Nov

14

Message to the Guys: Donating Your Organs is Almost Like Sex

Filed Under beauty myths, marketing, media, misogyny, objectification, patriarchy, pop culture, sex and sexuality, sexism | 15 Comments

 

This ad promoting organ donation appeared in a Belgian men’s magazine.

The message at the bottom reads: Becoming a donor is probably your only chance to get inside her.

Nice way to objectify women to get across your “altruistic” message, suggest that women are only good for “getting inside of,” imply that women who don’t fit the above ideal of (poorly photoshopped) beauty aren’t quite as deserving of life, and portray men as so shallow that this is the only way to get them to do a good thing, all at the same time. It’s really quite impressive.

And yet, while I really do want to be pissed at this level of objectification, condescension and sexism, and on some level I am, I’m ultimately just incredibly bemused. I mean, who the hell thought this was a good idea?

Also, let’s just consider the menz for a minute, can we? Think about it. You’re some poor guy who donates your organs for the purpose of showing the world how very macho and heterosexual you are, and then you die and your organs go to — oh noes — another man! That would, like, make you totally gay, dude!

Or, um . . . something. I don’t know, I find homophobia almost as confusing as heterosexuality so insecure and compulsory that it requires comparing organ donation with a sex act.

cross-posted at Feministe

Nov

14

Obama Is Funny

Filed Under 2008 election, Democrats, media, politics | 4 Comments

Newsweek has been running a “Secrets of the Campaign” series. The magazine was allowed extra access to the campaigns in exchange for the promise that they would not report on what they learned and witnessed until after the election. I’m fairly uncomfortable with the concept, even if a large majority of the information has thus far been inconsequential, because I really don’t like the idea of the media making this sort of “we promise not to report on things that might embarass you” deal with those in power.

That being said, a lot of the stuff that has come out is pretty amusing. Like this:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, “I don’t consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.”

It’s funny because it’s true.

h/t BFP

Nov

13

Help Duanna Johnson’s Family Pay For Her Funeral

Filed Under LGBTQ, action alert, violence against women and girls | 5 Comments

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT UPDATE: A paypal account has been established; I highly recommend donating through this method if at all possible.

UPDATE: More from Ilyka

Per Sin Nombre informs us that Duanna Johnson’s family is having difficulty paying for her funeral and they are in need of assistance.

Duanna Johnson’s Funeral–DONATIONS NEEDED

Apologies for the caps, but this is urgent.

The balance for Duanna Johnson’s funeral is $1195 and the funeral home is requiring Mrs. Skinner (Duanna’s mother) to pay it by tomorrow (11/14). The cost is a hardship, so we are asking anyone who can to donate. Please send any donations to:

N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home
12 S Parkway W
Memphis, TN 38109

If you want any clarification from NJ Ford, here is their contact number: (901) 948-7755.

Please forward this to as many people as you can!! Thanks!

The absolute last thing that Duanna’s mother should have to worry about at this time of senseless tragedy is paying for her daughter’s funeral.  Please donate if you can and pass the information along.

h/t Questioning Transphobia

Nov

13

Judge Thinks Sexual Violence Deserves to Go Unpunished

Filed Under International, assholes, courts, misogyny, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 9 Comments

Via Abyss2Hope, it looks like we’ve got yet another rape apologist judge on our hands. This one is from New Zealand, and proclaimed in open court that she wishes she didn’t have to punish a sex offender, because other than beating and attempting to rape a woman in a dark alley, he’s a good person.

A visibly upset judge today told a teenager convicted of sexual violation: “If I had my way I would release you today, but I can’t.”

Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish spoke of the youth, naivety, and the good family background of Maia Crawford Rongonui who had attacked a young Australian woman tourist in a dark Christchurch street.

“If I had it within my power today I would release you to your family,” the judge said.

“They would ensure you would do anything not to come back to court.”

Instead, she jailed the 19-year-old for four years after he was convicted by a jury of assaulting the woman with intent to commit rape, and sexually violating her by unlawful sexual connection.

Rongonui, a shearer from Masterton, was only 17 when he committed the attack.

The judge said she was worried about the effect prison would have on the teenager.

“I have some concerns, as your mother does, about you being corrupted while in jail.”

There are several flaws of logic here. The first is the presumption that if, for the sake of argument, Rongonui was a good person, it would make him undeserving of punishment for his malicious and trauma-inducing crime. This is patently false and illogical.  The second is the idea that Rongonui is not already corrupted. I fully admit that jail is not often a rehabilitative place, but to suggest that an attempted rapist is a good guy who jail will turn into a bad guy is absurd. You try to rape someone, you’re already pretty fucking corrupt.  The third is that a family, however well-meaning, can necessarily prevent a person from committing rape.  I do think that support systems can sometimes be integral, but if Rongonui’s family was so good at preventing him from raping, he wouldn’t be in court for an attempted rape.  If they were so good at keeping him out of court, he wouldn’t have obtained the 18 convictions over 5 months that Judge Farish seems to completely disregard.

Read more

Nov

13

Vote Obama! (Or: What Do I Have to Live for Now?)

Filed Under 2008 election, Barack Obama, Democrats, fun, politics | 4 Comments

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are


h/t Sudy

Nov

12

Olbermann Speaks Out on Prop 8

Filed Under 2008 election, LGBTQ, bigotry, discrimination, homophobia, media, politics | 8 Comments

Like Jill, I find that Keith Olbermann can really get on my nerves, but I also think that he sometimes deserves credit. This is one of those times. I particularly appreciate it because one of my biggest criticisms of Olbermann is that he’s one of those liberal white guys who thinks he’s super leftist, but doesn’t seem to care too much about those “identity politics” issues. Here, he takes the time to care and act like he means it. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out.

I only wished he’d said something like this before the election.

Nov

11

Duanna Johnson Murdered

Filed Under LGBTQ, bigotry, misogyny, patriarchy, trans, transphobia and trans misogyny, violence against women and girls | 19 Comments

Less than five months ago, I wrote about Duanna Johnson — a transgender woman who was beaten by Memphis police while handcuffed and in custody. She was sprayed with mace, hit with a closed fist by an officer who wore handcuffs around his knuckles, ignored by medical staff, and called abhorrent transphobic names. Her attack was caught on tape, and Duanna dared to speak out against the violence and injustice that was committed against her. And two officers were rightfully fired, but wrongfully apparently not prosecuted.

Now, Duanna is dead. She was shot, and her body was found lying in the street. Just left there.

And I don’t even know what to say.

I’m not going to lay accusations. I don’t know what happened to Duanna, other than that she was murdered, and that her death is a tragedy.  I do know that while Duanna was already at an appallingly high risk of murder due to her being a woman, transgender, a woman of color, and possibly a sex worker (this much has been unconfirmed), the numbers aren’t that high, and the fact that she was murdered less than five months after this incident came to light therefore seems inherently suspicious to me.  I know that due to the factors above, who Duanna was and the bigotry that people direct towards her identity, her murder is likely to not be properly investigated let alone tried with her murderer(s) brought to justice.

And I also know that if the Memphis police have nothing to hide, they better be putting every resource they have into investigating her murder and finding her killer.  Not only because a woman was killed, her body left in the street, and as a human being she deserves no less, but because it’s their own reputation on the line.  (Honestly, it seems appalling to me that there is no one else to investigate other than the Memphis Police Department.)  And while I don’t know who is responsible, I know that the two cops who lost their jobs due to their involvement in Duanna’s beating, as well as those in the force who were close with those officers and may have been outraged at their dismissal, should be at the top of the suspect list.

I am so, so sorry to Duanna and her family.  I can only hope against hope that at the very least, for what little good it does now that she is dead, her murderer(s) will be brought to justice.

Nov

10

Yoko Ono on Barack Obama

Filed Under 2008 election, Barack Obama, Democrats, Gratuitous Beatles Blogging, feminism, fun, politics | 4 Comments

This morning, Yoko Ono — who previously refused to take a stance on the election, saying that she preferred grassroots organizing — posted an open letter showing that she too has gotten caught up in the Obama craze.  She gets the catchphrase wrong, but I think the sentiment still holds true, certainly enough to get me crying with her.

Dear Friends

How I reacted the night Obama became president:

Just crying…like most people on the streets of N.Y, or in the world that night, from joy…and other complex emotions which had to do with the work we all did for the longest years trusting in miracles.

I had a strong urge for John to be here, physically, to give me a hug. I got over that urge a long time ago, since I knew that John was with me in spirit, and working with me all this time. But this night was different. I felt John and I needed to hug each other physically. I cried hardest when everybody started chanting WE CAN DO IT!

Then I retreated to a long, long silence – In the end I saw a little candle lit in my heart.

Yes.
We are not abandoned – if you even had the smallest doubt.
Miracles do happen.
It keeps on happening. Daily.
We are the miracle.
This time it was spelled out to us in a big way.
To even the dimmest, the most cynical – to all of us, to the world.
Yes.

Read the full letter here.

I too think that John would be very happy right now, don’t you?

Nov

10

Feminists Need to Stop Being So Mean And Have Sex with This Guy

Filed Under assholes, feminism, objectification, patriarchy, sex and sexuality | 35 Comments

I just read this AlterNet article about a phenomenon of which most feminist are aware: the use of evolutionary psychology to excuse offensive mainstream male sexual attitudes towards women.  It’s a pretty good article, but that’s not what I want to draw your attention to.  I want to draw your attention to this comment by poor Eat Politicians, who attended women’s studies classes in college only to somehow not get his brains fucked out as a thanks for his very noble efforts.

interesting that these guyland people are the ones getting laid.

I would like to see a survey of how much sex frat boy jocks receive versus schmucks such as myself that wasted our time going to feminist philosophy classes and trying to be respectful and understanding while constantly being talk down to in class for even trying. While Quarterback Jack spent his evenings piling driving 6 chics back in his cock-cave.

Riddle me that batwomen.

Yeah feminists, he wasted his time showing you how much he respects your rights and the fact that you have feelings and desires outside of a male-centered worldview, now spread your legs, goddammit.  He’s not even asking for a cookie — all he wants is for you to get in his line of anonymous women outside of his cock-cave so that he can pile drive you.  Is that so much to ask for?  Really, I can’t even begin to imagine why you might have directed harsh words towards this clearly enlightened and upstanding fellow.

Nov

8

Top 5 John Lennon Vocals

Filed Under Gratuitous Beatles Blogging, fun, pop culture | 16 Comments

Those of us who are big Lennon fans will know the great tragedy that is Lennon’s seemingly eternal dislike of his own voice.  Dozens if not hundreds of stories abound of Lennon finding new and unusual ways to make his voice sound different on Beatles’ recordings (including a request to be strung upside down from the ceiling and pushed around in a circle with a microphone in the center for Tomorrow Never Knows) because he just didn’t like it’s natural results.  Seeing as how his voice affects me like no other, it’s a huge shame.

Of course, John’s obsession is what lead so much of the great innovation for which the Beatles are responsible and certainly kept poor George Martin on his toes.  But for all of the great recordings they produced with these kind of effects (Strawberry Fields Forever, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, etc.), something was often lost of the raw beauty that was Lennon’s natural voice — something which I think these five songs really capture.

1. Stand By Me

Astute readers will remember how I’ve said previously that it’s an impossible toss-up for me between Stand By Me and A Day In The Life regarding which is the best Lennon vocal. I think I’ve settled lately. When I started listening to the song this morning, I also started tearing up. This song does that to me so often. And then, when paired with video of John and Yoko — which also makes me tear up — just wow. I remember reading once, but I don’t remember where, someone describing Lennon’s vocals on this song as “pleading.” I think it’s the perfect adjective. If you listen to nothing else here, do yourself a favor and listen to this one

Read more

Nov

7

And This is Why I’m Glad I’ve Never Voted for Ralph Nader

Filed Under 2008 election, Barack Obama, assholes, bigotry, discrimination, politics, race and racism | 17 Comments

Because even Fox News is smart enough to call him out on being an ignorant, racist ass for saying Barack Obama is an “Uncle Tom.”

For more, see Bint. And hey Nader? Fuck you.

Nov

7

Spitzer Will Not Be Charged

Filed Under Democrats, assholes, misogyny, patriarchy, politics, sex and sexuality, sex work | 17 Comments

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer will not be charged in connection with his involvement as a customer with a prostitution ring. I’m shocked.  Aren’t you shocked?

“After a thorough investigation, this office has uncovered no evidence of misuse of public or campaign funds,” U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement.

The attorney’s office also said it found no illicit activity related to Spitzer’s withdrawal of funds for, and his payments to, the Emperors Club VIP, which authorities have said was a prostitution ring.

“In light of the policy of the Department of Justice with respect to prostitution offenses and the longstanding practice of this office, as well as Mr. Spitzer’s acceptance of responsibility for his conduct, we have concluded that the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter,” Garcia said.

Right, because that’s how we often treat the women who work as prostitutes, isn’t it?  They accept “responsibility” and law enforcement decides to just let it go, because how does it serve the public interest to prosecute women and humiliate them openly in a society that condemns their work, especially when they’re very often only doing the job because they’re desperate for money, or have even been forced or coerced?

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