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

Month: December 2009

Start Your Decade Off Right! By “Rebranding” Feminism!

Hey, you guys! It is almost a new year! A new DECADE, even. That is a big deal, right? And, as we approach our bright and shining future, it’s time for us to engage in some serious thoughts. Thoughts about Feminism! Where has it been, where is it going, at what point do we just get around to establishing that the true point of Feminism is and has always been for me to have my own rocket car, etcetera. And who do we trust, in this hour of futuristic thought, to guide us on to Feminism’s new era?

Probably not Nicky Loomis of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, that’s who! Oh, I know, I know. “Nicky Who-mis of the Where Where WHAT, now?” That is what you are saying. And I sympathize! I’ve never heard of this person, either! But Nicky has written us a letter, about our movement, and the many faults Nicky happens to perceive therein. And since it is addressed to us – to ALL OF US, in fact – I think we should give it a fair hearing. It begins:

DEAR Feminism,

See? It’s for you!

Hi. How are you?

God damn it, Nicky Loomis of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO CONTACT ME. It’s over! Let it go!

Guess what? Another decade is done and people are starting to wonder where you have gone.

Um, fucking EVERYWHERE, I think? Did you try Google? Did you look for the explosion of independently-run and/or corporate-backed feminist media that has been one of the better developments of this past decade? Like: there are some big places we hang out on the Internet, really. Did you try Shakesville, Feministing, Pandagon? A website entitled, last time I checked, “Feministe?” These are some of the easier names to plug into your Google machine! They’re not even the only names I know or the only names I seek out because they’re continually attached to work where I can find Feminism hanging out and chilling and entertaining guests; they’re just names that are substantially easier to know about or have heard of than, say, “Nicky Loomis!” Did you try the feminist or feminist-friendly offshoots of major for-profit media? DoubleX, Broadsheet, Jezebel? You can find Sarah Haskins on the Internet too, I hear! She has a little TV show, I recommend it!

Also, do you read things that are printed on paper?

Read More…Read More…

Happy New Year!

And happy new decade (that’s a link to Lauren’s post below, at which you can get all dreamy and reflective).

It’s already 1 January 2010 here in the future Australia. We have two pretty spectacular fireworks displays on the harbour here in Sydney every New Year’s Eve, but this year I elected to stay home and eat chocolate. And I crashed into bed at 11pm! Today, however, I am celebrating with some friends.

What have you done, or what will you be doing, for New Year (assuming you follow the Gregorian calandar!)?

Standard End of Decade Post

Happy New Year from someone comfortable expressing their love and appreciation for you in ecard format

What was special about the 200Xs?

I thought a lot about what happened in the last ten years that was really important to me, and finally I decided that the one thing that most impacted my daily life was how the intertubes exploded. The rise of the blogosphere paved the way for a new generation of feminists and feminist-sympathizers to communicate, fight, and revolutionize, something that really radicalized me. The invention of various communication and social networking applications — everything from WordPress to Wikipedia to Movable Type to Facebook to eMusic to Gmail to iTunes — allowed me to expand my social and cultural life and keep in touch with all kinds of people I’d never otherwise have the privilege of meeting and ideas I’d never otherwise encouter, and, conversely, gave people I have no intention of talking to ever again alarmingly easy access to my life.

Other milestones? Beginning and graduating from college, getting married, acquiring the cats, redeveloping a healthier relationship with my family, the boy starting school and doing rather well at it, getting my first “real job” (as much as I hate it), memorable trips to Memphis, Michigan, Arkansas, St. Thomas, and Eastern PA, quitting blogging, quitting blogging again, and finally deciding that this is as close as I’m getting to writing every day so I might as well accept it.

You?

Babies

The trailer for this upcoming movie on a year in the life of babies from four different countries reminds me how baby faces, baby bodies, and baby behaviors are so universal. Mostly it makes my uterus contract.

I hope it doesn’t fall into a trap of cultural stereotypes so we may all enjoy the effects of pure, uncut cute.

via Blue Milk

New Restrictions

Call me cynical, but this “you cannot pee within an hour of landing” seems a bit… simplistic. I mean, yeah, deter people from blowing shit up. But when you’re making the decision between blowing shit up an hour before landing verus two hours before landing, you have failed.

And yes, I understand that the majority of airport security measures, from taking your shoes off to only being able to board with a certain volume of liquid, are psychological rather than practical. But let’s maybe make it less transparent, pals.

Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday

The “it’s Christmas so I’m at home and not really blogging, sorry” edition. But I’m sure many of you are writing interesting things! So post a comment with a description of something you’ve written and a link.

Did everyone have a nice holiday?

White Elephant

My fam has decided to do a white elephant Xmas this year, and Chef and I have been wandering around the house trying to decide what to wrap up as our presents. Tonight Chef had a brilliant idea, “I know! Your degree!”

It will do as much for them as it has for me. Fa la la la la!*

But in all seriousness, what kinds of things do you do for a white elephant gift exchange? I have some friends that give away really nice household items, while others give out recyclable trash like a roll of toilet paper or an empty CD-R spindle. Help.

________________
* With apologies to my mother

Newsy reads for today

The Times: BBC bows to age rage and brings back mature women. Three women over fifty, Fiona Armstrong, 53, Julia Somerville, 62 and Zeinab Badawi, 50, have been hired as presenters on the BBC News Channel. This is a pleasant change in a world in which older women mysteriously disappear from news programs, when women are allowed to report/present “hard news” at all. Related: here’s a good article from a few years back on women in the news by BBC news presenter and feminist Fiona Bruce. She’s commonly asked ‘What do you wear under the desk?’ and ‘What is your favourite recipe?’ Also check out the Global Media Monitoring Project, which follows trends in gender in the media around the world.

AP: Serena Williams is 2009 AP Female Athlete of Year. Would you like to know the runner up? It was a horse.

Times of India: Bangalore police want ban on women bartenders. This follows the abduction (and rescue, don’t worry!) of twelve bartenders on their way home on Saturday. As interviewee K.S. Vimala says, ‘Sexual harassment of women is happening in other work places. That does not mean, we’ll stop them from working altogether. What is needed is proper safety and security for women at their work places’. The Bar and Restaurant Owners’ Association is stepping up security.

LA Times: In Iran, a blind musician leads the way for a women’s orchestra.

DailyCamera.com: Healing Nepal: All-female guide company empowering women one trek at a time. ‘After hearing from several disgruntled female tourists, complaining of male guides disrespecting them, the sisters — armed with basic mountaineering skills — opened the country’s first female-owned trekking company, run by and for women.’ The three Chhetri sisters have also opened a children’s home for girls age 7 to 16 who have been rescued from child labor. And 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking has a non-profit arm called Empowering Women of Nepal, which has a number of programs that sound amazing.