It’s another open thread! Say what you want, be what you want. Be-in! Be-in! It’s a hippie thread! Free love! Peace! Beads! Men in luxurious long flowing skirts! Gimmie a head with hair! Etc.
Anyhow, some of what I’ve read lately:
Fabulosa Mujer: Fifth Radical Women of Color Carnival
Official Shrub.com: Carnival of Empty Cages 2
Mombian: Blogging for LGBT Families Day!
Lots of great family-friendly links! Check it out!
Abyss2Hope: First Carnival Against Sexual Violence
Blac(k)ademic Goes To Washington!
Well, she’d like to go to Washington for a political conference she’s been invited to (cool!), but she needs folks to hit her tip jar to make it happen.
New Blog: Feminist Allies
Groupblog for feminist (or pro-feminist, if you prefer) men. The first post has info on joining.
Political Sapphire: The lessons of Malcolm X (aka El Hajj Malik el-Shabazz).
Fantastic, very long and interesting post about Malcolm X – less about his life than about him as a political thinker, and why the US (including the left) has ignored him in favor of MLK Jr.. I definitely want to remember this post come Koufax nomination time.
Fetch Me My Axe: On Temping For A Worthless Gob of Swine Smegma
DeviousDiva: Jewish Rights In Greece
Did you know that the Greek government pays the salaries of priests and imams – but not rabbis? That to build a new synagogue requires permission from a high-ranking priest? I didn’t, either. Holy crap.
Ballastexistenz: On Underlying Content, Being Unable To Send “I Am Nice” Signals, And Super-Waggy Dogs
If you haven’t been reading Ballastexistenz, you should give it a try – one of the best writers in the blogosphere, in my opinion.
Bitch|Lab: The Slut As A Scab In The Economy of Sex
Being Amber Rhea: My Slut-Baiting Days
At least the girls who were called sluts were getting some attention. At least the boys recognized them as sexual beings. Sure, the boys may have been treating them in a disrespectful or downright dehumanizing way – but to my rattled young brain, it didn’t matter.
Trash Talks Back: Random Thoughts on Fuckability, Date-ability, and Trophy-ability
Curtsy: Women’s Space
The Primary Contradiction: Report on 1898 Massacre by North Carolina White Supremacists Released
Paleofeminist: I was so relieved when I finally ditched the whole “pretty” lifestyle.
My Amusement Park: On Lists, Winners and Favorites
So, we, as individuals (scholars, viewers, bloggers, writers, listeners, readers, etc) tend to construct or exhibit our identities through lists (which are often counter-lists to Big Lists, to begin with) and to develop and change these lists as a way of tracing our respective critical evolutions.
Jay Sennett Jaywalks: Finding Common Ground With People We Might Otherwise Despise
When we let bigots hurt us, is it only because we haven’t uprooted our own self-hatred? It’s sounds a bit too hippie to me, but at the same time I’m thinking on a recent experience with being flamed and to some degree it rings true. Exceptionally thought-provoking post.
My Amusement Park: In Defense Of Cultural Appropriation
Modern Feminist: Awesome vlog criticizing sexism in the vlogosphere.
In case you don’t know (I didn’t) “vlog” refers to video blogs. She’s a good speaker – I especially enjoyed her closing in this one. Vblogging is entirely new to me, but it’s an interesting format. I wonder how many fat vbloggers there are?
Taking Place: Washington Post Series on Black Men Gets Off To Racist Start
The New York Times: The War On Food
Curtsy: My Amusement Park
I don’t know if PunkAssBlog is joking or has bad taste, but I for one love the Beatles.
Okay, that’s kind of a mean way to link to a blogger I actually like a lot, but I figured he’s hoping to stir up some arguments. :-)
Being Amber Rhea: Really interesting debate about libertarianism in the comments
NPR Audio: Roundtable Discussion of Sexual Media Images of Black Women
Curtsy: New Black Man.
Smackdog Chronicles: When Arundhati Roy Speaks, People Should Listen
IrrationalPoint: On the Kenyan reform of rape law
The good news is that the definition of rape now includes offences against men and boys, and the bill also introduces a minimum sentence for rapists. The bad news is everything else.
Capitalism Bad; Tree Pretty: Bodies and the Validation of Personal Experiences
I find it really hard to read material about pre-menstrual syndrome, particularly that from a feminist perspective. Unless it begins “Pre-menstrual problems can be horribly severe and hard to deal with” I get angry, because I feel like they’re denying my experience.
A Womb of One’s Own: Chicken/Egg Question Definitively Answered
Noli Irritare Leones: Porn, Prostitution, Sexual Harassment
One of those thoughtful, wandering posts that’s incredibly difficult to sum up in one line in link farms, but I liked the post so I hope folks go read it.
Why Am I Not Surprised: Who’s Gonna Liberate America?
The first time I read Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, I don’t think I deep-down understood why this one is so important: “If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.” I think I’m getting it more these days. Anyhow, that’s what this very well-written post made me think of.
The Record: Larry Flynt, Free Speech, and the Right to Refuse Debate
Granny Gets a Vibrator: An Open Letter to the Mother of Two Small, Loud Children on the Airplane
Not what I expected it to be.
Interesting debate at PunkAssBlog and Shades of Grey over the never-ending topic of men’s place in feminism.
Start here at Shades of Grey, then the response at PunkAssBlog, and finally the counter-response back at Shades of Grey.
PunkAssBlog: Marc Watches Sienfeld Episodes In His Sleep
Beat the Press: Immigrant Labor, “Shortage of Workers” and Supply & Demand
There is no more a shortage of workers for low-paid jobs than there is a shortage of workers for higher paid jobs. The difference is simply that the workers who perform less-skilled work have less political power to protect themselves against the efforts of employers to get low cost immigrant labor.
Hugo Schwyzer: On The Accusation of Feminist Double-Standards
Quiz: Should You Be Male or Female?
Like “ Antiprincess ,” I scored “either.” Whew!
Doctor Science Knows: Housework, Fleas, and Evolution
Kung Fu Monkey on Why and How To Get Rid of the Electoral College
While you’re there, check out part 2 and part 3 of his anti-E.C. series, too. (Part three is also a very sensible take on the “Did Bush steal Ohio in 2004?” question.) Curtsy The Sideshow.
BlackProf: Is X-Men III a Story about Race and Sexuality?
The Happy Feminist: Why “Feminist” Instead of “Gender Egalitarian”?
I would love a world in which merely professing a belief in “human rights” were sufficient to convey that both women’s and men’s interest in justice. Unfortunately, history has shown that unless women make some noise and draw some focus onto our rights or equality, women’s rights and equality will not be seen as important.
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Can I plug one of my own posts?
I’m trying to collect as many people’s personal definitions of feminism as I can, in hopes of finding ground to build consensus.
I’m asking feminists to ask themselves “how do you define feminism,” spell it out, and share that definition with me. Or, if there’s something you’ve read you particularly like, book recs and links to old posts.
I’m hoping to compile everything I find into a new post before the next Feminist Carnival…
Further reading:
BTW, I’ve been really impressed by belledame222’s current series exploring objectification on Fetch Me My Axe.
Also a couple others of mine that I rather liked:
(1) A look at how early feminists viewed flappers (after reading a book on flappers), and
(2) Two posts on equity in naming when referring to public figures (after too many discussions of “Hillary” and “Gore”)
thanks for the link, amp. however, it takes me to a page that is not mine :-)
Hey Amp, thanks for the links. Glad you liked my posts.
I’m asking feminists to ask themselves “how do you define feminism,” spell it out, and share that definition with me. Or, if there’s something you’ve read you particularly like, book recs and links to old posts.
Also a couple others of mine that I rather liked.
So, folks are going against the Electoral College again, eh? Seems an odd way to elect a President, but it does have it’s advantages. Remember that the U.S. is a Federal Republic. It is not and was not intended to be a pure democracy. This is why the Electoral College was set up, so that the States should elect the President. Otherwise, a minority of heavily populated states (which these days means the most highly urbanized ones) could elect the President. At the time it was feared that Virgina, Massachusetts and New York would otherwise dominate the Federal Government. That’s also why we have a bi-cameral legislature where the representation in one house is population-based and representation in the other is State-based. Otherwise, why not just have a unicameral Parliament with population-based representation only? This way, smaller states have a larger voice.
The concept was, and is, that the States as political entities should have a strong voice in Federal governance. This is hardly surprising, since the Constitution itself was established as an agreement among the states; it was not ratified by a popular election. We are very specifically a Republic, and it’s one of our strengths.
The Constitution might trip up the bill he references that was passed by California. Here’s Article I, Section 10, Paragraph 3 of the U.S. Constitution:
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.
I’m not going to definitely say that this would break up this plan, but it certainly opens up the question.
Your “Granny Gets a Vibrator” link is wrong; it goes to Abyss2hope.
Read “Worthless Gob of Swine Smegma”. Pretty interesting. I worked for a woman like that once. I solved the issue by essentially calling her on it in public one day. Everyone else was still scared to confront her, but she and I got along famously after that.
Nubian and Ron, thank you for pointing out the misaimed links; I’ve corrected them.
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I’m hosting a series of discussions at my blog on prostitution, analyzing different situations around the world and comparing approaches from pro- and anti-prostitution feminists. The first thread is on Thailand:
Prostitution Debate Part 1: Thailand.
Do read the moderation policy for these threads, which I’ve appended to the main post. We’re trying to compare solutions to prostitution problems, not re-ignite the Sex Wars.
Not sure if Amp just hasn’t gotten around to it, or chose not to post this email that I sent you, but I’m gonna plug it here:
HollaBackCanada has launched!
It’s a place for Canadian women to shame their harassers. If you’re a Canadian woman with a digital camera or cameraphone, and you are harassed on the street, please photograph your harasser and send the picture to us at hollabackcanada@gmail.com, and we will post it for all the world to see.
For more information, please visit http://hollabackcanada.blogspot.com
cheers, Amp!
Okay, that’s kind of a mean way to link to a blogger I actually like a lot, but I figured he’s hoping to stir up some arguments.
Psst, ampersand, I’m a woman (not that it really matters all that much, but I am a woman, I swear!)
Ugh, “but thanks for the link anyway” I meant to add.
Sorry about that, R. Mildred. Somehow I had gotten the (false? correct?) impression your name was “Marc,” and I assumed that you were male from that.
The only man accused of Britain’s biggest bank robbery walked free from court yesterday after the collapse of his trial. More..
by xrtst302a
I’m quite happy to see the “In Defense of Appropriation” post up there. I’m not a fan of roping off cultures to a certain ethnic group and making the exchange of ideas and traditions taboo. I am also an East Asian Studies major, and I get annoyed when its suggested that my desire to become knowledgable on the language, culture, religon, history and politics of China is racist because I’m not Asian
More drama locally with the latest attacks by City Hall at the police commission.
One of the councilmen sent threatening letters to two commissioners including one who said she wished she’d had the ovaries to challenge the city attorney’s interpretation of a provision in the city charter and for challenging the city manager’s latest restrictions on the commission. No, this is really grounds for removal according to one elected official even though there’s no restrictions or policies that state this in any way.
Blogging about this has been a long-time but interesting journey. I did receive a warning of sorts that I was making enemies because of my “nasty personality” from another blogger who mostly praises what City Hall and all its denizens are doing. Making enemies, really? Not really news.
I wanted to forward the links for the letters to some women’s organizations b/c this is really silly, but I can’t find the email addresses for them.
Here’s the city councilman’s letters.
Oops, I clicked to redit and did so and tried to push “save” but it doesn’t say what to do next and my edits weren’t saved.
Anyway, these are the councilman’s letters. Notice the difference between the letter written for the female commissioner vs the male one.