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Tag: feminists

Hell Froze Over

Falwell speaks out for “basic” gay rights:

Falwell, who in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, blamed the terrorist attacks on “the pagans, the abortionists, and the feminists and the gays and lesbians,” and who describes himself as “very conservative,” told Carlson that if he were a lawyer, he too would argue for civil rights for gays.

“I may not agree with the lifestyle,” Falwell said. “But that has nothing to do with the civil rights of that… part of our constituency…

“Civil rights for all Americans, black, white, red, yellow, the rich, poor, young, old, gay, straight, et cetera, is not a liberal or conservative value,” Falwell went on to say. “It’s an American value that I would think that we pretty much all agree on.”

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said his group welcomed the apparent softening of Falwell’s position on at least some gay rights. “Like most Americans, it seems Rev. Falwell has reached the conclusion that everyone deserves basic rights,” said Solmonese. “I hope he also supports legislation that would deliver on these values.”

via Lynn

What Really Caused Katrina?

Water vapor, warm air, condensation and wind, you say? Oh you sad, sad blue-stater, you just don’t get it, do you? Courtesty of that science-loving radical right, we now know that hurricanes are caused by evil feminists aborting their babies for fun. Except, well, sometimes they’re caused by the sodomites. And occassionally, it’s boobies and Girls Gone Wild. Many of these same sinners also caused 9/11.

via Ryan.

And in other ridiculous right-wing news, does anyone here read The New York Post? I don’t (I think my 50 cents is better spent elsewhere, like on 1/10th of my coffee), but I do read it over the shoulders of other passengers on the subway (thank goodness for huge headlines, small words, simple ideas and big print!). One thing I noticed yesterday was that all the stories covering Katrina were under the page label “Our Tsunami.” Now, Katrina is a horrific tragedy. But is it really “Our Tsunami”? For one thing, it’s not a tsunami by any stretch. And must the right always co-opt someone else’s tragedy for their own gain? I realize in this case they’re just trying to sell papers, but comparing this hurricane to the South Asian tsunami is entirely innaccurate, totally disprespectful and pretty darn stupid.

The Dove ads that won’t end

Like nearly every other feminist blogger, I’ve written about the Dove ads before. And yet, I have more to say.

These ads have created quite a stir, and not just in feminist circles. They’ve prompted op/eds in major national newspapers. They’re being discussed on blog after blog. And you can’t turn on the TV, read a women’s magazine or walk down an urban street without seeing them.

There seem to be a few camps of thought out there when it comes to these ads. First is the group that says, “Real women! Right on!” and ends with that. Then there are those that say, “This is another ad campaign, still negotiating women’s bodies to sell products, and that is bad.” And then there’s the “These women aren’t models, how dare they be on billboards” set. To me, though, all of these views are insufficient.

Twisty, as usual, has a really fantastic take on the ads. Read her post. I agree with her. But at the same time, I don’t dislike the ads as much as she does. And while I find them problematic, it’s for slightly different reasons.

For me, it comes down to one question: What do we, as feminists, want from advertising culture, and what do we reasonably expect? There are those of us who see advertising as inherently evil, and will argue that any form of it is dehumanizing and bad. If that’s where you’re coming from, then it’s perfectly consistent to dislike the Dove ads. But, if you’re coming from where I am — which is where you’re critical of advertising, but recognize its necessity in our economic system (or at least recognize it as something that isn’t ever going to disappear) — then the Dove ads become harder to criticize.

Read More…Read More…

Have We Learned Nothing From Our Previous Conversations?

Kevin. Kevin! No you didn’t! Are you serious?

Don’t tell a woman she has no sense of humor if she responds to a post that isn’t funny. Your post was not funny! It might be real cool that you’re going to a tech conference that focuses on women, but try not to insult us before you even get there. No excuse, man!

It’s not about feminism, per se, until you smack feminists with stereotypes we don’t embody.

Blaming “the culture”

What caused the rampant sexual abuse in the Catholic church? Why, academics, liberals, and “the culture,” of course! That’s according to Sen. Rick Santorum, at least.

It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning “private” moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.

I love it when those good ole “personal responsibility” conservatives blame “the culture” (read: liberals, feminists, gays, “the media,” and, apparently, people who read books) for the actions of individuals.

Mother Nature Hates You. Sorry.

It’s downright amazing to me that in such a short period of time, the same theories of animalistic violence that can’t be controlled have been dusted off and moved from black people to men, but this time the exact opposite conclusion has been reached. Instead of men’s supposedly inherent violence being used as an excuse to lock them up and throw away the key, it’s being touted as a reason for feminists to give up and suggest to women that we just put up with it or somehow tailor our behavior somehow to fix it. (This particular theory that Begley criticizes suggests that partner-murder is tied into female infidelity, which is a slap in the face to the thousands of women killed each year who did not “ask for it” by cheating.)

That the exact same “just so” story can be used for wildly different ends is just more evidence that the actual theories touted are utterly irrelevant–regardless of the evidence, regardless of the theory, the conclusion is always the same–the current power structures and hierarchies of society are intractable and a product of nature. In other words: “Sorry, oppressed and battered peoples of the world, wish we could help, but Mother Nature hates you and likes us.”

Read the rest.

Feminists Hate Sex

Can a bitch get a break?

Why do so many women not want to call themselves feminists? I sincerely think it’s because the word carries the stigma that feminists don’t like bonking — least of all bonking guys.

If feminism wants its good name back, it will have to come up with a pro-sex, highly bonkable feminist spokeswoman, who is seen to screw guys, and to like screwing them. Often. A feminist who digs cock.

Ahem. Well, I can think of a few “bonkable” feminists who “dig cock.” But most of us sex-obsessed feminists have moved far beyond the heteronormative memes and refuse to play nice with the PR machine.

Adam Ash needs to pick up BUST’s One-Handed Read, among other feminist erotica, and rethink his thesis.

via Archaeopteryx, a brand new, kickass, feminist-minded blog by a grad student in the sciences.

Giving Trolls The Attention They’re Looking For

Someone’s looking for a flame war. Should he get one?

Author : goodsamaritan (IP: 203.215.111.6 , 203.215.111.6)
E-mail : goodsamaritan55@yahoo.com
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=203.215.111.6
Comment:

Feminists:
1. Worship Contraception.
2. Believe in Abortion.
3. Celebrate Euthanasia.
4. Support Gays, Lesbians and Homosexual Marriage.
5. Believe that the Family oppresses women.
6. Will divorce at the drop of a hat.
7. Want the total destruction of marriage.
8. Believe that Family should defy biology.
9. Believe that Men and Women are the same.
10. Hate Men.
11. Believe that all sex is rape.
12. Believe that Pope Ratzinger is a woman hater.

There’s more. A lot more.

I think someone is bitter.

Feminisms: A Survey

Bitch Ph.D. recently wrote a piece on feminisms, but as a favor to a friend, I’d like to comb your brains for some additional definitions. She is doing a paper on feminism and nomothetic identity traits and wants some personal opinions from a feminist audience.

1. What do you consider a feminist?
2. What is a feminist not?
3. What traits (physical, social, intellectual, behavioral etc.) do you ascribe to feminism? What traits have been ascribed to you as a feminist?
4. What traits are explicitly unfeminist?
5. Are there people out there who cannot be feminists or claim feminism as we know it?

All answers, even the unpopular ones, are appreciated. Comment anonymously if you wish.