Bits and Pieces

A whole lot of them, because the bar is two weeks away, which means very little thoughtful blogging on my part. Enjoy:

Heroes of the day: The girls who are stepping up and defying child marriage in Yemen. That is true strength and true bravery, and it looks like they’re making real change.

Melissa and Feministe alum Zuzu have two articles up in The Guardian about the attacks on Hillary Clinton. Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Something that will ruin your day:

Investigators said the men opened fire on a car full of teenage girls at John Young Parkway and Princeton Street two weeks ago. Mildred Beaubrun was removed from life support Tuesday, more than two weeks after she was shot at the Orlando intersection.

Investigators said Beaubrun and two of her friends stopped at a gas station after leaving Club Firestone. They were approached by a group of men asking for their phone numbers.

When the men didn’t get what they wanted, they followed the girls to the intersection of John Young Parkway and Princeton. One of them fired a shot. It hit Beaubrun, who was sitting in the back seat.

But street harassment and getting asked for your number should be flattering! Thanks to SarahMC for the link.

Why is Obama using right-wing talking points when he talks about abortion? Also, putting Obama’s comments in perspective.

RH Reality Check has a great package about reproductive justice and population change — check it out for a variety of views. Too often, women’s bodies are used as pawns in a conversations about the environment, population control and demographics. And too often, people on both sides of the conversation pin the responsibility on women to quit having so many babies in the name of environmentalism, or to have more babies in the name of cultural supremacy. The pieces RH Reality Check selects get beyond those simplicities.

The taser jacket — kind of a cool idea, but again filed under “yet another invention that puts in the onus on women to avoid sexual assault.” And, really, women are far more likely to be assaulted in their home or in the home of someone they know — i.e., when they probably aren’t wearing a jacket. Men are actually much more likely to be the victims of violent crimes in public. Why don’t we start telling them to be afraid and act defensively? Thanks to New Slang for the link.

I’d never really thought of it before, but yogurt in the U.S. is bizarrely marketed only towards women. I’m not a huge yogurt-eater, but when I spent a summer in Greece I did eat Greek yogurt with honey every morning (yum). I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just a chick thing over there. What really disgusts me are the yogurt-in-a-tube deals that I always see at the grocery store (the ones marketed for dieting purposes, and the ones for kids that I believe are called “go-gurt” or something similarly repulsive). In any case, I am in full support of mocking stupid “yogurt is for chicks” marketing. Thanks the Abby for the link.

A local newspaper outs a rape victim, using her full name in an article. Not naming rape victims is a basic ethical code that nearly all newspapers follow. I’m glad to hear that it was a mistake and not an intentional outing, but I still have to wonder where the editors were on this one.

Latest movie with ridiculously sexist advertising scheme: The Women.

Blaming and shaming the victim in the R. Kelly rape trial. That article is particularly disgusting. It’s not only titled “Victim or Vixen? Contrasting views at R. Kelly trial,” but the lead reads, “She’s been described over several weeks of testimony as a Christian singer and a point guard, a participant in three-way sex and the goddaughter to one of the music industry’s biggest stars.” Uh, ok. And if she was 13 when she and R. Kelly had sex, it doesn’t matter what her extracurricular activities were, or what her sex life looks like 10 years later. That’s still rape. And of course, for those who weren’t following, R. Kelly got off. The only heartening things about the situation are statements like this. (If only other “progressives” would take note).

Loyalty oaths for Clinton supporters pledging their votes to McCain. I’m still pretty convinced that loyal Democrats voting for McCain because they’re mad about Clinton’s loss are about as common as unicorns, but there seem to be five or six of them swearing up and down that they’re genuine. So that’s for you.

Why the intense hostility towards Sex & the City?

Asshole of the year: This guy. Thanks to Andrea for the link.

Mom jailed over teen’s abortion (please ignore the article’s unfortunate headline). The gist of the story is this: 16-year-old gets pregnant, and 16-year-old’s boyfriend’s mother signs the parental consent form. Boyfriend’s mother is then jailed for breaking the law. Now, obviously parental consent laws are problematic. If the boyfriend’s mother pressured the girl into obtaining an abortion, then that’s a huge problem too. But there’s no mention of the girl in the article — her thoughts, apparently, don’t matter. And the last sentence of the article is telling: “DeKalb County Solicitor-General Robert James, who prosecuted Cook’s case, said that he had never seen a case in which a mother so clearly overstepped her bounds in making a decision for another family’s daughter.” How about just letting the daughter make her own decision? But where this case gets interesting, in my opinion, is from a men’s rights activist perspective — you know, the guys who always say that the man should have a say in whether the woman carries a pregnancy to term. If the man should have a say, then when we’re dealing with underage kids in states with parental consent laws, shouldn’t the boy’s parents have a say too? And do we really want to open up that can of worms?

Are Wall Street women under siege? Sure seems like it…

Men’s rights activists are upset that the Bush administration has “caved” to feminists, and they can no longer smack around their foreign girlfriends. Poor dears. Thanks the Kathlene for the link.

Another disgusting story: A man accused to raping a 13-year-old girl claims it’s impossible because his dick is too big, and he would have done more damage than the girl experienced if he actually raped her. Ugh.

Strip searching and solitary confinement of girls at a Texas “state school.” In a nice Orwellian twist, many of the girls live in a “freedom dorm.” This is absolutely appalling, and a must-read article.

Feministing‘s Jessica Valenti on feminism, pop culture, and other good stuff.

The choices women make – an interesting look at the complexities of gender and success.

The number of born and surviving baby girls compared to baby boys in India has reached an all-time low. Sex-selective abortions and leaving baby girls to die is a problem because of entrenched discrimination and social problems — which is exactly why the right-wing fear-mongering about sex-selective abortions, and the proposed solution of simply limiting abortion rights, isn’t going to help:

“The real horror of the situation is that, for women, avoiding having daughters is a rational choice. But for wider society it’s creating an appalling and desperate state of affairs,” Laura Turquet, women’s rights policy official at ActionAid said.

“In the long term, cultural attitudes need to change. India must address economic and social barriers including property rights, marriage dowries and gender roles that condemn girls before they are even born.

Thanks to Faith for the link.

Why do salary gaps in academia persist even after controlling for many different variables?

McCain: “I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned.” Just a little reminder.

Michelle Obama comes across as “prickly and resentful,” and “a little more cookie baking would also suit Michelle Obama fine.” Ugh. This is a good example of self-proving media assertions — the more Michelle is portrayed in the media as coming across as prickly and resentful, the more people are going to think that she’s prickly and resentful. So if it’s not actually true, then quit saying it. And you know, she’s a working woman with two kids. That does resonate with most American women, because most American women work and have children. They may not be highly-paid attorneys, but the idea that Americans connect with women who are simply sappy doting wives is idiotic; I would guess that even women who are stay-at-home moms define themselves as individuals with brains and busy schedules, not clueless “helpmeets” for their all-important husbands. Thanks to Maria for the link.

Polygamist sects are moving to Colorado, where apparently they are often left to their own misogynist, child-abusing devises.

The House Education and Labor’s HELP Subcommittee is holding the first congressional hearing ever on discrimination in the workplace against transgender employees. ACLU client Diane Schroer will testify.

Time Magazine has an article on “the mind of a female suicide bomber.” I’ve gotta wonder if it’s really all that different from the mind of a male suicide bomber. According to the article, though, women are caught in a very specific cycle of hopelessness, and female suicide bombers are looked upon differently in their communities than their male counterparts.

Dear Twix: Fuck you. Thanks to Sarah for the link.

A must-see for all geeks: Tech-girl tips from Deanna Zandt. The first episode is also on GritTV with Laura Flanders.

A former McCain strategist blames gaffe on “tremendous reporter cleavage.” Blaming your inability to do your job or otherwise function in society on boobs (or any other part of a woman’s body) is getting a little old. If the human body throws you off that much, perhaps you should start wearing blinders when you walk outside.

Rape in War: Will the UN Walk its Talk? A great piece by Marianne Mollman, who works at Human Rights Watch in NY.

OMG, Anna Kournikova is fat!!! Can’t HuffPo think of a better way to get traffic? Thanks to Greensmile for the link.

We all know that Emily Yoffe, Slate’s “Dear Prudence,” can be something of a misogynist moron. This column is no exception. A woman writes in that she and her friends are “extremely distressed” about the fact that one member of their posse has taken to going braless. My advice would be to get over it, unless there’s some reason to believe that the woman in question has no idea that bra-less boobs are slightly socially uncouth — chances are, she knows going braless isn’t the most socially acceptable thing in the world and she’s choosing to do it anyway, so move on. But Dear Prudie refers to her going “National Geographic” and says that “If your friend is old enough to have gone braless back in the day as a protest against repression, she is too old to go braless now.” Um. I’d say she’s precisely old enough to have figured out that she’s damn tired of wearing a bra. Leave the lady alone. (Also, I have a personal interest in this, since I very much enjoy going “National Geographic,” and I don’t really care if it bothers you). Thanks to Carrie for the link.

McCain’s record on choice and domestic violence. Not good.

Child prostitutes on Craig’s List. Maybe instead of trying to arrest the children involved, authorities should focus on the men seeking them out. Thanks to gallowmere for the link.

The 8th Circuit Court Okays South Dakota’s Political Interference in Women’s Personal Medical Decision-Making. Basically, doctors are being forced to repeat inaccurate anti-choice talking points.

The Truth for You: If you’ve ever been curious as to the crazy lying bullshit that religious fundamentalists will tell kids, check it out. It’s disturbing stuff. Thanks to Mel for the link.

Abortions are down in Minnesota.

Defending the indefensible: Free speech and porn.

Guinea-Bissau: The world’s first narco-state. A fascinating (and very sad) article.

The number of abortions in the Middle East are rising. The reasons are complicated, but it seems to be a combination of greater opportunities for women along with economic strains that make having five or six or seven children increasingly difficult. But since abortion is still restricted in many places around the world, the procedures are often dangerous.

Linda Hirshman on defining liberal principles. It’s a really interesting piece, and worth a read (and a discussion).

I haven’t written about the Jezebel drama because I just don’t have the time or patience for it, but if you missed it and want the backstory, start with Lizz Winstead.

A new literary anthology crowns the “Kings” of fiction. So, uh… where are the queens?

MoDo on the ideal husband.

Why was this woman separated from her baby? A heartbreaking story.

Enjoy all the reading.