You know those rape analogies we use with guys? Like, “imagine if you were mugged and no one believed you”? Well, this week I wrote about why these comparisons are unhelpful and so, so wrong. “Can we please stop comparing rape to mugging?” http://canbebitter.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/can-we-please-stop-comparing-rape-to-mugging/
We can all make the world a better place by taking the time to make positive change. Please visit servenotrule.com and make a change today. Write an article or a rant and express your views.
I saw them at the Boston press conference. I had met them before. I don’t like them. Because you don’t get used to being called a Nazi baby-killer- Movie Date With Info Wars
Isabella Dutton wrote about why becoming a mother is her biggest regret. Several people were happy to see someone speak out in a way that would make the choice to not have children more socially valid, and I agree that’s important. But Dutton didn’t just do that; she reinforced patriarchal and restrictive standards of “good” motherhood that oppress women in general. I reacted positively to the Dove sketches when I saw them, but thinking about it, I knew that they were problematic. In this post, I try to unpack the different types of beauty, but I might just be jumping through hoops to try to justify liking the video. On the fourth anniversary of my father’s death, I wrote about remembering, forgiving, and grieving. This is the hardest post I’ve ever written.
It’s been a terrible week — so terrible that most of my ordinary escapes (thrillers, action films) now appear at least temporarily unwatchable. So let me recommend the new film Blancanieves, a retelling of the Snow White story — except this film is a neo-silent set in the beautiful Andalusian Spain of the 1920s. It’s spectacularly beautiful and most of all a creative new way of seeing the hoary Snow White tale. I want to see it again!
I wrote about how I was disturbed by people’s inability to recognize a rape in a television show (in this case, Once Upon a Time). It disturbed me that the writers and actors intended this to happen, but it was as though viewers had blinders on.
This week I responded to a terribly provocative and dangerous article in The Daily Mail in the hope that I would cheer up those who were as furious as I was. http://justenougheducation.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/samantha-brick-strikes-again/
This week in “The Comfort of Strangers”I explored why in times of national tragedy we initially may find comfort in sitting with strangers.
I wrote at PolicyMic about why we need to stop saying “I’m not pro-abortion, I’m pro-choice” because it stigmatizes that which we are supposed to be supporting.
Fat at You — All the ways in which existing in my body is a purposeful insult to the people who have to look at me. Or something. I Am Not Brave — On people’s reactions after learning that I teach in that school. The body and gender policing present in the phrase “football shoulders”. And some yoga humor to lighten things up.
It’s been a week of work and more work. I’ve written way too many words. The only thing I have of interest–that is to say not photo-dumps or State of the Sookie updates (word count, what I made, what I read, the housework I did)– is basically a letter of resignation to the coming fascism.
On my blog, delagar, I wrote about our feminist SF anthology, The Other Half of the Sky, which is being released this week, on April 23. All the stories feature protagonists who are women and heroes — starship captains, explorers, scientists, artists, engineers, pirates, explorers — and the authors range from Melissa Scott to Nisi Shawls to Martha Wells. You can pre-order on Amazon, or wait and buy it on the day from Candlemark & Gleam, our publisher.
Come check out The Folkland: a digital art gallery dedicated to the works of sexual assault survivors and their loved ones. If you are a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment; if you love a survivor; if you have been intimately affected by any kind of involuntary sexual act, then we hope you will consider submitting your work. We’d love to see it 🙂
This week I wrote a few quick posts on… The Place Beyond the Pines Offensive “jokes” and Simpsons: Tapped Out
YA at times can be so repetitive that we have been forced to create: Written-By-Numbers Drinking Game: Paranormal YA GBLT Characters on Supernatural: Despite the longevity of Supernatural there can be no doubt that it’s portrayal and representation of GLBT characters is problematic to say the least. Asian Characters in Cassandra Clare’s Shadow Hunters World: With Clare’s work being turned into a movie and the recent release of her latest book, we though it important to examine her treatment of Asian Characters. Werewolves: They Just Can’t Help It : An examination of the ways in which werewolf nature is often used an excuse to justify anti woman behaviour and attitudes.
First, I gotta self-promote my bowling team. We are fundraising for the Abortion Access Network of Arizona, a low-overhead nonprofit that helps people access abortion in this huge state. After our lovely Gov. Jan Brewer took over, she signed a whole slew of anti-choice legislation into law, limiting abortion care to Tucson and metro Phoenix, putting 24-hour waiting periods into place, etc. As you all know, this makes things incredibly difficult for people who need to have multiple days off from work for travel, arrange childcare, and scrape the money together. Abortion Access Network of Arizona puts the bulk of their money toward helping people who need abortions. My team is $69 away from reaching our collective goal (I’m sure there’s a sex joke in there somewhere). Donating even just a few dollars to me or my teammates would be so helpful! If you’d rather donate your money closer to home, search the National Network of Abortion Funds’ website to see if there is an upcoming event in your state. * * * On Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona’s blog: In the 1800s, people tried to treat herpes with lint and arsenic! We’ve come a long way since then, and antiviral herpes medications help reduce outbreaks and transmission. But are there alternatives? Many natural products have been promoted as herpes treatments. What are they, and are they effective? Dietary supplements are subject to very little regulation and can be marketed with misleading health claims. Learn how to spot red flags that might crop up around advertisers’ promises. * * * Who are the AIDS denialists, and what do they say? Despite the incredible amount of evidence that researchers have amassed over the decades, AIDS denialists promote the idea that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS. It may seem like a strange or even silly notion, but it has had tragic real-world consequences. Find out how AIDS denialism can affect sexual behavior, public policy, and more.
No, Oz the Great and Powerful, We Don’t Need More Male-Centric Fairy Tales Where Is My Girl Ash?: On Evil Dead 2013 Gratuitous Female Nudity and Complex Female Characters in Game of Thrones Sex Acts: Generational Patriarchy and Rape Culture in Gurfinkel’s Six Acts Fight to See Yourself On Screen Quote of the Day: Mister Rogers’ Inspiring Message Amidst Tragedy Claire Underwood: The Queen Bee in House of Cards Alias Ruby Blade: A Story of Love and Revolution, With Not Quite Enough Ruby Blade How to Recognize the Signs of Feminist Burnout Revisiting Jocelyn Moorhouse’s How to Make an American Quilt
On the current highly mobilized movement against equal marriage in France: http://disciplineandanarchy.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/france-pomophobia-in-action/
About Chechen terrorism: http://clarissasblog.com/2013/04/19/about-chechen-terrorism/ The adjunct problem in the US higher ed: http://clarissasblog.com/2013/04/17/the-adjunct-problem/ Copaken Kogan and the patriarchal literary establishment: http://clarissasblog.com/2013/04/16/deborah-copaken-kogan-and-the-patriarchal-literary-establishment/
This week I reviewed Kitty and the Midnight Hour. It starts out as a light fluffy thing but then ends up digging into abusive werewolf pack dynamics in a way that not many books try to address. Kitty is living a fairly dead-end post-college life and leaning on her pack for emotional support, so breaking away for a higher goal is a real struggle for her.
Some old ballads make you want to laugh, some make you want to cry, and some make you want to call Child Protective Services. Child # 15: Leesome Brand
This week I wrote about my relationship with my hair, and how it’s influenced my level of confidence in myself and my body. Funnily enough, cutting it all off was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I live in Boston, but I wrote this piece for The Feminist Wire about the reactions to Margaret Thatcher’s death before the events of this week took over all our lives. An excerpt: “I lived in London for the last half of 1983, and although Thatcher had just won her first reelection bid (and would rule for another seven years) she was despised in every social circle that touched my life– by people who would never dream of grouping themselves together under other circumstances.” Read the rest here.
Short post on Banksy and fat hatred. Long post on Tyrese Gibson and fat hatred. Americans for Prosperity and a racist ad.
The “Friend Zone” is nothing new, but the conversation sure has changed. What Shakespeare’s Friend Zone sonnet has to teach us about the context today’s objectifying, heteronormative, and dehumanizing Friend-Zone discussion. Let’s Talk about the Friend Zone, Let’s Read a Little Shakespeare And, in light of the NFL’s and NHL’s recent steps toward GBTQ-acceptance. America Wins: Sports Culture, Homophobia, and the Tipping Point
Because I couldn’t think of anything else to do, I wrote an essay about my memories of Watertown, MA. Rare Blueberry Cheesecake for Watertown, Massachusetts
I admin an FB page as a friend’s Personal Assistant; it’s a growing page run by a male Feminist (me!) for a female entrepreneur so help us succeed! Daily cute animal pics.
Hi from India. I started blogging 4 days ago and the very next day the horrible rape and assault of a 5 year old girl rocked India. I wrote the following posts seething and fuming and soaked in helplessness. http://indianfeminist101.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/you-can-still-treat-women-as-objects-without-actually-resorting-to-rape-wow-but-how-a-smart-guide-for-smart-men-by-a-smart-man/ http://indianfeminist101.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/was-5-year-old-responsible-for-her-own-rape-an-open-letter-from-bharatiya-sanskruti-rakshak/ India has seen a mass scale awakening to how endemic sexual violence is in our country. I am ashamed that its one of the worst countries in the world to be a woman. But one has to be hopeful to live, right? So we all raise our voice and hope that the fuckwitsy rape culture and ingrained patriacrchy is demolished one nasty brick at a time. Indianfeminist101
Oh dear, I’m late… on why we are right to use “esoteric” language which outsiders don’t understand (like “patriarchy”!)
So, I was walking across campus when I heard some young men yelling “Rape Squad.” I wrote them an open letter that they will probably never read, but I think you all should because I’m quite proud of it and the more people who read and share it, the more potential for people to think before they make such “jokes” in the future.