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

Month: March 2010

Predator Theory

Though the stranger rape remains entrenched as the paradigm of “real” rape, of rape that is recognized as such, it is not actually the norm. As most readers of feminist blogs know, acquaintance rapes are by far the more prevalent. In this area, understanding badly lags, and relatively recent research could change the understanding of exactly how acquaintance rapes happen, who commits them, and why. It is for this reason that I have been doing everything I can to popularize the work of University of Massachusetts professor David Lisak, and similar work by some of his colleagues.

Though the term is mine and not Lisak’s, the substance of the research can be summarized by the title of this post. Predator Theory is the theory that acquaintance rape as we know it is overwhelmingly caused by a relatively narrow portion of recidivist undetected rapists in the population, each of whom will have several victims, and that these rapists select targets based on the likelihood that they can rape without meaningful consequence, and favor alcohol and avoid overt force as tools to defeat resistance for just this reason.

Thursday LOST Roundtable: Ab Aeterno

Spoilers below!

LOST character Richard Alpert sits against a concrete wall, a window above him partially visible. Richard has hair down to his chin and a bearded face. He wears a light brown, un-collared shirt with buttons, dark brown suspenders, and a gold cross around his neck. He looks intently down at something out of frame.

This week on LOST, we finally learned how the mysterious Richard Alpert came to the island, started working for Jacob, and stopped aging. Check out our thoughts on this epic episode below, and share your own reactions and theories in the comments (with no spoilers for unaired episodes.)

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Anti-Choice Dems Receive Death Threats From Pro-Lifers

Oh the irony.

This isn’t surprising, given the far-right’s habit of threatening and sometimes carrying out violence against those they disagree with; it is particularly predictable given the anti-choice movement’s reliance on violence and intimidation. This is what radicals in the anti-choice movement do — they threaten people, they scream outside of clinics, they yell “babykiller” on the House floor, and sometimes they set things on fire or shoot doctors or kill people. All of it, from the clinic harassment to the death threats directed towards these congressmen to the killings, is entirely disgusting and unjustifiable. There are obviously varying degrees of disgustingness involved, but it’s all reprehensible.

But I’m with David — will the anti-choice lawmakers who are receiving these threats put two and two together and realize that what they’re now experiencing is just a fraction of what women who terminate pregnancies and doctors who provide abortions face? That women who enter abortion clinics are faced with screaming throngs of people, with threats, and sometimes with violence? That their own congresspeople refer to them as “baby-killers”? That doctors who provide abortion services are stalked, harassed, and sometimes killed? That I’d be willing to bet if you got the bloggers from the five biggest feminist websites together, we’d outpace these guys in death threats by a mile?

It’s shameful that these congressmen are receiving death threats. It’s shameful that they’re also part of a movement that has long threatened women’s lives.

“None of this is about healthcare at all. It’s about extending a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful.”

So says House Majority Whip James Clyburn about the rancor, anger and general unhinged-ness coming from the GOP and Tea Party protestors. And he’s right. So is Bob Herbert, in this must-read column.* Herbert details the Tea Partiers taunting a man with Parkinson’s, spitting on black congressmen, and shouting racial and homophobic epithets. Despite Republicans’ claims that it’s the Democrats who are divisive (kind of a laughable contention given the GOP’s behavior during the health care battles), the GOP not only stonewalls reasonable legislation put forth by Democrats, but stokes fear and hatred in its far-right supports — hatred that doesn’t just create political animosity, but capitalizes on genuine bigotry, racism, homophobia and misogyny. Herbert says:

For decades the G.O.P. has been the party of fear, ignorance and divisiveness. All you have to do is look around to see what it has done to the country. The greatest economic inequality since the Gilded Age was followed by a near-total collapse of the overall economy. As a country, we have a monumental mess on our hands and still the Republicans have nothing to offer in the way of a remedy except more tax cuts for the rich.
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The toxic clouds that are the inevitable result of the fear and the bitter conflicts so relentlessly stoked by the Republican Party — think blacks against whites, gays versus straights, and a whole range of folks against immigrants — tend to obscure the tremendous damage that the party’s policies have inflicted on the country. If people are arguing over immigrants or abortion or whether gays should be allowed to marry, they’re not calling the G.O.P. to account for (to take just one example) the horribly destructive policy of cutting taxes while the nation was fighting two wars.
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A party that promotes ignorance (“Just say no to global warming”) and provides a safe house for bigotry cannot serve the best interests of our country. Back in the 1960s, John Lewis risked his life and endured savage beatings to secure fundamental rights for black Americans while right-wing Republicans like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan were lining up with segregationist Democrats to oppose landmark civil rights legislation.

Since then, the right-wingers have taken over the G.O.P. and Mr. Lewis, now a congressman, must still endure the garbage they have wrought.

The GOP certainly isn’t responsible for the actions of every single individual who votes for a Republican, or every hate-radio commentator. But they are certainly responsible for sowing the seeds of hatred and resentment, and for picking traditionally marginalized groups as their scapegoats — immigrants, people of color, women, gays and lesbians. They are certainly also guilty of using violent, heated rhetoric to get their point across, whether they’re calling health care legislation “Marxist” and invoking Lenin or suggesting that we put the Speaker of the House in the “firing line” or screaming out “baby-killer” in the middle of a Congressional debate. They embrace and even pander to the most far-right elements of their constituency, and they set a tone which enables and even promotes the kind of disgusting, inhuman behavior that the Tea Partiers exhibit.

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Back Up Your Birth Control 2010

It’s Back Up Your Birth Control Day! Last year, I posted a general “here’s what emergency contraception is and how it works” because an unofficial poll of my friends shocked me – many of them didn’t know what EC even was. This year, I’ll assume people are now sufficiently learned and instead tell you ways to celebrate BUYBC Day and your reproductive rights.

For starters, you can head out to your pharmacy and pick up some emergency contraception. That is, assuming you live in a country where it’s available, are old enough to get it, and don’t get harassed by the pharmacist.

If you aren’t already an expert, get educated. The BUYBC site has handy dandy info on what EC is and how to get it in the U.S.

Then, spread the message far and wide. Tweet it, put it on your Facebook, make it your Gchat status, tell your roomies, whatevs. Share your knowledge on BC and EC with everyone you know.

Take action by signing the petition telling the FDA to end age restrictions on EC.

You can also check out the Take Action Toolkit(PDF) with info on engaging activists, contacting media, getting your school involved, etc.

Feel free to share other ideas in the comments. Oh, and please also feel free to share your own EC-related stories and experiences.

(cross-posted at Jump off the Bridge)

Amazing Women: Joanie Warner and Abby Mahler

This blog post about mother and daughter Joanie and Abby warmed my heart, and could not have been written about two more lovely, inspiring women. Joanie has been battling cancer for more than a decade, and her daughter Abby has used her love of music to raise awareness about breast cancer and to shore up resources for research organizations. Joanie, her husband Bob and Abby are also long-time family friends — I used to babysit Abby, and was blessed to experience first-hand how warm, loving and brave their family is. So go read the post — and check out the whole blog, which features stories of inspiring women, while you’re at it.

Aware of what exactly?

Cross-posted at Zero at the Bone and FWD/Forward.

Well, it’s Disability Awareness Month in Indiana, USA. Sound Bend, IN, network WSBT are raising awareness with a story about Sarah Schelstraete, who has Down Syndrome. It’s called Sarah’s Story: Hard at work despite disabilities. One thousand points if you can anticipate from the title what my major problem with the article was.

Now, impairments can make particular kinds of work, or work at all, difficult for people with disabilities, particularly when accommodations – be they ramps or particular lighting or a chair or whatever – are not provided. Leaving aside any accommodations Ms Schelstraete might utilise (it’s irrelevant and really none of our business) there’s no indication as to what impact her impairment might have that would make it hard for her to work at her job as the article title suggests. In fact, the article doesn’t tell us what her job actually is, but moving right along. Now, I’m not saying she definitely doesn’t have challenges related to her impairment, but rather that I have a problem with a particular narrative that this article taps into. This is a narrative that erases Ms Schelstraete’s individual situation, whatever that might be, in favour of conveying disability as something the poor dears must overcome! in their tear-inducing (to abled people) efforts! to live a normal life! which includes paid work!

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Jill vs. Delta Air Lines, The Novel

Here is a video that sums up how I feel today:

I realize that most people read Feministe for the political and feminist content, and not for the Feministe authors’ personal grievances and/or self-indulgences and/or bitchings. However! Why have a blog if you can’t occasionally use it to indulge your narcissism and turn it into a platform for your personal complaints? Behold, Feministe readers, what is possibly the Worst Travel Story of All Time, brought to you courtesy of Delta Airlines and yours truly.

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I Should Stop Reading News Sites…

Today, I had some time to read the news and got so excited, because I’m a nerd like that. Sadly, the first three articles I read annoyed me so much that not only did I stop reading, but I also felt compelled to share them with you.

Hooking Up for Sex: Sluts or New Feminists?
The title alone should have made me stay away, but I took the plunge. I was so annoyed, I wanted to pull my hair out. 1) Please, let’s stop talking to slut shamers, yes? 2) Let’s also stop centering all these discussions on women. 3) Can more of these pieces be about societal expectations, sexual repression, etc.? 4) No, seriously, are we really still talking about this?!

Newsweek Still Wages Gender War, 40 Years Later
Okay, this article about women in journalism isn’t actually bad, except this really confused me:

On the 40th anniversary of the revolt, much has changed for women, who have since forged sexual freedoms and broken glass ceilings in political life and in the workplace.

What the hell does sexual freedom have anything to do with glass ceilings, journalism, politics, etc.? Talk about out of place. In retrospect, it probably wouldn’t have bugged me as much if not for the article I read right before it and right after. Which brings me to the winner of the bunch…

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