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1. A Note On Identity, Affinity, And Class Membership: On a common misunderstanding about the nature of identity.
2. Duh: A very brief response to Betty Dodson & Carlin Ross about women and sexual fluidity.
I’ve been continuing the “De-centering non-disability” series from last week. Part 3 is on the Cost of Fairness, and Part 4 is on Centering Silenced Work.
I also wrote about the pervasiveness of reproductive coercion in response to Cara’s post at The Curvature.
–IP
NYC high school students — don’t throw out your old student MetroCards!! My younger sister and I show you how to get crafty while protesting the proposal to cut funding for the Cards.
Do Black Women’s Reproductive Rights Even Matter?: Looking at a pro life campaign in Atlanta that uses race to target Black women.
Gay and Lesbian Mormon Suicides: looking at a petition that is being given to the Mormon Church in Utah that deals with those that have taken their life because they could not reconcile being gay and Mormon.
Woman Allegedly Starves Her Baby Girl Because She Is Worried That The Child Is Fat: Looking at what happens when Fat hatred and postpartum depression intersect.
Disability: When Accommodations Are Imperfect: Looking at when all differently abled are not considered before modifications are made.
Is A Bikini Responsible For The Rape Of A 9 Year Old Girl?: Looking at a series of rapes of tourists in India and how victim blaming is being employed.
The Friday Question: How do you get Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons to leave quickly when they knock on your door?
Finally this weeks Sunday Shame is the self-indulgence edition. Pop by and share what you do when you just have to spoil yourself.
Today, I reflect on what is wrong with press coverage of child rape in Bolivia, while earlier in the week, I remark on a recent study that asks, do indigenous women have more kids than non-indigenous women because they want to?
This week at Happy Bodies:
what it feels like for [this] girl: Nko’s incredible poem about the power of a look and the male gaze.
<a href="Ancient social issues, perpetuated: A survivor shares why she doesn’t want to tell her story.
Consent is sexy!: a campaign on our campus.
Let’s read books – Sex is not a Natural Act, con’t – part 2 in what will no doubt be a continuing series in which I read a book about sexology & feminism.
And then there is the Weekly blog link roundup.
It’s been a really hard week.
And I must scream – I realize I’m not eating (again) and am thinking about hurting myself
Antidepressants and Chakras – My doctor gives me a sample of antidepressants to try (expected) and opens my Chakras (unexpected)
Gaiz. A TRAGEDY IS HAPPENING IN UKRAINE. (And I don’t mean the election)
Oops. Messed up the formatting there, and I also forgot Allie’s great review of the The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability.
Men Still Studying Less, Earning More: Part II – second of an epic two-part entry about education and male privilege. This part focuses on elementary and secondary education and on the value (or lack thereof) that mainstream masculinity places on literacy and educational achievement.
On a lighter note, feminist webcomics are awesome.
I wrote about how Rush Limbaugh seems to be equally clueless about cats and women.
This week at re:Cycling, we’ve got commentary about the ‘use by age 30′ warnings about ovaries; Vinnie’s Tampon Cases and the role of men in menstrual activism; a study that links exposure to flame retardants to delayed fertility but not irregular menstrual cycles; and the myth of ‘Baby Brain’.
I wrote about how Rush Limbaugh seems to be equally clueless about cats and women.
(Not sure what’s up with the comment function; I tried submitting this and it didn’t even show up as in moderation. My apologies if it appears twice!)
Frum porn? on from the rib? as well as a discussion of Anat Hoffman and Women of the Wall
This week on Yes Means Yes Blog:
This Man Was Raped, about the media’s refusal to use the word “rape” appropriately. In this instance, a police oficer shoved a baton into a man’s anus while three others held him down, in a subway station. Several of the police are on trial for sexual assault, and the medical evidence and one officer support the survivor’s account. But, despite graphic accounts of what happened, the media are not calling it rape.
Public School, Home school, Parents and Gender Roles. This thread was created to provide a place for the off-topic discussion of homeschooling that threatened to take over the I Fear This thread. It quickly attracted a number of very long comments.
Mama’s Boy”, my comment on overnight feminist blogosphere sensation and Saints linebacker Scott Fujita.
“the incredible invisible women” — I’ve been reading about forgotten and overlooked women saints.
Bye Bye, Betty: So Ugly Betty won’t be returning. I’m mostly ok with that due to its considerable decline, but in its first season this was really progressive tv, and I’ll miss that.
No More Trains to Baghdad, Please: A boring waste of a solid Melrosian set up.
The LOST finale is upon us: An aggregation of amusing LOST links.
Katy Kelleher at Jezebel.com wrote a brilliant post on my book project; Tales from the Velvet Chamber. Read it here:
http://jezebel.com/5464269/chambers-of-blood-and-velvet-subverting-the-classics-for-feminist-ends
40th anniversary of the Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins
Link text
a post re: noblesse oblige and multiculturalism
The First Lady’s comments re: obesity, and a Black woman’s take
Here’s what’s been goin’ on at Gender Across Borders:
We just had a series of posts on Hip-hop, resistance & feminism about hip hop and its interactions with patriarchy, racism, and other forms of oppression — both within and outside the mainstream pop world. Check out all of the articles here!
And stop by Gender Across Borders tomorrow at 1pm CST for our weekly Global Feminist Link Love, where we feature links from the news and other blogs from the feminist blogosphere. You can also shamelessly self-promote your blog in the comments!
This week in Evil Slutopia:
~Should Bayer be using mommybloggers to promote Mirena IUDs?
~The American Family Association’s defense of the Tim Tebow Super Bowl is totally hypocritical. Shocker.
~It’s almost impressive that Cosmo manages to get away with publishing the same sex “tips” every month.
~For Blogroll Amnesty Day we gave a shoutout to feminist blogger The Sin City Siren.
~We’re back to work on our comic: Best Road Trip Ever!
~The fabulous blogger Deb on the Rocks has entered a great idea into the Pepsi Refresh Project: Support Brilliant Writing in the Blogosphere
Three posts from the past week re: noblesse oblige and multiculturalism, the First Lady, obesity, and a Black woman’s take, and what the 40th anniversary of the Woolworth lunch counter sit-in means to me:
http://missincognegro.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/is-the-first-ladys-message-about-obesity-a-positive-one/
http://missincognegro.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/packing-cans-equals-a-multicultural-experience/
http://missincognegro.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/is-the-first-ladys-message-about-obesity-a-positive-one/
Started some thoughts on teaching Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” in a survey class where men outnumber the women students.
‘Ugly Lesbians”? Florida Family Policy Council is raising an alarm over custody of a one-year-old boy awarded to two women. The women were described by the Orlando Sentinel as ‘All-American’– meaning blond, slim and conventionally pretty. The FPC found a photo of two other women the Drudge Retort called ‘ugly lesbians’ and used it in their agitprop. It’s so wrong on so many levels. And who are these unknown women who had their picture stolen and used to slander the cause of equal rights? What does ‘American’ look like, anyway?
http://kmareka.com/2010/02/06/all-american-look/
I wrote this update about multi-agency raids in a neighborhood in my city.
Warning: the photos of an elderly man are a bit disturbing.
Also, if you read any of the press coverage, most of the comments are very racist against Latinos.
My best post this week is about student loans… I just got my final tally for my undergrad at $59,000… and I live in Canada, where loans are supposed to be capped at approximately $7,000 per year
http://ms-marx.blogspot.com/2010/02/answer-5900000.html
My response to a grandmother who cannot cope with her granddaughter’s amputated leg:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2010/02/07/repulsed_by_her/
Greta Christina talks at Purdue about atheism & sex positivity (video included)
I wrote some good things this week:
“Oh, Ann,”, about one of my favorite episodes of Parks and Recreation.
I need some Dr. Tom in my life:, about the latest episode of Let’s Talk about Pep.
Thanks for the shout out, Stephen!, about Stephen Colbert’s black audience.
“It’s a difficult time to be a man in America.”, about Samantha Bee’s report on The Daily Show.
and finally,
Hooray for Scott Fujita!, about the football player’s views on life.
Thank you!
On the politics of writing for women’s magazines – thoughts on what political media looks like, and whether women’s mags can fall into that category.
Also: Sorry, that dress/jacket/pair of skinny jeans won’t turn you into Chloe Sevigny/Mary-Kate Olsen/Rachel Bilson/whoever the glossies are pushing this week – on the false fantasies of the fashion industry.
Jesus was Not a Fighter and Love is not a Feminine Action is up on my fat liberation theology blog.
On my professional website, I wrote a post called Meeting Us Where We Are about an interesting new resource in Vancouver, BC for folks dealing with addictions.
I wrote about safe spaces and internalized ableism for my blog, Bicoastal Gimps.
@hippocampa blogged about a ridiculous opion article saying that “what we did to Emma Watson” (Hermione in the Harry Potter movies) is as bad as honour killings. Srsly, read it here: honour killings and Emma Watson.
I didn’t discuss a particularly original topic, but I don’t write as frequently on social issues.
Slack History Month: A defense of Black History Month. I point out that Black History is still not taught well enough, or taught at all.
opINion. I am a bit lysdectic, sorry.
Did You Know: HIV slips through condoms like rice through a tennis racket!
Using the Olympics to Highlight Canada’s Femicide
Um, why is homelessness a crime in Boulder? That’s dumb.
Dear U.S.,
Please Stop Colonizing Haiti. Aid Would Be Nice.
Sincerely, The ENTIRE WORLD
This Phoenix-area non-profit, The Bosom Buddy Project, is a “textile recycling company, specializing in recycling bras and providing deserving women in our communities who are facing challenges with a basic lingerie staple.” Even if you’re not located in or around the Valley, you can find info on donating your no-longer-needed-but-still-useful-to-someone bras.
http://mywordnerdery.blogspot.com/2010/02/bosom-buddies.html
To ponder the relationship between Islam and homosexuality is to consider something that does not exist. Parvez Sharma’s groundbreaking documentary, A Jihad for Love calls this frequently held assumption what it is: a lie. A Jihad for Love is a deep exploration of Islam and homosexuality gleaned through the eyes of several gays, lesbians, and trans-genders set across the Muslim world. Filmed in twelve countries and in nine languages, it is a collection of stories that alternate between poignancy and the heart-wrenching battle between the equally challenging loves of faith and of humanity.
Hats, tichels, pony holders, headbands, bandanas—CoverYourHair.com has it all. This month Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a chance to win a box of hair accessories valued at $50 from this fashion-conscious company.
In his thought-provoking book, Signifying Bodies: Disability in Contemporary Life Writing, author and professor of English at Hofstra University, G. Thomas Couser, argues that with these modern memoirs we have seen an astonishing proliferation of personal narratives about disability—from personal stories about illnesses like HIV/AIDS, or breast cancer, to accounts of mental illness, narratives by people living with physical disabilities such as blindness or mobility impairments, and accounts of addiction.
I’m three months in to beauty school and taking stock:
http://beautyschooledproject.com/2010/02/03/three-months-down-beauty-u/
http://beautyschooledproject.com/2010/02/04/three-months-down-i-miss-real-food/
And I’m really over beauty products being marketed to women on the basis that they smell like “forbidden” foods:
http://beautyschooledproject.com/2010/02/03/more-forbidden-food-beauty-products-glossed-over/
As a US college student, I spend most of my time /headdesking. My latest blogpost details exactly what has caught my ire today–gay rights, and the idiots against them.
This, I tell people, is why I’m a feminist.
http://circulareasoning.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-im-feminist-gay-rights-edition.html
We’re lamenting SCOTUS sans O’Connor and fearing Tim Tebow and corporatizaton over at of Heart and Mind.
My blog Ladystachette is just starting out, so I wrote a couple of introductory posts.
Firstly, , where I discussed a prominent vegan blogger’s refusal to cease using the word ‘lame’, and why this wasn’t okay.
And , where I gave an explanation of the term ‘kyriachy’, and discussed my position on newcomers and trolls in an attempt to construct a safe space.
this week, after the case being filed more than 2 years ago, the US Tax Court reverses the IRS decision and allows the cost of reassignment surgery to be counted towards the itemized medical deduction
Short stories:
In Her Dreams
Pay the Piper
Tell Me a Story
Snow White
Blood Will Tell
Declutterers, Inc.
My piece on zuska’s mansplaingate ’10
http://skeptifem.blogspot.com/2010/01/shit-stirring-at-scienceblogs-part-2.html
10 Most Sexist Super Bowl Ads
Elizabeth and Julia take on Sexism and the Super Bowl in two posts.
Court ruling: Foetus at par with a Minor Child
Another mansplaining rant
For some reason almost all my posts this week were about sexual pressure and gender assumptions. It’s really, really tricking talking about men and sexual assault when the world is so full of both apologists and… I dunno, whatever the opposite might be.
Anyway, still trying to figure out how to have the conversation, with men especially, without it getting immediately shutdown is pretty imporant. Which is why I’m not completely happy with Restating a Contentious Assertion: To a Woman, Any Man Could Potentially Be a Rapist, but feel like it’s a good start. My big realization there is that there’s a very strong, almost mechanical social reflex for rejecting assertions of the form “all X’s are Y’s” because it sounds like stereotyping. So that post is about trying to say the same thing without falling into stereotyping defenses, or defenses of stereotyping.
There’s another, more conventionally pernicious side to stereotype-style assertions like “all men are potential rapists:” the dominant paradigm conditions men to expect to be utterly mistrusted, with the result that we believe all sexual, romantic, or even non-initiate conversations with women must begin with attempts to demonstrate we’re worthy and “not like every other guy.” I talk about that paradox here: The Two Rules of Desire As a Problem With Not Restating “All Men Are Potential Rapists”
In the middle of all that I stumbled across a post by Amanda Hess about rapper Lil Wayne who disclosed that he was raped as a child and… had a hard time getting it through people’s thick skulls (cough Jimmy Kimmel cough) that no, it wasn’t fun, it wasn’t cool, and it was rape. I talk about that in the context of my own childhood experiences with sexual assault Lil Wayne and the Problem of Confusing Sexual Assault Victims With Male Sexual Role Models. One big realization that came out of that, by the way, is that thanks to the pressures of a highly-gendered society trauma of assault manifests, and is manifested up, girls and boys in very different, but no-less problematic ways.
And finally, I came across the anonymous blogger “Harriet Jacobs” of “Fugitivus.” Some of what she writes is harrowing but wow does what she have to say about bottom-out-of-sight dropout/stoner/petty-criminal/rapist/loser culture! Which I came so close to disappearing into myself. I talk about it in a couple of posts but most personally here: Harriet Jacobs at Fugitivus Writes Awesomely About Coping With Abuse in All It’s Permutations
One good thing about reading Harriet Jacobs is I finally got a link about privilege that had always eluded me. Because, of course, even though it’s obvious as a lemon-juice in a paper cut to people who don’t have it, privilege is invisible to the privileged. So now I’m thinking about ways to make it less invisible to those of us who need to see it the most.
figleaf
p.s. did anyone else get the impression that that pro-misinformation, anti-abortion ad in the Superbowl wasn’t anywhere near the most offensive one? I mean WTF is up with advertisers this year!?!?!
Figleaf
Your interesting post is simply a larger example of the very problematic question: How do you simultaneously
(1) Use rational actions and probability to target members of a group when the group members are statistically more likely to do something; and
(2) Avoid targeting people based on immutable characteristics; i.e. avoid discriminating and stereotyping? (Note that I am in no way complaining about targeting group membership based on MUTABLE characteristics; you can stereotype all you want against liberals, conservatives, etc.)
I frankly think that’s a discussion which is arguably best had in the general. The reason for my belief is that when the issue comes up, it’s inevitably in a context where someone is arguing, hard, for special pleading. So instead of following the general rule “don’t discriminate based on immutable characteristics!” we end up doing so most of the time, and focusing on the few areas where things presumably AREN’T appropriate to discriminate. That’s not an especially good model if the goal is “don’t discriminate.”
This week I started CBShe, a brand new blog with a focus on feminist news and analysis from a Canadian perspective. I have only been around for a few days, but I have a post on the potential that Sisters in Spirit, a NWAC initiative working address violence against Aboriginal women, will lose their federal funding. This post looks at CBC’s approach to unique challenges faced by women when preparing for retirement.