Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday February 8, 2009 Jill Yeah, I can’t believe I’m up at 9am on a Sunday either. Gettin old. As long as you’re up too, post a description of something you’ve written this week along with a link. Make it specific; don’t just post to your whole blog.
I discuss my fears about my (at the time) pending tattoo appointment – fears which have nothing to do with needles and everything to do with the patriarchy. Plus a picture of the completed tattoo. ^_^
I wonder if I’m crazy or am I really seeing cultural appropriation in the new Australian tourism commercial. I apply for the liberal version of the [name] the [occupation] and give my resume. I ask folks to support Rep. Debbie Stabenow who is being targeted by Hannity’s sheeple for supporting the potential of the return of the Fairness Doctrine. The horror! I began a new feature called ‘Are You Kidding Me?’
Over at Macha Mexico, we just posted an interview with Mexican lesbian writer and activist Artemisa Téllez about her work and her vision for queer life in Mexico City.
Ooops! Also, Macha Mexico: A Lesbian Guide to Mexico City was nominated for a Lezzy Award in the culture/entertainment category, so if you like the blog, continue to nominate us! One more thing, we moved to our own URL, http://www.machamexico.com/. So, please, if you are a loyal reader, please update your links and bookmarks and google readers.
polytechnique of course we need a male perspective: The first movie made about the montreal massacre has been made and it is been made from the male survivor perspective. Looking at Feminist 2pto and the feminist web: Looking at the list of the top30 blogs and what it says about online feminism. The invisible mother: Looking at the ways in which motherhood of woc is not recognized. Dear Americans: What Canadians are willing to offer in trade to get Barack Obama Confronting Hyper Sexuality In The Black Community: Looking at how race needs to be factored into sex education.
This isn’t a self-promotion, but a plea for help on behalf of my fellow Aussies. Victoria and NSW has been hit by the worst bushfires in Australian history this weekend. Two towns have been burned to the ground – over 95% of the buildings and houses gone, and many deaths. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485648.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Victorian_bushfires If you can donate a few dollars to help the people affected by this, please go to http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm So many people have lost *everything*.
Nothing of real substance this week, but I do have a goofy little vignette about the perils of client counseling.
I wrote about my problems with perfectionism, competitiveness, focusing on my own achievement, and the peace I get when I try to step back from those tendencies and approach people in a more positive light.
I finally have something to post! I make a comic version of Tractate Berachot, a volume of the Talmud. It is mostly very centred around the (male) rabbis telling the stories/laws, but occasionally something interesting happens with women. This week I illustrated a quote about how women have more to look forward to in the next world than men. It sounds like sort of typical chivalry dressed up as something pro-woman, but actually it’s a really lovely quote. Women are praised as “confident daughters,” which is a beautiful term I think – in women, apparently it’s praiseworthy, the Talmud doesn’t think confidence is a virtue in men at all! I drew my sister and myself in it. We fought so badly as children but now are learning how to fight on the same side. It was nice just to draw all women on a page for once, happy and getting along. The comic is here: Rise up, you women that are at ease…
We had a very busy week at Pink Scare (recessions seem to create a lot of fruit ripe for socialist wrath–as well as a lot of :facepalm: action). We took the Obama administration to task for the general incoherence and ineptitude of their approach to fixing this recession, including looking at their short-sighted political games, the stupidity of dead-end bipartisanship, and the ineffective, low-hanging fruit of pay caps for executives receiving TARP funds. In non-recession news, I expressed my unwavering hatred for the sexist, racist Christopher Hitchens, and we lamented the racist/nativist thread emerging in Britain’s general strike.
Independent undergarment designer Jennifer from Under the Root is giving away a free custom hipster on my blog. Deadline is fast approaching! http://suchcoolstuff.blogspot.com/2009/02/underpants-giveaway.html
I wrote about St. Agatha martyred in 250 AD A bit of a bitchy rant about whether there would be cake served at World Cancer Day Finally, how a tadpole could save your life. Thanks for doing this it’s great and I always find something interesting.
Refuting an argument from a CNN commentary, and in a book, I found a study of what really motivated anti-choicers in 1978, which probably will surprise no one.
It’s been a somewhat fun and humorous week. Found: the perfect cake for my sister’s baby shower. Successfully embedded a YouTube clip: 10 Chick Flick Cliches And the awesome NYC legos.
http://inkriot.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html A local university paper recently ran an editorial on the “No means No” campaign… and some parts of the piece got up in my craw.
I posted about empowerment, and empowerment by accepting oppression, including when done presidents and warlords. I also consider ‘natural foods’ and what they say about society.
http://onewomanmanytruths.blogspot.com/2009/02/rape-or-just-bad-sex-myth-about-consent.html I above post a link to the first post on my fledgling blog, where I hope to share some of my experiences which I hope will be of benefit to other people. In this piece I talk about my rape experience, but only as far as I use it to discuss my views about the issue of consent. Specifically I conclude on whether the lack of a “no” really amounts to consent. Comments welcome, although the blog seems to be preventing some people from commenting annoyingly… I’ve put my email address on there so email if you’d like me to add something on. Prudence 🙂
I blogged about reading enlightenment smut for an intellectual history class, and also shared a few modest thoughts (post one and two) about the NYT article on lesbian communities.
I’ve got a bit about lesbians and hair, questioning what’s at stake for those who oppose queer rights, and Renee’s post on why she’s a womanist really has me thinking today.
I posted about the sexism I encountered when we refinanced our house http://mzbitca.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/just-another-little-bit-of-sexism/ In honor of Dollhouse I also gave Joss Whedon’s Equality now speech some love http://mzbitca.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/in-honor-of-dollhouse-and-joss-whedon/ Finally, I posted about New York cops going undercover and falsely arresting gay men for prositution http://mzbitca.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/one-more-step-backward/
I found a spoken-word poem about how the “beauty” industry affects women of color living in the US. It’s called “Slip of the Tongue”, by Adriel Luis. Really powerful stuff. Also, it’s annoying how people always assume one’s sexual orientation.
A little frivolous about the positives of mainstreaming frivolity in semi serious contexts. Er, why Vera Bradley bags are not as annoying as previously thought.
High Fructose Corn Syrup ad targets African-Americans BTW, I realize there are several pro-HFCS ads out right now–I already had a concern troll try to pick a fight over it. I refer to ONE ad that I believe has a certain target audience, not the entire Corn Refiners Association ad campaign.
While this was posted right here at Feministe, I spent long enough on it that I shall shamelessly self-promote it anyway: Justice, Justice You Shall Pursue ^ on Jews, peace in Gaza, and a solution for the Middle East
I am not normally banned for merely posting links except on pro-lifer or anti-marriage blogs: after I’d got over my slack-jawed astonishment, I committed my first* filksong: Banned From TNH. During Race Fail 2009, I posted a comment containing three links to information that the original poster did not wish her readers to have, and got banned from her journal for my trouble. *It is also probably my last.
TV: It’s like real life, only it’s not like real life at all. A post in which I analyze some shows I’ve been watching and rant about the Tudors. A fat acceptance post by a skinny chick. In which I conclude that if I had to starve myself to keep my size zero jeans, I would not keep my size zero jeans.
I posted a mini rant about women who don’t sit on the toilet seat in public restrooms. http://afunnyfeminist.blogspot.com/2009/02/mini-rant-sit-on-damn-seat.html And I posted about crazy Jesse Lee Peterson too. http://afunnyfeminist.blogspot.com/2009/02/some-pretty-white-black-folks.html
I wrote this week about the relationship between sex work and privilege, specifically the lack of mention privilege has had in some recent internet debates about sex work.
I wrote about the ending of the Coraline movie and how it has a male character rescuing Coraline. So different from the book and so, so disappointing to me and my daughters. PS the very first commenter on my post requires a response, but he’s my husband’s cousin and every time I try to write something, it ends up being really, really mean and hateful. It would be nice if that came from strangers. 😉 http://sundayswithstretchypants.com/2009/02/08/so-disappointed/
A good friend was having a rough week with the folks at work so I blogged 25 positive affirmations to make you feel great this week to help her (and everyone else feeling less than stellar) out.
Feminist philosopher Jodi Dean and pop-critic/theorist/poet jane dark argued about poetics and politics this week – the question was whether the meaningfulness of poems and political actions depends on their providing information, or on something else. I talk about their debate, and about Dean’s ontological framework.
I had the lead opinion piece in The Melbourne Age yesterday, politicising He’s Just Not That Into You and female neurosis. I responded to the question of whether only other feminists pay attention to feminist writing (I think no). I wondered if Australian magazine NW was photoshopping Jessica Smpson “fat”. And finally… whether romantic comedies are getting stupider, or I’m just growing less tolerant.
Me me! “You shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition at.” about this week’s episode of 30 Rock with Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm. My favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday about the Target:Women Super Special with Sarah Haskins.
I posted about Imbolc, and about explaining a fertility religion to a 9 year old. I have a new website look and a new contest to celebrate. I didn’t post much about my thoughts on them, but we had a carbomb near my son’s jr. high and I got the proof copy of my first paperback. No great deep social commentary on any of it, just a week in the life.
Wikileaks has just released over 6000 documents from the US Congress. These docs cover issues from healthcare, economics, defense, infrastructure, electronic surveillance, military operations, federal financing, taxes and much, much more. The site may be overloaded. If that is the case, they have a link to the bittorrent file to help anyone d/l and read all of the files. Wikileaks is looking for talented analysts, attorneys, critical thinkers as well as server space for a mirror. Please visit them and support their site in any way you can. They are standing up for transparencey and accountability. -gadfly
This week on MMW, we discussed the Saatchi Gallery’s newest exhibition, debated details on an Israel-Palestine poster, took Boston.com’s photoblog to task for their lack of female representation in a recent series, critiqued NPR’s coverage of Sandeela Kanwal’s murder, and questioned whether Rachida Dati was set up to fail. And we linked, and linked, and linked.
I posted encouraging people to join in with National Take a Photo of a Police Officer Day, before it becomes an arrestable offence to do so in Britain. I also wrote a letetr to my MP about how the rules for job seekers actuallyu hold us back from seeking jobs Finally, for the kinky feminists that I know exist, I have a scheme to take on some of the more problematic parts of the kinky internetz: a feminist chatroom on the “bondage” IRC server
I got trolled by a white supremist forum. I wrote about Hillsborough County Republican Party committeewoman Carol Carter sending out a racist email about black Barack Obama supporters. I’m confused How can 2,000,000 blacks get into Washington, DC in 1 day in sub zero temps when 200,000 couldn’t get out of New Orleans in 85 degree temps with four days notice? This is the second time, since November a HCRP member sent out a racist email.
Come on over and visit The Czech! A closer look at the hysteria over the octuplets, because their mother isn’t “good enough” to deserve more children. The NYT inadvertently helped me prove that it’s poverty and not single mothers that cause problems in youth. The parallel between Oregon’s Ballot Measure 9 in the 90s and Prop 8. As well as How Hateful Rhetoric Leads to Hate Crimes. The victims of Bush’s shady anti-immigration measures are broken immigrant families and taxpayers.
My post about street harassment, the first in a series, from the perspective of a NYC high school student.
I made vagina themed Valentine’s candy designs to promote our med school’s production of the Vagina Monologues. And, I posted a commentary on Lauredhel’s posting about cross-nursing, since it was a topic I had visited before on my blog.
I wrote a feminist Jewish view of the creation. http://community.feministing.com/2009/02/a-jewish-feminist-view-of-the.html#comments
We’re holding a My Favorite Feminist Book Is… contest that ends Feb 13th. Check it out, y’all. Feminist Reviews of the week… He’s Just Not That Into You wasn’t a terrible movie. Despite its manipulative moments, this film did manage to skip many of the eye roll-inducing rom-com conventions. This movie just wasn’t that romantic or particularly funny. In fact, He’s Just Not That Into You is filled with disempowering messages. Revolutionary Road: Frank and April now battle their individual demons by making each other miserable. April is dealing with unhappy housewife syndrome (which would later be coined the feminine mystique by Betty Friedan), while Frank grapples with the loss of masculinity in the mindless workaday business world. They constantly bicker, moan, and full-out fight, but neither genuinely attempt to make their lives or relationship better. Eventually, this lack of communication and understanding collides with the film’s looming pessimism and disastrous consequences. The Revolution Starts At Home: Confronting Partner Abuse in Activist Communities: The best thing about this zine, of which there is much good to speak, is the variety of voices present. It is written from a perspective of radical action, encompassing diversity in ethnicity, sexual and gender orientation, and yes, there are even male voices. An excellent job has been made to address partner violence between men and women, women and women, against transgender people, and even against the disabled.
I blogged about being a child of divorce and how that has given me (and those like me) a better understanding of marriage/divorce than the so-called experets and traditionalists have. http://www.dancingbackwards.com/2009/02/new-way-of-looking-at-marriage.html
i just finished my post on gender and race in the movie Coraline (something I have been thinking about since I saw the movie last night. Ha). I would love to know what everyone else thinks: http://filthygrandeur.blogspot.com/2009/02/race-and-gender-in-coraline.html
I’ve got a rantlet about the “Latisse” rebadging of glaucoma medicine as treatment for fabricated eyelash paucity The Down Under Feminists Carnival, now in its Ninth Edition, is up at the Hand Mirror (and we’re looking for future hosts!) The Italian PM sees a comatose woman as a potential incubator. And we’re sharing our horror and condolences in the wake of the horrendous Victorian bushfires, with 126 dead so far and the toll predicted to reach over 200.
i wrote a meditation on whether or the root of ken starr’s obsession with cases like divorcing california couples (not to mention monica lewinsky and bill’s cigar) have their root in some sort of sexual “short”coming of his own. http://getangrywithme.com/2009/02/ken-starr-limp-dick/
This week I wrote about my a good friend who began a hunger strike last week to draw attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka: http://spinthetruth.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/st-louis-to-sri-lanka-starving-for-peace/
Renovating our house, I got sick of paint colors like “Quiet Storm” and “Viking,” so I made up some colors of my own. The office is going to be somewhere between Areola and Perineum in color, I think. http://yourneighborhoodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/02/when-i-called-you-last-night-from.html
This week we praised Sarah Haskins, explained the difference between sex work and traffcking, took a look at what the new RNC chair is planning, celebrated women in sports and reminded everyone to wear red for women.
I disagree with Zoe Lewis’ “feminism ruined my chance to marry and have kids” op-ed: http://notfrisco2.com/leones/?p=4125
Thanks lauredhel for promoting the DUFC 🙂 At The Hand Mirror we’ve been talking about the abstinence-only approach to dieting, bloggers who dog whistle for sexist comments, and the sentencing of a group of people who horrifically abused a little girl. Plus we had a guest post from Jacinda Ardern, a new member of New Zealand’s Parliament (an MP), wohoo!
A woman in Italy has been on life support for 17 years. Her family wants to let her die. The state and the Vatican say no. Why? Because she’s physically in the state where she can have babies. I call this Shorter Vatican: Women are incubators. This one is regarding the atheist bus campaign that is being censored in Halifax. It’s not particularly feminist, but what the hell. 🙂 Back to feminist issues: This is on Birthing choices, and how we need to start respecting that others may not choose what we think is optimal.
Read recent posts on Judith Butler, Louis Althusser, the Marxist conception of ideology and what relevance it has to feminist theory and politics. http://pink-scare.blogspot.com/2009/02/butler-structure-and-subject.html Is feminism too concerned with culture? Read about it here. http://pink-scare.blogspot.com/2009/02/incorporating-althussers-theory-of.html There’s also several posts that examine the notion of ‘bipartisanship’ and the class politics at work in recent discussions of the salary capping proposal. http://pink-scare.blogspot.com/search/label/bipartisanship Arvilla considers what payoff recent feminist theory can have for radical feminist political practice. http://pink-scare.blogspot.com/2009/02/praxis-lets-take-that-ideology-debate.html
I’ve been blogging on the sudden local immigration raids (including the first in my city) by ICE and Border Patrol. It turns out there’s a reason for why they’re doing them now. My latest posting on the situation discusses allegations by Border Patrol agents locally that a quota system was in place. At the time they did the local raids, they were about 40 undocumented immigrants short.
I did a vlog about slaughterhouse and meat-packing workers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_AhkY6HC4c