After a discussion with one of our intrepid readers, followed by some research on Disqus' forum, it's now clear that the new comment system is not compatible with the Safari browser. What this means is that when clicking on the comments link on the main page, neither the comments nor the comment entry box show up on the individual post page.
If you run Safari on a Mac and are experiencing the same issues, then you might want to switch to Firefox until Disqus addresses the issue, since that seems to fix the problem.
Of course, if there are Mac/Safari readers out there who don't have any problems with the comment system, then please give us some details as to what version(s) you're running and any special settings or configurations you have set so that others could benefit.
We now return to your regularly scheduled blog.
Blog Note: Browser Incompatibility
Wednesday Blogaround
What's the frequency, Shakers?
Recommended Reading:
Jessica: "Jane Doe" Rape Kits Go National
Joseph: I'm Sad for My Alma Mater
Steve: 'This is the floor; we're underneath it'
Andy: Lesbian Wins Gender Discrimination Suit Against NY Restaurant
Elle: Really?
Tobes: Bloggers Ask for 2 Million or Woman Gets Abortion
And in Indiana Jones News…
Melissa: Karen Allen is Back in the New Indiana Jones Movie
Shayera: Well, Phew, Thanks for Clearing That Up!
Leave your links in comments!
Frothing Fauxgressive
Everyone in the multiverse has sent me the link to John Aravosis' unhinged screed about Hillary Clinton, subtly titled "Go away you horrible human being."
I'm not sure exactly what I can or should say about it—obviously I disagree with many of his assertions, not least of which that Clinton is somehow irreparably damaging the Democratic Party. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I've never been a partisan, and this year I worked for a Democratic presidential candidate and have stood in happy awe as the party's nominating process came down to not one but two historical alternatives. In other words, the national Democratic Party is in about as good standing with me as it's ever been, and I'm hardly alone on that.
That's the kind of thing I guess you want to ignore when you're fuming about what a hideous, divisive, catastrophically selfish person one of the people who inspired the likes of me and plenty others is, though.
I suspect, however, the reason most people sent the link to me has something to do with their sneaking suspicion that Aravosis' obscene outrage is less about Hillary Clinton being a "horrible human being" than a female human being. He doesn't go there explicitly in the post, but likening her to a spoiled brat (which is, coincidentally—or, not-so-coincidentally—the same term Bill Donohue used in an interview once upon a time to describe some other uppity woman, whose name escapes me, ahem) is called infantilization, and it's a technique routinely used to diminish and marginalize strong women in particular.
(I'm quite certain he'd tell me that he'd use that descriptor even if she were a man, to which I'd politely suggest he own the context.)
Then there are the nose-wrinkling turns of phrase like "[the DNC can't] fight John McCain because of this woman." This woman. Isn't is just like a woman to ruin everything?
(And, yeah, that conveys something different than saying "because of this man," if the situation were reversed. Know why? Because "man" is so frequently used interchangeably with "person" in the English language—it just doesn't have the same pointedness; it can't even if one wants it to. Specifying "woman" thusly means something in a way "man" doesn't, and please direct all complaints to the Office of Male Privilege Bites You in the Ass.)
And then, of course, there's the usual curiosity of what simply doesn't get said at all—like how it's actually not just Clinton who's caused the alleged "civil war in the Netroots." Just off the top of my head, I'd say that bloggers writing posts with titles like "Go away you horrible human being" aren't, ya know, inspiring her supporters to rally around Obama in the way a post detailing his positives might. And there's the equally sigh-evoking omission that as racism and/or race-baiting emanating from Clinton's general direction has alienated some people, misogyny and/or gender-baiting (as well as pandering to homophobes, about which Aravosis seems amazingly unconcerned) emanating from Obama's general direction has alienated some people, too. Why, then, is it only Clinton who's the horrible human being fostering a civil war among activists?
And if we're not meant to believe it has anything to do with her sex, then whither this comment he left in his own comments thread?Obama can't tell her what needs to be said. For a variety of reasons he is not the man to tell this particular woman that it's over. (Link)
Dear John, don't you mean tell this particular horrible human being that it's over…?
CNN Headline Nooz
You have got to be fucking kidding me: Catcalling—creepy or a compliment?
I could not make this shit up if I wanted to. Between the headline, the bullet points, the accompanying image, and the fact that CNN thinks this is even worth putting on a news site, I just want to punch things.
Especially because it's an abject failure as anything even remotely resembling a news story—which would require, for example, not framing it as if there's some big fooking debate about whether street harassment is "creepy" or "a compliment."
It would also require, as another example, pointing out that women who object to catcalling and women who "appreciate" it aren't actually taking "both sides," because they're respectively objecting and appreciating catcalling for the same reason: Because it objectifes them. And if there's something worth discussing about that, it's why there are women whose self-esteem, such as it is, is predicated on being objectified by men—which, naturally, is given a wide berth, except for the tantalyzingly-close-to-actual-news mention of a Rutgers University study which suggests that street harassment actually increases self-objectification and feelings of personal insecurity in women. Huh.
But some random woman would feel "dumpy" if she didn't get catcalled, so that makes "Creepy or a compliment?" a perfectly reasonable headline.
Fook.
[H/T Tata.]
Blog Notes
1. Welcome to Shakesville: In the sidebar, just below Peace Signy, I've added a "Welcome to Shakesville" section that includes a link to the Shakesville community page at Disqus, as requested. It also links to Shakesville's raison d'être, an explanation of teaspoonery, and the comment policy, which should be helpful when dealing with visitors who haven't grokked the concept. Within those links, there are links to posts about this being a feminist blog, a safe space, and a progressive community, just for a start.
2. Chronological Threads: A few people have asked why, now that we've returned to flat threads, the threads still don't seem to appear in chronological order. Go to the top of any comments thread and click on the "Options" tab on the left. That will reveal a drop-down menu; make sure it's set to "Oldest First"—that should solve the problem for you.
3. Randomized Blogroll: As you may have already noticed, I've randomized the blogroll so that a different 7 blogs are always at the top of the scroll. It's one more way of trying to highlight different blogs, so I hope you'll give some attention to who's peeking out over there when you load the page and visit some of the many excellent bloggers on the Humongoid Blogroll of Awesomeness. You can still Cntrl-F (or openapple-F, I think) to do a "Find" for a specific blog by name.
As always, let me know if you're having any functionality issues or would really like some new feature. We'll do our best to accommodate as much as we can, time and ability permitting.
Update: Hey kids - Space Cowboy here with a quick news flash! I just spoke with Disqus about the smilies, and they do eventually plan to support animated emoticons. And there you have it.
The Further Adventures of the Mysteriously Missing Word "Rape" and the Girl Detective and Her Trusty Pals Who Tried to Find It
[Trigger Warning]
Part Wev in an ongoing series…
Shaker Addler forwards this story via CNN—whose inconsistency re: the use of the word makes them a particularly frustrating culprit, because sometimes they get it spot-on—which is headlined: "Feds: Girl, 12, trained to work as dominatrix," followed by the usual euphemisms like:
The indictment says Barkau began training the girl in 2000, when she was 12, and forced her to engage in sex acts with him and with other men.Addler notes there's "a better word for this. But the headline: '12 year old girl repeatedly raped for profit' sounds so much less appealing, I guess." Indeed.
Personally, my "favorite" part is this:
Todd B. Barkau, 35, of New York state, and the 44-year-old mother were charged in the seven-count indictment. They once lived together in Blue Springs, Missouri, where the sex business was said to have been run.The sex business. Like a family who makes and markets delicious home-made frozen dairy treats might be said to run an ice cream business.
I almost can't think of a more inappropriate way of describing renting out one's minor daughter to rapists for profit than "the sex business."
A purveyor of high-quality dildos runs a sex business. The owner of the Chippendales All-Male Revue runs a sex business. A madam overseeing adult, consenting women runs a sex business. A video distributor specializing in Bartok Twins films runs a sex business. Hugh Hefner runs a sex business.
Adults who train and market a little girl as a sex worker don't run a sex business.
They're professional rapists.
Though "where the sex trafficking was headquartered" would have sufficed.
Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime
We've done this one before, but Oddjob suggested it in honor of Mr. James Garner, who has been hospitalized after a minor stroke but reportedly will be fine and is headed home soon. Get well soon, Mr. Garner! We loves ya!
We All Make Sacrifices
From Huffington Post:
How noble can you get? I'm sure all the families who have lost their fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, wives and husbands, get down on their knees and thank the president for his sacrifice.As violence in Iraq continues -- clashes today left 11 dead and 19 injured -- President Bush has for the first time revealed the great sacrifice he's made for the sake of our soldiers: he's given up golf.
From an interview with Politico and Yahoo News:
"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."
(Cross-posted.)
Question of the Day
What's your favorite movie poster?
I am, as you might have noticed, I'm a bit of a movie poster buff, and I know a few other Shakers around here are, too (I'm looking at you, Spudsy!), so I thought this might make a fun QotD.
My favorite is the French poster for one of my all-time favorite films, Harold and Maude:
I mean, that's just fucking spectacular. Of course, it's enhanced by how much I adore the film, too.
Honorable mentions to this version of the Magnolia series and the classic horizontal poster for The Shining.
OMG Shoez
I mean, OMG new video. Well, almost. Here's Liam "Kelly" Sullivan with Margaret Cho talking about Kelly's upcoming video, No Booty Calls, which will land on May 27.
My first thought was, "Oh, calling dudez dicks isn't cool," until the other part of my brain said, "That is a dude, dumbass," at which point I began to giggle at how awesomely subversive Liam Sullivan's Kelly character really is.
Pairing Kelly and Cho was, for that reason chief among others, a stroke of true genius.
No and No
FAIL. Got anything better on the burner, Adam Sandler?
FAIL. I blame Sacha Baron-Cohen.
Oh, and, by the way?—Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, you're no Sacha Baron-Cohens.
Shit like this is why it's so natural for feminists/womanists, LGBTQ activists, racial equality/civil rights advocates, fat and disability activists, etc. to be allies, even aside from intersectional identities. There's almost never a backslide of sensitivity or an outright backlash of hostility against one group, but not the others. Between the two trailers, there's plenty misogyny, homophobia, racism, and mockery of different body types to go around.
[To those who would exhort me to see the films before making judgments, I've got no love for films who trick ignoramuses into theaters with the opportunity to laugh at funny accents and zany ethnic wardrobes, or boobies and queers, or fat people and dwarves, for two hours only to try to make it all okay with a tacked-on feelgood moral-of-the-story ending about how even "different" people deserve love or wev. Fuck that. They're the cinematic equivalent of deathbed confessions. It's cynical and nasty, and I'm not going to withhold judgment on films that deliberately market themselves as xenophobic, sexist, queer-hating, lowest-common-denominator muck, and spend most of their screen-time being precisely that, "enlightened" ending or not.]
The Ugly America
Following up on Liss's post below about overt racism, the Washington Post has a sobering article on the state of ingrained racism in America and how it manifests itself in the presidential race.
For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season. Doors have been slammed in their faces. They've been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they've endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can't fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.It's been an unspoken axiom that racism and irrational hatred would be a part of this campaign since the moment Mr. Obama came on the scene in 2004, and it's been a given that Mr. Obama would not be accepted among certain constituencies regardless of his stands on the issues. The question isn't whether or not it's there; we know it is. The question becomes how do we deal with it?
The contrast between the large, adoring crowds Obama draws at public events and the gritty street-level work to win votes is stark. The candidate is largely insulated from the mean-spiritedness that some of his foot soldiers deal with away from the media spotlight.
Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"
Mr. Obama's speech about race in March went a long way to at least open the door to the discussion, and there's little doubt that the Republicans will do everything they possibly can to minimize the issue by saying that racism is just an excuse the Democrats are using to demonize citizens with real concerns about Mr. Obama and at the same time sowing the seeds of misinformation -- "he's a radical Muslim who won't salute the flag and isn't really American" -- through their "independent" operatives. But regardless of the campaign tactics, it is an undeniable fact that race is a core element in America that transcends the politics of the moment and defines us historically and for the future. If Barack Obama becomes the next president he will face challenges no other occupant of that office has ever faced solely on the fact of his skin color. His life will be in danger, if it isn't already, for the rest of his life because as sure as God made little green apples, there is someone out there with a rifle who believes it is his solemn patriotic duty as a white Christian to shoot the first black man to become president. And it's not just Mr. Obama; it's one of the reasons Colin Powell decided not to run in 1996.
If he's elected, Barack Obama will have to prove himself equal to the task based on higher standards than the previous forty-three occupants, and certainly he will be under the microscope of the opposition, who will, in a head-spinning change of course compared to the current occupant, demand nothing less than Jeffersonian perfection in everything he does. He will be measured not as a man, but as a black man, and any failing will be seen by the bigots and the small-minded as a reflection on every other African-American who has the temerity to challenge the pasty patriarchy.
If there was a simple way to deal with it, we would have dispatched the issue of racism a long time ago. But we know that it is part of our human nature to fear the unknown and the different, and old habits and ingrained lessons die hard. The people who have fought against racism, bigotry, fear, loathing, and outright hatred have dealt with it all their lives. It is part of the deal, and it will never fully go away. But it doesn't mean we don't keep trying, and it doesn't mean we don't fight back and confront it with determination and strength.
(Cross-posted.)
Rape is Hilarious...
What really puts the cherry on top of this giant shit sundae is that there's nothing "historical" about Native American women being raped. One in every three indigenous women will be raped or sexually abused in her lifetime, putting Native American women in one of the highest risk groups for sexual assault in the nation. Today.
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjack
This little gem aired last night on CNN while I was cooking dinner. Needless to say, it nearly put me off my feed. It is, however, a perfect example of how the MSM treats their own creation, the "sex scandal." With an honest-to-Jebus scorecard. A really nifty scorecard that they can write on, just like the teevee football games!
Yeah, yeah... the show's only an hour. Haw, haw. This clip is just infuriating on so many levels.
(For those of you that can't see the video, a transcript will hopefully be available here. Nutshell: the host and CNN Senior Analyst Jeff Toobin breeze through "the stagecraft of handling sex scandals," which they'd been "thinking about." Oy. They briefly discuss several of the more recognizable names (McGreevy, Vitter, Craig, Spitzer and Fossella), then check off on their scorecard if they "admitted it," and if they "survived in office." Charmingly, they make sure to mention that Craig was caught in the men's room, and list that McGreevy had a "gay affair." I'm amazed they left out "hot" and "naked.")
First, I resent the fact that CNN is assuming we give a flying fuck how these abusers of power and privilege survived their various "scandals." They're discussing this topic as if it were a sporting event. We should be outraged that these "scandals" are happening in the first place; instead, it's turned into a puff piece to chuckle over. This isn't a goddamn game of dodgeball. The show is only an hour, so we can only discuss the big scandals, ho ho ho, and please don't think of all the shit that the people we elected are getting away with because we don't know about it yet.
Second, it's absolutely ridiculous to boil "survival" down to simply "Did they admit it or not?" Money, power and politics (not to mention the gargantuan laziness of the media) are completely ignored in order to make a simple, bite-sized chunk of NOOZ that completely ignores the corruption that creates these "scandals" in the first place.
Third, the way they present this, you'd think there are no victims in these scandals aside from the pasty guy sweating under the lights. Nothing about the anguish suffered by the families, nothing about the "other man/woman," nothing about ripped off constituents, nothing about what this says about prostitution, and of course, never anything regarding how these scandals reflect what it means to be gay in this country. It's treated like a fart in a business meeting; horribly embarrassing and you'll probably never live it down amongst your peers, but it was a helluva laugh, wasn't it?
Fourth, oh CNN, are you going to mention that the vast majority of these scandals involve Republicans, who run on "family values" platforms and Good Christian Values (tm), while behind the scenes, porking like Bacchus on a three day weekend? Oh, you're not? Okay then.
Finally: There is no such fucking thing as a sex scandal. This is an issue of ethics. The fact that boners are somehow involved means nothing other than an increase in the titillation factor. Sex scandals are a complete fabrication of the media, who harp on and on about this crap to make it seem important and necessary, while ignoring every detail of the story that might actually be important and necessary. The "scandal" is created by people who will say they're "just giving the viewers what they want," while they're actually treating viewers with staggering amounts of contempt.
This isn't news. It's fucking pointless. Without discussion regarding the ethical issues at play or the damage done to people and constituents, we're in "fireman rescues cat from tree" territory.
One final thing: Everyone involved in any way with this piece of poo was paid well for their involvement. That makes me want to punch things.
(Thanks to Space Cowboy for finding the video)
More Great Sportswomanship!
(To follow on the heels of this story and this one…)
You go, grrl:
Bonnie Richardson ran. She threw. She jumped.Richardson, after being the only athlete from Rochelle, Texas to qualify for the state meet, scored 42 team points to win the Texas 1A track title by herself—a feat never performed by a girl and not seen by a boy since the 1970s, when it was accomplished by Meridian High School's Frank Pollard, who later went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Richardson placed first in the high jump and 200 meters, second in the long jump and 100 meters, and third in the discus over the two-day event.
And when it was time to hand out the team trophies, Richardson accepted the 1A team championship for Rochelle High School -- by herself.
"This totally blows me away," the freckle-faced Richardson said while holding the trophy with a gold medal draped on her neck. "This is amazing. I had no idea it was even possible."Congratulations, Bonnie!
…Richardson also plays tennis and led her basketball team to the state semifinals last season.
"I'd play football if my parents would let me," she said. "Not quarterback. Defense."
[H/T to Shaker Veronica, via email.]
Swiftly Speaking
Apparently there are a number of people growing concerned about the disappearance of the blogger Jon Swift (who's also a contributor to Shakesville) due to his lack of posting recently—and a blogospheric investigation has been undertaken to determine if he's okay.
Well, let me assure everyone that he is fine. I just spoke to him at Swift HQ and can confirm he's not trapped under anything heavy and hasn't been hit by a bus—he's merely busy, nose-deep in an alarmingly modest proposal, natch.
So, rest assured, Left Blogistan! Jon Swift is in fine form and shall return when he is able.
Shaker Gourmet: Spanish Rice
Our recipe this week comes from Shaker Lexy of the blog Runs in Her Stockings.
Lexy adds: "In lieu of chopping onions and peppers you can use a frozen onion/bell pepper mix to save time. Also I use unsalted butter, low sodium chicken stock and no salt added tomato paste, if you use salted varieties you may want to omit salt when sautéing the veggies, but that's to individual taste. Substituting olive oil for butter and veggie stock for chicken makes it vegan/vegetarian in a jiffy!"Spanish Rice
2 tbps Butter (or olive oil)
1 small onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp chipotle chile powder (or to taste)
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp hot sauce
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1. Heat butter in a 3-4 qt sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted add vegetables and salt/pepper/chile powder.
2. Sauté vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, watch heat so butter doesn't burn. Add rice, tomato paste, and hot sauce.
3. Toast rice/paste mixture for 2 minutes, lower heat if necessary to avoid burning. Add chicken stock and raise to medium-high heat.
4. Bring mixture to a boil then cover and bring heat to low. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Makes 4 servings
Spicy rating a 6 (out of 10)
If you'd like to participate in Shaker Gourmet, email me (include a blog link!) at: shakergourmet (at) gmail.com
Double-Whammy
Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch Part Forty-Three and Clinton Sexism Watch Part Ninety-One.
Bam:
Fuck you,
Norman also says it's "just a coincidence" that the character he chose for the Obama t-shirt is a monkey. It just so happens that Obama looks like Curious George, that's all! Three…two…one… "Norman said those offended are 'hunting for a reason to be mad' and insisted he is 'not a racist'." Bingo!
This horseshit is eerily familiar to item #27 on the Obama RMUSBD Watch, in which a caller into Rush Limbaugh's show said that her 12-year-old daughter thinks that Obama looks like Curious George—and, as I explained then, the difference between comparing George Bush to a chimp and Barack Obama to a chimp is that there is not the same racial history of marginalizing whites by comparing them to monkeys. There's that whole owning the context thing again.
It's also eerily familiar to multiple items on the Clinton Sexism Watch, in which various people have made "hilarious jokes" about how Clinton should be brutally murdered.
Gee, this has been a fun campaign season!
[H/T to Shaker John.]
Hillary Sexism Watch: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six, Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One, Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six, Fifty-Seven, Fifty-Eight, Fifty-Nine, Sixty, Sixty-One, Sixty-Two, Sixty-Three, Sixty-Four, Sixty-Five, Sixty-Six, Sixty-Seven, Sixty-Eight, Sixty-Nine, Seventy, Seventy-One, Seventy-Two, Seventy-Three, Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five, Seventy-Six, Seventy-Seven, Seventy-Eight, Seventy-Nine, Eighty, Eighty-One, Eighty-Two, Eighty-Three, Eighty-Four, Eighty-Five, Eighty Six, Eighty-Seven, Eighty-Eight, Eighty-Nine, Ninety.
Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Black Dude Watch: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two.
Caption This Photo
Hey kids! It's time for the Muddy Mudskipper show!
(Via CuteOverload)
Sigh... I've tried to keep this to myself for as long as I could but I just can't deal anymore, so here we go. I've a confession to make to all of you.
I know that for months now I've taken on the role of resident Cute Overlord by meticulously picking the cutest offerings from CuteOverload for all to enjoy. It's not that I intend to stop doing this. On the contrary, I've actually found a new site to add to my obsessions.
I have to look at the site every damn day because I can't get enough. I mean, it goes beyond the beyond in terms of crazy cute. The faint of heart should not go below the fold. Should you choose to continue, just know that you've been warned, for you must beware the hypnotic gaze of...
The Disapproving Rabbit!
