Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these….
Ally Work: The First Erase Racism Carnival is Here!
Our own guest-poster Rachel S. (of Rachel’s Tavern) did a great job putting this together.
Lucky White Girl: Carnival of the Liberals #13
Linky Liberal Goodness!
New Blog: Taking Place
A really good groupblog with a lot of the smarter set of progressive bloggers.
GenderGeek: Arguments in Favor of Outlawing Prostitution
Specifically, she favors arresting and jailing “johns,” which is my position too. Here she rebuts several oft-heard feminist arguments against this policy.
Shrub.com: Rebuttal to the “It’s Just a Joke, You Shouldn’t Take It Seriously” Argument
Another example of first-class argumentation from the awesome Tekanji.
A Womb of Her Own: Anne Fasuto-Sterling on How Culture Literally Shapes Our Bones
Blac(k)ademic: More on gender and race intersectionality, rather than trumping
Damn, but Nubian is great. Complexity is not our enemy.
Citizen of the Month: What being Jewish Has To Do With Understanding Anti-Fat Bigotry
Pseudo-Adrienne: Book Review of The Girls Who Went Away
The book is about “The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade.” Really interesting stuff.
Debatage: Peter Singer Comes Out In Favor of Anti-Fat Bigotry
Vegankid: The Root of Racism is the Creation of Whiteness
After all, if we are all given the same opportunities in life and the outcome is that White people come out ahead, then the logical conclusion is that we remain innately superior. Inversely, this logic implies that people of color do not attain such positions because they are lazy, morally corrupt, intellectually inferior, or other such nonsense.
BlackProf.com: Race and Sexual Harassment
Chelsea Jennings: The LGBT Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Movement Are Not The Same
Civil rights metaphors are an even bigger joke when we consider the disenfranchisement of blacks within the LGBT community. Co-opting language and tactics from the civil rights movement without coming through on its promises is self-serving and undermines our movement instead of legitimizing it.
Daily Kos: Why The Right-Wing Gets It
Regular readers know I don’t link to Kos much – I’m not that interested in horserace analysis. But this post, about how the right uses long-term thinking to move the boundaries of debate, struck me as both interesting and probably true. This is one reason I think it’s important to fight and argue for total marriage equality for same-sex couples, rather than just arguing for a “civil unions” compromise.
Ostroy Report: Lots of posts about Al Gore’s hypothetical run for president
I like the post-2000 Gore’s politics a lot better than most Democrat’s, and he could probably win. The problem is, when he was actually faced with a challenge in Florida in 2000, he pretty much rolled over and died, providing zero leadership and not standing up for black voters’ rights. Do we really want someone like that in the White House?
Feministe: Piny on Cultural Appropriation, Borrowing and Theft
Thoughtful post. The discussion in the comments is interesting, too.
luxurious living light: Bought Colored Kids (a critique of transracial adoption).
Curtsy: Blac(k)ademic
The Debate Link: Why the Religious Right is Distancing Itself From Republicans
It’s strategy. Pure speculation on David’s part, but interesting and plausible speculation nonetheless.
Molly Saves The Day: Is “My Name Is Earl” a Hidden Recruitment Drive for Scientology?
I don’t really care if it is or not; it’s a good show no matter what it’s intent and inspiration. But it’s an interesting post nonetheless.
After Ellen: The Coming Extinction Of Lesbian Characters on Network TV
Why Am I Not Surprised?: Racism = Prejudice + Power
…They say, “I don’t see color. I just see everyone as a human being,” by which they mean, they don’t intend to acknowledge all the studies showing how exploited and dominated people of color still are in the United States because the White speaker has already decided that Black people’s problems are the result of Black people’s inferiority.
Hugo Schwyzer: Feminist Men and Women’s Anger
The Gimp Parade: Fallacious and Offensive Comparison between Fetuses and the Disabled
Blue correctly criticizes a discussion had by a number of ablebodied clueless people, myself included, I’m embarrassed to admit.
BlackProf.com: First African-American Women To Be A Professor At Yale Law School
Pinko Feminist Hellcat: Don’t Mess With Our Views, Plebes!
Wind turbines are too unsafe and environmentally destructive to put in sight of Ted Kennedy’s estate. But move the turbines to a poor area, and suddenly the safety and environmental problems disappear like poof!
Pinko Feminist Hellcat: Critique of the Voluntary Simplicity Movement
BRO Blog: Two Upcoming Anti-Queer Ballot Measures In Oregon
Really horrifying stuff – one would ban all public schools, including universities, from teaching any materials that “express approval of, endorse or otherwise make morally acceptable the behaviors of homosexuality, bisexuality or transgendered conduct.” Hopefully, it won’t pass, but I bet that the majority of conservatives in Oregon vote in favor of it.
Noli Irritare Leones: Beefcake, Cheesecake, and the Meaning of Women’s Lack of Surfing for Porn
Curtsy: Hugo.
BBC Video: BBC Interviews Wrong Man (aka Guy Goma is my hero)
Guy Goma, a cab driver, is sitting in the BBC waiting room, waiting to interview for some job. Somehow, he wound up in the interview seat of a news show instead, mistaken by the show staff for an expert in internet copyright law. Mr. Goma’s expression when he realizes he’s being interviewed on TV news – and his decision to bluff his way through the interview – is hilarious, but also the bravest thing I’ve seen in ages. I’d hire him. Curtsy: The Debate Link.
Democracy Arsenal: On A Unilateral Withdrawal From the West Bank by Israel
VeganKid: Its four in the morning and i reek of burnt flesh and melted linoleum.
The reality of U.S. health care, where people have to choose between emergency care and having money for rent the next month.
Feministe: The Patriachy Hurts Men Between The Sheets
Because y’know, it’s not feminism that says it’s all about the erection.
After Ellen: Interview with WonderFalls co-creator Bryan Fuller
One of my favorite TV shows ever – too bad they canceled it after three episodes. The interview focuses on the main character’s lebsian sister, and includes a little of what they planned to do with her character second season. Sigh.
Mombian: New Report on Children’s TV Watching Habits
Pandagon: Against “Natural vs Unnatural” Discourse
A response to to one of Rachel’s posts here on Alas. Yay for debate!
Feministing: Zimbabwe women arrested for protesting inequitable schools
BlackProf.com: Why The Census Should Not Have An “Interracial” Category
Given the importance of racial statistics for addressing racial inequality, it does not seem such an imposition to request that individuals treat the race question as an inquiry into the political meaning of how they are racially perceived, rather than an inquiry into the full range of a person’s racial identity. … When a mixed-race person of African-descent can’t get a taxi, the full range of how that person culturally identifies is simply not salient to the issue of discrimination.
Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty: Excellent Post on Food, Politics, and Capitalism
Big Fat Blog: Study Finds Anti-Fat Prejudice Common Among Fat People
Can’t say I’m surprised.
Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty: How Imprecise Langauge Hinders Feminist Debates About Pornography
(Liberal) Girl Next Door: Start Preparing For Republicans To Steal The 2006 Elections
I love these “movie trailers” parodies made from classic movies.
Curtsy: Headpiece for the Staff of Ra
Debitage: Nature Is Not Wise, But We Are Foolish
John M. Burt: Saipan is a Beautiful Place
Possibly no “guest workers” in any part of the US (Saipan is a US territory) have been mistreated as badly as women working in Saipan. John Burt provides some useful links.
Balkinization: On the FBI Search of Rep. Jefferson’s Office
Instead of being upset about the President spying on Americans without a warrant, and in violation of federal law, the members of the U.S. Congress are upset about the FBI searching a Congressman’s office with a legal warrant. Instead of being upset about the cruel, inhuman and degrading tactics of the CIA and military interrogators, members of the U.S. Congress are upset that a corrupt Congressman’s office has been disturbed.
National Council of Research on Women: Taxes Are a Women’s Issue
Pingback: Doing Justice
Pingback: Feminist Law Professors
Pingback: feminist blogs
Pingback: FeministBlogosphere
Pingback: feminist blogs
The first link, to the Ally Carnival, actually goes to a National Council for Research on Women Report.
I certainly agree that whites should not be allowed to adopt nonwhite children
Thanks for linkage to various takedowns of the idea that natural is automatically good. That bit from “Debitage” about how traditional cultures might not all have had the same ideas about nature and its resilience, could use some expansion. Now, is anyone else as sick of that “Mother Earth” stuff as I am? Of the practice of smearing gender hooey over everything in sight, even things that had been around long before sex evolved or gender was invented? How much does that distort our true understanding/appreciation of the dynamic sphere of molten rock and iron whose crust is just solid enough for multicellular life to live on, and how much does it make it seem okay to treat women like, well, dirt? Just wondering. Could that deal that earlbecke brought up, about details of language and so on not being trivial at all, be applied to this?
Mad props for this. I can’t believe how much you’ve found for one post. You must get an hour of sleep every night to keep up! Yikes. But thanks for doing this, it is an invaluable service.
Thanks, Bitch | Lab! :-)
Thanks for pointing that out, Purrplegrrl; I’ve fixed the link.
O.K. – having seen the link about the dearth of lesbian characters on TV, I have a question. Are any of you Law and Order watchers? A couple of seasons ago, the female ADA was let go because she was too empathetic towards the defendants. During the dialog in which she was fired, she said “I’m not being fired because I’m a lesbian, am I?”
Now, I’ve watched every episode of that series, and up to that point I hadn’t detected any hint that she was heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, or whatever. And that was the last scene she ever appeared in. Does anyone else know anything about this? Did I miss something? Was there a point to introducing that issue at that time in the show?
When a mixed-race person of African-descent can’t get a taxi, the full range of how that person culturally identifies is simply not salient to the issue of discrimination.
Hm. So what are the official percentages going to be to separate “white” and “black”? And what will it matter, anyway? If the issue is that allowing multiracial persons to designate themselves as just that means that it becomes harder to track civil rights progress, what do we do? Tell multiracial people “If you have experienced racial discrimination, mark yourself as black, but if not, mark yourself as white/asian”? How is the link between racial discrimination and race going to be tracked if multiracial people have no guidelines as to how to indicate their race?
Maybe instead of having “white”, “black”, “multi-racial”, etc. on the forms, we should have functional classifications: “can’t get a taxi”, “can’t dance”, etc.
Instead of being upset about the cruel, inhuman and degrading tactics of the CIA and military interrogators, members of the U.S. Congress are upset that a corrupt Congressman’s office has been disturbed.
Maybe because of the three groups named – cruel, inhuman CIA agent, cruel and inhuman military interrogator, and corrupt Congressman – the latter comes closest to a tautology. And they know it.
How many times have you been confronted by a white person who demands access to a people of color space and use their bought kid as an entry pass (similar to when they use their non-white lover to get into places)?
What the heck is “a people of color space”?
I have a friend of mine who adopted a Korean child. As an aside, apparently the background check they had to go though rivaled someone being recruited to work for the CIA. But the main question I have for this is, what are the alternatives? Are there sufficient couples that are the same race as the adoption candidates? If interracial adoptions are discouraged or even banned, will that mean that there are children that will remain wards of the state instead of growing up in loving families with the means to raise them?
I am going to have to put up a good response to Amanda’s post. I knew that post was going to be contentious, but I was truly shocked at how few women agree with me.
I’m still trying to figure out why I’m in such a minority.
rob,
i don’t know which link you’re referring to, but it should not be a matter of any competent parent being “allowed” to adopt any child due to race. if a white person can have a non-white biological child (of mixed race, presumably) then the law has no business telling them that they can’t adopt a non-white child. that just perpetuates the awful myth that adopted children aren’t “real” children of their parents because a legal double standard applies to them.
and if you think there’s something “wrong” with a white parent of a non-white child, then what message are you sending to the non-white biological children of white parents? that there’s something wrong with them? that their parents are inadequately prepared to raise them?
white parents of non-white children should ideally be educated in dealing with the racism that their kids will encounter, and they should be prepared for the racism they might face, and it would certainly help to be involved in some way in the culture that their kids may end up identifying with. i agree that it’s hard work on top of the already hard work of being a good parent.
but it’s not a matter of being “allowed”. are you going to tell an infertile couple that their right to parent is restricted because of their medical condition? are you going to tell a white couple that they can’t specify in their will that in case of their deaths their children should be raised by their lifelong black friends?
you may not think it’s wise, and you may have good arguments for why it’s unwise (though i suspect i’d disagree). but it’s not a matter of being “allowed”.
Not all transracial adoptions work out badly. Not all adoptive parents treat their adopted children as second-class (and of those who do, not all have adopted transracially). Not all who adopt transracially are wealthy, and not all who adopt foreign children were able to afford to travel to another country.
Being adopted is never without its downside. At the very least it means a kid’s birth parents didn’t keep her, for whatever reason. At the worst, it may mean that a child had to give up his remaining family, his country and his culture, in order to have parents, and may have been mistreated by the adoptive parents as well. But very often it works out well in the end.
As an adoptive parent, I’m tired of adoption being treated as always a problem. I’m tired of a kid’s normal problems being ascribed to “being adopted.” I’m tired of people thinking that “celtural differences” explain any strife between parent and (adopted) child. And I’m way tired of disrupted adoptions. Give her back?!! What is with that? Suck it up and learn to be a parent, dammit! Kids who have been messed around so much in their lives deserve a little extra care and a little extra flexibility from those who claim to love them. Especially kids who were adopted as “older” kids (anything over 3 years old, usually). Some of ours had been through temporary placement after temporary placement. Our son said “I don’t want to have to learn to call someone else Mommy.” Broke my heart to hear it; it was a capsule trip through his few years of life.
Superman had foster parents. [I forgot who I stole that one from.] Seriously, there’s a lot more serious things to consider when choosing who gets to adopt, than one’s genetic background. The presence or absence of any child molesters in the family, for instance. (As if you could weed them all out beforehand…) And who can be sure that they are really all one race or another? Are the races even a valid scientific category?
As to the fat issue–More thanks from this corner. I’ve got 2 cousins, one fatter than me and one thinner, and the thinner one is the only one who bellyaches about how fat she is getting. What a bore. One time the 3 of us were together and suddenly both of them began to squawk about some bare-bellied teens coming out of school. Apparently these kids were too fat for my cousins’ sense of propriety or something. I had to raise my voice to point out that we would all be better concerned about whether those girls were ready to deal with the male attention they might be getting.
Seems to me that anyone who presumes to tell another person what they can or can’t help, and what is or isn’t their fault, is stepping way out of line. So few know their own abilities, how much less would they know another’s?
I’d like to see a discussion of how the television show, “Big Love” may be priming the pump to push for plural marriage. And I’d like to see an honest discussion of the question that many critics of gay marriage raise, i.e. that what is to stop legalizing plural marriage if we legalize gay marriage.
And I would like to know why the ACLU has come to the defense of Mormon polygamists in arguing that freedom of religion permits plural marriage.
Finally, is anyone aware of any studies that have been done about polygamy and/or plural marriage and its effect on society?
Thanks.
damn, amp! its a shamei can’t make a living reading your link farms cuz its gonna take me all week to get through this. i don’t know how you do it, but keep it up.
I’m disappointed that I wasted approximately 15 minutes of my life on Peter Singer’s drivel. Singer’s hand-wringing over what lessens the impact on the earth will drive people to paralysis if implemented, and he fails to take into account diminishing returns. If you buy organic, or local, or any kind of premium food, you are doing better than if you bought agribusiness food. Worrying about which of the multitudes of decisions is the absolute best is ridiculous, especially if any decision is likely to be good.
And I am a speciesist. I’m also a family-ist, a city-ist, and a state-ist. I naturally favor the known over the unknown, and justify that in that in pursuing self-interest (including the interest of the immediate communities we’re in), life for all will be better.
Singer also fails to realize that in Biblical times, the people who could get away with the deadly sins were the wealthy. In a society where food is scarce, the glutton is a wasteful menace. In modern American society, food is plentiful, but elitists like Singer or the idiots in the Beverly Center whose stores don’t carry over a size 10 still adhere to the ancient standards, twisting them into making the rich who have more means to be thin be the virtuous ones. Yes, it is easy to be a strict vegan if you have a personal chef, and easy to stay rail-thin when you have a personal trainer…
Just saying that reducing transracial adoption seems like a great place for a red/brown alliance. Perhpas the first step should be encouraging nonwhites to adopt more, and produce fewer children who need adoption.
I read Kil Ja Kim’s article with interest; her experiences with the racist, sexist, homophobic people who adopted her sound pretty horrific. I think the most common reason to adopt is simply wanting a child, although self-congratulatory white liberals also exist. Some adopted children would have been better off being adopted by people of colour, but although helping a child challenge the racism s/he experiences is very important, it is not sufficient for being a good parent. Ms Kim acknowledges that problems take place on the intersection of race, class, gender and heteronormativity. The most valuable thing is having (adoptive) parents who are committed to ending racism, sexism, homophobia and poverty. (Disability is also relevant, disabled children get put up for adoption more, and adopted less often.)
Rob, “encouraging nonwhites to adopt more, and produce fewer children who need adoption” would be great, but isn’t the solution just to eliminate white privilege? After all this is what causes the poverty and discrimination that result in the imbalance in adoption, it just reflects an imbalance in society. With white privilege in place, disallowing transracial adoption would probably just mean fewer nonwhite children get adopted.
I and many of my friends from mixed/multiracial families have received lots of negative comments just for not looking like our families, in the commenters’ eyes. Whether or not you’re adopted, if your ‘race’ or colouring is different from your parents’, total strangers will ask intrusive questions. That’s why I’m wondering if disallowing transracial adoption will not result in buying into racist paradigms. Please don’t think I’m calling anyone here a racist! I don’t think ignoring race completely is the answer. But the problem is not with multiracial families but with ‘the racist gaze’ and the racist perspective on them. I look a lot like my mum and still she wouldn’t dare wear an Alice band or a hat because some idiot might think she’s a headscarf-wearing Muslim and therefore a terrorist, while I have light-brown hair and freckles. In the eyes of racists different colouring just sets you apart as entirely different classes of people, no matter how much history or ideas or DNA you really have in common. This itself is just part and parcel of racism. Adopting children who could pass for your biological children does not eliminate that. (It would probably happen to a White woman and her Black husband who adopt a Black/White biracial child , because racists would object to ‘a white woman with a black child’. It would probably not happen to a Chinese/Philippino couple adopting a Korean child, because to the racists they’re all ‘yellow’.) Race is at least partly a social construct, and I’m afraid that if adoption eligibility is expressed in terms of racial ‘category’, that would just reinforce the established conceptions and prejudices about race and not do a thing to deconstruct them.
Some of the problems with transracial adoption are adoption-related, some are the result of racism, and a number are of the kind Ms Kim mostly focuses on, specifically with racism-in-transracial-adoption. I think reading about her experiences might be quite enlightening to some people, it certainly got me thinking. I hope my account of my thoughts and experiences makes some sense. I wish I could express my thoughts on race as clearly as some of the writers featured in the Erase Racism carnival and here, but I’ll just keep reading :).
Guy Goma isn’t a cabdriver. Lots of press said he is, but he isn’t. It is a hilarious interview nonetheless.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Goma
Hey Rachel, I agree with you for the most part. People are so out of touch with nature and their own bodies, and at some level they know this, and that’s probably why your post elicited such a strong reaction. There’s also so much menstruation-phobia in this society, and no doubt that’s connected to our disconnect with nature.
Thanks for the link, Amp.