ismnotwasm
ismnotwasm's JournalWhat do you guys think about this?
I recently renewed my ACLS, and this short video, while containing great information, is sexist as hell. I was the only one who spoke up, and I did that because I can get away it as I use humor (hey! No sexism! How come the firefighters have shirts on!?)
Nobody was there to discuss sexism, but I didn't feel like giving it a pass. I never feel like giving sexism a pass.
Feministing Chat: Kitty Pryde takes on rape culture and Danny Brown’s on-stage blow job
(This is an excellent analysis I thought, it links to the original article by Kitty Pryde. I've excepted a couple of salient points. For those who don't know, this young man, a rapper, was sexually assaulted on stage by a female fan, who yanked down his pants and began performing fellatio on him. The young man was conflicted, to say the least, and didn't quite know what to do. The entire situation brings up questions about the cult of masculinity and rape culture from a different direction.)
After all, part of the reason we have so much trouble imagining a woman assaulting a man is that we cant break the assumption that masculinity equals aggression and power while femininity equals passivity and weakness. Its not a womans privilege that allows her to get away with terrible violence like this, but that we cant conceive of her holding any power at all.
Maya: True, well said. Permission to be seen as a victimto at least attempt to kick the shit out of youis super important, particularly if you dont have it. And, as weve said, its not just male survivors who often dont. Think of the New Jersey Four, CeCe McDonald, Marissa Alexander, and all the women of color in prison for acting in self-defense against domestic and sexual violence. (I mean, its really only the small white girls like Kitty who even have that permissionand then only if youre not drunk or wearing a slutty outfit. Oh, and being a virgin would help.) But that permission is not actual power, and its also not going to fundamentally change a culture in which people think its ok to do things to other peoples bodies without their consent. Although I feel like Kitty would probably agree with that? I dunno, it seems like she gets it.
Alexandra: Thats fair, but I think without an explicit acknowledgement of that we risk providing MRA fuelthough yes, she definitely recognizes that the nuance of the power dynamics at play. And the races of Danny and his assailant, of course, add a whole other dimension. By Kittys account, the girl was white. White women are stereotyped as innocent, and black men as sexually voracious, so the assault doesnt fit any of the predetermined narratives to which we, as a society, are so deeply committed.
Maya: Yes, I think this is keyespecially, as Kitty points out, in terms of constraining Dannys options for reacting during the assault. Guys pushing girls is not a good look when people are taking photos, but especially black men pushing white girls. And the fact that as a black man, Brown is automatically considered hypersexualized is only compounded by the fact that he is also a dude in hip hop, and one who has a very sexualized persona and lyrics. (Im not super familiar with his work, but Lori tells me that hes got a rebel rockstar kind of sex appeal that is very sexual but doesnt necessarily adhere to traditional ideas of masculinitywhich sounds pretty awesome and I will be checking out asap.) So those are a few strikes against him right there.
http://feministing.com/2013/05/03/feministing-chat-kitty-pryde-takes-on-rape-culture-and-danny-browns-on-stage-blow-job/
They mocked her "science fantasy." Then she wrote Empire Strikes Back.
But before Brackett had a major hand in creating the best Star Wars movie, she was a science fiction novelist in the 1940s, writing a slew of space adventure novels with titles like The Starmen and Alpha Centauri or Die!. People called her the Queen of Space Opera and it was not always a compliment.
At that time, space opera (like Star Wars) was looked down upon as less worthy of appreciation than other types of pulp fiction, including other types of science fiction. Brackett also wrote a lot of pulp crime fiction, and had co-written the screenplay for The Big Sleep with William Faulkner. But she chose to spend a lot of her time writing these despised novels. As her friend Michael Moorcock explains in an essay:
Like so many of her heroes, Leigh preferred the outlaw life. She always said her first love was science fantasy. She said it defiantly, when it paid less than other pulp fiction. When it paid less, indeed, than other kinds of science fiction. If she had chosen, in her fiction, to hang out with the scum of the L.A. streets instead of the dregs of the spacelanes, she could have made a lot more money... Her keen sense of freedom made her, like many other fine writers of her generation, choose the more precarious life of writing science fantasy.... There was a time when the kind of science fantasy Brackett made her own was looked down upon as a kind of bastard progeny of science fiction (which was about scientific speculation) and fantasy (which was about magic).
http://io9.com/they-mocked-her-science-fantasy-then-she-wrote-empir-489586578
Hats Off (But Dresses On) to Our Kurdish Feminist Brothers
(I know there was a thread about this, but I thought it worth revisiting)
However, the case of Kurdish men wearing Kurdish womens clothes is even more special, because it attacks two forms of oppression at the same time. This punishment is not only sexist; it further constitutes an attempt to ridicule Kurdish culture. The Islamic Republic of Iran has executed at least 56 Kurds in the past year. It continues to enforce oppressive annihilation policies towards the Kurdish people and other ethnicities, or against any dissident voice, for that matter. While the misogynist regime forces women to cover in black cloth, traditional Kurdish (and of course traditional Persian) womens clothes are very colorful and beautifully embroidered pieces of detailed handwork. The meaning of these sequined, extravagant robes on Kurdish men is a double strike against a regime that covers, hides and silences women in plain black, discriminates against different ethnicities and believes that being an oppressive despot defines masculinity and power. After all, chauvinist concepts of gender and abusive power structures are inseparable.
But while the Iranian authorities attempted to shame male prisoners by making them wear traditional Kurdish womens clothes, Kurdish men formidably responded by standing up against both sorts of oppression. They made two statements in one: Being a woman is NOT a punishmentand our culture is beautiful. Not being a woman, but being sexist is degrading. Not Kurdish clothes, but racism is humiliating.
Dler Kamangar, a talented musician from the beautiful East Kurdish city of Sine, agrees with Masoud that this Facebook action is just one small step in the right direction. Though media and public attention are important, future steps must be more practical, and not just remain in the social media sphere. As he drinks his black tea, he tells me that they are currently planning protest actions in front of Iranian embassies. They will appear in womens clothes. Dlers skepticism of the Iranian regime is surpassed by his optimism for the Kurdish peoples struggle:
Read more:
http://msmagazine.com/blog/2013/05/03/hats-off-but-dresses-on-to-our-kurdish-feminist-brothers/
Luci Tapahonso Named as Navajo Nation's First Poet Laureate
April 30, 2013
The Navajo Nations first-ever Poet Laureate has been named and will be officially introduced to the public on May 17.
On April 24, Elmer Guy, president of Navajo Technical College, announced the appointment of Luci Tapahonso as the Navajo Nations first Poet Laureate. Tapahonso will officially assume her role for the two-year position at the colleges commencement ceremonies on May 17, Guy said in revealing the award.
The goal of designating a chief poet is to encourage other Navajo poets, writers, film makers and artists to realize how important their work is to the continuance and growth of Navajo contemporary culture, Guy said at a press conference announcing Tapahonsos honor. Luci represents the best of what it is to be Diné, honoring our traditions, while at the same time forming a contemporary voice that speaks beautifully to all people.
Lucy Tapahonso
Tapahonso has written five books of poetry and stories, as well as a childrens book. Saánii Dahataal (1993) and Blue Horses Rush In (1997) are two of her better-known collections, both published by the University of Arizona Press. She also holds the distinction of being named Storyteller of the Year by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers in 1999, a year after being recognized with the Region Book Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association, the Navajo Nation said in a press release.
She is one of 11 children and grew up in Shiprock, New Mexico, earning bachelors and masters degrees in English from the University of New Mexico. Today she is on the board of trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian and is a 2006 winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas; received the 1989 New Mexico Eminent Scholar Award from the New Mexico Commission of Higher Education, and in 1981 earned the Southwestern Association of Indian Affairs Literature Fellowship.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/30/luci-tapahonso-named-navajo-nations-first-poet-laureate-149114
Meet the women behind Reductress, the feminist Onion
Reductress is not only biting, goes-there hilarious, its a fantastic, sad, and much-needed look at the way the media talks down to women, convincing us we need products we dont and playing on our every insecurity. (Need a boyfriend? Too fat? Not giving your fetus the jumpstart it needs to attend Harvard?)
My favorite headlines? Having witnessed a Women in TV Writing panel in which the host, a journalist for Entertainment Weekly, kept asking the women about their bangs rather than their very successful careers, Id have to say the Creator of Rape in America Documentary Talks About Hair Care headline is depressingly spot-on. How about A Homemakers Guide to Maybe Thinking About Wanting to Have Sex? Or White Woman Speaks: Im So Exhausted From Saving the Day All the Time. Or How to Not Get Raped Class a Big Hit in Indiana Town, which includes this gem:
Instructor Michael Kearns, 54, says, We tell these girls about the dangers of mixed signals. If youre dating a bunch of jerks but then you wont put out for a nice guy, the injustice of your behavior might drive the nice guy to desperate measures.
It also takes down the annoying habit companies have of slapping For Her on a product and calling it new. Remember Bics ill-fated pens for women campaign that was destroyed by witty feminist Amazon reviewers? Reductress introduces us to Bologna for Her. In satirizing the way we blame Taylor Swift for everything, the site accuses the pop star of destroying the space-time continuum and of breaking up the Beatles.
http://www.dailydot.com/lol/reductress-feminist-satire-news-interview/
Limbaugh: "It Might Be Said That I Have Succeeded In Stigmatizing" Feminism
Well, you know he has point there. How many times have we heard the term 'feminazi? FROM THE LEFT? How many times has feminism been stigmatized, marginialized and trivialized? Oh, and all that kittycat in-fighting we're apparently doing, I've read a number of articles on THAT; all the feminist shaming and nary a mention of the accomplishments. Well you know what? Fuck that and FUCK this asshole.
What we let THIS asswipe call the misogynists shots? Apparently so. Yea the left!
(Note; personally, listening to Limbaugh makes my ears bleed, but I'll link to the mediamatters site with the short clip of him diddling around with unreferenced statistics and claiming credit for 'stigmatizing' feminism. He also quotes the New York Times, I think it is, saying "Feminism is Dead", ----so no real need to listen if you don't want, I took one for the team here. Boy is he in for a surprise anyway.)
http://mediamatters.org/video/2013/05/02/limbaugh-it-might-be-said-that-i-have-succeeded/193873
I find this so incredibly ironic it defies description
Disney Rejection Letter From 1938 Tells Candidate, 'Girls Are Not Considered'
One woman tried to "lean in" in 1938 -- but it didn't work out too well for her, and not through any fault of her own.
When Mary V. Ford applied for the animator training school at Walt Disney, she was informed that "girls are not considered" for creative positions:
Ford's grandson, Kevin Burg, discovered the letter after his grandmother passed away. Thanks for sharing, Kevin. We're sure she would have been great at that creative work.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/30/disney-rejection-letter-vintage-mary-ford_n_3188247.html
Moving the Margins to the Centre: Shifting from Anti-Racist to Pro-Black
(I thought this a thought provoking read, I've excepted her salient points, the whole article is good)
So what does that look like in reality?
Learn: contextualise, locate and attempt to understand the varied and complex ways systems of domination work historically and in the present. There are books, videos, lectures, events an abundance of resources for you to learn and critically think about how systems like white supremacy, colonialism, slavery and imperialism work to frame varied and complex experiences of inequality and oppression. It harnesses the possibility of limiting reduction, being able to identify more broadly as women (or men) whilst offering the room to confront the fundamental differences that accompany that very same category or how that category is defined (e.g. indigenous meanings or concepts of gender or sexuality).
Decolonise: If someone calls your privilege out or identifies ways you may be reproducing racism dont take it personally. The reason why systems of domination are so effective is that they are reproduced not only through institutions and structures, but through real and living people. Having been socialised into society, and not outside of it, every one of us will be guilty of doing so even if it is subconscious. As bell hooks succinctly puts it: labelling ourselves feminists does not change the fact that we must consciously work to rid ourselves of the legacy of negative socialization. Step outside of yourself and think about what or when you may be at risk of doing so and challenge that. Always acknowledge the limits of your knowledge and experience and learn how to use those limits as an excuse to do the radical: go beyond them. Its likely a whole world will be revealed in a new light, offering agency and possibility for transformation in very personal but political ways.
Responsibility and accountability: At every opportunity think about what you can do to incorporate or support People of Colour or other marginalised groups. Support spaces of agency or self-determination run and organised by these groups. Consider how particular agendas affect different people (e.g. Slutwalk or women and board representation). Encourage other white women or others with privilege to engage in the same way. Even if you feel that your work does not directly relate, it doesnt mean that you should ignore or negate what you can still do outside or beyond it to make your politics more inclusive and progressive.
Listen: one of the most powerful critical thinking skills is listening. Recently, I came across quote that forced me to contemplate the power of listening and what we in fact miss out when we dont: Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply (Stephen R. Covey). Listening, like decolonising and learning processes, allow us to understand the limits of our knowledge whilst opening up avenues for debate and discussion. Melissa Harris-Perry in her Wellesley Commencement Speech makes a poignant point about the distinction between choosing to be silent and being silenced. As feminists we often have to find our voices and use them to challenge the silencing patriarchy enforces upon us, of being able to say what we need to say. However, choosing to be silent is a resource and tool or as Harris-Perry puts it: a vital precursor to voice. Choosing to be silent in the face of those who have less privilege opens up room and space to listen in order to understand, to learn, to engage with and ultimately to enhance resistance based on the agency we all have and use.
http://thefeministwire.com/2013/04/moving-the-margins-to-the-centre-shifting-from-anti-racist-to-pro-black/
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply"--- love this
My job at the abortion hot line
I was 21, and for nine months in the mid-1990s, I worked as a hotline counselor on the toll-free line at the National Abortion Federation, a voluntary membership group of several hundred providers nationwide. Overtly, the job went like this: Women called to ask for a clinic near them, and I provided the address and phone number. Each clinic had been vetted by a NAF inspector. The clinics I could mention were not the only clinics out there. They met certain standards and agreed to pay a membership fee for the referral service.
But the job involved much more than that. Women had questions. I had answers. Some, anyway.
My guidelines and fact sheets were contained in a thick black-covered binder, which I scanned early on. Basically, I was to remind callers I wasnt a doctor, and refer them to expert counseling services if needed. I wasnt working for one of those church-based pregnancy counseling centers. I didnt try to sway anyone, nor did I discuss the matter of Should I or shouldnt I? Rather, I was like a crossing guard for abortion. The women knew where they wanted to go. I just helped them get there.
The phone rang every few minutes, all day long. Answering it was at once intimate, anonymous and terrifying.
http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/my_job_at_the_abortion_hot_line/
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