April 2006 – Feministe

Cadt Breeeeeed.

So much for the hope that all the extra nose hair would shield me from the depredations of allergy season.

Sending drug offenders to overseas prisons is one thing…

But I will be damned if you will lay your little republican mitts on my dildos.

I kid, of course. Sending drug offenders to prisons in countries with noted histories of human rights abuses is, to put it mildly, deeply and profoundly fucked up. More fucked up, even, then a full-frontal assault on sex toys.

I think it’s about time we took a look around and ask ourselves what’s going on when it’s acceptable for politicians to make suggestions like this one. Or like this one (“Let the prisoners pick the fruits!”).

Although I’d appreciate it if those politicians would lay off the rabbit habit. Or at least get their own and leave mine be.

via The General.

How Not to Apologize

Hilarious.

My personal favorites:

“The comment was not meant to be a regional slur. To the extent that it was misinterpreted to be one, I apologize.”

— Lawyer Kenneth Taylor, after referring to people living in the mountains of Kentucky as “illiterate cave dwellers.” Oct. 17, 2003

and

“I’m sincerely sorry…. There was no anti-Semitism whatsoever on my part.”

— Major League Baseball umpire Bruce Froemming, after calling an umpiring administrator a “stupid Jew bitch.” Jan. 31, 2003

OMG Meghan Daum, your tone is like SO insulting

Think she’d have written her column this way if Kaavya Viswanathan was a Harvard-educated man? Just saying.

*Sidenote: This isn’t meant to defend Viswanathan. She obviously plagiarized her work, and deserves to be called out for it. But Daum’s tone is incredibly condescending, and she clearly adopts stereotypical teenage girl-speak. Which, I’ll admit, is grating. But I don’t think we would have seen a column like this if, say, fellow fake writer James Frey was a 20-year-old college student.

Sleeping Pose

Find your own pose!

Interesting…

Pinching Koala and Tree Traits and Tendencies:
Pinching Koala and Tree couples experience a kind of super symbiosis that other sorts of couples (especially vegan couples) only dream of. The harmony that comes from this kind of pairing would be revolting if it weren’t so inspirational, which is why Pinching Koalas and Trees are often surrounded by friends and would-be friends, and their schedules are often booked months in advance.

Comfort Zone:
Pinching Koala and Tree is one of the Wind sleepers poses. Other Wind poses you might explore include Softserve Swirl and Fireman’s Carry.

Note:
Koalas make for excellent lawyers and flea market bargainers, thanks to their characteristic tenaciousness.

via Fever to Tell, whose most recent post on Becker, Posner and income inequality I would very highly recommend.

80s Flashback

We’re still arguing about Salman Rushie? Really?

This news is a few days old, but for those who haven’t heard, Rushdie is scheduled to speak at Nova Southeastern University and some students are upset because Rushdie “blasphemes” Islam in The Satanic Verses. Now, I can certainly understand being more than a little sensitive to all the anti-Muslim nonsense going on right now; I can understand being upset about the crap that regularly appears on conservative websites, about racist cartoons, and even about what Rushdie wrote. However, the fact remains that Rushdie is one of the greatest writers alive (and yes, I’m probably a little biased because I really enjoy his work). He’s been at the center of one of the biggest free speech conflicts of the past quarter century. He’s a man of great intelligence and integrity, not to mention incredible talent. Universities should be — and I’d imagine are — chomping at the bit to have him come and speak.

Should every student get in line and go see Rushdie if they can’t stand him and think he’s personally insulting? No. They certainly don’t have to attend graduation if they find him so abhorrent. But suggesting that he’s an inappropriate choice is just silly. Universities should, and usually do, pick speakers who reflect their values and the character of their community. It would, for example, probably be a poor choice for a school like NYU to invite someone like John Ashcroft to speak at graduation, because he’s so far out of line with NYU’s instititutional values. It would not be such a poor choice for them to invite EL Doctorow, or Toni Morrison, or even Al Gore. Is Salman Rushdie the kind of person whose reputation runs counter to all the things that institutions of higher learning should hold dear? No. He represents what higher education seeks to achieve — skillful writing, expression of inborn talent, and personal courage. So it saddens me to see students at NSU speaking out against him for the least courageous reasons:

“Who is to say there is not someone willing to try and kill him while inflicting harm to everyone else at the ceremony?” said NSU student Randy Rodriguez-Torres in an editorial published in this week’s NSU student newspaper.

I can understand being offended. If, for example, John Ashcroft was the speaker at my graduation, I might consider not attending. I support and respect any individual student’s choice not to go to their own graduation because they disagree with what the speaker stands for. But I’m not sure that there’s a good argument to be made that Rushie is an inappropriate choice, or that a graduation speaker must be someone who pleases everyone in the audience. I can see a better argument against selecting controversial political figures, since those people tend to be inherently polarizing. But agitating against the selection of one of the most well-regarded literary figures alive? Give me a break.

The Pandering! It Burns!

Oh, fer crap’s sake.

WASHINGTON – President Bush said Friday the national anthem should be sung in English – not Spanish – in a blunt rejection of a new Spanish-language version. He also expressed opposition to a national work stoppage called for Monday to dramatize the importance of immigrants to the U.S. economy.

“I’m not a supporter of boycotts,” Bush said, while restating his support for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws.

Bush made his comments at a Rose Garden news conference as a Spanish-language version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” hit the airways featuring artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon.

Called “Nuestro Himno” – “Our Anthem” – the Spanish version rewrites some of the English version. For instance, the second stanza says, “My people keep fighting. It’s time to break the chains.”

“I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English,” Bush said.

You know, one of the few things I’m willing to give Georgie boy is his refusal to get into demonizing Mexican immigrants, legal and otherwise. Other than the guest-worker proposals, he seems to be more or less on the right side of the immigration issue. But I suppose he has to throw a bone to the Tancredos and the Minutemen of the base every now and again.

Because here’s the thing, George: there are plenty of native-born US citizens who speak Spanish. Including every last person born in Puerto Rico. The US does not have an official language, just a dominant one. And while you like to make pronouncements about who is and who isn’t a Real American, rest assured that Spanish-speaking citizens are every bit as American as your privileged WASPy ass.

I can’t say as I blame him for speaking out against a work stoppage that has the potential to bring the economy to a screeching halt, but the anthem thing is a bit much. Especially when you have clowns like Lamar! Alexander seeking to win the posturing Olympics:

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said he would introduce a Senate resolution Monday “giving senators an opportunity to remind the country why we sing our national anthem in English.” Noting that America is a nation of immigrants, Alexander said, “We are proud of the countries we have come from, but we are prouder to be Americans.”

And some Americans belong to families that have been speaking Spanish in the territory of the US for longer than the US, as a political entity, has been around.

Oh, but this has nothing to do with brown people, no sir.

In any event, all this hysteria over the Spanish-language anthem overlooks one little thing: it’s not meant to discourage people from becoming Americans:

British music producer Adam Kidron, who came up with the idea of the Spanish anthem, said it was not intended to discourage immigrants from learning English or embracing American culture.

“We instead view `Nuestro Himno’ as a song that affords those immigrants that have not yet learned the English language the opportunity to fully understand the character of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ the American flag and the ideals of freedom that they represent,” Kidron said in a written statement.

Because God forbid they should be able to understand the damn thing.

Pop this.

So Amp posted (thanks for the response and kind words, Amp) about the non-conversation that took place over on feh-muh-nist’s blog after she posted about “trans politics,” which is a term similar in origin and effect to “homosexual agenda,” “contraceptive mentality,” or “gender feminism.” The phrase is an imposition by outsiders. It is based on a conception of the loosely-aligned community it purports to describe that is so at odds with reality that it cannot be used to say anything accurate. Period.

So most of the thread seems to be people musing on gender and gender roles as they affect their lives. Then someone named Laylalola said some rawther muddled things about feminism, lesbian feminism, radical feminism, queer women, and dykes. I wasn’t really sure where to start with the idea that passing was like androgyny was like radicalism was like bois. A commenter like Puffin has decided to retort in her own special way (I really wish I could have seen the comment pre-mod-note), and will, I’m sure, use Laylalola’s comment as an excuse to ignore any others:

Laylalola, did you read some Califia, get high, watch The L Word marathon, and then come to your distorted conclusion of what radical lesbian feminism today is? Seriously, get a clue.

If radical lesbian feminists “pass for men,” it’s not because they’re trying to. True, most radical feminists aren’t dipping their faces in make-up and botox and I suppose since THAT’S what defines being a woman nowadays, you assume not doing so must mean wanting to pass as a man.

And the radical feminist opposition to trans politics has nothing to do with biology. Not even close. But I suppose to someone who sees gender as “moving as a man in this world” or “moving as a woman in this world,” it is that simple. So hell ya, let’s all get out our checkbooks, slap down $30,000 for SRS, start popping hormones, and fuck the Patriarchy over big-time.

I hope she wasn’t serious. I’d hate to have to welcome her as a fellow trans. I’m sick and tired of this bullshit, and I think I’m going to bed.

Fight to the Death

It’s looking like a serious environmental showdown — Blue States vs. Red.

Never thought I’d say this, but…

Now that I’ve seen Snow Job, who totally looks like he’s about to lunge from his post at the podium and start chewing someone’s face off, I miss the kinder, gentler face of spin. Goodbye, Scott. Goodbye and good luck.