NOLA radfem blog

A Great Article on Porn and Strip Clubs

2012-01-11T23:15:00.001-05:00

We are working so hard to normalize sexism as something that is an innate part of masculinity and I’m just not quite sure why. If we can imagine that it’s possible for people not to murder one another or imagine that there be an end to war or child abuse or whatever other kinds of behaviour we’ve agreed, as a society, is unacceptable, or, at least, undesirable, why are we so avidly working to preserve sexism?

Why are we so unwilling to see porn or strip clubs or prostitution as something invented by a society that is not egalitarian? Just because you get an erection when you see a woman being objectified onscreen doesn’t mean women deserve to be objectified. And I don’t say that because I have a hate-on for erections, or masturbation, or penises, or even sex (though some women hate all those things and that’s perfectly fine). But because I can separate men from misogyny. I don’t believe that your erection is dependent on my subordination.

And you know why? Because I don’t believe you were born an asshole.

Childhood Exposure to Violence Changes Brain Function

2012-01-03T19:17:00.005-05:00

This is what has happened to me as a result of being around violence as a child as well as as an adult. I have P.T.S.D. I stay very stressed. It is hard for me to relax.

When a person has been exposed to certain kinds of stressful situations, such as ongoing family violence, the amygdala may become overreactive. When this occurs, the body's alarm systems react more quickly and more energetically to threats than they do in normally reactive people. This neural phenomenon has been documented in soldiers who show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

This is an important article.

The Goddess Aradia

2012-01-03T17:31:00.002-05:00

Goddess: Aradia /Aaradia

A champion Italian Goddess sworn to protect her people against the
aggression of masculine faith and its persecutors during the reign of
medieval terror. The original Aradia was a female Christ figures in
Italy who taught around 1353. She was imprisoned more than once,
escaped several times and eventually disappeared.

This is the story of Aradia is the daughter of Diana and Lucifer God
of the Sun. (Not the christian god of hell aka called Satan). She is
considered the Italian Queen of the Witches. Aradia is an extremely
powerful entity and a protectress of Witches in general.

The story I would like to tell her is the story of Aradia the daughter
of Diane and Lucifer. The Queen of the Witches. *The Story Of Aradia*
Goddess Diana used magick to charm Lucifer. He was a bit afraid of
her, most likely because she was a Moon Goddess, and very dark next to
his light. Of this union, Aradia was born. Diana liked using magick,
and wanted to develop her magickal strengths further, so she decided
to go to Earth and do this. She disguised herself as a mortal woman
and went to Earth. On Earth, Diana found that times were hard and the
people were oppressed. She decided to teach the people magick, so that
they were more easily able to care for themselves, and to protect
themselves from their oppressors. Diana became a Witch, and she taught
many people her craft. After a long while, Diana had no choice but to
reveal herself as a Goddess. After doing this, Diana realized she must
return to the heavens, and so she did. Diana knew there was more
teaching to be done with the mortals, so she decided to send her
daughter, Aradia, to Earth. Aradia was to take over where her mother
had left off. Aradia was sent to Earth with instructions from Diana to
be carried out. Aradia was instructed to teach the mortals aggressive
magick, in order to help themselves from their horrific oppression.
Aradia taught them well, as she was a strong and powerful Goddess. For
the gifts of magick she gave so many, Aradia is considered "Queen of
the Witches.

How Diana give birth to the Aadia (Herodias) "It is Diana! Lo! She
rises crescented." ~ Keats Endymion -Krats' Endymion "Make more bright
The Star Queen's crescent on her marriage night." -Ibid.

---Lady Abigail

Red Light District

2012-01-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

The Delusional Assumptions of Capitalism

2012-01-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

Some have helped bring this nineteenth-century dissent up to date on the basis of a critical scientific analysis of the evolution of the capitalist system, (Paul Sweezy, Howard Parsons, David Harvey, John Bellamy Foster, et al.).

Dominionism is Scary

2012-01-01T21:30:00.001-05:00

What you Didn't Know About the South

2012-01-01T20:48:00.002-05:00

What You Didn't Know About the South: Surprises from a White Southerner

“The South” is an idea too often wrapped in a fog that emanates from the left as well as the right.

Yesterday I read an article by Peter Birkenhead, a Californian, who recently visited Louisiana and found “The South” a benighted land dominated by misty-eyed racists in denial of their slave history (See " Why the White South Is Still in Denial About Slavery"). His experience at a slave cabin-turned restaurant leaves him outraged and ready to send back his gumbo, never to return to Dixie.

I know the feeling. The South is my birthplace, and there are times when I'd like to cast it off, too. But my southern drawl and my heritage come along with me wherever I go. So we've had to come to terms with each other, despite an adulthood spent in New York.

I can't deny that in many places in the South, rebel flag-wavers abound, prejudices survive, and memory dissolves into myth. This is a pathology that must be confronted at every opportunity. But travelers have a way of taking a small slice of a place and creating a monolith, and Birkenhead’s account –despite its insights—leaves room for illumination and for recognition of the complexities that make this region of the country –and the history of slavery -- a challenging object of study.

As a white southerner, details of my own history challenge what most of my northern friends envision when they think of “The South,” an idea too often wrapped in a fog that emanates from the left as well as the right.

So pull up a chair. You may be in for a few surprises.

The Year in Review, Sexually Speaking

2012-01-01T20:40:00.003-05:00

A year of focusing on sex scandals like Anthony Wiener's while reproductive rights were under viscious attack.

Ron Paul on Sexual Harassment

2012-01-01T19:46:00.002-05:00

Ron Paul lives in some sort of alternative universe. He's dead wrong on sexual harassment. Sexual harassment creates a workplace that's bad for everyone. Sexual harassment has been a tool, a weapon, so to speak, of keeping women down in the workplace. The sexual harassment segment begins at around 5:33...but his response on Aids and health insurance is astounding as well begins around 3:12

Why Iceland Should be in the News, but Isn't

2012-01-01T02:11:00.000-05:00

Look, Kitten, I am Too a Feminist - Fauxminism and Men

2012-01-01T00:50:00.001-05:00

This is a great article about male allies - what they should and should not do.

Great Little Video

2012-01-01T00:44:00.001-05:00

Great Little Video

2012-01-01T00:44:00.000-05:00

Great Video

2011-12-26T13:35:00.001-05:00

This is beautiful!

A Great Quote

2011-12-26T01:49:00.000-05:00

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him at a store and he asked for my autograph."-Shirley Temple

Street Harassment

2011-04-19T15:24:00.001-04:00

Great article.

Great New Blog

2011-02-25T12:07:00.002-05:00

Well, it's a blog I just discovered. It's called "psychopathy awareness" and it is about what being in love with a psychopath or sociopath does to one's life.

I Love My Blog

2011-02-22T23:30:00.001-05:00

This place feels so safe. Facebook has ended up not being safe. I can say what I want here, my own little corner of the world. Now I just need to get my readers back. Come back, come back.

Hear Mother Jones' REAL VOICE!!!

2011-02-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

This is the only known recording of Mother Jones. How exciting!

What My Sister Didn't Let Her Facebook Friends Read

2011-02-21T13:17:00.006-05:00

(see two posts down for more on this incident)

She announced out of the clear blue on her own page, pulling from a conversation elsewhere on Facebook, that I call my kid a possible "sociopath like her father" and a "sadist," then let her friends take their shots at me, one even saying, "That woman does not deserve the title of 'mother'" and another saying the poor pitiful teenager is just misunderstood.

This is a kid who saw another woman in her father's lap when she was five, told on him, and still tells new people from time to time that it was her fault her parents' marriage ended up so rocky because she is the one who told. In her own life, however, she considers herself a "playa" and makes sure to play with boys' hearts and break them before they can break hers. She laughs at other people's pain. She laughs when people beg for their lives in scary movies and laughs more when they die bloody and horrific deaths. She beat me with my own cane. She calls me "bitch" and "cunt," just like her father. She is cold and cares about nothing and no one other than her own materialistic desires. Oh, and playing with boys' hearts and sleeping around. And hating me.

So, here was the response my sister didn't have the guts to let HER readers read:

This angel of mine, whom I adore and considered an angel right up until she did it, beat me over the head last year with my own cane while I was ill. Up until then, she had been caught skipping out in the middle of the night -treated only lovingly and talked to. She had been caught sneaking alcohol - still my darling angel and she was lovingly talked to. Then, the day she beat me with my own cane, even then, she was my angel. When her father called the police and the local small town police chief was fingering his handcuffs, saying he had a daughter her age and that if she had hit HIS wife, he would have beaten her ass and then let the other cops have her, all eyes were on me, as the victim. I chose not to let them take her away. When she was little and something was wrong and she could not sit still to learn, I and I alone saved her e ducation by calling around, finding a private school that could best cater to her learning style. I found she could not sit still to read, so I took her out in search of every hands on experience there was - combing the local paper for free things, even making it through a guided tour of the local vet school and managing not to pass out while she put her hands in cow guts. When she got to public school, I insisted on testing and then got the private testing to get her 504 diagnosis - auditory processing disorder - and went to all the 504 meetings, followed up on all of the accommodations she was supposed to get every year, checked homework online every day. I even discovered her best learning style was to keep moving, so all the way to high school, I made flash cards of her test information, then drilled her during walks through the neighborhood, studying in motion as the ancient Greeks did.

I did it all. I was super mom.

Eventually, however, her FATHER'S ABUSE of me took its toll. I began to suffer from PTSD. He is a sadist and a sociopath. He raped me repeatedly. He molested or attempted to molest three teen girls. He disrespected me in front of our daughter and called me "bitch" and "cunt" in front of her. He put his hands around my neck during sex, gave me inhalants because I would not sleep with him after finding out about his thing for teenage girls. He wrapped a belt tightly around my neck. He put plastic bags over my head during sex more times than I can count. He also got me drunk and had five men have sex with me while he videotaped it. I never agreed, never met these men. Felt a hot warmth on me and realized while I was being brutalized, he was shining a bright camera light on me. He still quite enjoys this videotape, so I am told.

A few weeks after I escaped, I brought my daughter to live with me, but, as much of the educational literature on domestic abuse suggests is typical acting out for children of such families (you DID READ educational literature on children of abuse before commenting on my parenting, DIDN'T YOU???), she blames the abused mother for being weak, for being beaten and broken and having no fight. Once I got some spunk back, she was in no mood to take orders, fifteen or not. I brought her to live someplace new. I did everything to try to please - bus money from my housemates to get around D.C., a keyboard for her new piano class, a new room painted purple. Nothing for myself, all for her. But, for financial reasons, we had to leave D.C. and move to another tiny town. She purposely flunked out of school as a way of demanding going back to Louisiana - and I agreed she could live with her PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, as I do not trust her father with teenage girls. But they did a bait and switch. He took her and kept her, and I have no money to fight it. My daughter lives with an abuser, calls me a "mother-fucking bitch" and a "cunt." She refuses my phone calls. She is interested in all the wrong things, not the kind of person I worked at raising at all, taking her to political rallies and Sunday school and social justice events and teaching her to care about others above self. None of it stuck. And, yes, I AM afraid she is turning out to be like her father. She has no feelings about whom she hurts. None. She grew up with an abuser and she has an abuser's mentality. Don't think that admission comes lightly from me. It is pure agony, a mother's heart cracked in half and bleeding all over the damn place.

My facebook page is assuredly not a public forum. Only friends can see what I write. I am not Facebook friend with Sarah. Furthermore, I have my friends list carefully broken down into sub-groups. I choose a group for every SINGLE post I make. For instance, "political" is reserved for posts of a political nature. If I am not SURE of an old friend's politics, I keep my political stuff hidden and available only to the like-minded activists in my group. "Trusted" is a tiny group of family and close friends. Only they can read the really personal stuff. Those of you in the group read things and think that because you can see it, one hundred others in my friends' list can as well. This is not so. Only about a dozen of you can. Don't make assumptions about "public availability," Miriam and Rachelle, because YOU are able to read something. You may be among just ten people who can see it.

There. Now, those of you passersby who felt entitled to cat-call the clothesline on my sister's page at least know ALL OF THE DIRTY LAUNDRY. You are much like my daughter, it occurs to me, full of fury at me without knowing that I am the victim of abuse at the hands of her father, without knowing what it is like to have your husband hold your legs back for five men to use and abuse you while he videotapes, without knowing what it is like to have her father hold plastic grocery bags over your face while he gets off on suffocation games, to learn he has attempted to molest two teenagers you dearly love plus another you don't know so well, to be held hostage to his cheating while he does whatever he wants and refuses to fix your car and keeps you hostage in your home in the country for two solid years, to be so weak from it that you can no longer walk and have your ANGEL, you thought, your sweet baby grab your cane and beat you with it.

There is my blood for your entertainment, nosy nellies. Enjoy. Now you can judge but at least do so with some fucking information at your fingertips.

That feels oddly like a coming out of sorts. That is the most about my life I have ever published...you know, my hidden life, my real life, my abuse.

And she deleted it and let people continue to call me an "idiot." I ended up cutting myself last night, for the first time since the new meds. I wonder if they would feel proud if they knew. Apparently that is what they wanted - to be judge and jury. I think it makes people feel superior. It's why people watch Jerry Springer. And heaven knows, my estranged husband did all he could to turn us into a Springer family.

.

new direction for this blog

2011-02-21T13:06:00.001-05:00

I think I am going to begin writing at length about my road to recovery from abuse at this blog. Facebook has proved so toxic for the things I really want and need to say.

I can't believe she did that

2011-02-21T12:54:00.002-05:00

My sister put on her facebook page a complaint about some things I said about my daughter, saying no wonder the kid hates me.

Her friends piled on, began calling me a bad mother.

I responded, explaining in detail about the abuse, that my concern about my daughter is that, since she has been raised around abuse, she IS turning out to be a sadist and possibly with an abuser's mentality. She beat me with my own cane last year. She calls me "bitch" and "cunt." I went into detail and said that, if they wanted to opine, at least NOW they could see my blood on the sidewalk and opine in informed ways.

My sister's initial complaint had been saying things in a public forum, on FB. So she deleted my comment, which I respect. Her friends, however, continued piling on, one even saying, "The problem with debating idiots is that they can pull out life experiences and beat you at it." I politely asked my sister to remove that post, saying, "I respect your wishes if you don't want my long comment on your wall. However, if I am not permitted to defend myself, please do not permit strangers to call your sister an idiot. Please remove the criticism of me." She refused, saying I deserved it.

I have defriended her online and de-sistered her in real life. I would not permit anyone to call her names or to criticize her, even if I disagreed with her, because THAT is my SISTER. I am stunned that she does not feel the same way.

I wonder if it is the alcohol talking.

Either way, she is currently dead to me. I would NEVER let anyone speak about her the way she let those people speak about me. All she had to do was delete their criticism of me, the exact same way she deleted my defense of myself.

I am so fucking tired of how my estranged husband can make people think I am the crazy one. HE IS the abuser. He is the one who did sick shit to me. Yet, sociopath that he is, he comes across as calm and charming and, victim of a sociopath that I am, I come off sometimes as off-balance. Then, if I explain in any detail what he did to me, people don't want to know. They don't want details of abuse. They can't handle it. They want to silence me, which is fine - I don't actually have a NEED to trash him, but I don't like being treated like the crazy lady either. I am tired of this shit. Tired, tired, tired, tired, tired. Worst day I have had since I started the new meds over a month ago. First REAL *fall* since I have been on it. It helps so much. I thought I was all set, that this would not happen again. Apparently, I was wrong.

PTSD dog!

2011-02-21T00:54:00.001-05:00

Amazing!

Scotland on Rape - "No, Not Ever"

2010-09-03T20:52:00.003-04:00

Transcript:

A scene of a party. A pale blond woman in her 20s stands talking to two men, one pale and one with darker skin. She wears a black top and sparkly blue skirt, and all parties hold drinks in their hands and appear to be having a good time.

Woman: (laughing playfully) You’re terrible! (laughs) You’re so bad! Shut up!

Cut to two presumably white men across the room.

Man One: (looks at woman, sucks in air between his teeth) Check out the skirt! She’s asking for it.

Man Two: (laughs)

Cut to scene of the same woman in a department store. She pulls two skirts off the rack, one the sparkly blue skirt she wears at the party, and takes turns holding up each one to her hips. A sales assistant, a pale middle-aged woman, walks up to her.

Sales Assistant: Can I help?

Woman: Yeah, thanks. I’m going out tonight and I want to get raped. (smiles) I need a skirt that will encourage a guy to have sex with me against my will. (holds up each skirt again)

Sales Assistant: (smiles eagerly and folds arms across chest) The blue one. Definitely the blue.

Woman: (nods and smiles)

Woman turns and directly faces camera, with a sarcastic look on her face.

Woman: As if.

Male Voiceover: Nobody asks to be raped. Ever.

more at The Curvature

Women Must Prevent Rape - NOT!!!

2010-09-03T20:48:00.003-04:00

When it comes to popular messages about sexual violence, many of us are treated to a (un)healthy dose of fear – in the guise of awareness and self-protection. You know the drill: don’t walk alone; don’t drink too much; avoid certain streets; be wary of strangers. . . the list goes on. One of the troubling things about these messages is the way they imply that one just needs street smarts and savvy to prevent sexual assault. (Another problematic aspect of these messages is the way they shift attention away from the fact that the majority of assaults are perpetrated by a victim’s acquaintance, friend, or partner; these ubiquitous stay-safe tips don’t mean much when it comes to people you already believe you should trust. Then there’s the fact that plenty of folks don’t have the option of not, say, commuting to and from work late at night or avoiding areas where they might be vulnerable to crime.) Moreover, the notion that we can reliably prevent being assaulted dovetails neatly with victim-blaming after the fact: “she/he really shouldn’t gone out there without a friend”; “it probably wouldn’t have happened if she/he hadn’t been drinking to excess”; “what was she/he thinking, going to a party in that neighborhood”

"Protect Yourself?"

Sharron Angle UGH

2010-09-03T20:40:00.003-04:00

Really?

Sharron Angle, the Nebraska Nevada Republican Senate candidate who recently made headlines when a radio interview was unearthed in which she opposed legal abortion even in case of rape/incest because "God has a plan" (and your assault is part of it), has caught media attention again for her advice to 13-year-old incest victims to just make lemons into lemonade.

The Huffington Post reports that, during an interview on the conservative Alan Stock Show, Angle was asked what she would say to a 13-year-old incest victim who became pregnant by her father's rape. Angle's response? She says she counsels teenagers facing "very at risk, difficult pregnancies" to just look about for alternatives, and when they do, "they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade."

I don't think "lemon situation" accurately describes the unfathomable situation of a young girl who has been raped and impregnated by her own father — a situation that would be made even worse if Angle had her way and the girl was subjected by law to forced pregnancy. Angle's flippant, clichéd comparison shows how out-of-touch she is. You can survive a traumatic situation, move on with your life, but that doesn't make child rape a "lemons into lemonade" situation. There is no "upside" to being raped as a child, especially by your own father.

"Raped by Dad? Just Turn Lemons Into Lemonade!"

Effects of Street Harassment

2010-09-03T20:27:00.003-04:00

We have recently moved to a big city. My sixteen year old daughter is afraid of taking public transportation, which I had THOUGHT would be so liberating for her after four years stuck in a tiny town, because of the way men treat her on the street.

And it is a big deal, it’s a big thing. Don’t minimize it. What, are we just supposed to accept that we have breasts and asses for the purpose of immature men to ogle at and touch without asking? Is that supposed to be something that’s just ‘okay’ with us because ‘that’s the way it is’? Fuck no. I’m not asking the moon and stars here.

"Why Even Street Sexual Harassment is Hard to Get Over"

The Lady With the Answers

2010-09-03T20:07:00.003-04:00

For years, I have struggled in a bad marriage, trying to stick it out because I believed morality and ethics required it. Even if he never stuck to HIS vows, I felt obliged to stick to mine. This piece is quite liberating for me.

An obligation, rather than a choice. Who you spend the majority of your time with, who you are legally bound to, who it is very difficult and time-consuming and stressful for you to become un-bound to, is an obligation. You HAVE to stay in it, because it’s fucking difficult to get out. Marriage is something like a tarpit, but when you want to escape, society bands around you, holding sticks and pushing your head back under. You’re a FAILURE if you want to get out of a marriage. You FAILED the system, dude. You got MARRIED, remember? Ever after? ‘Til death do us part’? Those were YOUR words, you chose (haha) to say them. NO TAKE-BACKS. Sorry! What, you want to change your mind? That ain’t allowed! You’re OBLIGED now, muthafucker! We got you GOOD! Hey, we had someone recording the whole thing! And you signed! With your own hands! We got a signature, and a photo of you making it, and you look pretttty fucking happy about the whole thing. Who spends a year planning something they’re just gonna back out of a few years later? A LOSER that’s who. Do you want to be a loser? Nah…didn’t think so…get back in your tarpit and we’ll speak of this to no more.

"Infinite Relationships; Obligations"

Love This

2010-09-03T19:54:00.004-04:00

Love this!

Via the Carnival Against Sexual Violence:

These are all fairly minor events but they each illustrate this assumption that men believe it is okay for them to touch a woman, to grip her hands, to pressure her into going with them to wherever they want to go. This sort of mentality, that of control, is the first step, the beginnings of the idea that men should be able to tell women what to do, they should be allowed sex, they should have access to women’s bodies whenever they want.

more at

"So I'm Pretty. That Doesn't Obligate me to Sleep With You"

What Tami Said: Social capital and denying the pain of black women

2010-03-30T02:09:00.001-04:00

This is SOOO good. I hope you will read it! Plleeeezzzz!

What Tami Said: Social capital and denying the pain of black women

abyss2hope: 7 Simple Responses Which Help Support An Anti-Rape Culture

2010-03-14T23:51:00.002-04:00

abyss2hope: 7 Simple Responses Which Help Support An Anti-Rape Culture

Marcella has seven great responses. Very sharp!

Texas Removes Thomas Jefferson From Teaching Standard - AOL News

2010-03-14T04:44:00.002-04:00

Texas Removes Thomas Jefferson From Teaching Standard - AOL News

Speechless. Truly speechless!

By dropping mention of revolution, and substituting figures such as Aquinas and Calvin for Jefferson, Texas Freedom Network argues, the board had chosen to embrace religious teachings over those of Jefferson, the man who coined the phrase "separation between church and state."

According to USA Today, the board also voted to strike the word "democratic" from references to the U.S. form of government, replacing it with the term "constitutional republic." Texas textbooks will contain references to "laws of nature and nature's God" in passages that discuss major political ideas.

The board decided to use the words "free enterprise" when describing the U.S. economic system rather than words such as "capitalism," "capitalist" and "free market," which it deemed to have a negative connotation.

Serving 4.7 million students, Texas accounts for a large percentage of the textbook market, and the new standards may influence what is taught in the rest of the country.

Guess One Need Not be Too Bright to Get Into Princeton!

2010-03-08T00:20:00.003-05:00

The real 'Sex on a Saturday Night' - The Daily Princetonian

Did she have the right to accuse the boy of rape? Before you say yes, think about this for a minute: Should the fact that she willingly got herself into an advanced state of inebriation prevent her from complaining about anything that happened to her while she was in that state?

She knew what would happen if she started drinking. We all know that the more people drink, the less likely they are to make wise decisions. It is common sense.

Therefore, the girl willingly got herself into a state in which she could not act rationally. This, in my opinion, is equivalent to agreeing to anything that might happen to her while in this state. In the case of our girl, this happened to be sex with a stranger.

This brings up another question: Why is the guy always to blame? Since the beginning of time, society has taught us that whenever a situation like this arises, the fault belongs almost entirely to the male participant.

Since the beginning of time, it has been the male's fault? ON WHAT PLANET, SISTER? No, blame has always been assigned to the woman.

Also,
girl drinks: expect to get raped:: boy drinks: expect to be assaulted or even murdered

Girls Gone Anti-Feminist -- In These Times

2010-03-08T00:03:00.002-05:00

Girls Gone Anti-Feminist -- In These Times

This may be the best analysis of "fun feminism" I have yet read. This is REALLY good!

Enlightened sexism sells the line that it is precisely through women’s calculated deployment of their faces, bodies, attire, and sexuality that they gain and enjoy true power— power that is fun, that men will not resent, and indeed will embrace. True power here has nothing to do with economic independence or professional achievement: it has to do with getting men to lust after you and other women to envy you. Enlightened sexism is especially targeted to girls and young women and emphasizes that now that they “have it all,” they should focus the bulk of their time and energy on being hot, pleasing men, competing with other women, and shopping.

Enlightened sexism is a manufacturing process that is constantly produced by the media. Its components—anxiety about female achievement; renewed and amplified objectification of young women’s bodies and faces; dual exploitation and punishment of female sexuality; dividing of women against each other by age, race and class; and rampant branding and consumerism—began to swirl around in the early 1990s, consolidating as the dark star it has become in the early 21st century....

This essay was adapted from Susan J. Douglas’ new book, Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism’s Work is Done (Times Books, March).

Finally, A Push-Up Panty for the Penis (NSFW)

2010-03-07T23:28:00.001-05:00

Finally, A Push-Up Panty for the Penis (NSFW)

No, seriously!

Former Obama Adviser: Why Is Administration So Unassertive?

2010-03-05T15:31:00.004-05:00

Former Obama Adviser: Why Is Administration So Unassertive?

[T]he Obama Administration seemed to try [] to mobilize by depolarizing... it seemed like an effort to compromise your way to deep reform. I've never seen that that has ever worked in the history of this country, and I doubt anywhere, because it's a contradiction. So, on the one hand, the administration was not being clear, aggressive...as it had been in the campaign...and more culpably, the leadership of the reform movements, the people who were fighting for health care, for labor law reform, for environmental reform, for immigration reform, all bought in to this strategy. They all bought into "let Obama do it. He knows what he's doing."

That has been me all this time. I think I'm going to throw up now.

America's Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions, Then Hoodwinks You With Name Change

2010-03-05T03:46:00.000-05:00

America's Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions, Then Hoodwinks You With Name Change

Sugar industry awaits decision that could ban planting of GMO crop - Fargo, ND

2010-03-05T03:38:00.000-05:00

Sugar industry awaits decision that could ban planting of GMO crop - Fargo, ND

More Than 200,000 NGOs, Farmers, Consumers, and Organic Producers Call for USDA to Prohibit Genetica

2010-03-05T03:30:00.000-05:00

More Than 200,000 NGOs, Farmers, Consumers, and Organic Producers Call for USDA to Prohibit Genetica

Little Girls Wear Whisks

2010-03-05T03:28:00.001-05:00

Little Girls Wear Whisks

Obama warns progressives

2010-03-05T03:10:00.002-05:00

Obama warns progressives "We will go down in Flames"

Posted using ShareThis

Stop Monsanto's GMO

2010-03-02T22:45:00.002-05:00

Please sign the online petition to block Monsanto's application to produce genetically modified alfalfa:

This conclusion came despite the acknowledgment by USDA researchers that GE alfalfa is virtually certain to "contaminate" normal seeds. Cross-contamination is the number one concern with genetically engineered crops.

Organic contamination is devastating for organic farmers, especially organic dairy farmers, most of whom use organic alfalfa for feed. The presence of even the smallest amount of GE material can cause a farm to lose its organic certification. And court documents indicate that early plantings of GE alfalfa did contaminate conventional alfalfa. Yet the USDA maintains that Monsanto's existing safety protocols are good enough. This is ridiculous!

Coach Payton the prankster

2010-03-02T02:22:00.003-05:00

NFL combine, overtime change proposal, Mike McGuire, more - Peter King - SI.com

I smell a nice rivalry cooking.

On Friday night, the Saints' staff at the combine gathered in a private room at St. Elmo Steakhouse, an 108-year-old Indy landmark, for a final celebratory nod to the Super Bowl win over the Colts. This is a group that likes its wine, and likes to have fun.

At the restaurant, word passed that Dallas owner Jerry Jones would have his Dallas group in this exact room Saturday night for a team dinner. Jones had even phoned ahead, according to a waiter, to make sure a magnum of a wine he loved, Caymus Special Selection cabernet sauvignon, was ready to be served at dinner.

Sean Payton told the waiter he'd like to have that wine, too. The waiter told him: Sorry, sir. We have only one bottle left, and it's reserved for Mr. Jones.

Payton said he'd like to have the bottle nonetheless. I assume there was much angst on the part of the wait staff at that point. My God! Who do we piss off? One of the most powerful owners in the NFL, or the coach who's the toast of the NFL, the coach who just won the Super Bowl?

Here came the bottle of Caymus Special Selection, and the Saints' party drained it.

But drinking Jones' wine wasn't enough. Payton gave the waiter some instructions, took out his pen ... and, well, the Cowboys party found at the middle of their table the next evening an empty magnum of Caymus Special Selection cabernet sauvignon, with these words hand-written on the fancy label:

WHO DAT!
World Champions XLIV
Sean Payton

That's the kind of thing Jones will get a big laugh out of. And remember.

President Obama Declares Irish-American Heritage Month

2010-03-02T00:54:00.009-05:00

my great, great grandparents, Tobias Mullen and Margaret Kearney

original:

A PROCLAMATION

From long before American independence to today, countless individuals have reached our shores, bringing vibrant cultures and diverse roots, and immeasurably enriching our Nation. This month, we honor the contributions made by the tens of millions of Americans who trace their heritage to the Emerald Isle.

Irish Americans fought for our independence, and their signatures adorn our founding documents. When famine ravaged Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s, many Irish men and women sought a new beginning in the United States. Though they faced poverty and discrimination, these immigrants transformed our cities, served in our Armed Forces, and settled the frontiers of our young Nation. Their children, and succeeding generations of Irish Americans, have preserved their culture's values while becoming leaders in every facet of American life.

During this year's Irish-American Heritage Month, we also celebrate an extraordinary Irishman: Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Throughout his career in public service, Senator Kennedy worked tirelessly to create opportunity for all Americans. His legacy lives on in the legislation he championed, which will bolster and protect the health, education, and civil rights of Americans for generations to come.

Across the Atlantic, the people of Ireland continue to confront their own challenges with resolve and determination. In the face of violence perpetuated by some -- testing a hard-earned peace -- the people of Northern Ireland have responded heroically. Undaunted, they and their leaders persist on the road to peace and prosperity enshrined over a decade ago in the Good Friday Agreement. The United States remains committed to supporting the political process and the work of those who have shown leadership in pursuit of a lasting peace.

Today, the sons and daughters of Erin can look back with pride on their many contributions to the civic and cultural life of America. Like so many of our Nation's ethnic communities, Irish Americans are a people whose hard work and resilience have brought them great opportunity and success, and whose service to our Nation has left it a better place.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States do hereby proclaim March 2010 as Irish-American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by celebrating the contributions of Irish American to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

my great grandmother, Catherine Caroline Mullen (right)

We were always taught to be proud of be Irish. We are French too, but we were taught to be VERY proud of being Irish

the Mullen family tomb in Lafayette #1, where Robert Mullen, first Irishman in my family to arrive here, is buried, as are my great grandparents

Pamphlets Tell Women "Ungodly" Dress Provokes Rape

2010-03-02T00:22:00.002-05:00

original story

In Tri-Cities, Washington, religious fundamentalists are handing out pamphlets telling women that their "ungodly" dress provokes rape. What century is this again? I get so confused....

A lady sitting in the backseat leaned forward, between the two men in front, and handed her a leaflet: “Women & Girls” it said across the top.

“Even though nothing is showing, you’re being ungodly,” Canter recalled the woman telling her. “You make men want to be sinful.”

Canter was wearing boots pulled up over jeans, a pink zebra-print shirt with a black jacket zipped up over it. She has blond hair, dark eye make-up and a little red lip ring. “I just asked if she needed any salt, pepper or ketchup,” Canter said. “I mean, how do I respond to that?”

Minutes later, Canter’s mother, Pam Yates, who owns the restaurant, returned from the bank. Canter handed her “Women & Girls” and Yates started reading.

“You may have been given this leaflet because of the way you are dressed,” it begins. “Have you thought about standing before the true and living God to be judged?”

It continues with one essential theme: The sins of men are, in part, the fault of women, specifically women in tight-fitting clothing. Yates was annoyed. Then she got to a section on page two:

“Scripture tells us that when a man looks on a woman to lust for her he has already committed adultery in his heart. If you are dressed in a way that tempts a men to do this secret (or not so secret) sin, you are a participant in the sin,” the leaflet states. “By the way, some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly. So can we really say they were innocent victims?”

The hand-out is signed “anonymous.”

Yates was angry.

“What if my daughter had been a rape victim?” she said. “I hope that they never handed this to anyone, especially a young person, who’s been through that and struggles with that daily. And then they get handed something that says they are at fault. I cannot believe that a Christian, someone who walks in God’s shoes, would have made this.”

Leaflet in hand, Yates locked eyes with the old man driving the old white car, still parked in the lot, and stormed outside. The car quickly drove away.

Sandra G. Rasnake, the sexual assault program director at Bristol’s Crisis Center, had one eyebrow cocked as she read through the leaflet Thursday morning.

She cocked the other as she read aloud: “some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly.”

“Wow,” she said. “This idea that men don’t have enough self control – and evidently they shouldn’t have to – plays into all the old myths that we’ve tried for years to overcome: Rape happens to 2-year-olds and 92-year-olds, not just attractive young women. How about we hold the person doing the action accountable, whoever it is going against the will and consent of somebody else?”

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl | Video on TED.com

2010-02-23T00:45:00.001-05:00

Eve Ensler: Embrace your inner girl Video on TED.com

WONDERFUL, EVE!

I Wonder How Much Laundry the Average Team USA Dad Will Do?

2010-02-22T02:43:00.003-05:00

via sociological images, which I LOOOVE.

Tide laundry detergent company wonders how much laundry the average TEAM USA mom will do. Those of us who are into gender equality think....

I Wonder How Much Laundry the Average Team USA dad Will Do?

Cupcakes for Men. No, Seriously. Cupcakes for Men.

2010-02-20T04:46:00.001-05:00

Cupcakes for Men. No, Seriously. Cupcakes for Men.

Unbelievable. Everything has to be certified masculine (sort of like certified organic) before men can join in.

Making Hate Fun: Facebook users continue to joke en mass about killing

2010-02-20T04:44:00.001-05:00

Making Hate Fun: Facebook users continue to joke en mass about killing “hookers”

Posted using ShareThis

Pam's House Blend:: Federal Appeals Court: Louisiana Must Recognize Out of State Gay Adoption

2010-02-20T04:24:00.001-05:00

Pam's House Blend:: Federal Appeals Court: Louisiana Must Recognize Out of State Gay Adoption

Yes, I seem to remember something from my Constitutional Law class about the "full faith and credit" clause.

The Opinuary Column

2010-02-19T23:22:00.000-05:00

The Opinuary Column

Very, very funny. I've just discovered the "Jesus' General" blog and I love it!

Homosexualists Over The Wire

2010-02-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

Homosexualists Over The Wire

Great, great!

Want!

2010-02-19T23:14:00.001-05:00

Department of Book Reports: A Twisted Faith

Womanist Musings

2010-02-19T02:58:00.001-05:00

Womanist Musings

I (still) hate racist, sexist PETA. Aretha Franklin as "bigfoot?" REALLY? PETA has a LONG history of this kind of stuff. PETA just loooves animals, but apparently they hate women.

Defying adversity, wherever we are: a guest column by Richard Campanella | Opinions - - NOLA.com

2010-02-18T21:52:00.001-05:00

Defying adversity, wherever we are: a guest column by Richard Campanella Opinions - - NOLA.com

Cheering in Paris when the Saints won? Really? My mom told me a few years ago that in Paris, people were, as has often been reported, snobs to those who do not speak French but once Parisians realized she was from New Orleans, their attitude changed to friendly and welcoming. I guess, with our being a former French colony, they still kind of regard us as one of theirs.

Drew Brees as Bacchus

2010-02-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

Economic Scene - Success of Stimulus Bill Is Noteworthy as Another Is Weighed - NYTimes.com

2010-02-18T21:30:00.001-05:00

Finally!

Economic Scene - Success of Stimulus Bill Is Noteworthy as Another Is Weighed - NYTimes.com:

"Imagine if, one year ago, Congress had passed a stimulus bill that really worked.

Let’s say this bill had started spending money within a matter of weeks and had rapidly helped the economy. Let’s also imagine it was large enough to have had a huge impact on jobs — employing something like two million people who would otherwise be unemployed right now.
If that had happened, what would the economy look like today?

Well, it would look almost exactly as it does now. Because those nice descriptions of the stimulus that I just gave aren’t hypothetical. They are descriptions of the actual bill."

Emotional abuse is Heart and Soul Mutilation

2010-02-18T02:51:00.001-05:00

Emotional abuse is Heart and Soul Mutilation

Wonderful article on emotional abuse.

"Shaming and Blaming"

2010-02-03T05:58:00.002-05:00

"Shaming and Blaming" via the "this ain't living blog." Really good! My big thing was that we were always told to "sit like a lady." This meant keeping one's knees together, of course, I would like to know why now, today, at a movie theater, my husband spreads his legs wide open and invades my space while I make myself smaller and smaller. I read some analysis that said the whole concept of space - where women are encouraged to take up as little as possible, while men take up as much as they want - is actually all about power.

Sam Cooke and the Saints!

2010-02-01T19:11:00.003-05:00

It's been a looong time coming!

Great Mardi Gras Indian stuff

2010-02-01T18:59:00.002-05:00

Out of towners, I hope you enjoy!

great videos

What Have we Learned Today?

2010-02-01T18:48:00.003-05:00

Today, we learned that not everyone is like my fellow sociological bloggers and me. Much-liked old friends from high school may not enjoy a discussion like the ones we have here on their facebook pages. Hmmm - should I put up a new label called "live and learn?"

And a big fuck you to my depression

2010-01-16T03:57:00.003-05:00

This song has always reminded me to enjoy being me - even if I'm not exactly everyone's cup of tea (oh, pardon me, even if I've drunk the Obama Kool-Aid - fucker). Yep, to be ME despite self-doubt, to let my little light shine, no matter what the haters, as my daughter would put it, say or do.

What Tami Said: Lady Antebellum and the glorification of the pre-Civil War South

2010-01-15T01:07:00.002-05:00

I (heart) Tami. Just sayin'.

What Tami Said: Lady Antebellum and the glorification of the pre-Civil War South

I could, however, do without some of the generalizations about southern whites that show up in her comments section, but I've run into that A LOT, and that certainly isn't Tami's fault. She ALWAYS manages to make you think and to make a great point, but without stereotyping all whites - Southern or otherwise - either.

Men Have No Genitals; Women are Genitals Only

2010-01-06T04:36:00.002-05:00

Very interesting.

Men Have No Genitals; Women are Genitals Only

The Conflation of Race and Class

2009-12-30T03:56:00.001-05:00

So true. As long as white people think black = poor, then they don't need to be particularly concerned about poverty-related social services - after all, it's just for "them."

The Conflation of Race and Class

Girls Need Less Power?

2009-12-30T03:49:00.001-05:00

"Leigh snapped this picture of a Toys ‘R Us catalog. He noticed that, for both microscopes and telescopes, the version coded “girl” (i.e., the pink one) is the least powerful one (600x magnification vs. 900 or 1200x and 90x vs. 250 or 525x). Coincidence?"

Girls Need Less Power?

Feminizing Women’s Sports Teams

2009-12-30T03:42:00.002-05:00

I think this is really interesting. It is about the ongoing trend to "feminize" female athletes. College recruitment materials like the one shown below picture women athletes in evening gowns and, well, doing things OTHER than playing their sports, which is clearly NOT the case with male players.

Feminizing Women's Sports Teams

OH, too funny...

2009-12-28T06:26:00.001-05:00

Mary Matalin says BUSH INHERITED 9/11. How would that work? She is HILARIOUS! Is she TRYING to be funny?

Nine Deuce on New Burger King ad

2009-12-28T03:41:00.003-05:00

Nine Deuce at Rage Against the Man-chine blog analyses a new Burger King ad - and it seems someone really is in need of some analysis. The title of the piece is "Burger King to Customers - Eat a Dick." Do check it out - seriously!

Penny Red: Carnival of Feminists, 23/12/09: Tidings of Comfort and Joy

2009-12-28T03:22:00.002-05:00

There is great stuff at the new Carnival of Feminists.

Penny Red: Carnival of Feminists, 23/12/09: Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Penny Red on the retro fetish for women's crafts

2009-12-28T02:49:00.002-05:00

This is really good. She calls it "Here, Have This Humorless Festive Rant." The actual article is a wonderful rant, very interesting. She discusses how, in these tough economic times, there is a media push to make baking and crafting appealing new money savers - but only for women!

A Great New Post From Twisty

2009-12-28T02:36:00.003-05:00

A new post from Twisty over at I Blame the Patriarchy.

I started hearing the phrase "man up" about a year ago, I guess. What the hell? I hate it. Like "having balls," "manning up" has no female equivalent. Of course, no one congratulates a woman on showing some real ovaries (well, actually, I have been known to do so from time to time) and no one tells a woman to "woman up."

A.P. Puts Pandemic of Anti-Female Violence in Quotation Marks

2009-12-28T02:25:00.006-05:00

So, the U..N. wants to do something about the widespread abuse of women worldwide, and the A.P. article about the effort calls it a "pandemic," with the quotation marks coming from the original. It's a QUOTE pandemic of violence against women? Really??? Like the A.P. isn't sure? Really???

Life magazine is back

2009-12-28T02:03:00.003-05:00

Life magazine is back, but only in an online version. Some of their classic photos will be published online.

Video: Jon Stewart on the Health Care Debate

2009-12-28T01:48:00.002-05:00

Video: Jon Stewart on the Health Care Debate - funny.

New Website Responds to Stupak and Nelson

2009-12-28T01:25:00.001-05:00

A new website called Not Under The Bus has been launched in response to the Senate (and House, for that matter) bill throwing our health under the bus. It looks like it is really going to be a good site to follow.

"Love in the Depth of our Disagreements"

2009-12-21T05:42:00.004-05:00

Melissa Harris Lacewell:

"Standing on the Side of Love: Harnessing Love's Power to Stop Oppression:"
immigration, LGBT rights and more, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association.

I think

2009-12-20T03:31:00.001-05:00

I think that during the year I stopped blogging, I lost all my readers!

Woman Domesticated - Hilarious!

2009-12-19T20:51:00.001-05:00

the Onion

The "Army of Amazons"

2009-12-19T18:55:00.003-05:00

In 1921, women led a labor strike in Kansas. Great article.

The Happiest People are in Louisiana

2009-12-19T18:43:00.002-05:00

according to USA Today

Sweet Jesus I Can't Stand Joe Lieberman

2009-12-18T05:04:00.000-05:00

video - "Blue Boat Home"

2009-12-18T04:06:00.003-05:00

I think this is truly lovely. In an all too stressful world, this goes right to the soul; it's my version of religion. Please take a few deep breaths and then relax and enjoy this:

Cheating Husbands' Bingo Card

2009-12-17T22:27:00.006-05:00

I wonder why this comes out with a huge space at the top. Damn you, HTML (shakes fist)

I made a terrible mistake. It was a lapse in moral judgment.	You're too controlling / sickly / busy.	Everyone knows I love my wife, who is beautiful / smart / the best.	It was so flattering. I couldn't help it.	I guess I wasn't sure I wanted to be married anymore.
I fucked her, but I didn't love her.	I thought I loved her, but I didn't fuck her.	You know you're the only one for me, baby.	I guess I thought I just didn't deserve you.	Well, she wanted it. I kind of felt sorry for her.
I guess I was jealous that you were becoming so successful.	Really, my family means everything to me.	“I don't know …”	It only happened once.	I don't know why it happened. I only know it won't happen again.
It isn't you baby, it's me.	This is the first time it's ever happened.	I was drunk / stoned / sad / lonely / depressed.	I didn't feel close to you since the baby came / your mother died / you started school.	It has nothing to do with our life together.
I guess I was starting to feel old. It was flattering.	I tried breaking it off, but she kept calling me, like "Fatal Attraction."	I had her hang out with us so she could see how happily married I am.	You KNEW our marriage was unhappy at the time. What did you expect?	Hey, wait, it's sexist for you to point out that all the men you know have done it!

Johnny Cash - "I Won't Back Down"

2009-12-17T09:08:00.004-05:00

Someone posted this regarding the health care "reform" in Congress - what is left of it. I don't know at this point how we manage NOT to back down, since our leadership has caved, but I enjoyed the sentiment all the same.

I love grannie...

2009-12-16T05:24:00.000-05:00

OH, you MUST be Kidding!

2009-12-16T05:14:00.001-05:00

Good Standup Comedy: Becky Pedigo

2009-12-12T03:51:00.002-05:00

h/t Hoyden About Town (tigtog)

SitCom Role Reversal

2009-12-12T02:58:00.004-05:00

You know how every sitcom has a hot and together wife married to an incompetent, oaf of a husband? What would it look like with the roles reveresed? This shows how the stereotypes are insulting to both men and women. In fact, I have long thought that this genre in particular is unfair to men. Who ARE these men who can't cook or clean or remember a wedding anniversary? These male characters don't represent any men I know.

from Sociological Images.

h/t feministing.com

The Coat Hanger Project - Trailer

2009-12-12T02:27:00.003-05:00

h/t feministing.com

Cracks me Up - "Barbie Eat a Sandwich" Video

2009-12-12T02:13:00.002-05:00

h/t feministing.com

Sexist New Reebok Commercial & Other Ads

2009-12-12T01:24:00.003-05:00

Some things just drive me crazy!

Barney Frank Says Repugs Not Like Colonials but Bourbon Kings

2009-12-09T03:15:00.002-05:00

From Congressman Barney Frank

Friend --

The extremists who control the Republican Party have engaged in one of the most implausible masquerades in history by trying to identify themselves with the American Colonials who revolted against British rule.

In fact, as I prepare to go to the floor of the House this week to defend a package of tough financial reforms and consumer and investor protections, I confront a hostile, virtually unanimous Republican Party, which has a major characteristic in common with a different set of eighteenth century figures - the kings of France. When the French monarchy was restored to power in the 19th century, it was said that "The Bourbons have forgotten nothing because they learned nothing."

more here

Have a Very Feminist Christmas: Feminist Books for Kids

2009-12-09T02:51:00.002-05:00

at the UK's Guardian

abyss2hope: Carnival Against Sexual Violence 82

2009-12-09T01:55:00.001-05:00

abyss2hope: Carnival Against Sexual Violence 82

Apparently, I am waaay behind on my reading. Please check out the previous carnival as well.

abyss2hope: Carnival Against Sexual Violence 83

2009-12-09T01:52:00.002-05:00

abyss2hope: Carnival Against Sexual Violence 83

Please do check it out.

"Papa Noel" Louisiana Christmas song

2009-12-09T01:45:00.000-05:00

Louisiana Christmas video (embedding was disabled). The scenery really does not match the Louisiana theme (we DON'T get white Christmases here on the bayou!), but it's still fun. A few words in the song are in Cajun French. When my husband joined the military and we moved to California, I was eighteen. It took me a while to learn how unique my home state really was, that my new friends from other places did not know what a "pirogue" or a "banquet" was. "Papa Noel" is Santa Claus in Cajun country.

Papa Noel

Ron Paul's "What If" Speech

2009-12-09T01:37:00.001-05:00

Well, my heavens. Good questions. Is anyone actually allowed to ask these questions? Out loud? And from the floor of the House of Representatives? I am not a libertarian because I am, rather, a communitarian, but, hey, GO RON PAUL, GO.

More Biden

2009-12-09T01:10:00.006-05:00

from thie White House webpage (although I've linked through youtube because the White House version keeps cutting off after about a minute)

Vice President Biden Dispels Myths Around Medicare and Health Reform

Is it sensible to think that the heirs of those who created Medicare would destroy it? The Vice President thinks not and restates that health insurance reform will protect Medicare, not hurt it.

From USA Today:

Biden: Whom Do You Trust on Health Care?

Well, I like this quote from the USA Today article!
As of late October the White House still had the upper hand in the health care debate. A Gallup Poll showed Americans trusting President Obama more than both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. According to the poll, “Fewer than 4 in 10 political independents have much faith in either political party in Congress on health care reform; however, the majority of independents do trust Obama.”
(link to the Gallop Poll is provided at the USA Today article)