11.01.2003
lots about porn in the blogosphere lately
In my final semester in the philosophy program at State I wrote a term paper on pornography. I'd always been uneasy about it. As a liberal I thought it should be protected by free speech. As a feminist I felt that it is too derogatory and should not be allowed. Welcome to the works of Catherine MacKinnon. Her books and articles deal joining these two opposing viewpoints, and her conclusion is that pornography should not be allowed.
Today there are two articles dealing with pornography:
One about women who view porn.
Another about viewing porn vs. being with a real person.
I find it interesting that this is the one topic that I pretty much agree with the right on.
In my final semester in the philosophy program at State I wrote a term paper on pornography. I'd always been uneasy about it. As a liberal I thought it should be protected by free speech. As a feminist I felt that it is too derogatory and should not be allowed. Welcome to the works of Catherine MacKinnon. Her books and articles deal joining these two opposing viewpoints, and her conclusion is that pornography should not be allowed.
Today there are two articles dealing with pornography:
One about women who view porn.
Another about viewing porn vs. being with a real person.
I find it interesting that this is the one topic that I pretty much agree with the right on.
other democrat presidential candidates
I'm a big Dean supporter, but I liked this story on Gephardt.
I'm a big Dean supporter, but I liked this story on Gephardt.
10.31.2003
great minds think alike
Just in from the Political Wire: Moby and Move On have paired up on a new campaign. It's a political advertising contest called Bush in 30 Seconds. "You don't have to be formally trained in the art of filmmaking, just ready, willing and able to create an ad that tells the truth about George Bush." There is also an impressive list of celebrity judges that will choose the winner.
Just in from the Political Wire: Moby and Move On have paired up on a new campaign. It's a political advertising contest called Bush in 30 Seconds. "You don't have to be formally trained in the art of filmmaking, just ready, willing and able to create an ad that tells the truth about George Bush." There is also an impressive list of celebrity judges that will choose the winner.
feminism & religious freedom
Both are liberal stances, so it would seem the two camps could get along. Amitai Etzioni's blog had an entry today: And we thought prayer in public schools was a problem--
"A number of German states have recently passed laws outlawing Islamic headscarves. These laws are a reaction to a recent high court decision which held that a teacher could not be discriminated against because she wore one. (German feminists have led the charge against these headscarves, arguing that they blur the line between church and state.)
"....Opponents of the scarves in France have argued that allowing them in school is a way of condoning inequality between men and women."
This almost seems to be an attempt to pit two liberal groups against one another. It also speaks to the problem with Women's Studies. The typical US university women's studies curriculum has traditionally focused on what it's like to be a white, middle class, christian, mainstream woman. (There is work to fix this.)
I think that as long as women are not being forced, either against their will or coerced, then we really need to consider what it is we're asking them to give up. This is not an abuse of women. It's not condoning inequality between men and women any more than skirts do. It's rather ethnocentric to believe that the government of a primarily non-islamic nation could impose what they consider "normal" on these women. & most of all, I'm scared this mentality might come here.
Both are liberal stances, so it would seem the two camps could get along. Amitai Etzioni's blog had an entry today: And we thought prayer in public schools was a problem--
"A number of German states have recently passed laws outlawing Islamic headscarves. These laws are a reaction to a recent high court decision which held that a teacher could not be discriminated against because she wore one. (German feminists have led the charge against these headscarves, arguing that they blur the line between church and state.)
"....Opponents of the scarves in France have argued that allowing them in school is a way of condoning inequality between men and women."
This almost seems to be an attempt to pit two liberal groups against one another. It also speaks to the problem with Women's Studies. The typical US university women's studies curriculum has traditionally focused on what it's like to be a white, middle class, christian, mainstream woman. (There is work to fix this.)
I think that as long as women are not being forced, either against their will or coerced, then we really need to consider what it is we're asking them to give up. This is not an abuse of women. It's not condoning inequality between men and women any more than skirts do. It's rather ethnocentric to believe that the government of a primarily non-islamic nation could impose what they consider "normal" on these women. & most of all, I'm scared this mentality might come here.
democrat presidents
I love that Carter continued to be an activist after his presidency. I have considered him to be an important role model since around the third grade (when I realized what he was up to). Now Clinton is following his lead, and creating a proud tradition for former-democrat- presidents.
Clinton made a deal with four generic drug companies to slash the price of treating AIDS victims in the developing world nearly in half. Costs are being cut from raw materials to packaging. This certainly seems to be a more effective plan than Mr. Bush's.
I love that Carter continued to be an activist after his presidency. I have considered him to be an important role model since around the third grade (when I realized what he was up to). Now Clinton is following his lead, and creating a proud tradition for former-democrat- presidents.
Clinton made a deal with four generic drug companies to slash the price of treating AIDS victims in the developing world nearly in half. Costs are being cut from raw materials to packaging. This certainly seems to be a more effective plan than Mr. Bush's.
religion in america
Reading & Writing featured a neat piece on religion in America:
"Perhaps the most important source of the new (and not so new) American radicalism is what used to be viewed as a source of conservative values: namely, religion. Many commentators have noted that perhaps the biggest difference between the United States and most European countries (old as well as new according to current American distinction) is that in the United States religion still plays a central role in society and public language. But this is religion American style: more the idea of religion than religion itself.
"True, when, during George Bush's run for president in 2000, a journalist was inspired to ask the candidate to name his "favorite philosopher," the well-received answer --- one that would make a candidate for high office from any centrist party here in any European country a laughing stock --- was "Jesus Christ." But, of course, Bush didn't mean, and was not understood to mean, that, if elected, his administration would actually feel bound by any of the precepts or social programs expounded by Jesus."
I liked reading this entry... it's interesting to me, when I think of radical behavior & thoughts of my friends, I think of an almost anti-religious behavior... I would not have thought that religion traditionally created that space for activists.
It's also interesting to me that the writer talks about how religion is infused in society and language but later in the entry (I didn't cut and paste this part) she says that in America one doesn't need to be christian, but just to have a religion. I partially agree with this. It's true, it's very hard to be an American without identifying with a religion.... for a long time I struggled with this. I eventually identified with the Unitarian Universalists and now I don't face quite the hostility I did... but my set of beliefs is not infused in the American culture and language. I can't imagine how hard it would be to identify with an opposing religious tradition like paganism or buddhism. (Not that paganism or buddhism are diametrically opposed to christianity, but their values are not consistent with materialistic, capitalist, American values.)
Reading & Writing featured a neat piece on religion in America:
"Perhaps the most important source of the new (and not so new) American radicalism is what used to be viewed as a source of conservative values: namely, religion. Many commentators have noted that perhaps the biggest difference between the United States and most European countries (old as well as new according to current American distinction) is that in the United States religion still plays a central role in society and public language. But this is religion American style: more the idea of religion than religion itself.
"True, when, during George Bush's run for president in 2000, a journalist was inspired to ask the candidate to name his "favorite philosopher," the well-received answer --- one that would make a candidate for high office from any centrist party here in any European country a laughing stock --- was "Jesus Christ." But, of course, Bush didn't mean, and was not understood to mean, that, if elected, his administration would actually feel bound by any of the precepts or social programs expounded by Jesus."
I liked reading this entry... it's interesting to me, when I think of radical behavior & thoughts of my friends, I think of an almost anti-religious behavior... I would not have thought that religion traditionally created that space for activists.
It's also interesting to me that the writer talks about how religion is infused in society and language but later in the entry (I didn't cut and paste this part) she says that in America one doesn't need to be christian, but just to have a religion. I partially agree with this. It's true, it's very hard to be an American without identifying with a religion.... for a long time I struggled with this. I eventually identified with the Unitarian Universalists and now I don't face quite the hostility I did... but my set of beliefs is not infused in the American culture and language. I can't imagine how hard it would be to identify with an opposing religious tradition like paganism or buddhism. (Not that paganism or buddhism are diametrically opposed to christianity, but their values are not consistent with materialistic, capitalist, American values.)
speaking of Fox News...
NEW YORK (AFP) - Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel threatened to sue the makers of "The Simpsons" over a parody of the channel's right-wing political stance, the creator of the hit US television show has claimed. Wow, they're sue happy!
Fox News denies this, but based on their track record, I trust Matt Groening.
NEW YORK (AFP) - Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel threatened to sue the makers of "The Simpsons" over a parody of the channel's right-wing political stance, the creator of the hit US television show has claimed. Wow, they're sue happy!
Fox News denies this, but based on their track record, I trust Matt Groening.
stop with your mind control, already!
The Chutry Experiment ran an entry called "Fair and Balanced Education" yesterday. Apparently Senate Republicans held a hearing on "liberal" universities and Georgia Republican Congressman Jack Kingston introduced a bill stating that colleges and universities are too liberal, and at issue was the fact that "universities intimidate students and faculty into liberal ways of thinking."
How far is this going to go before the public gets fed up? Yeah, yeah, this is just a hearing and bill, but it still has the quality of an attempt to police thought by conservative politicians and lobbyists.
More and more recently I've been reading blogs that discuss the "biased" education people get at universities. I just don't get it. My education was certainly not all that liberal. My liberal classes were in Women's Studies, but hardly anywhere else. I had several conservative courses, as well.
Yeah, universities have the reputation for being liberal, but there is a strong conservative presence as well. I think that this outcry & the public's response is similar to how Fox News is being advertised as being "fair and balanced," so people believe that it is (even though there's plenty of evidence it's not).
The Chutry Experiment ran an entry called "Fair and Balanced Education" yesterday. Apparently Senate Republicans held a hearing on "liberal" universities and Georgia Republican Congressman Jack Kingston introduced a bill stating that colleges and universities are too liberal, and at issue was the fact that "universities intimidate students and faculty into liberal ways of thinking."
How far is this going to go before the public gets fed up? Yeah, yeah, this is just a hearing and bill, but it still has the quality of an attempt to police thought by conservative politicians and lobbyists.
More and more recently I've been reading blogs that discuss the "biased" education people get at universities. I just don't get it. My education was certainly not all that liberal. My liberal classes were in Women's Studies, but hardly anywhere else. I had several conservative courses, as well.
Yeah, universities have the reputation for being liberal, but there is a strong conservative presence as well. I think that this outcry & the public's response is similar to how Fox News is being advertised as being "fair and balanced," so people believe that it is (even though there's plenty of evidence it's not).
10.30.2003
10.29.2003
is dean a revolutionary?
Halavais is rockin' today! He has a fun chart comparing Dean's stances to revolutionaries' stances.
Halavais is rockin' today! He has a fun chart comparing Dean's stances to revolutionaries' stances.
10.28.2003
Dean's support spreading, beginning to show in the African American community
Jesse Jackson Jr. Throws His Support to Dean:
Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. Said Monday that he would soon endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination, telling a mostly black audience on the South Side of Chicago that Dr. Dean had "the best chance to be the next president of the United States."
Jackson also said:
"I'm not wasting my time with any more non-straight-talking candidates."
"I've seen him stand up for health care, I've seen him stand up for students. I've seen him stand up for ordinary Americans. I'm asking you to stand up for Howard Dean."
"I believe he is a man with great integrity."
Dean governed a nearly all-white state. For this reason he has been fighting to show that he can appeal to a wider group of voters than the highly educated white liberals whom polls show supporting him.
Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, another prominent African-American in Congress, escorted Dr. Dean to two black churches in Detroit on Sunday. Two other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Detroit and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, have expressed interest in Dr. Dean, his aides said.
Dean was also on BET nightly news on Monday as part of an ongoing series on the individuals hoping to occupy the White House.
Jesse Jackson Jr. Throws His Support to Dean:
Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. Said Monday that he would soon endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination, telling a mostly black audience on the South Side of Chicago that Dr. Dean had "the best chance to be the next president of the United States."
Jackson also said:
"I'm not wasting my time with any more non-straight-talking candidates."
"I've seen him stand up for health care, I've seen him stand up for students. I've seen him stand up for ordinary Americans. I'm asking you to stand up for Howard Dean."
"I believe he is a man with great integrity."
Dean governed a nearly all-white state. For this reason he has been fighting to show that he can appeal to a wider group of voters than the highly educated white liberals whom polls show supporting him.
Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, another prominent African-American in Congress, escorted Dr. Dean to two black churches in Detroit on Sunday. Two other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Detroit and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, have expressed interest in Dr. Dean, his aides said.
Dean was also on BET nightly news on Monday as part of an ongoing series on the individuals hoping to occupy the White House.
ahh, canada
I just like the first quote. It's true. I've even looked up how to become a citizen there (in case things get too scary here.)
I just like the first quote. It's true. I've even looked up how to become a citizen there (in case things get too scary here.)
duke's rockin' the feminist issues
Duke Pledges to Improve Environment for Women:
Our own Duke University President, Nannerl Keohane, has pledged to improve Duke's co-educational climate and make it more supportive for women. A year-long Women's Initiative tasked with evaluating the institution's environment for women reported that many female students felt pressure to attain "effortless perfection" while adhering to strict social norms. Undergraduate Kelly Quirk said unsupportive community attitudes toward women activists and rigid social standards caused her "to not want to be more vocal on controversial issues," the report stated. Other participants said they were discouraged by the low percentage of women faculty (below national average) and graduate programs unresponsive to the needs of diverse students, according to Duke News. Still, committee members warned that pressures to maintain standards of beauty while succeeding both professionally and personally are not new to the Duke but rather "reflects the broader culture of our society," reported the Chronicle.
Among the report's recommendations are: expansion of mentoring programs, the Women's Leadership Program, and career services and childcare, parental leave, and flexible work arrangements to make the university more accessible for female graduate students, faculty, and employees. Keohane, the university's first female president expressed hope that changes at Duke "might inspire people on other campuses who have been thinking about some of these issues to recognize that it can be done," the Chronicle reported.
These are issues that are on every campus. It's pretty documented that both women and men feel the pressures to be "perfect" by the media-induced standards, but that women feel it more because they are expected to be perfect as well as look perfect. If a woman chooses to be part of a family then she faces the professional perfection standard her partner does, but also perfect in domestic ways as well (even in egalitarian families, if the house isn't clean or the children aren't dressed correctly the public will question the woman).
I am glad that Duke is taking this step. It actually makes me more interested in going to NC State... if I go there then I can get a certificate in Women's Studies at Duke, which would be fantastic.
Duke Pledges to Improve Environment for Women:
Our own Duke University President, Nannerl Keohane, has pledged to improve Duke's co-educational climate and make it more supportive for women. A year-long Women's Initiative tasked with evaluating the institution's environment for women reported that many female students felt pressure to attain "effortless perfection" while adhering to strict social norms. Undergraduate Kelly Quirk said unsupportive community attitudes toward women activists and rigid social standards caused her "to not want to be more vocal on controversial issues," the report stated. Other participants said they were discouraged by the low percentage of women faculty (below national average) and graduate programs unresponsive to the needs of diverse students, according to Duke News. Still, committee members warned that pressures to maintain standards of beauty while succeeding both professionally and personally are not new to the Duke but rather "reflects the broader culture of our society," reported the Chronicle.
Among the report's recommendations are: expansion of mentoring programs, the Women's Leadership Program, and career services and childcare, parental leave, and flexible work arrangements to make the university more accessible for female graduate students, faculty, and employees. Keohane, the university's first female president expressed hope that changes at Duke "might inspire people on other campuses who have been thinking about some of these issues to recognize that it can be done," the Chronicle reported.
These are issues that are on every campus. It's pretty documented that both women and men feel the pressures to be "perfect" by the media-induced standards, but that women feel it more because they are expected to be perfect as well as look perfect. If a woman chooses to be part of a family then she faces the professional perfection standard her partner does, but also perfect in domestic ways as well (even in egalitarian families, if the house isn't clean or the children aren't dressed correctly the public will question the woman).
I am glad that Duke is taking this step. It actually makes me more interested in going to NC State... if I go there then I can get a certificate in Women's Studies at Duke, which would be fantastic.
i wanna join the anti-empire drive!"
Diverse Group Of Scholars And Analysts From Across The Political Spectrum Launch Anti-Empire Drive:
The group evidently announced its formation Thursday and has been reported favorably thru CNSNews, a rightwing group. Since the conservative group did not report negatively it leads one to think that this new group has credibility with all sides of the spectrum. They hope to spearhead opposition to the imperial policies pursued by the administration of Mr. Bush. Leaders of the 'Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy' charged that the administration is moving "in a dangerous direction toward empire," an idea that they said has never been embraced by the U.S. public.
The group will hold a series of policy forums and conferences around the country, publish papers and articles, and represent an anti-imperial viewpoint on television and radio, media that, since the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, have been largely dominated by pro-imperial or pro-war voices.
They say "We are a diverse group of scholars and analysts from across the political spectrum who believe that the move toward empire must be halted immediately," says the coalition's charter statement, signed by 44 foreign-policy specialists. "We are united by our desire to turn American national security policy toward realistic and sustainable measures for protecting U.S. vital interests in a manner that is consistent with American values," it added.
Prominent right-wing signers:
Doug Bandow, a special assistant to former president Ronald Reagan
Scott McConnell, chief editor of The American Conservative magazine
Alan Tonelson of the U.S. Business & Industrial Council Educational Foundation
More centrist position signers:
Steven Clemons of the New America Foundation
Gary Hart, former senator
Stephen Walk, Harvard international relations professor
More left-wing signers:
Charles Kupchan, an aide to former president Bill Clinton now with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Kenneth Sharpe, a prominent foreign-policy analyst from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia
Diverse Group Of Scholars And Analysts From Across The Political Spectrum Launch Anti-Empire Drive:
The group evidently announced its formation Thursday and has been reported favorably thru CNSNews, a rightwing group. Since the conservative group did not report negatively it leads one to think that this new group has credibility with all sides of the spectrum. They hope to spearhead opposition to the imperial policies pursued by the administration of Mr. Bush. Leaders of the 'Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy' charged that the administration is moving "in a dangerous direction toward empire," an idea that they said has never been embraced by the U.S. public.
The group will hold a series of policy forums and conferences around the country, publish papers and articles, and represent an anti-imperial viewpoint on television and radio, media that, since the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, have been largely dominated by pro-imperial or pro-war voices.
They say "We are a diverse group of scholars and analysts from across the political spectrum who believe that the move toward empire must be halted immediately," says the coalition's charter statement, signed by 44 foreign-policy specialists. "We are united by our desire to turn American national security policy toward realistic and sustainable measures for protecting U.S. vital interests in a manner that is consistent with American values," it added.
Prominent right-wing signers:
Doug Bandow, a special assistant to former president Ronald Reagan
Scott McConnell, chief editor of The American Conservative magazine
Alan Tonelson of the U.S. Business & Industrial Council Educational Foundation
More centrist position signers:
Steven Clemons of the New America Foundation
Gary Hart, former senator
Stephen Walk, Harvard international relations professor
More left-wing signers:
Charles Kupchan, an aide to former president Bill Clinton now with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Kenneth Sharpe, a prominent foreign-policy analyst from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia
more liberal talk radio!
First Al Gore's "more liberal station, now this.
The dems are planning a progressive radio show:"With the help of Democratic lawmakers, a progressive radio outfit plans to launch a national talk show in January, the first step by a liberal organization to gain a presence in a medium dominated by conservatives in recent years," Roll Call's Mark Preston reports.
"Democratic leaders and staff have been intricately involved in the project," and Members of Congress "are being enlisted to help raise money to pay for it."
(It's about time, I'm glad that after Gore laid off the liberal label, someone else took on the charge.
First Al Gore's "more liberal station, now this.
The dems are planning a progressive radio show:"With the help of Democratic lawmakers, a progressive radio outfit plans to launch a national talk show in January, the first step by a liberal organization to gain a presence in a medium dominated by conservatives in recent years," Roll Call's Mark Preston reports.
"Democratic leaders and staff have been intricately involved in the project," and Members of Congress "are being enlisted to help raise money to pay for it."
(It's about time, I'm glad that after Gore laid off the liberal label, someone else took on the charge.
maybe she was right about the vast right-wing conspiracy...
The political wire says that the GOP is aiming for Clinton. "While their primary goal is to defeat Clinton and end her political career, Republicans are also eager to at least knock her off stride and bleed her campaign of funds that could otherwise give her a ready-made 2008 presidential account."
The political wire says that the GOP is aiming for Clinton. "While their primary goal is to defeat Clinton and end her political career, Republicans are also eager to at least knock her off stride and bleed her campaign of funds that could otherwise give her a ready-made 2008 presidential account."
another far right nominee... bush loves trying to pack the courts with ultra conservatives
Pretty much directly from the Feminist Majority Foundation:
On October 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of ultra-conservative Judge Janice Rogers Brown to the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Brown is a conservative ideologue with a far-right legal philosophy that she regularly exhibits in her opinions and speeches. Her confirmation would endanger women’s rights and civil rights.
Brown’s history shows a deep hostility to abortion rights. In her speeches, she mocks the modern judicial theory that lead to the right to privacy and overruled bans on birth control and abortion. She voted in favor of California’s parental consent statute.
Brown’s views on civil rights are equally frightening. She voted against a ruling that would stop racially discriminatory speech in a work place because, she wrote, racist remarks at work are protected by the First Amendment.
Brown's nomination continues the trend of the administration selecting far-right nominees for the federal judiciary. Her nomination is especially disturbing because it is to the DC Court of Appeals, a court that that rules on the legality of many government regulations and is considered the training ground for Supreme Court justices.
Brown’s nomination is opposed by a wide coalition of groups including the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, the National Bar Association, women’s rights groups, environmental organizations, unions, disability rights groups and seniors’ rights groups.
Speak out here.
Pretty much directly from the Feminist Majority Foundation:
On October 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of ultra-conservative Judge Janice Rogers Brown to the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Brown is a conservative ideologue with a far-right legal philosophy that she regularly exhibits in her opinions and speeches. Her confirmation would endanger women’s rights and civil rights.
Brown’s history shows a deep hostility to abortion rights. In her speeches, she mocks the modern judicial theory that lead to the right to privacy and overruled bans on birth control and abortion. She voted in favor of California’s parental consent statute.
Brown’s views on civil rights are equally frightening. She voted against a ruling that would stop racially discriminatory speech in a work place because, she wrote, racist remarks at work are protected by the First Amendment.
Brown's nomination continues the trend of the administration selecting far-right nominees for the federal judiciary. Her nomination is especially disturbing because it is to the DC Court of Appeals, a court that that rules on the legality of many government regulations and is considered the training ground for Supreme Court justices.
Brown’s nomination is opposed by a wide coalition of groups including the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, the National Bar Association, women’s rights groups, environmental organizations, unions, disability rights groups and seniors’ rights groups.
Speak out here.
first they wanted to take overtime... now they want to take medicare, too?
Speak out against this attempt of the right! If this goes through millions of people will be saddled with even higher drug costs, and the Medicare system that has been such a success for our nation's families will be terminally undercut.
Speak out against this attempt of the right! If this goes through millions of people will be saddled with even higher drug costs, and the Medicare system that has been such a success for our nation's families will be terminally undercut.
10.27.2003
Gender Vertigo
The other book I've just finished is Barbara J. Risman's Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition. Her book is an academic call to action, examining marriages and children in egalitarian households or "fair families." She starts with the assumption-that I share- that gender is a social construct that we grow to fit into. When there is a manifested difference stratification occurs, and inequality is sure to follow. To stop gender stratification Risman suggests we need to move towards a genderless society. One that allows women to be in high powered careers as well as mothers. One that allows men to father as well as practice high powered careers.
Risman borrowed the term "Gender Vertigo" from Connell's Masculinities: Knowledge, Power, and Social Change. This describes the uneasiness when people don't fit into their gender stereotypes. This describes the world that the egalitarian families are living in. Risman says that it may be a frightening step to take, but after we are used to not being restricted by the stratification that different genders we can take a step towards a truly just world.
The other book I've just finished is Barbara J. Risman's Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition. Her book is an academic call to action, examining marriages and children in egalitarian households or "fair families." She starts with the assumption-that I share- that gender is a social construct that we grow to fit into. When there is a manifested difference stratification occurs, and inequality is sure to follow. To stop gender stratification Risman suggests we need to move towards a genderless society. One that allows women to be in high powered careers as well as mothers. One that allows men to father as well as practice high powered careers.
Risman borrowed the term "Gender Vertigo" from Connell's Masculinities: Knowledge, Power, and Social Change. This describes the uneasiness when people don't fit into their gender stereotypes. This describes the world that the egalitarian families are living in. Risman says that it may be a frightening step to take, but after we are used to not being restricted by the stratification that different genders we can take a step towards a truly just world.
do they hear you when you cry
I just finished Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir's Do They Hear You When You Cry. It's a hard book to read due to the horrific situations Kassindja lived through, but it's an important one.
Kassindja lived an idyllic life as a child in Togo. She didn't realize it at the time, but she was really lucky because her parents were not as traditional as others in her culture. Though her father was the undisputed head of the household, she and her sisters were educated and spared of the cultural practice of kakia (known in America as Female Genital Mutilation). Her father passed away while she was still a teen and she came into the custody of her much more traditional uncle. Her mother was kicked out of her house, Kassindja was taken out of school, and she was promised to a man who already had three wives.
She would be the last wife and the youngest-- thirty years younger than her husband. In this position she would have to do anything her husband or his other wives would ask. Before being taken into the household she would need to be "clean," or go through kakia. Everything about this situation horrified her, and she knew she would need to leave.
Luckily, her mother and eldest sisters were able to sneak her out of the country. She went to Germany and learned she could get asylum in America. The rest of the text focuses on the legal battles from her perspective.
It's a powerful read, and an important one. It shows Americans the problems within our own system. It also is an important women's studies text that sheds light on issues of race, class, ethnicity, and religious differences.
I just finished Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir's Do They Hear You When You Cry. It's a hard book to read due to the horrific situations Kassindja lived through, but it's an important one.
Kassindja lived an idyllic life as a child in Togo. She didn't realize it at the time, but she was really lucky because her parents were not as traditional as others in her culture. Though her father was the undisputed head of the household, she and her sisters were educated and spared of the cultural practice of kakia (known in America as Female Genital Mutilation). Her father passed away while she was still a teen and she came into the custody of her much more traditional uncle. Her mother was kicked out of her house, Kassindja was taken out of school, and she was promised to a man who already had three wives.
She would be the last wife and the youngest-- thirty years younger than her husband. In this position she would have to do anything her husband or his other wives would ask. Before being taken into the household she would need to be "clean," or go through kakia. Everything about this situation horrified her, and she knew she would need to leave.
Luckily, her mother and eldest sisters were able to sneak her out of the country. She went to Germany and learned she could get asylum in America. The rest of the text focuses on the legal battles from her perspective.
It's a powerful read, and an important one. It shows Americans the problems within our own system. It also is an important women's studies text that sheds light on issues of race, class, ethnicity, and religious differences.
what did we do before the internet?
My computer can't seem to connect to the internet again, so I'm spending time reading, applying for jobs that I already knew about, and reading some more. In fact, I've just finished two fantastic books: Do They Hear You When You Cry and Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition. Instead of posting about the websites I've been reading, I though I'd post about what books I've been plowing through:
My computer can't seem to connect to the internet again, so I'm spending time reading, applying for jobs that I already knew about, and reading some more. In fact, I've just finished two fantastic books: Do They Hear You When You Cry and Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition. Instead of posting about the websites I've been reading, I though I'd post about what books I've been plowing through:
