stereotypes

Study: Too Many Fat Women Don’t Even Know They’re Fat

by Cara November 23, 2010

So there’s a fascinating new study out about how women perceive their weight, with the results being that a significant proportion of women who were deemed “overweight” by the BMI did not view themselves as such. Cue the body-shaming, junk reporting, and photographs of fat1 people with their heads cut off. In the most neutral [...]

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Man With Mental Disability Sentenced to 100 Years for Sexual Assault

by Cara June 15, 2009

Recently, an 18-year-old man was convicted of sexually assaulting a six-year-old boy. Terrible story, surely, but one that is unfortunately not particularly unusual.  That is, until you hear that the perpetrator has a mental disability.  And that he received a 100 year sentence. Attorneys and advocates are questioning why an 18-year-old East Texan with profound [...]

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British Prosecutors to Challenge Rape Myths in Court

by Cara April 21, 2009

I am seriously a month behind on this story out of Britain, but the news is interesting enough that I still think it’s worth our time to take a look at. It has apparently been made an official part of policy in rape cases for prosecutors to “robustly challenge” rape myths in court: Prosecutors have [...]

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City Councilman Promoted Violent Anti-Immigrant Video Game

by Cara April 18, 2009

I just came across a post at Sociological Images about an outrageously racist flash video game called Border Patrol.  They note that in the game, “you try to keep three types of Mexicans from crossing the border: drug dealers, Mexican nationalists, and ‘breeders.’”  Video game site Kotaku — which thankfully also calls the video game [...]

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Things That Pain Me

by Cara April 6, 2009

Seeing Yoko Ono appear on mainstream American television, appear not to discuss John Lennon but to talk about her own artwork, and even better being treated respectfully by the hosts of said television show . . . only to have her use that time to reinforce dangerous and pervasive myths about disability.  Indeed, knowing that [...]

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Remedial Lessons in Respectful Language

by Cara February 17, 2009

From a Topeka Capital-Journal article about a new bill in Kansas that would extend anti-discrimination laws to apply to both sexual orientation and gender identity: The Kansas Act Against Discrimination bans discrimination involving public accommodations, housing and employment based on race, religion, ancestry, sex, color, disability and national origin. Opponents of Senate Bill 169 testified [...]

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Yoko Ono on Yoko-Hate

by Cara January 17, 2009

Yoko Ono has publicly spoken in the past about the hatred directed at her, but I felt particularly compelled to post these brand new comments from an interview given to the Standford News Service.  The interviewer asks some very direct questions about the treatment she received from the public, and they tie in very nicely [...]

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Because the “Not in My Shower” Campaign Worked So Well

by Cara January 13, 2009

You may remember the transphobic “Not in My Shower” campaign in Maryland, which aimed to repeal a measure that allowed transgender individuals to use whichever bathroom they were most comfortable with, by connecting transgender people to perversion, pedophilia, and other sexual violence.  The campaign failed in court, and the equal protection law stayed in tact.  [...]

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Jerry Lewis To Be Presented With Humanitarian Award

by Cara January 12, 2009

Jerry Lewis, a veteran comedian and host of the annual Labor Day telethon that raises money for research into cures for muscular dystrophy, is scheduled to be honored with a special award at this year’s Oscar ceremony.  It’s called the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and is intended to honor those who make great charitable contributions.  [...]

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Nixzmary Brown’s Mother Sentenced to Longer Term than Girl’s Actual Killer

by Cara November 21, 2008

I have previously written about the horrific crime that was Nixzmary Brown’s murder.  Her killer and stepfather Cesar Rodriguez got the maximum sentence of 26 1/3 to 29 years in prison for the crime of which he was accused, manslaughter of the seven-year-old girl. Now Nixzmary’s mother Nixzaliz Santiago has also been sentenced in the [...]

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