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

Month: August 2005

Friday Random Ten – The “I Forgot It Was Friday” Edition

Eh, I changed my mind and decided to annotate this one.

1) The Ikettes – I’m Blue
I discovered this one thank to Amanda and it quickly became one of my favorite walking songs. It’s nearly impossible to move about in space while listening to this and not wiggle a little. 8/10

2) White Stripes – Cannon
I really liked this band at one time, but after being a staple in my CD player for a million years I find them played out. Just like Jack White. 4/10

3) The Ludes – Your Dog Don’t Bark
Another internet find that screams of the Stones but nonetheless remains a decent driving song. 6/10

4) Gene Vincent – Lotta Lovin’
Gene is my other boyfriend. If I could have gone to Geneland instead of Graceland I would have. 8/10

5) Sleater-Kinney – Fortunate Son
Live version. Since I don’t like live recordings (or SK) all that much (even though I tried), a paltry 5/10.

6) Breakfast Jones – Wishful Thinking
Local band headed by one of my longtime friends. I was genuinely impressed with the set of recordings he gave me when I inquired, especially this song, because the firs time I saw them live they were, um, in need of work. The set of recording he gave me were a project in which he and another band member sent tracks back and forth via email, putting layers of song and lyric over one another. Love this. 9/10

7) MC5 – Back in the USA
Not feeling it today. I have a headache. 3/10

8) The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
Underrated punk band. Yes, they’re poppy, yes, radio-friendly, but the ’77 style is fun and a bit raw. 7/10

9) Drive-By Truckers – Guitar Man Upstairs
Definitely not my favorite DBT song. 4/10

10) Jon Brion – Walking Through Walls
One day I will get my hands on this album, but seeing as I’m broke for the rest of the summer and have important things to spend money on, like bills, it will have to wait. The best part of this song is the chorus, a group of background singers quietly singing “mother fucker” to emphasize Brion’s song of f-off empowerment.

Bonus Guilty Pleasure: Five Deez, “Funky”

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The Dove ads that won’t end

Like nearly every other feminist blogger, I’ve written about the Dove ads before. And yet, I have more to say.

These ads have created quite a stir, and not just in feminist circles. They’ve prompted op/eds in major national newspapers. They’re being discussed on blog after blog. And you can’t turn on the TV, read a women’s magazine or walk down an urban street without seeing them.

There seem to be a few camps of thought out there when it comes to these ads. First is the group that says, “Real women! Right on!” and ends with that. Then there are those that say, “This is another ad campaign, still negotiating women’s bodies to sell products, and that is bad.” And then there’s the “These women aren’t models, how dare they be on billboards” set. To me, though, all of these views are insufficient.

Twisty, as usual, has a really fantastic take on the ads. Read her post. I agree with her. But at the same time, I don’t dislike the ads as much as she does. And while I find them problematic, it’s for slightly different reasons.

For me, it comes down to one question: What do we, as feminists, want from advertising culture, and what do we reasonably expect? There are those of us who see advertising as inherently evil, and will argue that any form of it is dehumanizing and bad. If that’s where you’re coming from, then it’s perfectly consistent to dislike the Dove ads. But, if you’re coming from where I am — which is where you’re critical of advertising, but recognize its necessity in our economic system (or at least recognize it as something that isn’t ever going to disappear) — then the Dove ads become harder to criticize.

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Most Bizarre Government Policy Ever

Taking a break from more serious or titillating news, someone who is paid with Indiana tax dollars came up with a brilliant idea: No more clocks in the license branches.

Is this because of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ brilliantly executed plan to move Hoosiers to DST? Or was that EST? Or CST? I forget. If there aren’t clocks, we won’t know what time it is.

Or is this his way of tricking us into thinking that closing all our license branches across the state for budget cuts was no big deal? No clocks, that fewer batteries for the state to buy. Cut where cut can.

Or is this another version of the Las Vegas “no windows” policy to keep us from realizing how inefficient the branches are when it takesfour hours to renew your registration for another paltry year?

Bill Frist, closet pro-choicer?

William Saletan seems to think so. But if Frist is what pro-choice looks like, then no thanks. I’ll take my politics elsewhere.

Saletan, though, does a good job of pointing out some basic inconsistencies in Frist’s position, and at the end of the article asks the key question: Where, for Mr. Frist, does fetal right to life trump the rights of born, indisputably alive human beings? Because it ain’t at conception.

Taking culture into account

A Flordia drug sting has resulted in the arrest of almost 50 Indian immigrant drugstore clerks, under charges of selling materials used to make methanphetamine — legal materials, available over-the-counter. Police claim that the clerks knew what they were selling would be used for drugs, since informants said that they were using the materials (like aluminum foil) for a “cook,” which is apparently common drug-making slang. Many of the Indian clerks say that they didn’t understand what their customer was saying — and to be honest, I’m not sure even I would have understood what was going on.

Either way, it seems a little ridiculous to me that store clerks could be arrested for doing their jobs.