I'm not a fan of the word Cunt.
Inga Musico wrote a book in 1998 called Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. I hated it. That's another blog topic.
This Sunday, satirical masters at the Onion put out a tweet calling the 9 year old Best Actress Nominee Quvenzhane Wallis a Cunt. The tweet read, in part: "Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhane Wallis is kind of a ... "
Calling a 9 year old girl a cunt isn't funny. Where is the satire in that?
The post was removed an hour later and The Onion issued an apology.
Wendell Pierce called for The Onion to identify the author of the tweet- "Let him defend that abhorrent verbal attack on a child. You call it humor I call it horrendous."
For a really great response to this inexplicable tweet check out this post from Bitch Media contributor T.F. Charlton.
The Onion's hurtful Tweet
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
I Heart Bitch Magazine
There's nothing like a new issue of Bitch Magazine to get rid of my bloggers block. Trust me, it isn't that there aren't enough topics out there- more like there are SO many topics that deserve SO much critical analysis that some of them can be too daunting for me to take on when I'm trying to maintain new posts weekly and give every subject the justice it deserves.
Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture has been around for awhile now. The first issue was published in 1996! As the tag line says the magazine focuses on the way women are being portrayed in the media RIGHT NOW. With the overwhelming amount of issues effecting women- Bitch offers a crucial perspective from the very individuals experiencing them through media outlets. My personal favorite is the books section. Some titles from this new issue: Hip Hop Apsara:Ghosts Past and Present by Anne Elizabeth Moore, After Pornified: How Women are Transforming Pornography and Why it Really Matters by Anne G Sabo and Israel/Palestine And the Queer International by Sarah Schulman.
I suggest joining their "Bee Hive" and giving them a $10-$15 monthly contribution- you get the year free (4 issues) and you are supporting Feminist media!
CHECK IT OUT
Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture has been around for awhile now. The first issue was published in 1996! As the tag line says the magazine focuses on the way women are being portrayed in the media RIGHT NOW. With the overwhelming amount of issues effecting women- Bitch offers a crucial perspective from the very individuals experiencing them through media outlets. My personal favorite is the books section. Some titles from this new issue: Hip Hop Apsara:Ghosts Past and Present by Anne Elizabeth Moore, After Pornified: How Women are Transforming Pornography and Why it Really Matters by Anne G Sabo and Israel/Palestine And the Queer International by Sarah Schulman.
I suggest joining their "Bee Hive" and giving them a $10-$15 monthly contribution- you get the year free (4 issues) and you are supporting Feminist media!
CHECK IT OUT
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I'm Your Present (or Cuts of Meat Dress)
Well it's almost Valentines Day. Those of you with significant others may very well be scrambling to come up with something to give your sweetheart. I can't tell you what a Feminist wants for Valentines Day (you should probably just ask her) BUT, I thought this would be the perfect time to share something I stumbled upon recently that would not make a good Valentines gift.
I do a lot of collages so I am constantly going through old magazines to cut out pictures and the like. While flipping through an old issue of Bust magazine, something in the advertising section jumped out at me. It's called "Cuts of Meat Dress (available in many different colors). Pretty self explanatory. At first I thought that maybe I was missing something about the product that could make my initial reaction of disgust a moot point. But I wasn't and so it didn't. I logged on to Etsy to check out the sellers shop and get a better feel for the space that houses this cut of meat dress. The store/seller is called imyourpresent which I thought was fitting.
I honestly don't get why anyone would want to own this dress. I don't think it's funny or bold or that it makes a statement. At incrediblethings.com the dress is reviewed by Jenni Chasteen who says "The Creme Cuts of Meat dress lets you show off your rack and rump while making a bold (albeit funny) statement that you’re more than just the sum of your parts."
Does it? I don't see how.
One women posted this on her pinterest page under "Things I'm not too fond of."
I'm truly surprised that so many women seem to think that it's a great piece of clothing to wear. I mean- out in public. One recent buyer posted in the feedback: "I now have 3 versions of this dress. I love it so much!"
Not surprisingly the website Meat,Beer and Babes describes the dress like this- "Perfect for the guy who wants a certain piece of meat. The dress is made from light pink jersey and printed with a candy pink shade of ink."
I immediately thought of the post I wrote last Fall entitled Porno For PETA.
Take a look at a PETA campaign ad from several years back here. We can go into the horribleness that is PETA's sexist advertising more another time but think on it for a second while I make my point.
Labeling women's bodies as if they are cuts of meat is gross. It feeds into the dangerous stereotype that women are animalistic beings rather than human beings. What PETA's ad tries to do is make the viewer have an Aha! moment connecting animal meat with women's bodies- seeing how wrong it is to eat our fellow animal and thus has the viewer vowing to never eat another cheeseburger again. But does it have this effect? More likely the viewer is geared towards pairing meat/eating meat with sex and we all know how well sex sells. Diagram a mans body into cuts of meat and the effect changes.
I can't resist- to further disgust yourself with PETA's hatred of human female animals click here.
In conclusion, I have to give this dress a definite thumbs down. Women don't need help isolating and exploiting their "racks, rumps, ribs or shanks"- we already have plenty of that going on without dressing the part for it.
I do a lot of collages so I am constantly going through old magazines to cut out pictures and the like. While flipping through an old issue of Bust magazine, something in the advertising section jumped out at me. It's called "Cuts of Meat Dress (available in many different colors). Pretty self explanatory. At first I thought that maybe I was missing something about the product that could make my initial reaction of disgust a moot point. But I wasn't and so it didn't. I logged on to Etsy to check out the sellers shop and get a better feel for the space that houses this cut of meat dress. The store/seller is called imyourpresent which I thought was fitting.
I honestly don't get why anyone would want to own this dress. I don't think it's funny or bold or that it makes a statement. At incrediblethings.com the dress is reviewed by Jenni Chasteen who says "The Creme Cuts of Meat dress lets you show off your rack and rump while making a bold (albeit funny) statement that you’re more than just the sum of your parts."
Does it? I don't see how.
One women posted this on her pinterest page under "Things I'm not too fond of."
I'm truly surprised that so many women seem to think that it's a great piece of clothing to wear. I mean- out in public. One recent buyer posted in the feedback: "I now have 3 versions of this dress. I love it so much!"
Not surprisingly the website Meat,Beer and Babes describes the dress like this- "Perfect for the guy who wants a certain piece of meat. The dress is made from light pink jersey and printed with a candy pink shade of ink."
I immediately thought of the post I wrote last Fall entitled Porno For PETA.
Take a look at a PETA campaign ad from several years back here. We can go into the horribleness that is PETA's sexist advertising more another time but think on it for a second while I make my point.
Labeling women's bodies as if they are cuts of meat is gross. It feeds into the dangerous stereotype that women are animalistic beings rather than human beings. What PETA's ad tries to do is make the viewer have an Aha! moment connecting animal meat with women's bodies- seeing how wrong it is to eat our fellow animal and thus has the viewer vowing to never eat another cheeseburger again. But does it have this effect? More likely the viewer is geared towards pairing meat/eating meat with sex and we all know how well sex sells. Diagram a mans body into cuts of meat and the effect changes.
I can't resist- to further disgust yourself with PETA's hatred of human female animals click here.
In conclusion, I have to give this dress a definite thumbs down. Women don't need help isolating and exploiting their "racks, rumps, ribs or shanks"- we already have plenty of that going on without dressing the part for it.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Roe v. Wade Turns Forty
Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the US Supreme Courts ruling on the case of Roe v. Wade.
The good news is that a recent poll by NBC/WSJ shows that the majority of Americans think that abortion should remain legal. This Washington Post article discusses the finer points of the poll which contains many interesting findings. One in particular that struck a chord with me was the majority of those under 30 did not know what Roe was about. A disappointing reality for certain but this does show the prevalence of the court case diminishing as time goes on. This could be a positive indication that the time when abortion was not legal is becoming less and less of a reality. Of course I am reminded of that tricky phrase about those not learning from the past being doomed to repeat it.
Another important point is that 74% of those who support overturning Roe v. Wade ranked the issue as critical where as only 31% of Roe supporters called the issue critical. This demonstrates the intensity of anti-choice supporters and how fiercely they feel towards the case of Roe v. Wade even after 40 years.
The work ahead is clearly about keeping abortion not only legal but actually available to women. More and more restrictions are being put in place to prevent those women who seek the procedure from obtaining them without enormous obstacles.
For anyone wanting to learn more about the landmark victory for women in the case of Roe v. Wade, I strongly encourage you to read Articles of Faith: A Frontline History of the Abortion Wars by Cynthia Gorney. There is no other text that puts forth a truly unbiased occurrence of the years leading up to and immediately following the case of Roe v. Wade.
The good news is that a recent poll by NBC/WSJ shows that the majority of Americans think that abortion should remain legal. This Washington Post article discusses the finer points of the poll which contains many interesting findings. One in particular that struck a chord with me was the majority of those under 30 did not know what Roe was about. A disappointing reality for certain but this does show the prevalence of the court case diminishing as time goes on. This could be a positive indication that the time when abortion was not legal is becoming less and less of a reality. Of course I am reminded of that tricky phrase about those not learning from the past being doomed to repeat it.
Another important point is that 74% of those who support overturning Roe v. Wade ranked the issue as critical where as only 31% of Roe supporters called the issue critical. This demonstrates the intensity of anti-choice supporters and how fiercely they feel towards the case of Roe v. Wade even after 40 years.
The work ahead is clearly about keeping abortion not only legal but actually available to women. More and more restrictions are being put in place to prevent those women who seek the procedure from obtaining them without enormous obstacles.
For anyone wanting to learn more about the landmark victory for women in the case of Roe v. Wade, I strongly encourage you to read Articles of Faith: A Frontline History of the Abortion Wars by Cynthia Gorney. There is no other text that puts forth a truly unbiased occurrence of the years leading up to and immediately following the case of Roe v. Wade.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
A Dangerous Perception (India Gang Rape)
A word of caution on this post. As hard as it may be to write about this incident, I find that the intensity of the situation only furthers its need to be discussed widely and written about critically. I have been thinking about this since it happened in December and I have struggled with it-there is much more to the story than I have been able to convey.
Cara
On December 16th in New Delhi, India, a 23 year old med student named Jyoti Singh Pandey and a male friend boarded what they thought was a public bus to go home after watching a movie with friends. This was not a public bus but an off duty vehicle being driven by a group of friends. The bus contained 6 men (including the driver) who were out joyriding. The five men harassed the two and began attacking Pandey- when her male friend attempted to intervene he was beaten and knocked unconscious. The five passengers then took turns beating and raping this young women while the bus continued to drive. She was savagely beaten with and repeatedly penetrated with a rusty iron rod. After the beating the five men stripped the couple and threw them out of the bus. The driver then attempted to back over Pandey in order to prevent her from identifying them but the male friend was able to pull her out of the way.
When found on the side of the road, she was brought to the hospital where she received emergency medical attention and Doctors found that only 5% of her intestines intact. The rusty iron rod inserted into her vaginally was removed with so much force that the act also brought out her intestines. One of her accused attackers who is reportedly 17 is said to have raped her twice and removed her intestines with his hands.
Jyoti Singh Pandey survived for nearly two-weeks after the attack but eventually succumbed to her injuries and died on Dec.29th. After widespread protests from the people of India, the government promised to expedite the case and in general provide protection for the women of India. The proper handling of rape and sexual assault cases are notoriously lacking in India and the police departments are often accused of corruption and in some cases even rape themselves.
Incredibly troubling, but not surprising was how quickly this terrible vicious crime was made by some to be the victims fault. In a culture where women are still treated as second class citizens the prevalence of sexual assault is ridiculously high. Reported rape cases have surged more than tenfold over the past 40 years- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012. Keep in mind that those reported are thought to be a mere 10% of estimated rapes and assaults that happen in India.
Unfortunately, victim blaming is prevalent in every country and in most cases of sexual assault. This vicious, horrible incident is no exception. A prominent religious leader Asaram Bapu, came out openly and said the attack was the victims fault. It is reported that he said “Those who were at fault [of the gang-rape] were drunk." He stated “She should have called them [her rapists] brothers, fallen at their feet and pleaded for mercy. Had she said, ‘I am a weak woman, you are my brothers,’ such brutality would not have happened.”
The lawyers for several of the accused have indicated that same mentality of victim blaming as a defense. For being out in public at night with her boyfriend.
I attempt to be as eloquent as possible in my writing but there are times when I find that I must speak plainly. This is one of those times. Are you fucking kidding me? Really? A women is bludgeoned, raped with a rusty metal rod inserted and removed so violently and so deeply that it ripped out her fucking intestines and this man of so called religion has the audacity to claim her at fault for any of this- and that she could have prevented it if she pleaded for mercy???????
By using the logic behind victim blaming I don't think it's a far stretch to point out that this is not too far off from saying that by the very act of being alive as a women is inviting rape. When women are held responsible for the inhumane torture and violations brought upon them by men it is such obvious societal manipulation that it can only be described as misogyny. There are few better examples than victim blaming than what this man and those attorneys are claiming.
Manohar Lal Sharma, a lawyer representing the bus driver, the bus driver's brother, and another man on the bus said "he has never seen a respectable lady raped in India."
This is the typical attitude held by men in India (and around the world). I am not speaking in absolutes to condemn every male in India or the world- but only to express what is commonly thought of about women who experience sexual abuse in any and all forms. This is what people really think. This is a dangerous perception- perhaps the most dangerous of perceptions.
A complete rewiring of the human mentality may be in order for this all too frequent occurrence to become extinct. The victim is the victim and rape is a horrible crime. In such instances like the situation in India one must ask themselves- why do these things happen? How can we prevent rape?
For one thing, the mentality behind everyone's understanding of unwanted sexual attention needs to be recognized for what it is. Abuse- plain and simple. Rape victims cannot be blamed for being raped. The issue of consent is not confusing as it can be made out to be (she was flirting with me and had on a mini skirt therefore she is partially to blame for me attacking her). As for alcohol involvement- if someone is too drunk to say "yes, I would like to engage in sexual relations with you," then you shouldn't have sex with that person.
I last wrote about Stuebenville, Ohio and the sexual assault of a 16 year old girl who was drunk to the point of being unconscious and then- stripped naked, urinated on and penetrated by two high school football players all while being photographed and videotaped by witnesses and passerby's. The attorney for one of the accused has indicated that the girls "provocative" twitter pictures will be used to show she had a particular pattern of behavior.
I am not comparing the cases of these two gang rapes in any other way than to demonstrate how prevalent victim blaming is. In both cases the victim is blamed for somehow provoking their own attacks.
When can someone who has been raped, tortured and humiliated be treated as a victim of a horrible crime and not a guilty participant? When we take rape seriously enough to stop making excuses for the perpetrators? When we value women as equal and whole human beings rather than second-class citizens and when we stop openly confusing women's sexuality as justification for a deplorable violent act.
The attack in India has the world paying attention to the prevalent despicable act of rape. Hopefully it will stay there and real change can trickle down to prevent the tolerated sexual abuse from continuing to damage the lives of so many women.
I drew from a plethora of resources for this post. Here are the main articles:
CNN-Leeza Mangaldas
Emirates 24/7.
International Business Times.
The New York times.
I did also utilize the Wikipedia article for the New Delhi gang rape case because it contains 130 citations and other references used to compile it.
Cara
On December 16th in New Delhi, India, a 23 year old med student named Jyoti Singh Pandey and a male friend boarded what they thought was a public bus to go home after watching a movie with friends. This was not a public bus but an off duty vehicle being driven by a group of friends. The bus contained 6 men (including the driver) who were out joyriding. The five men harassed the two and began attacking Pandey- when her male friend attempted to intervene he was beaten and knocked unconscious. The five passengers then took turns beating and raping this young women while the bus continued to drive. She was savagely beaten with and repeatedly penetrated with a rusty iron rod. After the beating the five men stripped the couple and threw them out of the bus. The driver then attempted to back over Pandey in order to prevent her from identifying them but the male friend was able to pull her out of the way.
When found on the side of the road, she was brought to the hospital where she received emergency medical attention and Doctors found that only 5% of her intestines intact. The rusty iron rod inserted into her vaginally was removed with so much force that the act also brought out her intestines. One of her accused attackers who is reportedly 17 is said to have raped her twice and removed her intestines with his hands.
Jyoti Singh Pandey survived for nearly two-weeks after the attack but eventually succumbed to her injuries and died on Dec.29th. After widespread protests from the people of India, the government promised to expedite the case and in general provide protection for the women of India. The proper handling of rape and sexual assault cases are notoriously lacking in India and the police departments are often accused of corruption and in some cases even rape themselves.
Incredibly troubling, but not surprising was how quickly this terrible vicious crime was made by some to be the victims fault. In a culture where women are still treated as second class citizens the prevalence of sexual assault is ridiculously high. Reported rape cases have surged more than tenfold over the past 40 years- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011, according to official figures. New Delhi alone reported 572 rapes last year and more than 600 in 2012. Keep in mind that those reported are thought to be a mere 10% of estimated rapes and assaults that happen in India.
Unfortunately, victim blaming is prevalent in every country and in most cases of sexual assault. This vicious, horrible incident is no exception. A prominent religious leader Asaram Bapu, came out openly and said the attack was the victims fault. It is reported that he said “Those who were at fault [of the gang-rape] were drunk." He stated “She should have called them [her rapists] brothers, fallen at their feet and pleaded for mercy. Had she said, ‘I am a weak woman, you are my brothers,’ such brutality would not have happened.”
The lawyers for several of the accused have indicated that same mentality of victim blaming as a defense. For being out in public at night with her boyfriend.
I attempt to be as eloquent as possible in my writing but there are times when I find that I must speak plainly. This is one of those times. Are you fucking kidding me? Really? A women is bludgeoned, raped with a rusty metal rod inserted and removed so violently and so deeply that it ripped out her fucking intestines and this man of so called religion has the audacity to claim her at fault for any of this- and that she could have prevented it if she pleaded for mercy???????
By using the logic behind victim blaming I don't think it's a far stretch to point out that this is not too far off from saying that by the very act of being alive as a women is inviting rape. When women are held responsible for the inhumane torture and violations brought upon them by men it is such obvious societal manipulation that it can only be described as misogyny. There are few better examples than victim blaming than what this man and those attorneys are claiming.
Manohar Lal Sharma, a lawyer representing the bus driver, the bus driver's brother, and another man on the bus said "he has never seen a respectable lady raped in India."
This is the typical attitude held by men in India (and around the world). I am not speaking in absolutes to condemn every male in India or the world- but only to express what is commonly thought of about women who experience sexual abuse in any and all forms. This is what people really think. This is a dangerous perception- perhaps the most dangerous of perceptions.
A complete rewiring of the human mentality may be in order for this all too frequent occurrence to become extinct. The victim is the victim and rape is a horrible crime. In such instances like the situation in India one must ask themselves- why do these things happen? How can we prevent rape?
For one thing, the mentality behind everyone's understanding of unwanted sexual attention needs to be recognized for what it is. Abuse- plain and simple. Rape victims cannot be blamed for being raped. The issue of consent is not confusing as it can be made out to be (she was flirting with me and had on a mini skirt therefore she is partially to blame for me attacking her). As for alcohol involvement- if someone is too drunk to say "yes, I would like to engage in sexual relations with you," then you shouldn't have sex with that person.
I last wrote about Stuebenville, Ohio and the sexual assault of a 16 year old girl who was drunk to the point of being unconscious and then- stripped naked, urinated on and penetrated by two high school football players all while being photographed and videotaped by witnesses and passerby's. The attorney for one of the accused has indicated that the girls "provocative" twitter pictures will be used to show she had a particular pattern of behavior.
I am not comparing the cases of these two gang rapes in any other way than to demonstrate how prevalent victim blaming is. In both cases the victim is blamed for somehow provoking their own attacks.
When can someone who has been raped, tortured and humiliated be treated as a victim of a horrible crime and not a guilty participant? When we take rape seriously enough to stop making excuses for the perpetrators? When we value women as equal and whole human beings rather than second-class citizens and when we stop openly confusing women's sexuality as justification for a deplorable violent act.
The attack in India has the world paying attention to the prevalent despicable act of rape. Hopefully it will stay there and real change can trickle down to prevent the tolerated sexual abuse from continuing to damage the lives of so many women.
I drew from a plethora of resources for this post. Here are the main articles:
CNN-Leeza Mangaldas
Emirates 24/7.
International Business Times.
The New York times.
I did also utilize the Wikipedia article for the New Delhi gang rape case because it contains 130 citations and other references used to compile it.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Steubenville Ohio
Over the last several day's I have started no less than 4 posts having to do with the Steubenville, Ohio rape case. Initially I planned to recount the story in its entirety but I have since decided that I am not up to that task and others have already done so at length. If you have somehow managed to remain in the dark about this story I highly encourage you to start with the December 16th New York Times article (click above). After that I encourage you to visit this site.
My first feeling after reading several articles about the case was not anger; I was tremendously and overwhelmingly sad. I don't care that this isn't an especially eloquent way to express this next sentiment but my second feeling was that the world we live in is an incredibly horrible fucked up place that doesn't make any sense at all. Of course I am not so naive to think that terrible people don't exist but what's worse is that people who generally aren't terrible so frequently choose to look away when it matters.
Why this situation has garnered so much attention is always incredibly discouraging. It involves Football. The fact that several teenagers stood by and watched these things happening to this girl and in some cases recorded it and photographed it is disgusting enough but some went even further and put it on social media sites. Then because there was a president of police corruption and an unwillingness of witnesses to come forward, an independent crime blogger had the presence of mind to save screen shots of what was put online before the perpetrators could erase them.
What's plain to me is that this young girl was incapable of making sound decisions, defending herself and by any and all means granting these boys consent to sexually assault and abuse her. How is that not clear to everyone? How can anyone say that this girl "deserved" this? How can defense attorneys use that same bullshit line that the boys behavior was justified because the girl, before that night in August, had posted provocative comments and photographs on her Twitter account???? Like what? I hope to be sexually assaulted while vomiting?
Victim blaming goes deep and it doesn't help when the perpetrators have the much desired skill of being able to throw a football- especially in an economically depressed has been town in Ohio where these boys provide one of the only means of entertainment and town pride.
One of the volunteer assistant coaches of the High School Football team (who is a former player) said this about the victim: “The rape was just an excuse, I think. What else are you going to tell your parents when you come home drunk like that and after a night like that? She had to make up something. Now people are trying to blow up our football program because of it.”
Yes, because your football program is so incredibly sacred that those involved in it should be excused from maintaining any sense of basic human decency.
If you'd like to learn more about the case in Steubenville, as I have merely scratched the surface, I suggest the following articles:
The Daily Beast
Time
CNN
Daily News
My first feeling after reading several articles about the case was not anger; I was tremendously and overwhelmingly sad. I don't care that this isn't an especially eloquent way to express this next sentiment but my second feeling was that the world we live in is an incredibly horrible fucked up place that doesn't make any sense at all. Of course I am not so naive to think that terrible people don't exist but what's worse is that people who generally aren't terrible so frequently choose to look away when it matters.
Why this situation has garnered so much attention is always incredibly discouraging. It involves Football. The fact that several teenagers stood by and watched these things happening to this girl and in some cases recorded it and photographed it is disgusting enough but some went even further and put it on social media sites. Then because there was a president of police corruption and an unwillingness of witnesses to come forward, an independent crime blogger had the presence of mind to save screen shots of what was put online before the perpetrators could erase them.
What's plain to me is that this young girl was incapable of making sound decisions, defending herself and by any and all means granting these boys consent to sexually assault and abuse her. How is that not clear to everyone? How can anyone say that this girl "deserved" this? How can defense attorneys use that same bullshit line that the boys behavior was justified because the girl, before that night in August, had posted provocative comments and photographs on her Twitter account???? Like what? I hope to be sexually assaulted while vomiting?
Victim blaming goes deep and it doesn't help when the perpetrators have the much desired skill of being able to throw a football- especially in an economically depressed has been town in Ohio where these boys provide one of the only means of entertainment and town pride.
One of the volunteer assistant coaches of the High School Football team (who is a former player) said this about the victim: “The rape was just an excuse, I think. What else are you going to tell your parents when you come home drunk like that and after a night like that? She had to make up something. Now people are trying to blow up our football program because of it.”
Yes, because your football program is so incredibly sacred that those involved in it should be excused from maintaining any sense of basic human decency.
If you'd like to learn more about the case in Steubenville, as I have merely scratched the surface, I suggest the following articles:
The Daily Beast
Time
CNN
Daily News
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Do We Still Need Feminism?
I asked friends for some suggestions on blog topics for the new year. One friend sent me an article to peruse entitled "Why We Don't Need Feminism".
In it the author Emily Matters talks about Feminist Scholar Wendy Brown. Brown has a book of essays called Edgework. Matters goes on to describe the collection of essays and how Edgework looks at the so-called normal or "popular" way of thinking about abortion and gay marriage with a critical eye. Her book is subtitled Critical Essays On Knowledge and Politics, and Matter's admits that the book doesn’t offer solutions or definite statements on these topics- it more encourages us to think critically about our own assumptions and go beyond or to "the edge" of our own thinking.
This article is interesting because it can be interpreted in a number of ways. On the whole my reaction was confusion upon my initial read. Matters tells the reader that Brown doesn't make many definite statements but rather suggests that thinking outside of owns usual train of thought can be beneficial (I think). Without having read any of the text I don't know for sure what Matters considers a definitive statement but she goes on to make a bunch of them in her article. She doesn't attempt to mirror the thoughts of Brown but rather calls the collection of essays an inspiration for her own response to the idea that we don't need Feminism.
She states that the wage gap is Feminist propaganda, Men rape because they are inherently violent and aggressive and women choose careers that pay less because of their inherent kindness and patient nature. Also, we need less femininity and more masculinity in order for progress to be made in culture and civilization.
These statements aren't elaborated upon very much and where they are seems to add to the articles general muddled feeling. The writer makes statements as facts- cites a study or New York times op-ed and moves on to the next statement. I want more from her in some areas but not anything from others.
For example: "Throwing a ball like a girl is lame. That’s why most people, male or female, prefer to watch the NBA over the WNBA. Aggression, intensity make sports more interesting and captivating."
I'm not sure how to interpret the latter intellectual statement with the former name calling ("You play ball like a Girl"). I mean, what? I'm sure there is more to the NBA vs. WNBA comparison besides the generalization that men are better at entertaining us in the sports arena. Some elements to consider might be the commercialization of the NBA, money and sponsorship disparities, environmental and societal elements that push boys towards sports and girls towards baking and sewing- just to name a few.
Matters also tells us- "we don’t need to balk at traditionally feminine values in the United States like they do in China. But effeminate nations of love and equality don’t produce companies like Google or Apple." It's interesting to me that Matters doesn't talk about what Feminism is besides that it involves being pro-abortion and supporting gay marriage, which she says is by far the cultural norm now. Google and Apple are what we should strive for in a society and all that girly crap isn't doing anyone any favor
So- why don't we need Feminism? Well, Matters gives us the skimpiest text in this section. Besides her calling Feminism outdated she calls for a new paradigm to move forward with- "One that is not so much a collective movement, but a way of living which respects and integrates men, women, and every beautiful and complex variation in-between."
She thinks women self select lower paying jobs because they don't care about money as much as men do. Men are bad- but that is good for society as a whole because otherwise we'd be like China and since Feminism doesn't stop rape then what's all the fuss about?
There is little here in the way of critical thinking in my opinion. Some controversial thoughts here and there but not much to chew on. Oh, and that collective movement integrating all of these beautiful variations of men and women? Well, that just seems like a cop out to me.
In it the author Emily Matters talks about Feminist Scholar Wendy Brown. Brown has a book of essays called Edgework. Matters goes on to describe the collection of essays and how Edgework looks at the so-called normal or "popular" way of thinking about abortion and gay marriage with a critical eye. Her book is subtitled Critical Essays On Knowledge and Politics, and Matter's admits that the book doesn’t offer solutions or definite statements on these topics- it more encourages us to think critically about our own assumptions and go beyond or to "the edge" of our own thinking.
This article is interesting because it can be interpreted in a number of ways. On the whole my reaction was confusion upon my initial read. Matters tells the reader that Brown doesn't make many definite statements but rather suggests that thinking outside of owns usual train of thought can be beneficial (I think). Without having read any of the text I don't know for sure what Matters considers a definitive statement but she goes on to make a bunch of them in her article. She doesn't attempt to mirror the thoughts of Brown but rather calls the collection of essays an inspiration for her own response to the idea that we don't need Feminism.
She states that the wage gap is Feminist propaganda, Men rape because they are inherently violent and aggressive and women choose careers that pay less because of their inherent kindness and patient nature. Also, we need less femininity and more masculinity in order for progress to be made in culture and civilization.
These statements aren't elaborated upon very much and where they are seems to add to the articles general muddled feeling. The writer makes statements as facts- cites a study or New York times op-ed and moves on to the next statement. I want more from her in some areas but not anything from others.
For example: "Throwing a ball like a girl is lame. That’s why most people, male or female, prefer to watch the NBA over the WNBA. Aggression, intensity make sports more interesting and captivating."
I'm not sure how to interpret the latter intellectual statement with the former name calling ("You play ball like a Girl"). I mean, what? I'm sure there is more to the NBA vs. WNBA comparison besides the generalization that men are better at entertaining us in the sports arena. Some elements to consider might be the commercialization of the NBA, money and sponsorship disparities, environmental and societal elements that push boys towards sports and girls towards baking and sewing- just to name a few.
Matters also tells us- "we don’t need to balk at traditionally feminine values in the United States like they do in China. But effeminate nations of love and equality don’t produce companies like Google or Apple." It's interesting to me that Matters doesn't talk about what Feminism is besides that it involves being pro-abortion and supporting gay marriage, which she says is by far the cultural norm now. Google and Apple are what we should strive for in a society and all that girly crap isn't doing anyone any favor
So- why don't we need Feminism? Well, Matters gives us the skimpiest text in this section. Besides her calling Feminism outdated she calls for a new paradigm to move forward with- "One that is not so much a collective movement, but a way of living which respects and integrates men, women, and every beautiful and complex variation in-between."
She thinks women self select lower paying jobs because they don't care about money as much as men do. Men are bad- but that is good for society as a whole because otherwise we'd be like China and since Feminism doesn't stop rape then what's all the fuss about?
There is little here in the way of critical thinking in my opinion. Some controversial thoughts here and there but not much to chew on. Oh, and that collective movement integrating all of these beautiful variations of men and women? Well, that just seems like a cop out to me.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2013 everything's coming up...?
I couldn't be more pleased to see the end of 2012 just over the horizon (of this weekend). This year has been tough- horrible even. In fact, I'm going to call it the worst year of my life thus far. If I had to pick a theme for it I would say 2012 has been a year of loss. Within this loss I have noticed that I am finding/gaining myself in the process and for that I am glad- I hope the things I have gone through will stick with me and the growth that I have experienced will stay for the future. The most important thing that has resonated with me is that there is nothing more important than self love. You have to be okay with yourself, be your own best friend, relish in your own company etc...
There is no one else that can give you purpose and a reason to be on this earth other than yourself. This year I lost my first boyfriend and first "Love" to suicide. Within the first three months that we started dating we got pregnant, had an abortion and he watched me almost die from bilateral pneumonia. We stayed together for three years before we broke up and I went away for college. He was never happy and had a host of mental problems- deep down, I honestly knew he would commit suicide. I didn't imagine he would succeed so soon and I didn't imagine that I would be so close when he did.
This year has left me feeling more alone than I have ever felt before. Not necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy your own company and have coping mechanisms in place to deal with the bad parts of loneliness but if you don't as I didn't, loneliness can be the worst thing in the world. Without trying to sound too much like an after school program it is the most important thing in the world to be okay with yourself and know that you are enough- just you yourself and that everything and everyone that you allow to fill your life is just extra.
And! You should fill your life with as many fabulous people as you can. People that love you and think you are super are a crucial part of living well.
There is no one else that can give you purpose and a reason to be on this earth other than yourself. This year I lost my first boyfriend and first "Love" to suicide. Within the first three months that we started dating we got pregnant, had an abortion and he watched me almost die from bilateral pneumonia. We stayed together for three years before we broke up and I went away for college. He was never happy and had a host of mental problems- deep down, I honestly knew he would commit suicide. I didn't imagine he would succeed so soon and I didn't imagine that I would be so close when he did.
This year has left me feeling more alone than I have ever felt before. Not necessarily a bad thing if you enjoy your own company and have coping mechanisms in place to deal with the bad parts of loneliness but if you don't as I didn't, loneliness can be the worst thing in the world. Without trying to sound too much like an after school program it is the most important thing in the world to be okay with yourself and know that you are enough- just you yourself and that everything and everyone that you allow to fill your life is just extra.
And! You should fill your life with as many fabulous people as you can. People that love you and think you are super are a crucial part of living well.
Monday, November 26, 2012
The War on Who?
I avoid Fox news like the plague as a general rule. Watching Fox is like listening to Rush Limbaugh- it just makes me feel dirty and hopeless.
Fox News online is the same deal, I don't seek out their "news" and the only reason I came across the opinion piece I am sharing with you today is because the absurdity of said article has become plastered all over Facebook.
Suzanne Venker is an author who writes about why women shouldn't have careers. You might even say it is her career to tell women that they need to stay home and be subservient and avoid having a career. Confusing, I know.
The article in question is called The War on Men.
Take a look at it if you are so inclined. I'll give you a (still painful but shorter) summary.
Venker claims that her years of research and conversations with both men and women have led her to "accidentally stumble" upon a large group of men who state that they will never get married because "women aren't women anymore." She blames the sexual revolution for changing the way women and men interact. Venker makes statement after statement about the reasons women can't find a good or "marriageable" men. Oh, and it's all their own fault because Feminists have brainwashed them into thinking that men are the enemy which means women are denying men their true nature: " The fact is, women need men’s linear career goals – they need men to pick up the slack at the office – in order to live the balanced life they seek".
According to Venker, women want to get married but men don't because women are too competitive and blame men for everything. Men can live with and sleep with their girlfriends with no resposnibillity- so why should they want to get married?
But they do, says Venker, women have just ruined it for them. She states "Men want to love women, not compete with them. They want to provide for and protect their families – it’s in their DNA. But modern women won’t let them."
DNA? Well, in that case...
No, Venker is not a scientist. She opens her article citing a study by the Pew Research Center. Here is the actual study.
Venker deducts from this study that men don't want to get married- yes, the study shows that less men say that marriage is "one of the most important things in their lives." But if you look at the graph above that it shows that women and men value marriage and parenthood at nearly the same percentage, women 84% and men 83%. So while fewer men are saying that marriage is one of the most important things is their lives a large number of men still find marriage and parenthood very important.
What I find to be the most frustrating part of Venker's article is her obvious hatred of Feminism. She doesn't find women's empowerment charming or feminine enough. Modern women (i.e. women who have jobs and children)are selfish and crazy to think that they can do anything that men can do. Damn, it's as if shes negating anything that she says because shes just a silly women thinking she can have a family and be an author. She herself is a divorced mother with a CAREER who is deeply concerned with the state of marriage in our society.
She ends the article with this:
"So if men today are slackers, and if they’re retreating from marriage en masse, women should look in the mirror and ask themselves what role they’ve played to bring about this transformation.
Fortunately, there is good news: women have the power to turn everything around. All they have to do is surrender to their nature – their femininity – and let men surrender to theirs.
If they do, marriageable men will come out of the woodwork."
Wow, that's not hypocritical at all.
Fox News online is the same deal, I don't seek out their "news" and the only reason I came across the opinion piece I am sharing with you today is because the absurdity of said article has become plastered all over Facebook.
Suzanne Venker is an author who writes about why women shouldn't have careers. You might even say it is her career to tell women that they need to stay home and be subservient and avoid having a career. Confusing, I know.
The article in question is called The War on Men.
Take a look at it if you are so inclined. I'll give you a (still painful but shorter) summary.
Venker claims that her years of research and conversations with both men and women have led her to "accidentally stumble" upon a large group of men who state that they will never get married because "women aren't women anymore." She blames the sexual revolution for changing the way women and men interact. Venker makes statement after statement about the reasons women can't find a good or "marriageable" men. Oh, and it's all their own fault because Feminists have brainwashed them into thinking that men are the enemy which means women are denying men their true nature: " The fact is, women need men’s linear career goals – they need men to pick up the slack at the office – in order to live the balanced life they seek".
According to Venker, women want to get married but men don't because women are too competitive and blame men for everything. Men can live with and sleep with their girlfriends with no resposnibillity- so why should they want to get married?
But they do, says Venker, women have just ruined it for them. She states "Men want to love women, not compete with them. They want to provide for and protect their families – it’s in their DNA. But modern women won’t let them."
DNA? Well, in that case...
No, Venker is not a scientist. She opens her article citing a study by the Pew Research Center. Here is the actual study.
Venker deducts from this study that men don't want to get married- yes, the study shows that less men say that marriage is "one of the most important things in their lives." But if you look at the graph above that it shows that women and men value marriage and parenthood at nearly the same percentage, women 84% and men 83%. So while fewer men are saying that marriage is one of the most important things is their lives a large number of men still find marriage and parenthood very important.
What I find to be the most frustrating part of Venker's article is her obvious hatred of Feminism. She doesn't find women's empowerment charming or feminine enough. Modern women (i.e. women who have jobs and children)are selfish and crazy to think that they can do anything that men can do. Damn, it's as if shes negating anything that she says because shes just a silly women thinking she can have a family and be an author. She herself is a divorced mother with a CAREER who is deeply concerned with the state of marriage in our society.
She ends the article with this:
"So if men today are slackers, and if they’re retreating from marriage en masse, women should look in the mirror and ask themselves what role they’ve played to bring about this transformation.
Fortunately, there is good news: women have the power to turn everything around. All they have to do is surrender to their nature – their femininity – and let men surrender to theirs.
If they do, marriageable men will come out of the woodwork."
Wow, that's not hypocritical at all.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Catholic Country Let's Woman Die
A women who sought an abortion at a hospital in Ireland while suffering a miscarriage has died. Savita Halappanavar, 31 years old and 17 weeks pregnant, presented with back pain at Ireland's University Hospital Galway on October 21st- they discovered that she was in the process of miscarrying.
Even though Halappanavar, a Hindu, was emphatic that she was neither Irish nor Catholic, and even though she developed shakes and shivering and was vomiting, the hospital said there was nothing to be done because there was still a fetal heartbeat. She was told that "this is a catholic country."
Boston.com reports that Ireland’s constitution officially bans abortion, but a 1992 Supreme Court ruling found the procedure should be legalized for situations when the woman’s life is at risk. Five governments since have refused to pass a law resolving the confusion, leaving Irish hospitals reluctant to terminate pregnancies even when possibly endangering the life of the mother.
The delay in enacting this law in Ireland has cost Halappanavar her life. While some women in Ireland have the option to travel the relatively short distance to England for a legal abortion- it is extremely difficult for women in poor health to do the same.
This article from the Guardian examines the troubled history of abortion in Ireland:
"The first breach in the wall of silence around abortion came about in 1992 when a 14-year-old rape victim attempted to travel to England to terminate her pregnancy. The Irish government, on the advice of the attorney general, sought initially to prevent her from travelling out of the country. The prospect of a modern European republic seeking to deny a child from leaving the country, and in turn forcing her to endure pregnancy brought on by rape, produced one of the most famous images of the early 1990s."
In 2009, three Irish women sued the government saying that the impossibility of having an legal abortion in Ireland made the procedure unnecessarily traumatic and expensive. The court agreed with the women and ordered legislation be passed for abortion to be legal in certain circumstances.
With the death of Savita Halappanavar, Ireland is at the forefront of a tragedy that underlines the need for reform in this Catholic country.
Human dignity and women's lives are at stake.
Even though Halappanavar, a Hindu, was emphatic that she was neither Irish nor Catholic, and even though she developed shakes and shivering and was vomiting, the hospital said there was nothing to be done because there was still a fetal heartbeat. She was told that "this is a catholic country."
Boston.com reports that Ireland’s constitution officially bans abortion, but a 1992 Supreme Court ruling found the procedure should be legalized for situations when the woman’s life is at risk. Five governments since have refused to pass a law resolving the confusion, leaving Irish hospitals reluctant to terminate pregnancies even when possibly endangering the life of the mother.
The delay in enacting this law in Ireland has cost Halappanavar her life. While some women in Ireland have the option to travel the relatively short distance to England for a legal abortion- it is extremely difficult for women in poor health to do the same.
This article from the Guardian examines the troubled history of abortion in Ireland:
"The first breach in the wall of silence around abortion came about in 1992 when a 14-year-old rape victim attempted to travel to England to terminate her pregnancy. The Irish government, on the advice of the attorney general, sought initially to prevent her from travelling out of the country. The prospect of a modern European republic seeking to deny a child from leaving the country, and in turn forcing her to endure pregnancy brought on by rape, produced one of the most famous images of the early 1990s."
In 2009, three Irish women sued the government saying that the impossibility of having an legal abortion in Ireland made the procedure unnecessarily traumatic and expensive. The court agreed with the women and ordered legislation be passed for abortion to be legal in certain circumstances.
With the death of Savita Halappanavar, Ireland is at the forefront of a tragedy that underlines the need for reform in this Catholic country.
Human dignity and women's lives are at stake.
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