nonprofit finance for hard times

Nonprofit Finance for Hard Times by Susan U Raymond is the second book I've reviewed for the Feminist Review. You can check it out here. I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much. But I guess you win some, you lose some.

Enjoy. Criticism is always welcome.

first review

I just started writing book reviews for the blog Feminist Review. You can find my first here. Enjoy! Feed back is always welcome and appreciated.

Cheers!

the interns

I'm starting the interview process for the program's Spring interns this week. I must say, I'm slightly nervous and uncomfortable about it. I've been told I'm being slightly ridiculous since I'm doing 6 interviews. I just want to give them all the benefit of the doubt and ensure that I'm not overlooking anything about these candidates. The scars of job hunting and rejection are still a bit fresh. I don't know how I'm going to negotiate those feelings and my desire to take the best 3 candidates. I'd take them all, but I simply cannot manage 6 interns. Plus, as an agency, we traditionally only take up to three for each department.

My philosophy with the interns is that they should create more work for me, in the sense that I don't want them to do bullshit tasks... but actually get some hands on learning. They are not slaves. They're the next wave of our activists, advocates and educators. (Can you tell I had an awful internship once upon a time?) My goal is that by May, they'll be able to cofacilitate groups...or even fly solo. If only I could take all of them... UGH!

First World Problem? Possibly...

critique of the nyt magazine: august 23, 2009

Thursday I read Mandy Van Deven's review on Feminist Review of this week’s edition of The New York Times Magazine. The edition is devoted to ‘Saving the World’s Women’ and takes up the global condition and problems faced by women of the world, such as sex trafficking, abuse, microfinance, and lack of access to health/medical care and education. Since this was part of my area of focus in school, I was giddy and excited about it hitting the news stands. Yet, as I flipped through and read the various articles, I kept thinking the same thing: Why does this collection seem to only be highlighting disempowerment and oppression of women of the Third World? Why is there absolutely no mention of the issues faced by women in the Global North? By no means do I intend to discount the horrors that women of the Global South face, or imply that the issues of women in developed nations are higher in importance and relevance. In fact, I’m elated that the edition has provided such exposure and attention to these travesties. My problem with it is this: by ignoring the conditions and struggles for equality, justice and basic human rights faced by women in developed countries, the message is that women in places such as the US and Europe have already achieved equality and do not face many of the problems, violence, and discrimination that our sisters in Africa and Asia do. The problem is presented as something “over there” rather than a truly global phenomenon; one simultaneously occurring in our own backyards. 

Instead the role of women of the Global North is presented, and can be summed up, in Lisa Belkin’s article “The Power of the Purse”. The article discusses how women are increasingly using their economic power to help sisters in need. Wonderful. What about the Americans working in the field? Those dedicating their lives to non-profit work and long hours through heartwork and sacrifice? What about the women working in shelters or tirelessly on legislative and policy reform to make the donated money more effective in aid?

The theme of the edition is on the global condition and staunch human rights disparities that exist for women, yet the content and focus of the articles does not seem to adequately reflect the variety and multitude of conditions through its limited scope of Africa and Southeast Asia. What about the sex trafficking and sex tourism that goes on in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Bloc? What of women in Latin America? In the Caribbean? What about the compounding effects of environmental destruction and scarcity of water? Why doesn’t it discuss the modes of oppression the First World through economic exploitation or women of the Third? Why aren’t any of the articles written by women from the places discussed? Instead of presenting a wide view of the various conditions and proposed solutions, the articles focus disappointingly only on economic and capitalist short-term solutions: microfinance and microlending. The articles, while well intentioned and well written, failed to adequately address the underlying social structures that provide the framework to these issues.

On a whole, I’m happy that the NYT Magazine took the chance and did this publication, but I’m highly disappointed in the content and execution. I suppose I got my hopes up a bit too high when I heard about it, and thought that perhaps things would be presented in a radical and revolutionary way. I understand that in order to fully cover all the issues I’ve mentioned would take volumes and much more space than the NYT Magazine could provide. However, what limited space that was available could have explored or touched on so much more. Instead, what was presented was but a sliver of the tip of the iceberg.

what i want my words to do to you

This is the title of a documentary that aired on PBS in 2003.  We watched it in my class on Incarcerated Women last month.  I think it provides a brief look at what I've been studying for the past six weeks.  It's very moving and powerful.  The poem at the end, read by Judith Clark, sends chills down my spine and makes me reexamine what I consider to be a crime worthy of a life sentence and what I think justice should look like.

feminist spotlight: nawal el saadawi

Nawal El Saadawi is an Egyptian feminist, activist, writer, scholar and physician.  Her writings and activities around Arab women’s rights have cost her a psychiatric job, imprisonment, and a lifetime of struggle.  Her resilience and determination has gained her public support, respect and admiration.  The author of 27 books, numerous essays and articles, Saadawi’s work has concentrated mainly on Arab women’s sexuality and legal status.  Even from the beginning, her work was considered controversial, dangerous, heavily criticized and even banned in Egypt.  Her work over the last four decades has had a profound effect on many generations of men and women through out the world.

Saadawi was born in 1931 in the small village of Kafr Tahla.  She was one of eight siblings and was ‘circumcised’ at the age of six.   While her family live could be considered ‘traditional’, her father was somewhat progressive in insisting all eight of his children be educated.  In 1951, Nawal left Kafr Tahla to study psychiatry at Cairo University despite religious and social oppression of women.  Upon graduating in 1955, she went on to become the Director of Public Health and began a magazine, Health, addressing issues pertaining to preventative medicine.  At this time she also began writing about women’s issues and their particular oppression by the Arab world.   She then met her husband, Dr. Sherif Hetata, who was also an activist, revolutionary and doctor at the Ministry of Health.  Hetata served thirteen years in prison for his activities in the leftist party.  In 1972, Saadawi was relieved of her position at the Ministry of Health in response to the publication of her first book Women and Sex, which had been published in 1969.  The book was banned by the political and religious authorities due to the contents of several chapters of the book in which she wrote against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and linked women’s sexual problems and control to women’s overarching political and economic oppression.  Health was closed down in 1973.

In September 1981, Saadawi was imprisoned under the Sadat regime, for alleged “crimes against the state” and held in Qanatir Prison until November 1981 after the assassination of President Sadat, when many political prisoners were released.  Yet her imprisonment did not quell, or deter her from, her activism and writing.  While behind bars Saadawi formed the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association (AWSA), “the first legal, independent feminist organization in Egypt” and wrote what would become in 1983 Memoirs from the Women’s Prison on toilette paper with an eyebrow pencil smuggled in by a fellow prisoner in the prostitutes ward.

The AWSA has grown to have some 500 members locally and more than 2,000 internationally but was banned by the Egyptian government in 1991 following Saadawi’s criticism of US involvement in the Gulf War.  Upon disbanding the organization the government seized and handed over its funds to the association called Women in Islam.  Six months prior to the decree banning the organization, the government closed down the magazine Noon, published by the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association and of which Saadawi was the editor-in-chief.  Although banned in Egypt, Saadawi continues with her work with the organization. 

In 2001, three of her books were banned at Cairo International Book Fair.  A year later a fundamentalist lawyer raised a case to have her forcibly divorced from her husband due to her apostasy.  She won the case thanks to international solidarity and pressure.  In 2006, Saadawi’s play, “God Resigns At the Summit Meeting”, was banned, and in January 2007, Saadawi and her daughter, Mona Helmy, also a poet, writer and activist, were accused of apostasy and interrogated by the General Prosecutor in Cairo. Saadawi faced a new trial on charges of apostasy and heresy in February 2007 because of the play.  She won the case in May 2008.  While her legal battles and political struggles continue to the present, she continues her work, on female genital mutilation and women’s rights as well as remaining a prominent political activist.

employment

Wednesday I officially took a job with Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network in Gainesville Florida.  My position is a Violence Prevention Advocate.  My duties are to facilitate teen groups/presentations on a weekly basis, adapt violence prevention curriculum as needed, conduct professional and community awareness presentations as requested, and serve as the right hand to the Director of Violence Prevention to establish and maintain connections.

I am so excited.  Not only is it a HUGE relief to have a job, but this one is something I feel passionate about and has some immediate impact on society.  I'm so happy about it; I've told pretty much everyone I've come into contact with.  I also gush about it upon inquiry.  I fear I'm slightly annoying... but honestly, I don't give a shit.  3 months and 45 resumes later, I'm employed with a kick ass organization doing something worth while.  P.S. I have yet to graduate.  I'm on cloud nine.  I can't wait for this new adventure to begin.

You can find out more about the organization here.  To learn more about the Violence Prevention Program go to the first scroll bar, go to the last option and click.

sari soldiers

out of the ordinary

This past Sunday I was invited to facilitate a workshop at the University of Florida's Annual Women's Leadership Conference.  I've facilitated workshops there in the past, usually with LBG(TQ) as my partner in crime.  This year however, it was just me.  Flying solo was odd, but interesting and somewhat empowering knowing I could do it on my own.  And I learned quite a bit from my audience...  more than I originally expected.

I presented a workshop I designed and facilitated last November for an internship I was doing at the Civic Media Center.  The workshop, Feminism in Media, focused on popular forms of media and the importance of having a feminist voice included/present.  Since magazines, zines, phamphlets, and now blogs are some of the most popular and accessible outlets for generating dialogues around feminist issues and concerns, I felt it was important to explore and discuss what such a presence looks like.  The goals of the workshop included, but were not limited to: creating a working definition of feminist media, providing/exploring historical background on where it has been, and sought to present examples of feminist publications, blogs, and zines.

The last time I facilitated the workshop people had 1) heard of all or most of the publications I discussed, 2) majority were familiar generally familiar with feminism and or self-defined feminists, and 3) were willing to engage in a dialogue/debate.  I had brought in 30-40 copies of issues of bitch, BUST, off our backs, Venus, Adbusters, The Nation, Harpers, Mother Jones, and GOOD.  I had laid the items out all over the front table and encouraged people to come up and check them out.  People were hesitant at first, but either out of boredom or curiosity, eventually came up and took a look.  I spent the 10 minutes (which felt like hours) of the workshop pulling teeth to get people to talk.  I have a newfound respect and admiration for instructors and teachers who constantly speak to a room full of seemingly uninterested people who may or may not be staring blankly at you.  Highly nerve racking and frustrating experience.  But we soon found some common ground and people warmed up to the idea of talking.  Probably after I told them, "You know, this is going to suck if you all don't want to talk.  This is an informal chat, so there's no need to feel uncomfortable.  I'm not giving you a grade or anything and I'm no expert on this.  I'm just another student with a fascination and passion for sharing.  Honestly we'd be sitting in a circle if the chairs weren't connected, and I'd be in jeans and a t-shirt if they'd had let me."  That made them smile a bit and broke down the whole expert/passive information sponge dichotomy.  

Since the audience was more "mainstream" than my previous (the Civic Media Center is an alternative reading room and library for non-corporate press thus generally attracting the "alternative/hippie" crowd) I had intended on tying in bigger name publications such as Cosmo and Glamor and comparing them to bitch, BUST, and Venus.  But since the group had never heard about the majority of the above titles, we ended up discussing if Cosmo could be considered feminist in any capacity.  Which, was very interesting.  

We then discussed blogs and internet outlets.  Particularly a social networking site utilized by the Greek (not as in Greece, but as in Sorority/Fraternity) community at UF called JuicyCampus.  I had never heard of the site and immediately felt old and out of touch.  Apparently the site was something like twitter (or something of that nature) where you could post comments about Greek life and specific people.  The site was recently shut down because it was slanderous and downright horrible (people were discussing top 5 people to sleep with and who gave the best blow jobs).  While I'd never read or seen any of this, I jumped at the chance to discuss the whore/madonna labels and question why there wasn't more solidarity between sororities.  We started discussing how if members of sororities stopped tolerating the sort of treatment/stereotypes/behavior from their so called brothers, the brothers would be forced to change their ways... or at least question it.  If you don't accept being called a whore or slut, the term looses its power and sting.  The same reaction isn't presented, and the motivation behind someone calling another that is lost.  It was as if a hundred light-bulbs turned on at one time.  While not ever imagined to be an intended goal, I felt the talk was very productive.  We then discussed things like heteronormativity, body image, etc  and the role glamor magazines, media, and advertising in creating/reinforcing these constructions.

By the end of my 50 minutes, I felt we had all learned something... or at least entertained me to the fact that we had.  I also had 3 people come up and tell me how much they enjoyed the workshop and where could they find the publications I'd talked about?  Another informed me they were excited to explore the hand out and list of websites I'd provided.  

Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better response.  For such a rocky start, I'd say it was an overall success.  I'd might even venture to guess Oscar nominee... just kidding.  It also happened to be the self-esteem booster I'd been needing for some time.  I'd been feeling pretty crappy about my abilities to do anything right lately.  And a group of complete strangers did what my friends and family have been trying to do for years: assure me that I was good at something and what I had to say was valid.

feminist spotlight: vandana shiva

If you've spent any time at all talking to me, or reading this blog, you have heard or suspected my admiration for physicist and environmental/women's activist Vandana Shiva.  This past summer I had the honor of hearing Shiva speak and meeting her on the farm of the organization she organized, Navdanya (see post).  Find out more about Navdanya by clicking on the link to your left, under favorite links.  

Ah yes, herein lies one of the primary reasons for my journey to India!  

I first learned of Shiva's work in my ecofeminism course in fall of 2006.  I learned about her involvement in the movement and was left with a nagging curiosity about what she was currently up to.  It also helped that she was a scientist by training, and an activist by nature... something I definitely could identify with and deeply admire.  

Vandana Shiva started the organization Navdanya in response to growing concern over international corporate pirating of India’s cultural knowledge and threats to biodiversity.  Located at the base of the Himalayan foothills in Dehradun India (where I spent summer 2008), Navdanya seeks to promote peace, harmony, justice and sustainability through conservation, renewal and rejuvenation of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage.  Through their dedication to preservation of seed, food, and water sovereignty as common resources, Navdanya is committed to resisting seed patents promoted by the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  Through rejection of non-sustainable agricultural techniques such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and chemically based farming systems, Navdanya creates a living democracy based on an economy of compassion and cooperation rather than profit and exploitation.  

Her first book, Staying Alive, was one of the first of its kind to make the claims and connections between the oppression of women and the oppression/exploitation of nature and natural resources.  Shiva has devoted her life to defending common resources for public good and been facilitator/participant in many of India's grassroots environmental movements.  Most notably the Chipko movment, which is often cited as the model for ecofeminist action/protest.

I could go on for years about my love for this incredible woman and her work, but I'll allow you to explore and look further into things on your own.  Might I recommend, that if you decide to read any of her work (which, warning, it can be a bit dry at times when she's being technical) I suggest you begin with Earth Democracy, which outlines her philosophy and views behind her activism and tireless efforts.  I'd then move on to Ecofeminism, which Shiva wrote with Maria Mies, followed by Stolen Harvest.  While I've also read her book on water, Water Wars, I find other scholars better at introducing and confronting the topic and data.  Shiva's book is interesting and useful, but not nearly as revolutionary and thought provoking as some of her pieces.

Ok I'm done gushing now... unless further provoked (feel free to do so)!

feminist spotlight: wangari maathai

Wangari Maathai also worked extensively for environmental protection and restoration in the face of many obstacles.  Maathai is an environmental and political activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner (2004), and founder of the Green Belt Movement, an international NGO focused on planting trees to prevent soil erosion and provide resources for villages (Maathai, 2006).  Maathai is an intellectual turned activist, who found a way of applying her knowledge and skills for overall well being of both the planet and Kenyan people.  

In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement demonstrate the intimate connection between sustainable management of Africa’s rich natural resources, democracy, good governance and peace. (Maathai, 2006)”  I admire Maathai’s dedication, determination, and ability to seem to overcome all odds.  I also find her work of cultivating peace through natural and ecologically sound techniques refreshing and a good example for the global community trying to find more sustainable solutions to development issues.  While I don’t always agree with her statements, such as her controversial critique of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, I do admire her ability to encourage critical thinking and constant questioning of the status quo.

Not to mention the woman has an incredible sense of style and eye for bold loud prints which highlight her beauty and embrace her culture.  While I would probably never wear such prints and patterns, I admire and am continually awed by how stunning Maathai is in a very conventional way.

At the recommendation of Hanners, I'm anxiously awaiting when I have time to read Maathai's memoir, Unbowed.

feminist spotlight: rachel carson

While writing a paper for my Women's Studies seminar, I was forced (oh darn) to do some additional research on people who have influenced my thinking and development as a feminist and environmental activist.  As I was surfing Wikipedia for direction and links to sources/articles, I thought about how awesome it would be to highlight my role models on this blog.  I've decided to call this little series 'feminist spotlight' because I consider the work these people did to be feminist, even if they didn't necessarily label themselves as such.  

With that, my first will be one of the people who influenced me long before I outwardly embraced the label and term feminist: Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was a marine biologists and activist whose most notable work is Silent Spring which exposed the detrimental environmental and health effects of pesticides and the chemical industry.  Her work sparked the mobilization of reform and environmental protection by the federal and local governments.  

I respect and admire Carson for many reasons aside from her devotion to environmental protection, but mainly as a fellow naturalist/scholar/biologist and for her ability to succeed despite her marginalization from scientific institutions.  This status came not only because she was a woman, but also because of biology's low popularity during the nuclear age.  Her career path was non-traditional.  With no academic or institutional affiliation, she wrote for the public rather than the elitist scientific community.  This became very important since this independence left the scientific community in a position where they could no dismiss or silence her.

While I find Silent Spring laden with some difficult scientific theories and concepts, the ultimate message was (and in many ways still is) revolutionary and beautiful.  Her warnings are quite haunting as they have come to materialize in many ways.  Much of what she talks about are some of the causes of problems we are forced to deal with now as we confront the issues of global warming, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and pollution/destruction of the world's water sources.   DDT (a "chlorinated hydrocarbon", which is also a term you can apply the artificial sweetener, Splenda... think about that one), which was one of the chemicals Carson deeply discussed, continues to be an issue in developing nations although its carcinogenic effects are now widely known and published.

Ironically enough, Carson died shortly after the publication of Silent Spring due to breast cancer.  Yet she died knowing that her work had made a difference and sparked generations of grassroots environmental activists.

passion and power

I went with LBG(TQ) Saturday night to see this film at The Hippodrome State Theater in Gainesville.  We had a wonderful time!  It was interesting, hilarious, and highly educational!  A must see for any woman curious about if she's alone "in that area".

tiny fists of fury

Sunday mornings I have a highly predictable routine. I get up. Shower... or not. Stop by the Main St. Publix & pick up my Sunday edition of the NYT. I then spend the next few hours at 2nd Street sipping coffee, that I sometimes neglect to pay for, and enjoy the company of wonderful people.

While today lacked Mr. Clark, who I usually shoot the shit with, I had a wonderful time. A happy accident of running into Faryn and catching up with her. 

NYT left me without much rage or strong feelings of any sort. But the Satellite... oh the Satellite fueled some fury. 

Review of Jenny Lewis' new CD, Acid Tongue, made me snarl through gritted teeth: "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Now I'm not really a Jenny Lewis fan. I like some of her stuff, and back in the day loved Rilo Kiley. Not so much now, I've grown out of it so to speak. But I would never wish this upon ANY artist.

Below is the first line of the review:

"I was primed to take pleasure in this album; I enjoyed Jenny Lewis' last CD, I really am fond of Rilo Kiley, and to be honest, big breasts turn me on a lot."

Excuse me J. Maggio, but what the hell do big breasts have to do with her CD? What do they have to do with Lewis' music? Is there some correlation to the quality of music by a female artist and her breast size? Can we make similar judgements about penis size and quality of music by male artists? Has anyone made such a claim about a male artists? 'So and so has a tiny penis therefore his music is very thoughtful' or 'He's got quite the package, totally making up for his lack of musical talent.' NO self respecting journalist or writer would even think about publishing such a statement. The shear fact that J. Maggio had the audacity to MENTION Lewis' breasts when talking about her music was enough to set me off. 

So, naturally I had to read more:

"But this is a horrible CD only somewhat redeemed by the presence of Elvis Costello - who must also like big boobies, too - on its best track, "Carpetbaggers." Gone are the insightful lyrics of previous Jenny Lewis output, only to be replaced with hackneyed and banal lines like "our love is thicker than angel wings" and "nobody believes a liar." Wow! Like Sarah Palin, even Lewis' "hotness" cannot redeem the complete lack of substance. Some songs - like the horrifying "The Next Messiah" - even sound like they are based around the first riff the guitarist played at practice. Even Lewis' voice takes a nice timbre in the Dusty Springfield tradition, the lyrics are so hideous, and the melody so bland that one cannot help but press "skip" on the iPod. The title track and the Elvis Costello duo are about the only two songs of value on this ghastly CD. I think I will stick with Lewis' older work, and looking at pictures of her best "features" - ironically knowing that I'm not sexist at all." - J. Maggio


No Maggio... you're just Gainesville's tool of the month.

critique

This column ran in The Independent Florida Alligator (local Gainesville/UF rag) and enraged me enough to write the editor.  Below is the column, which ran Thursday, and my response which ran today:

Thursday, October 23, 2008 1:56 AM EDT

Halloween treats adults to more than just candy

By STEPHANIE DUNN, Alligator Writer

I'm convinced Halloween was created for the sole purpose of getting boned. No other holiday compares. When mischief and moonlight abound, someone is going to get laid. Throw in a chintzy costume, garish makeup and orange beer, and you're done for.

Long gone are the days when you relentlessly sought the creepiest costume, the one that would really make your Nana piss her granny panties when you popped up from behind the couch spewing fake blood and guts. We college students still take our costume hunting seriously, but in a decidedly naughtier direction. That angelic little girl who, a decade ago, was happy with a wand, glitter and plastic pumpkin for trick–or–treating has morphed into a ravenous, raunchy little hooker – but just for Oct. 31. Unless you go to FSU, then it's a year–round ordeal.

This is apparently the formula: Take any character or profession and whorify it beyond recognition. Really slut it up – underwear will suffice. Oh, you're a Victoria's Secret Angel for Halloween? How clever. You can be a sexy nun, a sexy soccer mom, a sexy sex slave. It doesn't matter, as long as it's transparent, shows butt cheek or cleavage, and comes equipped with an accessory that can double as a sex toy later on – fishnets or a whip will do. Since when are Disney princesses cock–mongering whores? Since now. Guys are minimalists. If they put any effort into their costumes at all, which is a rarity, they go for the funny costumes or at least ones they think are funny. Dead celebrities, political parodies, cross–dressing, the usual. But I think that deep down, they want to be sexy for Halloween, too. Whether they're 12 or 22, guys fantasize about being Batman, Superman, anything ending in "man." They can fulfill their boyish fantasies for a night, even if they'll ultimately be disappointed in how they look in a bat suit, and I get that. What I don't buy is the guy who starts hitting the gym in September, oils up his abs and quads, and slaps on a four–inch long loincloth thing because "King Leonidas kicked ass in '300'!" 

Couples should just pick each other's costumes because it's a free pass to hand–select who they want to take home at the end of the night. It's like cheating without the guilt. Any other night of the year, if you dress up for sex you're either kinky beyond belief or your relationship has gotten so boring that dressing up is a last resort. Not so on All Hallows Eve. The one thing that hasn't changed since we were kids is that Halloween is all about indulgence. If you have a fetish, tonight you can go all–out. A fetish doesn't necessarily have to do with feet or body fluids I'd frankly rather not mention. It can be as simple as a "thing," and everyone has a thing. You're bound to find at least three people from your fantasies parading drunk down the street, so why not take advantage?

I know that not everyone gets all skanked up for Halloween and that some of us have an ounce of originality left. I daresay it would be more fun if we still dressed up in scary costumes. But somewhere along the line, it clicked that fear and sex go together in a sick Freudian way (hence the adrenaline–filled horror movie sex scenes). Eventually, we decided to leave out the unpleasant fear component and just go with pure sex. So, in honor of Slut–o–ween, treat yourself to a trick and leave the candy for the kids.

Friday, October 24, 2008 1:11 AM EDT

Halloween sex column lacked substance

By Liz Martin, 4LS

I was bothered enough to feel compelled to write about Stephanie Dunn’s Thursday article “Halloween treats adults to more than candy” in this week’s edition of Sex on the Avenue.

I’m impressed that the Alligator has the gall to run a seemingly sex–positive column; in fact I applaud it whole–heartedly. However, this writer has continually missed the mark and simply enraged me this week.

I do not approve of the way in which Dunn presented her case against scandalously clad women on Halloween. Is Halloween really the one holiday “created for the sole purpose of getting boned”?   What about New Year’s Eve? Or Valentine’s Day?

The way in which Dunn discussed women’s costume choices both degraded and reinforced the objectification of women and their bodies.  By calling women “sluts” and “whores,” Dunn recreated the image that women are objects asking to be ravaged, exploited and “boned.”  It’s highly degrading to construct women as inferior beings who don’t seem to have enough sense not to dress up like “raunchy little hookers.”

Then Dunn moved on to men. Why are men continually painted as brutish, lazy and sex–crazed? These stereotypes hurt men just as much as they do women. They encourage men to act in a hyper–masculine manner and send the message that something is wrong with them if they don’t behave this way.

There were many other things that bothered me about Dunn’s work, but what was most frustrating was the lack of any real critique or content.  I would rather see the space used to actually discuss these constructions and people’s seemingly sex–driven Halloween choices than some crap about how women are all sluts on Halloween, how dressing up is an excuse for people to play out their “kinky beyond belief” fantasies or pretend their partners are someone else because on this one night, it is socially excusable.

unexpected presents

Today was quite lovely.

birdface did his usual song and dance trying to talk to my fingernails as I read on the couch.  I felt something wet and looked down thinking he'd simply pooped on me, only to find that he had puked up a small gift of partly digested seed.  He looked up at me for approval and recognition for his gracious present.  I cooed and thanked him all the while trying to figure out how to discourage him from doing it again.  Just when I thought true love had eluded me, it presented it self in slimy form on my fingers.  How utterly beautiful.

----

I've also spent about an hour today reading various things on the internet.  A blog I particularly like is called Feminist Review.  I really like the philosophy behind this blog: Feminist Review blog believes that all opinions - positive and critical - are valuable and seeks to give voice to communities that remain on the margins.  Their mission is to "write reviews from feminist perspectives to explore the world through an anti-oppression lens." (emphasis, mine)  Furthermore, they acknowledge and recognize that there are many feminismS.  I find that absolutely stunning and attractive.  I strongly feel part of the problem faced by feminists today is people's ignorance to the fact that there are so many forms and faces of feminism.  Women's liberation movements have been plural rather than a singular.  Overlooking that fact, is to overlook the intricacy of feminist history and devaluing experiences of those outside of the mainstream, upper/middle class, white, heterosexual, western woman.  While most of the time I just peruse and appreciate the site and the critical eyes examining the presented work, today I was particularly struck by a book review.  Girls in Trucks, by Katie Crouch, is a novel (thanks to Feminist Review) that I probably would have otherwise overlooked and denounced as part of the ever popular and insulting "Chick Lit" genre.  Instead, I clicked over to Amazon and immediately ordered it.  I try not to be so impulsive about my book purchases, after all, I have a mountain of books awaiting me already on my bookshelf, nightstand, and all other available flat surfaces.  Was it the review, the plot description, or my hormone levels at that particular moment which caused me to do this?  Who knows.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on my thoughts and opinions of the book once I actually read it.  In the meantime, I suggest 1.) Checking out Feminist Review, and 2.) brushing up on your feminist history... and not just the popularly presented "women's history", but the less known histories.  (e.g. Chicana feminism, Womanism, ecofeminism, lesbian feminism, radical feminism, socialist feminism... get the idea).