Alas, a Blog

Whoops, there are forty links here. I really should have posted this sooner.

1. Maybe Voting Before Healthcare? | Noah Berlatsky on Patreon
   Noah argues, and I agree, that voting rights should be the top priority of Democrats, not Medicare For All.
2. Republican House Majority Whip in the South Dakota legislature calls running over protesters ‘a movement we can all support’ – ThinkProgress
   The article includes another example of an elected politician, and also Fox News, promoting the idea that protestors should be run over.
3. Forced-To-Penetrate Cases: Lived Experiences of Men (pdf link)
   A British survey of men who have been forced to penetrate (the paper’s term) by women. This is very interesting, although we should keep in mind that it’s a self-selected sample; I’d really like to similar questions asked by a large-scale survey using a more representative sample.
4. Not Sorry Feminism: Dear Millennial Men
   A study finds that male students in college, in biology class, consistently see their female counterparts as less intelligent and accomplished, even in classes where the grade leaders are female. The female students had no corresponding bias. (Thanks, Grace!)
5. How Black Women Have Impacted Feminism Over Time | Teen Vogue
6. Neoliberal academia complex shows its ass: Harvard rejects Manning, Jones, unions
   But the only free speech problem on campus comes from the left. (Thanks, Grace!)
7. Bernie Sanders Is Changing the Democratic Party’s Priorities – Bloomberg
   It doesn’t matter, for now, that his Medicare for All bill has no funding mechanism; the point is to raise the priority of Medicare for All as a core belief among Democrats. Other, wonkier politicians will work out the details if MFA becomes a central Democratic belief.
8. Comics – Index of Multi-Panel Pans by Decade | THE PERIODIC FABLE
   I love these sorts of panels (where a background continues across multiple panels). I’ve long contemplated trying to do a full-length comic with a single continuous background.
9. ICE Is Abusing the ACLU’s Clients Because They are Fighting Deportation | American Civil Liberties Union
   ” ICE appears to have ramped up its efforts to make the lives of Iraqis in custody so unbearable that they will “voluntarily” sign away their rights to reopen their immigration cases or pursue asylum. The Iraqis have been singled out and denied food, water, and access to the restroom.”
10. The well-meaning harm of “the last acceptable discrimination.”
    An essay by a fat writer about a phrase she’d rather not hear.
11. Single-payer isn’t the only progressive option on health care – Vox
    The goal should be universal coverage, not single payer.
12. In Sync We Trust: Pop Music’s History of Lip-Syncing (and Lying About It)
13. Reflections on Abjection and Fatphobia – Kiva Bay – Medium
    “What does it mean to separate a part of your body from your Self? To look in the mirror and tell yourself you are surrounded by some alien Other thing?”
14. To Understand Rising Inequality, Consider the Janitors at Two Top Companies, Then and Now – The New York Times
    1980s at Kodac versus today at Apple. Alternative link.
15. The generation game | Inside Story
    Regarding “baby boomers, generation X, and so on”: “I’ve now concluded that generational clichés are the ultimate zombie idea, easy to refute but impossible to kill.”
16. How I Learned to Love Being a Hairy Lady – by Vreni
    Long-form cartoon, with nice drawings. Mostly autobio, but also some interesting stuff about the history of shaved legs.
17. A Serf on Google’s Farm – Talking Points Memo
    How Google’s near-monopoly on many aspects of online publishing effects publishing.
18. Two Circles by Micah Lexier – YouTube.
    “Two Circles” is an attractive but also unimpressive piece of public art, in the photos of it I’ve seen. But this video of the making of it is hypnotic.
19. Deaf Advocates Call Oklahoma Police Shooting ‘Tragic but Not Surprising’ – NBC News
20. Antifa Broke My Camera | New Republic
21. The Resegregation of Jefferson County – The New York Times
22. Trump supporter tries to get undocumented classmate deported, gets expelled from college
23. Confessions From The Fattest Person At The Sex Party
    Content warning: Discussion of fax anxiety in an extremely anxiety-producing situation.
24. Congress prepares to do the bare minimum to stabilize Obamacare – Vox
    And even that level of accomplishment may be a stretch.
25. (1) The Adorkable Misogyny of The Big Bang Theory – YouTube
    Although honestly, one 20 minute video can barely scratch the surface of the sexism of this show.
26. How to Distinguish Between Antifa, White Supremacists, and Black Lives Matter
27. From Prison to Ph.D.: The Redemption and Rejection of Michelle Jones – The New York Times
    Harvard accepts, and then rejects, an applicant who served 20 years in prison for murdering her son – partly out of fear of what Fox News would say. The research Michelle Jones did (in prison!) is really impressive.
28. David’s Ankles: How Imperfections Could Bring Down the World’s Most Perfect Statue – The New York Times
    A long read, but I liked it. (Although I have to admit I was more interested in the story of David than the parallel story of the author’s personal growth.) Indirect link.
29. Study: Trump fans are much angrier about housing assistance when they see an image of a black man – Vox
30. I posted a long thread on Twitter about the anger of anti-SJW comics fans, which to my surprise got a LOT of views and responses.
    ETA: Oh, and now someone has made it into a Storify, which may make for easier reading.
31. Teacher accused of assaulting student who sat for Pledge | MLive.com
32. Fuck The Pledge of Allegiance – Intelexual Media
33. Inside The Federal Bureau Of Way Too Many Guns | GQ
    A federal bureau that is legally forbidden to use computer databases tries to track down guns for murder investigations.
34. Consentacle: A Card Game of Human-Alien Intimacy by Naomi Clark — Kickstarter
    This looks like it could be a fun game. Thanks to Grace for the link.
35. DACA’s Five-Year Anniversary: More than 100 Law Professors Support Legality of DACA
36. How the Courts Have Devastated Organized Labor – Lawyers, Guns & Money
37. Funnybook Babylon · Archives · Re-Coloring Moebius
    Examples and discussion of the horrendous recoloring of a comics classic. Although actually I think in the third example, it actually looks better in the newer colors; but in the first two examples, the recoloring is a travesty. Also, the choice to switch to a much more typical lettering font sucked.
38. The problem with how men perceive rape
    “While writing this story, I heard from a number of different women who’d had sexual experiences that weren’t quite rape, but didn’t feel completely consensual either.”
39. Comic strip: What If We Thought Of Gender Like Ice Cream? It Makes Sense, Here’s Why – Everyday Feminism
40. The Effects of ‘Ban the Box’ on the Employment of Black Men | Econofact
    Research finds that if employers can’t ask if applicants have ever been convicted of a crime, they respond by increasing discrimination against young Black men. But then others argue that that interpretation of the studies is flawed (pdf link). There’s also a in-depth discussion in this paper from the Urban Institute (pdf link).

1. Trump’s Awful Afghanistan Speech | The American Conservative
   It’s important to remember that many of Trump’s reality-denying beliefs – such as his conviction there was any legal or pragmatic way to remain in Iraq in 2011 – are completely mainstream, ordinary views among Republicans at every level.
2. Texas’ congressional delegation famously voted against aiding the Northeast after Hurricane Sandy – and those same folks are now asking for help. And they’ll get it (as they should). But it’s hard not to feel like this is representative of a larger problem – conservative states demand aid when they’re in trouble, but don’t lift a finger to help the rest of us. (And by the way, Cruz’s “the Sandy bill was two-thirds pork” claim is total bullshit.)
3. Globalisation: the rise and fall of an idea that swept the world | World news | The Guardian
4. A (Cis) Man Spied on Women in Target; A Christian Group is Blaming Trans People – Friendly Atheist
5. The truth about “political correctness” is that it doesn’t actually exist – Vox
   This article is a couple of years old, but I was reminded of it on Twitter, and I think it holds up well.
6. Really fascinating article, by an college professor who emigrated from Iran, about the friendship she struck up with an Iranian hacker who stole her Instagram account.
7. Arizona Unconstitutionally Banned Mexican-American Studies Classes, Judge Rules | HuffPost
   But only the left is attacking free speech on campus.
8. Psychedelic drugs ‘as safe as riding a bike or playing soccer’ and could help solve addiction | The Independent
9. Forbidden love: The WW2 letters between two men – BBC News
   This line is so on the nose that if it were in fiction editors would object: “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our letters could be published in the future in a more enlightened time. Then all the world could see how in love we are.”
10. Federal Judge Clears the Way For Uber and Lyft Drivers to Unionize – Slog – The Stranger
11. Interesting twitter thread on who is considered “fat” withing the fat-positive community.
12. Scott Adams’s Nihilistic Defense of Donald Trump
    Highlights of a conversation between Sam Harris and Scott Adams.
13. Lessons from camels
    A ten-day camel trek through the South Australian outback. With your parents.
14. Trump Supporters Think White Christians Are The Primary Victims Of Discrimination In America – Public Policy Polling
    Also, “Trump voters say they would rather have Jefferson Davis as President than Barack Obama 45/20.”
15. Charlottesville Was a Preview of the Future of the Republican Party
    “This is the state of the GOP leadership pipeline. In a decade, state legislatures will start filling up with Gamergaters, MRAs, /pol/ posters, Anime Nazis, and Proud Boys.”
16. UK Government’s attempt to deport Afghan asylum seeker fails after pilot refuses to take off | The Independent
    Activists spoke to other passengers on the plane, who spoke to the crew, who passed their concerns on to the pilot.
17. These Women Entrepreneurs Created A Fake Male Cofounder To Dodge Startup Sexism
18. “Being transgender is a mental illness”: What does the DSM really say? | Gender Analysis
19. If you’re looking for a smart light comedy to watch, I recommend Submissions Only, a made-for-the-web sitcom about auditioning for Broadway shows, starring, written and co-directed by Kate Wetherhead, an actress I’d previously only known from the Legally Blonde musical. I think that even people who aren’t nerds for musicals could enjoy this show (although if you are such a nerd, you’ll have fun spotting all the well-known Broadway faces doing cameos).
20. Democrats’ 2018 gerrymandering problem is really bad – Vox
    “A leading forecast says they’ll get 54% of the votes — and only 47% of the seats.”
21. Houston isn’t flooded because of its land use planning.
22. Hitting Harmony
    “I am now twenty-three and all I can think about is how that’s the same age Harmony Korine was when I wrote E-N-V-Y on my fist and socked him in the head.” What a bizarre person. Thanks to Ben L. for the link.
23. “If you reflexively oppose antifa today, you probably would have opposed the lunch counter sit-ins in 1960.”
    I was skeptical when I read this tweet – but persuaded by the time I had read the entire thread. The thread is by Angus Johnson, who I think is a CUNY professor.
24. 72 Women. 1250 Miles. No GPS.
    “I competed in America’s first all-female endurance road rally. I’d never even changed a tire.”
25. Climate change did not “cause” Harvey, but it’s a huge part of the story – Vox
    “‘Adaptation’ will mean figuring out who has to leave, who has to pay for resettlement, and who bears the cost of the abandoned city’s infrastructure as it rots, crumbles, and pollutes.”
26. Federal Judge Blocks Alabama Law That Put Minors Seeking Abortion on Trial – Ms. Magazine Blog
27. Profile of Danny Rubin, the writer of “Groundhog Day” (both the movie and the musical).
    Very frustrating that he wrote a bunch of screenplays which were turned down for playing with formal elements rather than using standard structure. That’s exactly what makes Groundhog Day great!
28. North Carolina Passes An Entirely Misguided Restore Campus Free Speech Act | Techdirt
    “The proponents of this law will want to say that this refers to students rioting, or accosting would-be invited speakers, but there are already laws on the books to prosecute those crimes. Instead, this law seeks to punish students that attempt to shut down speaking engagements via peaceful protest, which is a form of speech.”
29. STUDY: How ‘Status Offenses’ Push Students of Color, Queer Kids Into Criminal Justice System | Colorlines
30. The First Amendment (Literally) Banned in DC | American Civil Liberties Union
31. Sentencing Law and Policy: Should and will SCOTUS take up constitutional challenge to Minnesota’s sex offender confinement program?
    Yes, they definitely should. “The core of the case is that the state set up what it said was going to be a civil commitment program. And the core definition of that is people get out, and that’s exactly what is missing in the Minnesota program. It’s not just missing here or there, it’s systemically missing.”
32. Titleist Tees Up Lawsuit Against Parody Clothier Because Golf Doesn’t Have A Sense Of Humor | Techdirt
    We should see cases like this as free speech issues.
33. The Disabled Life is a comic strip by and about “two Canadian sisters documenting the jerks and perks of living #TheDisabledLife.” I’ve been enjoying their archives today.
34. Noah Scalin’s Portraits Made from Piles of Clothes | Hi-Fructose Magazine
35. Violent no-platforming of Milo and Charles Murray raised both their profiles.
    I feel like I did a cartoon about this.

1. Woman Gives Up Teaching To Create Optical Illusions With Makeup, And It’s Messing With Our Minds | Bored Panda
2. Here’s What Really Happened In Charlottesville
3. Mama Cass didn’t die of choking on a ham sandwich; she died as a result of dieting.
4. Trump’s Sensitivity to Being Laughed at Should Alarm Everyone – Rewire
   Grace sent this link to me, saying that it reminded her of our conversation about toxic masculinity.
5. Medicare-for-All Isn’t the Solution for Universal Health Care | The Nation
   Progressives have to start sweating the details of universal health coverage.
6. Everything About Disney and ABC’s ‘Pink Slime’ Settlement Should Scare the Hell Out of You
   “veggie libel” laws aren’t as sexy as discussing protesters on campus, but they’re much more dangerous to free speech.
7. Maryland City May Let Noncitizens Vote, a Proposal With Precedent – The New York Times
8. Voter Suppression in the Mirror and Looking Forward
   A review of some of the voter suppression measures conservatives are pushing.
9. What Trump gets wrong about Confederate statues, in one chart – Vox
   “Washington was a slave owner, yes, but the meaning of a Washington statue is not necessarily pro-slavery or pro-white supremacy — whereas that’s exactly the point of the vast majority of Confederate memorials in the United States.”
10. Debate over civil rights center at UNC focuses on advocacy and academic freedom
    Republicans in North Carolina’s congress are shutting down a civil rights center at a law school. Academic freedom, everybody!
11. Officials say immigration agents showed up at labor dispute proceedings. California wants them out – LA Times
12. Students say Christian college turned a blind eye to serial rapists – ThinkProgress
13. The Lost Cause Rides Again
    Ta-Nahisi Coates on HBO’s announced “Confederate” TV series. I’m withholding judgement to small degree – maybe the show itself will be so brilliant as to answer all of Coates’ concerns and change everyone’s minds – but I’m extremely skeptical that it will be that good.
14. An anti-immigrant group mistook empty bus seats for women wearing burqas – The Washington Post
15. Doxing isn’t about privacy—it’s about abuse | The Daily Dot
    An interesting and, I think, useful way of redefining how we thing about doxing. “Doxing isn’t about exposure. Instead, it’s a form of weaponized attention. “
16. Why Trump Invokes ‘Common Sense’ – The Atlantic
    “…for centuries, populist movements in particular have invoked common sense as a justification for policy goals and as an antidote to expert opinion.”
17. What Jeff Sessions Will Never Understand About Affirmative Action
18. Affirmative Action and the Myth of Reverse Racism – The Atlantic
19. “I lied to my wife about liking john mayer; my life now revolves around his music and I’m looking for clarity.”
20. In ‘Death Wish,’ Jews Gain From White Fascist Fantasies – The Forward
    I don’t agree with everything Noah writes here, but I did find it interesting.
21. Octopus and squid evolution is officially weirder than we could have ever imagined – ScienceAlert
    “… scientists have discovered that octopuses, along with some squid and cuttlefish species, routinely edit their RNA (ribonucleic acid) sequences to adapt to their environment.”
22. South Carolina town bans saggy pants: Can they do that? – CSMonitor.com
    I hope they get sued and lose badly. And really, are we supposed to think it’s just a big coincidence that it’s a Black fashion they go after?
23. Could A Bus With Sleep Pods Replace Airplanes? | WBEZ
    Well, maybe for short flights.
24. Is Jesse Singal a Bigot? | www.splicetoday.com
    An older controversy, about an academic who wrote an article that was widely criticized, and then widely defended.
25. Sizeism Is Harming Too Many of Us: Fat Shaming Must Stop | Psychology Today
    Focuses on how anti-fat prejudice harms fat patients in the medical system.
26. Dear Men of The Breakfast Club: Trans Women Aren’t a Joke, Ploy, or Sexual Predators | Allure
    Article by Janet Mock responding to a morning radio show.
27. In the key 2018 battlegrounds, Trump’s support is as high as ever – Vox
    If this holds up, Trump could win re-election in 2020 while losing the popular vote by an even larger margin.
28. …Or he could postpone the election, and if he does a lot of Republicans say they’d support him. Poll: Half of GOPers Open to Postponing of 2020 Elections
29. “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria” Is Bad Science | Thing of Things
    I found the end point especially interesting, because I hadn’t considered that before, but the whole thing is good.
30. Psychologists surveyed hundreds of alt-right supporters. The results are unsettling. – Vox
31. Cartoon below is by Irma Kniivila.