Feb

16

Rape: the sinister blame game

Filed Under blogging, personal and self-promotion, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 2 Comments

A new UK study shows that most people still blame rape victims at least some of the time — and women are even more likely to victim-blame than men. I offer my analysis on these findings in my first ever piece for the Guardian.

A new survey by the Havens service for rape victims shows that most respondents blamed rape victims for their assailants’ assaults at least some of the time. In particular, well over half said that victims should take responsibility if they climbed into bed with someone who went on to rape them. While the widespread notion that getting into bed with another person equals consent to any and all sexual activities is certainly worthy of discussion and dismantling, the headlines are focusing on a different matter altogether – that more women than men held victims responsible.

This news will likely come as a shock to most. Some will inevitably use it to claim that if women blame victims in such large numbers – even though women constitute the vast majority of victims – victim-blaming can’t be too off-base after all. Others will use it to hold women primarily culpable for societal attitudes regarding sexual violence, and in doing so shift the focus off men. As far as revelations go, this one is disappointing – but it shouldn’t be considered particularly surprising.

Check out the full piece here.

Jan

8

One Million

Filed Under blogging, personal and self-promotion | 12 Comments

one millionI’m proud and honored to announce that this past Sunday, January 3rd, The Curvature hit its 1,000,000th visitor since its humble beginnings two and a half years ago.

So, I wanted to take this moment to thank all of the readers, commenters, people who send in tips, and especially all of the other feminist-type bloggers who have provided such great support and community over the years. You’re all amazing.

I’m also aware that I’ve been blogging an awful lot less these past few months than in the past. Rest assured, I’m working on changing that. This dusty old blog theme is also in desperate need of replacement, so in the next few months, you can hope to see a new design, and hey, even maybe a new logo, coming your way. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get a guest-post or two.

Thanks again, and here’s to hoping for a million more.

Oct

10

Discussion on Rape Culture on Womanist Musings Blogtalk Radio Podcast

Filed Under blogging, personal and self-promotion, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 3 Comments

podcast

Tomorrow, Sunday, October 11 at 8pm EST, I’ll be on the Womanist Musings Blogtalk Radio show. Melissa McEwan from Shakesville and I will be discussing rape culture, as well as the Roman Polanski case, with Renee Martin and her podcast co-host Monica Roberts from Transgriot.

I’m not quite entirely sure at the moment what I’ll have to say on the subject — let alone in the awesome company of Liss, Renee and Monica — but with any luck I’ll come up with something. You can go to the podcast page to tune in live — and even call in to chat with us — or wait until it’s over and listen on demand. I’m really excited to be taking part, and I hope you’ll check it out!

Aug

3

50 Books for Problematic Times

Filed Under blogging, books, feminism, media, personal and self-promotion | 3 Comments

About a month ago, Newsweek released a list of “50 Books For Our Times” — 50 books that open a window to the modern world in which we live. RMJ at Deeply Problematic reviewed this list, and noticed that, apparently, the modern world is remarkably white, male and straight. The writers on this list were, in fact: 84% white, 78% male, 96% straight, 66% both white and male, and 98% either white or male.

Not very “modern,” eh?

In response, RMJ decided to compile a list of 50 Books for Problematic Times, “a list of 50 writers who shed light on society as it is today (its virtues and its flaws) without the benefit of bodies that fit into the canon,” and solicited list entries from readers of the blog and various feminist writers.

The series kicks off today, and I get the honor of having my selection go first. It’s a little bit out of the box for what you might expect from the list, though regular readers wouldn’t consider it out of the box at all with regards to what they might expect from me. After all, it’s a book written by my absolute favorite lady, Yoko Ono. Check it out.

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the series over at Deeply Problematic. One list entry will be posted per day, and I’m excited to see what the other choices are!

Jul

31

Birthday

Filed Under Gratuitous Beatles Blogging, fun, personal and self-promotion | 8 Comments

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip


For The Beatles: Rock Band fans.

How my husband got this video, let alone on my birthday, I do not know.

But he did, and it is.

ETA: There are three more The Beatles: Rock Band videos up at VH1. Check them out.

Jun

5

Who Was Dr. George Tiller?

Filed Under abortion, anti-choice extremism, personal and self-promotion, reproductive justice, women’s health | 3 Comments

I have a post (my first!) up at Global Comment. It’s about Dr. George Tiller . . . a subject I’ve been silent on here since his death (though I did write a bit at Feministe).  A taste:

Any doctor who chooses to provide abortions in America, where there is a pervasive and largely accepted climate of harassment and intimidation against those who do, is undoubtedly an immensely courageous person. Dr. George Tiller, murdered by an anti-choice assassin in his church this past Sunday, was in a league of bravery very much his own.

Dr. Tiller was famous for many years prior to his assassination, thanks not to a desire for the spotlight, but to his commitment to performing late abortions in the highly conservative and religious Bible Belt.

Extremist anti-choice activists responded by loudly and publicly dubbing him “Tiller the Killer.” Dr. Tiller aborted babies on their due dates! – they yelled. He performs these horrible abortions for any reason at all. He’s breaking the law. He’s in it for the money.

Since his death, you’ll have heard these assertions repeated over and over again, in the same breath that anti-choice leaders use to supposedly denounce his murder. But the true Dr. Tiller was a decidedly different man from the bogeyman anti-choicers portray.

Finish reading here.

Apr

18

Blogiversary

Filed Under blog news, blogging, personal and self-promotion | 19 Comments

Today, April 18, 2009, is the two year anniversary of The Curvature. And coincidentally, the post after this one will also be my 1,000th post.

Wow. Two years. One thousand posts. I’m not in a hugely philosophical or reflective mood, so I will simply say: that’s a lot of feminism, ranting and random Beatles stuff.

Those two years have been a lot of things. Busy, fruitful, stressful, exciting, infuriating, painful, joyful, sobering and rocky. After all, establishing oneself as the Feminist Beatles Fan Extraordinaire (FBFE for short, of course) may be worth it, but that doesn’t make it easy!

So, I just want to take a quick moment to say a big thank you to all of you who read. And especially those who have shown your immense support for my writing and/or for me personally, and also those who have at some point given me a much-needed smack upside the head. You all rock, every last one of you.

Feb

20

Yes Means Yes LiveChat at Feministe

Filed Under blogging, books, feminism, personal and self-promotion | Leave a Comment

I will be participating in a livechat today at Feministe at 3PM EST to discuss the anthology about sexual violence called Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape.

The chat will be moderated by Feministe blogger Rachel, and also feature YMY contributors Toni Amato, Hanne Blank, Heather Corrina, and Kate Harding.  There will also be a second livechat at 6PM, the details of which you can check out here.

To follow along with the chat, just head over to the blog at the time and there will be a post up.  (You will also be able to replay the chat once it’s finished.)  We probably won’t be able to take your comments at the time of the chat, but we do do also want your questions so ask now before it’s too late!

There are so many great people taking part, and I’m really excited about it.  Hope to see you there!

Feb

2

Reminder: Yes Means Yes Live Chat at Feministing

Filed Under blogging, personal and self-promotion | Leave a Comment

Just a quick reminder that at 3PM EST today, I’ll be live-chatting with Jessica Valenti, Jaclyn Friedman, Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Miriam Perez about Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape.  All you have to do to participate or read along is head over to Feministing at that time.  I hope that I see some of you there . . . and that I don’t say anything incredibly stupid!

UPDATE: Watch the replay here.

Jan

31

Yes Means Yes Live Chat

Filed Under blogging, books, personal and self-promotion, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | Leave a Comment

On Monday February 2, I will be participating in a live-chat on Feministing with Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti, the editors of Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power & a World Without Rape.  Also participating are Feministing bloggers and fellow Yes Means Yes contributors Samhita Mukhopadhyay and Miriam Perez.

Did I never officially mention on the blog that I am a contributor to Yes Means Yes?  Yeah, that’d be my bad.  But I am!  And we can attribute the failure to make an official announcement to my forgetfulness and an unusual sense of modesty temporarily cropping up, rather than any lack of enthusiasm about the book itself.  I’m thrilled to be in the book — it’s the first time I’ve ever been been “really” published in print — and think that it’s an absolutely wonderful anthology.  I’m also glad to have been asked to partake in the live-chat over at Feministing, the first stop on its 20 day long blog tour, and look forward to it.

The live-chat is at 3PM EST on Monday, February 2. I hope you’ll join us — and maybe toss out a question for me to answer, too!

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