mouth shut.

Something about the other two are a bit disturbing. They look like big-eyed, big-headed emo kids who are, shall we say, “on the nod.” Peaceful and at the same time disturbing. I’ll try to get non-glaring pictures if anyone is interested.

At least my room feels less like a jail cell.

Chess, anyone?

easy peasy

You know you’re dumb when your cat reckons it can beat you with its eyes closed.

Derrick Jensen, Here I Come

I’m off to see Derrick Jensen in Ohio at Antioch College tomorrow night, so blogging will be light over the next two days. Because Jensen is one of my ideological heroes, I’m trying hard not to pee my pants. Thrilling.

AMWU promotes menstrual leave

Flute here, not Lauren. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has put a claim in for 12 days menstrual leave for those women who suffer from chronic problems during their menstrual cycle.

“It’s a tough, hot dangerous job and we believe that this is a sensible claim that’s good for the company because it will improve productivity, it will improve quality and it will improve health and safety.”

So far the talkback on ABC radio this morning is very split even amongst women.

“I work in a male environment and this is the last thing I need”

Another woman said that she used to suffer extreme pain and terrible symptoms and this would have been very good to have had while she was working.
I expect that this will be beat up into a larger issue as usual. The union is not talking about this kind of leave for all women, only those with a medical history. Is this a good thing? Does it add further hurdles for women in the workplace? Is that really a justification for not bringing the idea to the table? Or is it a male idea designed to muddy the waters of women’s issues?

Feminist Books

One of the Other Laurens is looking for feminist books to use for an extra credit project in a women’s studies class. I figured I’d move this question to the top because there are plenty to be recommended.

Excluding uber-academic books, the feminist canon, and feminist fiction, these are from the bookshelf immediately behind me:
• Susan Faludi’s “Backlash” as well as her book about American men, “Stiffed”
• “Body Outlaws,” essays edited by Ophira Edut
• “Pink Think” by Lynn Peril
• Nancy Tuana’s “The Less Noble Sex”
• “Who Cooked the Last Supper?: Women’s History of the World” by Rosalind Miles
• Laura Kaplan’s “The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service”
• “SchoolGirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap” by Peggy Orenstein

Some of these are somewhat outdated but still theoretically relevant or ripe for contemporary criticism.

Many more titles that I can recommend are available if interested, especially if academic or fictional texts are allowed. Any reader suggestions?

Feminism: What It Isn’t

I’m reposting a link to this old entry of mine because I find the anti-feminist attacks at Hugo’s blog so tiresome.

An excerpt:

Frankly, I do know a few “hairy-legged dykes with a vendetta against men” and quite like them, but just as there are stereotypical members of any group, there are many of us that break the mold. Just as I cringe to see women (for example) denied of their individuality, I cringe to see men (corresponding example) denied the same. What the majority of third wave feminists hope to attain is an ideological meeting ground for all genders and both sexes to meet upon, to create greater understanding and compassion for myriad issues, from media representations to court decisions, to corporate measures and standards, and so forth.

Feminists do not want undeserved rights handed to women on a plate. We want equal access to opportunity. This access is affected by so much I think the theories surrounding it deserve more than a black and white take, when we all know that individual experiences are made in shades of gray.

Feminism, generically, purports to see the world through a gender lens. That’s it. And just as most people do when they feel the world is unjust in a particular way, they hope to change the injustice and may act to do so. The other views and layers come in as we begin to see how race, class, religion, upbringing, and geographical location affect how gender is formed over time.

Sounds very threatening.

Feminism, as has been said recently, is not a zero- sum game. A success of feminist movement does not mean that men’s rights are diminished. To believe so assumes that there is a Civil Rights pie and we’re arguing over a limited share.

The moral aggrandizing over the women’s movement’s lack of attention to men’s rights is ridiculous. For decades feminists have not only been explicitly providing examples how the majority of men benefit from the removal of traditional binding gender roles, but I’m afraid that it isn’t up to women to define men’s lives for them.

Isn’t that why the MRM is upset in the first place?

The problem with the blaming and shaming is that feminists are so often accused of man-hating for advocating women’s rights rather than actually hating men. In my experience, there are far more vocal anti-feminists who openly admit their bitterness and malevolence toward women than vice versa. In addition, as Echidne said elsewhere, it seems as though many anti-feminists would hate women whether feminism existed or not.

We are only an easy target for their ire.

What I’ve Been Reading Since I Haven’t Been Writing

Now featuring fruits and vegetables! And mustard!

Feminism:
• Considerable pissing matches criticizing the “nice” guy/jerk binary between three notable feminist bloggers and an MRA. See Hugo Schwyzer (the instigator of criticism), Amanda, and Kameron Hurley.

• I rediscovered this old post at Rad Geek, Why Libertarians Need Feminism. Great read.

• Also at Rad Geek, who has been blogging for me this week, looks at the pro-choice/pro-life binary.

• The Progressive Protestant discusses abortion and the church from a pro-choice point of view.

• Lynn at Noli Irritate Leones looks at Goldman’s perspective on anarchism and violence. She is also looking for other anarchist views on violence, so if anyone has any suggestions, cruise on over and leave a comment.

Education:
• Erin of Critical Mass highlights a NYTimes article that details the “sad state” of literacy in American high schools. Unfortunately she, and most of her commenters, are removed enough from the pre-service programs to know that we are already working on it.

• Testing Companies Mine for Gold: An article that details how testing companies benefit from NCLB testing initiatives, and students benefit little.

• Madame Zenobia (whose kickass template made my day) has designed a class around hip hop studies. The text for the course sounds good enough to read on my own: That’s The Joint: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader.

Politics:
• Ophelia Payne finds a story at Fair.org detailing what happened to a NYTimes expose on the hump in GWB’s back during the presidential debates. As she says, even if he did have a receiver, he’s still a crappy cheater.

• Dr. Myers writes a great parable comparing plumbing to creationism politics.

• Daddy Alan Keyes kicks his daughter, Maya Keyes, out of the house when she comes out as a lesbian. Well, at least he’s consistent. I hate to say this, but Cheney 1 – Keyes 0.

Entertainment:
• Straight Outta White Suburbia: A look at Nina Gordon’s cover of N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and why the author finds it offensive. I listened to it myself and it wasn’t clever or ironic. Not only has it been done too many times before, this version was just lame. Sorry, chica, but Kim Deal has it all over you.

• James Dobson suggests that parents keep track of their daughters’ menstrual cycles. Now that’s entertainment.

• How to Save the World shows how the “free” market ruins entertainment media.

• Dr. B. briefly looks at the Onion A.V,’s recent interview with Will Wright, creator of The Sims, and his decision to make versatile partnering relationships within the game.

• The movie Million Dollar Baby is discussed at Subversive Harmony, and although she is critical of many of the movie’s premises, finds it an enjoyable watch.

Blogging:
• Krista compiles a list of things she wishes someone would have told her when she began blogging.

• Atheist bloggers unite at the Carnival of the Godless. Some very good posts there, and some not so good. Still an awesome idea. (It appears COTG 2 is already out, hosted at Pharyngula.)

Other Anomalies:
• On the Evolution of the Female Orgasm.

• My new favorite blog, The Examining Room of Dr. Charles, features stories based on true experiences starring fictional characters. If this guy weren’t a doctor, I’d strongly suggest he write a novel.

What I’ve Been Doing Since I Haven’t Been Blogging

Wednesday
Substitute as a para for a gaggle of kindergarteners. Reconsider teaching. Reconsider taking Ethan out of Montessori next year and contemplate applying for a scholarship so he may attend kindergarten there. Feel proud that child is so damn smart without a minor push from any of us. Remember birthday is in two weeks and dread the annual birthday malaise. And, oh yeah, Valentine’s Day. Stupid holidays. Sleep on the couch all afternoon and never quite recover from unplanned nap. Bitch about the grit on the floors that is now embedded in my feet. Try to list my goals from this month through the rest of the year.

Thursday
Resolve issues with ASL teacher, who turns out to be a fantastic instructor. Fall asleep on parents’ couch after dinner. Get lecture about incurable insomnia. Grumble. Go home. Begin thinking about the garden, how it will be planted and where in the yard the sunflowers will go, and how obscenely gaudy the ancient neighbors will find them. Feel pleased. Order egregious amount of vegetable and sunflower seeds from Burpee. Wonder where the hell I’m going to get the money for gardening tools. Finish math homework with little sweat or tears. Be glad I am not blogging as the dial-up connection has been painfully slow. Have horrible nightmare that disrupts the first opportunity for uninterrupted sleep in weeks.

Friday
Attend first school observation. Make awesome tortellini concoction that if distributed among the nations would inspire world peace. Buy straight needles to knit both sleeves of Klaralund at the same time. Mend two sweaters, darn a pair of socks, start a wearable everyday knitted hat in green. Lament blogging break because Pablo has been awfully cute and it is the day for cat blogging. Finish everyday green hat. Decide it’s too short, cast on at the bottom and begin knitting a fold-up brim. That night, watch an actual film, one that transcends “movie” status by having good actors, writing, and cinematography, but fall asleep halfway through. Dream about beautiful Cuban actor.

Saturday
Clean the hell out of my house. Cleanest it’s been since I moved. Boxes from moving six months ago are finally all unpacked and it appears a yard sale is needed. Remove a Pablo-sized hairball from under the sofa. Gag. Also recover a transparent red Lego from a dark corner that inspires Ethan to make a wide array of emergency vehicles from Legos all afternoon. Pablo gets in on the Lego action. Thank whomever that both are busy enough for me to rest. Make grocery list for next week. Plan to cook all day Sunday. Pray for the good health of the inventor of my second-hand generic Crockpot.

Sunday
Crap. It’s Superbowl Sunday, isn’t it? Roll out of bed to answer the phone, to hear that an old, fond acquaintance of mine (the scariest-looking teddy bear/I’ll-kill-you-in-a-minute gay man I’ve ever met) is in the hospital in a drug-induced coma because a friend of his thought it was really funny that he was drinking antifreeze during a night of excessive drunkenness and didn’t stop him. Fucking idiot. Go to the hospital and buy him a small token to let him know I’m thinking of him. Wonder about something Dru once said about getting through a time period of friends’ self-destructiveness. Wonder when this time will end. Wish people had some sense and that drug and alcohol addicitions were biologically impossible.

Monday
Lay around. Have sweatpants day. Go to local pet store where I am asked by the badly tattooed clerk if I have a long-haired cat. When I inquire why he asks, he points to the shoulder of my jacket covered in a carpet of cat hair. Curse. Eat homemade stew. Finish watching “City of God.” Love it despite movie malevolence.

Tuesday
Attend full day of classes. Collapse on couch. Take this quiz:


You Are the Very Gay Tinky Winky!




Purple with a gay pride symbol… how could he not be gay?
And that red purse is divalicious!

Read “Speak” (and part II) during lunch at my daily hangout. Briefly excuse myself to bathroom to cry. Go home after final class. Cut my own hair. Collapse on couch. Wander to the basement to gaze at pile of laundry. Go back upstairs to lay on couch. Sigh as E drives Lego emergency vehicles over my reclined body.

Wednesday
Another sweatpants day – the local school corps appear to be okay on subs. Knit a few rows on Klaralund. Pet Pablo. Count nine days until another disappointing birthday rolls around. Relent and begin blogging again.