CBC Fail

Really, CBC? In what universe is that a relevant or appropriate cover photo for the headline next to it?? A young man died and you advertise it with tits? BOOURNS! So tasteless.

Damned Lies

Every day I run into so many ridiculous gender misconceptions that it’s hard to keep them all straight. But there is something I really just want to put to rest right about now. Are y’all ready for it?

Fact: if a man holds his girlfriend or wife’s purse for two seconds, his penis will not, I repeat NOT, fall off or shrivel up.

I know, it’s a revolutionary thought!

I’m talking to you, DJs on my morning radio. Saying that a man holding his girlfriend’s purse is the height of boyfriend emasculation strikes me as preposterous hyperbole. And I’m talking to you, commercial for Wiserhood whisky. Comparing a woman’s purse to dog shit, wow, how nice of you, thanks for the heads up that you hold my personal belongings in so much contempt.

Seriously though, if you think a dude’s manhood is in question if he simply holds a sack of shiny jeweled plastic, you might want to rethink your beliefs about what really makes a man a man. You know, like compassion and kindness? Think about it.

Guess I'll Go Home And Make Chicken Fingers Instead

Today, I felt like doing something interesting and different after work. I thought it might be a nice idea to take some random photos of trees and flowers in nearby parks, just as the leaves are starting to fall. I even began to google potential parks that are on my route home.

But then I thought: “What if something BAD were to happen to me? I don’t want that. And people would just say well you’re a petite, well-dressed woman, out on your own at dusk... you shouldn’t have been so reckless.”

So I’m not going. And THAT, my friends, is how the patriarchy works.

Gaming Changes Everything

"When I had my daughter, my perspective and my lifestyle changed, but I did NOT feel that I fulfilled my role as a woman or whatever that old crap is. For me it was like *pop-up* [Achievement unlocked: Baby!]"

I don't know why but I CANNOT STOP LAUGHING AT THIS. Amazing metaphor hahaha!

Old Post Is Old

From: http://www.safercampus.org/blog/2011/06/rihannas-man-down-stirs-controversy/ "...media watchdog groups such as Mothers Against Violence and the Parents Television Council are organizing to ban "Man Down" because, according to a spokesperson from the Parents Television Council, Rihanna should be "telling victims they should seek help" instead of "[releasing] a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder.""

Listen, I don't condone violence. But can I point out that the film "Horrible Bosses", a movie about three white dudes who deal with their workplace difficulties by deciding to kill their bosses instead of complaining to human resources, is getting a wide release all over North America and no one's saying boo about it at all? Also, has anyone watched Law & Order: SVU lately?? No one's getting uppity about a whole SHOW about women being subjected to domestic violence there. (Well, except the feminists pointing out we live in a culture that celebrates that kind of thing.)

The hypocrisy, it burns us precious. Rihanna has the right to do whatever the hell she wants. Quite frankly, I find her video for "Man Down" refreshing.

Random Encounters With The Beauty-Industrial Complex

Yesterday I went to the mall after work to pick up some gray tights. As I was going from store to store, searching for something that fit the bill, I ran into a man who was giving out free samples of something. I automatically associate free samples with food, so I picked up the cup only to find it was hand cream, not a snack. Still, free hand cream isn’t all that bad. But that’s when he started his pitch.

Him: “Oh, are those your natural nails?”

Me: “... Yes.”

Him: “Then I simply have to show you something! Come over to our booth and I’ll show you.”

So I walk over there, no idea what he’s going to do, when he tells me to hold out my right hand. He then busts out this buffing block and starts filing the surface of my thumbnail, going on and on about their patented smoothing system that gets rid of lines and ridges until your nails are shiny and smooth.

Him: *finishes* “Well, isn’t it shiny?”

Me: “Well, yeah, it is shiny.”

Him: “So what do you think of our product?”

At this point I was sorely tempted to reply with: “Ugh, it isn’t enough that women have to worry that our hair isn’t glossy enough, that our skin isn’t flawless enough, that our waist lines are not small enough, that our boobs are not big enough, that our eyelashes are not thick and lustrous enough, that our lips are not luscious and plump enough... we have to worry that our fricking nails are not smooth enough?! Stop enabling the patriarchy!”

But I doubt that would have gone down very well, so I told him the other truth, that I actually really don’t like the sensation of something rough or textured rubbing against the surface of my nail, it weirds me out and is vaguely uncomfortable. I walked away then, relieved that he wasn’t going to buff my nails any further.

Unfortunately, it’s the next day and now I can’t get over the fact that I have One Really Smooth & Shiny Nail. The asymmetry is driving me nuts! :P

Say Non To Bill 94

Today's headline: Niqab gets 2nd Quebec student expelled. Okay, this is getting fricking ridiculous. To paraphrase someone else, forcing a woman to reveal part of her body is no different from forcing her to be covered.

*headdesk* QUEBEC, YOU'RE ON NOTICE. >:(

Snagged From Around The Internet

Today, it is all about the links.

The Bechdel Test and Race in Popular Fiction: an examination of just how short most media falls when put against a PoC version of the Bechdel Test. (Warning: that last link goes to TVTropes.)

How to Be Seriously Frivolous (or, Feminism is For Grownups): "Part of the difficulty in battling sexism and gender assumptions is that they are sometimes subtle, sometimes difficult to tease out. What makes [the book Fascinating Womanhood] so shocking is how blatant it is."

"She’s got you wrapped around her finger": fathers, daughters, and a variation on the myth of male weakness: a new father talks about comments he gets when he's with his daughter and how they propagate misconceptions.

Freed reporters say they were dragged into NKorea: Reporters Laura Ling & Euna Lee say communist soldiers "violently dragged" them back when they returned to Chinese soil after briefly crossing into North Korea.

Oh David Guetta, You Can Do Better Than This! :(

Why yes, it's another episode of me cringing at how dance videos are chock full of female objectification. Le sigh.



Didn't help that I was unaware that there's a censored version...

Me: *downloads song*
Akon: ♬ "I'm tryin' to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectfuuuul." ♬
Me: "Well, that's nice for a change."
Akon: ♬ "Damn, you's a sexy bitch... a sexy bitch." ♬
Me: D:< *facepalm*

Posts You Ought To Read

http://derekkirkkim.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-day-in-politics-same-old-racist.html - An Asian-American blogger talks about the Racefail that is the casting for the new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. (Not to be mixed up with Avatar, that epic movie being done by James Cameron that's supposed to revolutionize how movies are being made. But I digress.) This is one of the best posts I've seen yet regarding why the casting for the movie sucks. Way to ruin the greatest cartoon ever, Hollywood. :P

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/07/behold-my-love-advice.html - Sady, blogmistress of the lovely Tiger Beatdown, delivers a tongue-in-cheek analysis of women and love that she gleaned from watching Hollywood movies.

I've Held Out On This Topic For Long Enough

Suspect in abortion doctor death warns of violence

The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days after a federal investigation launched into his possible accomplices.

A Justice Department spokesman said the threat was being taken seriously and additional protection had been ordered for abortion clinics last week. But a leader of the anti-abortion movement derided the accused shooter as "a fruit and a lunatic."

Nancy Keenan president of NARAL-Pro-Choice America, said Roeder's comments "continue to escalate that kind of activity, that kind of violence. Quite honestly, I think it's imperative for anti-choice groups to tone down that rhetoric and keep the more extreme elements in their movement form copying Scott Roeder."

*eyetwitch*

I swear to god, some people will just not be satisfied until women are ball-and-chained with no personal freedom. Or basic rights, for that matter.

And yes to what was said by NARAL; anti-abortionists need to work a hell of a lot harder in making sure they're delivering their message in a way that's not inflammatory and confrontational. Granted, I think their message is full of shit. :P

(Note: there's a difference between being pro-life and anti-abortion. I find pro-life people to be much more sane about a woman's rights.)

Collecting My Thoughts In The Heat

Am outside and on my laptop at the same time. Wheeeee! It really is too hot, even just sitting here, even with the lovely breeze blowing. A little bit of cloud cover would do the trick. I bet the temperature will be just perfect around 7 PM.

A couple weeks ago I was reading an article in the local newspaper that caught my attention. It was about an author who had written a book about new sexual trends among teenage women, in particular that many young girls see no issue with dispensing oral sex. Hand-wringing aside, the thing that caught my attention was something the author said, that when interviewing these girls she heard from many of them that they engaged in oral sex because (to paraphrase) they were amazed at how they could make a boy go weak with their skills and that having that power is hard to resist.

My first thought, of course, was: "Oh god, young women have so little power in every other aspect of their life, that the only time they feel they have some leverage is when they are servicing men sexually." Talk about a disenfranchised oppressed class.

Feeling roasted. Going inside to cool down and drink some orange juice.

"Baby, It's A Violent World."

Theoretical poll time. You know that movie 'Observe and Report' that just came out, with the girl who's flashed by some pervert and the mall cop who digs her? Apparently, there's a date rape scene in it where the male character has sex with the unconscious female after heavy drug and alcohol use. Now, how would you respond to the following:

What do you think about the "date rape" scene in Observe and Report?

1. Totally unacceptable. It's sick and wrong.
2. Sure, it's Rogen's movie, he can do whatever he wants, but can't we just avoid jokes about RAPE?
3. I thought it was funny (though I feel a little guilty about it).
4. It's a JOKE people. Get upset about more important things.

Which of the above does not belong here? Yeah, it's obvious.

But here's the twist; this isn't a theoretical poll. It's a poll at Huffington Post. And the last option is winning. Needless to say, I am periodically refreshing the poll and voting for the first option. WHY WORLD WHY? D:

ANYWAY.

I discovered a few days ago that Coldplay has a video out for their song Life in Technicolor II. How lovely! There's a track called Life in Technicolor on their latest album Viva La Vida but it's instrumental. Rumour has it that Life in Technicolor was originally a full song with lyrics and everything, but when producers reviewed the first cut of the album and said that Life in Technicolor was the "obvious single", Chris Martin was like bollocks to that and stripped the song down. And yet, if you see the Prospekt's March EP, Life in Technicolor II is the first track complete with lyrics and everything. Iiinteresting.

Expanding My Online Reading List

Two new feminist blogs I have discovered:

Screaming into the Void - She's angry and scathing, just the way I like my feminists.

Diary of a Black Male Feminist - Now there's something you don't see everyday. *thumbs up*

An excerpt from his latest post, addressing Chris Brown (for obvious reasons):

My crossroad came when a person came into my life and shook me to the core. This person started the deconstruction of my male belief system and 20 years later am I continuing that work. I was stuck in this “man prison” because my definition of masculinity was limited. Once I alleviated both perceived and real peer pressure that motivated me to engage in physical and sexual aggression to affirm my masculinity I was free.

It's a fantastic piece, I'd recommend it to anyone. But especially men.

Canadian Content

Daily factoid:

The Dunning-Kruger effect is an example of cognitive bias in which people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.

Hoo boy, I hate to paint people with the same brush but my first thought after reading this? Fox News. :P

Speaking of Fox News, not going to dwell upon the whole horrible event where the Canadian Forces were mocked on national television. The host apologized, but in a predictably smarmy way. "Misunderstood" my ass.

In other Canadian news (or should I say Torontonian news?) there's a kerfuffle going on over Karen Stintz taking public speaking lessons with the taxpayers' money.

Criticized for talking too fast and sounding "shrill" during city hall meetings, Councillor Karen Stintz decided she needed to do something about it.

So she spent $4,500 (U.S.) for public-speaking lessons last year. Then she got taxpayers to cover the costs.

The vocal opponent of Toronto Mayor David Miller used the services of Lynda Spillane, an author and vocal coach who has advised other female politicians.

Fnargh, I cannot stand the use of the adjective "shrill" when describing a woman's voice. It's a gender-coded insult; how many times are men described as shrill? Shrill is used to dismiss women, to shame them into silence. Using shrill to describe a woman's voice immediately detracts from the content of her message and focuses on its presentation. And isn't that a woman's lot in life, to have her content ignored in favour of her presentation?

And yet, women clearly recognize that to succeed in a man's world, you have to talk like one. Hence the lessons. Not saying that I approve of her using taxpayer money. There's a before and after video at the link above and frankly I think the voice lessons turned her into a lifeless automaton. When she was "shrill", she was speaking passionately and from the heart. Her voice was freaking fine the way it was and haters should have just sit down and shut up instead of criticizing a competent and successful woman's voice of all things.

(As an aside, I've been tweaking zee blog over the past few days. It's looking mighty shiny right about now. :D)

Reading and Rocking on a Friday Night

For my own reference: links of interest. (Both pertaining to the whole 'Rihanna is back with Chris Brown' thing.)

- What It Doesn't Mean
- Putting Yourself In Someone's Shoes

Now that I've got that out of the way, on to lighter fare. Fact: playing Rock Band has done very funny things to my taste in music. Here is a list of songs that I have downloaded that I never thought in a million years I would like, much less listen to repeatedly.

• System of a Down - Chop Suey (I always thought this song was too hardcore for me. But it's one of the best most fun songs in Rock Band. I got attached after singing it a hundred times or so.)
  
  
• AC/DC - Let There Be Rock (I've always had a massive aversion to classic rock for some reason. This song, however, was too infectious for me to resist. Again, great guitar and fun to sing too. It comes together really well.)
  
  
• Judas Priest - Painkiller (I'm still getting used to the crazy vocals, but the guitar solo = WOW. Just... WOW. I just want to jump around and air guitar when I hear it.)
  
  
• Steely Dan - Bodhisattva (I knew this song only vaguely and it's actually really groovy and jazzy and fun to sing as well. It's the sort of song that makes you wish you could jam.)
  
  
• Modest Mouse - Float On (I have a bunch of Modest Mouse songs but I hate them all, but this one I actually like. It's the music that does it for me. But the singer's voice still annoys me a bit.)

Still trying to get through the book Consumed by Benjamin Barber, but it's hard because it's so dry. Also, I don't really agree with the author's ideology, but I'm trying not to hold that against him. His theories are interesting, in any case.

Eh, might as well throw up a progress bar while I'm here...

42,801 / 200,000 words. 21% done!

Passed 40,000 on Monday. I've been doing well lately; I've exceeded my quota so thoroughly that technically I don't need to write a single word until the 19th of this month. I like having a little bit of leeway like that.

I Is Ded From Laff

AWESOME.

In The News, On The Radio

Ex-Montreal pastor gets five years in prison for sex with 10-year-old 'wife' Um, NEWSFLASH you cannot "have sex" with a 10-year-old. (Age of consent, blah blah of course.) But I guess using the word 'rape' in the headline was just too much for some journalist to handle. *eyeroll*

Manitoba lesbian couple says doctor refused them because of sexual orientation I was an idiot and decided to read some of the comments to the article. Helloooooo racism. I should have know it the moment I saw the phrase 'foreign-trained'. *headdesk*

Goat detained over armed robbery BWAH?! THERE ARE NO WORDS. The sad thing? I don't see much difference between those who think a robber turned into a goat to evade prosecution, and those who think hurricanes are symbols of a sky spirit's displeasure. :P

Let's put that aside and listen to some tunes. Today, I bring to thee... NON-dance music! This is the song 'The Fear' by Lily Allen.



Great song. It's fun pop music, but she actually has a message omg.
I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and fuckloads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
‘Cuz everyone knows that’s how you get famous
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah I’m on to a winner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cuz I’m being taken over by The Fear

Life’s about film stars and less about mothers
It’s all about fast cars cussing each other
But it doesn’t matter cause I’m packing plastic
and that’s what makes my life so fucking fantastic

And I am a weapon of massive consumption
and its not my fault it’s how I’m programmed to function
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah we're on to a winner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cuz I’m being taken over by The Fear

Forget about guns and forget ammunition
Cause I’m killing them all on my own little mission
Now I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner
Now everything's cool as long as I’m getting thinner

I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When do you think it will all become clear?
‘Cause I’m being taken over by The Fear
There are so many subversive elements to this song that it's pretty amazing. She talks about the pressure to be vacuous, conflict diamonds, useless tabloids (The Sun and The Mirror in the UK), and materialism to name a few. I just keep listening to this song on repeat. :)

A Cultural Message

From Heartless Bitches International: Socialized Stupidity - There IS a cure!

Excerpt:

• How can a woman with outrageously long fingernails do ANYTHING sensible (or compete on an equal level with a man) when she is constantly worried about breaking a nail?
• How can a woman run or defend herself if she is wearing 4-inch heels?
• How can a woman focus on improving her brain when she has to spend 3 hours a day on her appearance?
• How can a woman THINK when she is eating so few calories and carbohydrates each day that her brain can't function normally?

They don't need to make laws that keep women down and prevent equality. They just have to keep us preoccupied with ludicrous activities that distract us and keep us from learning, improving our brains, developing our physical strength, and asserting our right to equality by simply being there in equal numbers.

I don't agree with all of it, and the extreme examples they use don't really apply to most women, but it's still a damn fine editorial. Rock on, ladies.