165 million. The dollar amount of bonuses and incentives it has been reported that insurance giant AIG intends to pay out to its top-level employees, after receiving $170 billion in taxpayer-funded federal bailout money.
In case you're wondering if I'm actually telling you that AIG is planning to use part of the government's assistance to reward the same executives who brought the company to the brink of financial collapse, yes, that's what I'm telling you.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the original bonus budget was $450 million.
Number of the Day
Sunday Kitteh
Ginge + Woolly Jumper + Fuzz + Snuggles + Purring = Colossal Cute
Quote of The Day
"[President Obama] is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack."—Former Vice President and current fearmongering asshole Dick Cheney, this morning on CNN's "State of the Union."
This guy's just unbelievable. He takes every chance he gets to say, "If liberals X, then TERROR ATTACK!!!11!" so, no matter what, when another terrorist attack (only as defined by wankers like him) inevitably happens, as they do in largely free and open societies, he can blame liberals and say, "See, I told you so!"
But it's a little like my constantly saying, "Because the Republican Party is allowed to exist, a meteor is going to crash into a house!" Someday, somewhere, a meteor will crash into a house. That wouldn't make my asserted blame for the grim prediction retroactively true.
Would you like some Pi?
Today is Pi Day! Are you doing anything to celebrate? Maybe baking a pie? Having shepard's or pizza pie for dinner?
If you'd like to learn more about Pi, Pi Day International has an illustrated history.
The Virtual Pub Is Open
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Drinks are on Stan Zbornak.
The First Crack in Taking Down DOMA
A couple of recent court rulings are going to make President Obama live up to his campaign promise to "fight hard" for equal rights for gay couples.
Just seven weeks into office, President Obama is being forced to confront one of the most sensitive social and political issues of the day: whether the government must provide health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.While I can appreciate the political risks from both sides -- side with the courts and risk pissing off the right wing; follow DOMA and alienate the LGBT people who helped him win the election -- it really shouldn't be a question of political benefits, even though that's the way the world works.
In separate, strongly worded orders, two judges of the federal appeals court in California said that employees of their court were entitled to health benefits for their same-sex partners under the program that insures millions of federal workers.
But the federal Office of Personnel Management has instructed insurers not to provide the benefits ordered by the judges, citing a 1996 law, the Defense of Marriage Act.
Regardless of what President Obama does, it's a given that he will never mollify the "social conservatives" (i.e. the anti-gay lobby). And since the president has already taken the stand that he's not in favor of gay marriage, he's not going to make all of the people in the gay community happy no matter what he does, either. So he might as well go along with the court rulings, using them as the leverage to make the case to Congress to repeal parts if not all of the odious Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was probably the most blatantly bigoted piece of legislation to come out of Congress in the last generation.
In adopting the Defense of Marriage Act, Congress said the government had a legitimate interest in “defending and nurturing the institution of traditional heterosexual marriage.”Oh, how frightening to be threatened with a tantrum from Gary Bauer. If anything, that kind of bleating from that sanctimonious twerp confirms that extending benefits to same-sex partners is exactly the right thing to do.
But Judge Reinhardt said the denial of benefits to same-sex spouses would not encourage gay men and lesbians to marry members of the opposite sex or discourage same-sex marriages.
“So the denial cannot be said to nurture or defend the institution of heterosexual marriage,” the judge wrote.
Gary L. Bauer, president of American Values, a conservative advocacy group, said that if Mr. Obama extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers, he would “provoke a furious grass-roots reaction, reinvigorate the conservative coalition and undermine his efforts to portray himself as a moderate on social issues.”
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
Quote of The Day
"Does he have a 'Delete' key on his computer? If so, than he should use it much more frequently." — Ed Whitson, commenter at nytimes.com, in response to a piece titled Things Judd Apatow Keeps In His Office.
Pathetic
Powerdouche John McCain has threatened to oppose the confirmation of Obama's deputy secretary of Interior nominee, David Hayes, because Hayes once wrote something unflattering about St. Ronald of Reagan:
In the article, Hayes wrote [pdf] that "the conservative political agenda in the West is grounded in hoary stereotypes about the region and its people" and that "out of this conservative world view emerges the stereotypical Western man (and it is unquestionably a 'he')—a rugged, gun-toting individualist who fiercely guards every man's right to drill, mine, log, or do whatever he damn well pleases on the land" and that "Like Ronald Reagan before him, President Bush has embraced the Western stereotype to the point of adopting some of its affectations—the boots, brush-clearing, and get-the-government-off-our-backs bravado."
And since evidently no one is allowed to exercise their right to freedom of speech to criticize the Patron Saint of Conservative Wankers, McCain used the occasion of Hayes' confirmation hearing to ask him whether he stood by his remarks, to which Hayes replied he regretted using "overly florid" prose.
That didn't appease McCain.Idiot.
"So you had to throw Reagan in there?" McCain continued.
"I shouldn't have done that," Hayes said.
…"I will be considering seriously whether I can support your nomination or not," McCain added.
Hayes should have told McCain the only thing he regretted was not adding that Reagan was a yella-bellied, pants-pooping thumbsucker and a terrible actor. Neener neener.
Stewart vs. Cramer
The Daily Show has been getting on my nerves big time lately, with the sexism and the fat jokes and the Girls Gone Wild advertising, but this shit is pretty good:
[If anyone can find a transcript, please leave a link in comments.]
Number of the Day
100,500. Copies sold of Ann Coulter's latest polemic, Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America, according to Nielsen BookScan, less than half what her last screed sold in hardcover.
Tears in a bucket; motherfuckit.
[Via Memeorandum.]
Friday Blogaround
Please pass the pathetic anger bread 'round the blogaround.
Recommended Reading:
Maha: O noez!! Scandal!
The Red Queen: Getting Out Is Never Easy
Renee: Big Girl Panties and the Cycle of Victimology
Yolanda: Bearing Arms
Resistance: Who Falls Under "People"
Echidne: And Some More Happy News
Heads-up, Losties: Jorge has a funnysad post to help us through our Lostless week.
Leave your links in comments...
Corrective Rape (with Action Item)
[Trigger warning.]
Reuters reports that NGO ActionAid has released a report on hate crimes, backed by the South African Human Rights Commission, detailing the prevalence of "corrective rape" in South Africa, where gangs of men are raping lesbians to "cure" them (emphasis mine):
South Africa has one of the world's most progressive constitutions and became the first country in Africa to allow gay marriage in 2006, but homosexuality is still widely frowned upon and same-sex unions are often decried as "un-African."ActionAid estimates there are half a million rapes in South Africa every year, which is one of the highest rape rates in the world, matched by one of the lowest conviction rates in the world. According to ActionAid, police are "particularly reluctant to investigate crimes against lesbians" and the support for survivors [is] inadequate."
"We get insults every day, beatings if we walk alone, you are constantly reminded that you deserve to be raped," ActionAid quoted one lesbian as saying. "They yell, 'if I rape you then you will go straight, you will buy skirts and start to cook because you will have learnt how to be a real woman'."
…One lesbian and gay support group told ActionAid it was dealing with 10 new cases of lesbians being targeted for what it called "corrective rape" every week in Cape Town alone.
In the Telegraph's article on the report, a statement released by South Africa's national prosecuting authority is quoted with regard to the widespread inaction: "While hate crimes—especially of a sexual nature—are rife, it is not something that the South African government has prioritised as a specific project."
I don't imagine I need to explain to this community how horrific and desperate this situation is. Human rights and equality campaigners are counting on public outrage to force their government into action, so what we can do is email the South African Ministry of Justice and ask them politely but firmly to prioritize safety and justice for our South African sisters. Let us be the movement of the butterfly's wings that becomes a typhoon.[H/T to Shakers alexthom and JR_JR.]
It's Delightful, It's Delicious, It's De-Lovely...
...it's De-lurk Day! We haven't had one of these in ages, so all you Shaker lurkers who rarely or never pipe up, don't be shy; say hi!
Cheeky devils!
What a Shocker!
So now that the Dems are back on top, Joe Lieberman is "open to" rejoining the party.
Of course he is.
Beck Is Off the Rails
On Wednesday, I mentioned that there had been two terrible mass shootings, one in Germany and one in Alabama, and noted I didn't feel inclined to try to make a political point about either one, especially knowing only the briefest outlines of each incident.
Suffice it to say, professional asshole Glenn Beck doesn't have the same reserve, and, during a conversation with professional douchebag Bill O'Reilly yesterday, he took the opportunity to advance his theory about the murderer in Alabama:
[Transcript below.]
So, according to Glenn Beck, murderous rampages are the inevitable consequence of conservatives not getting what they want. Never mind that we've no idea whether the man in question was a conservative; it's easy enough to presume a white man from Alabama is a conservative just to make the point that his killing spree is all liberals' fault.
Pretty dim view of his fellow conservatives Beck's advancing there (which is to say nothing of his opinion of liberals, but that's hardly news). He's unapologetically suggesting they're borderline nuts and on a hair-trigger, pushed beyond the edge of sanity in less than 100 days of a presidential administration that doesn't pander to their every whim—and yet his contention is that liberals treat conservatives like shit. Interesting. Anyone remember Beck being concerned that liberals would go on a death bender during the eight years of Bush rule when liberals weren't just "disenfranchised" and not being listened to or heard, but called traitorous? Yeah, me neither. But he'll cast conservatives as unstable fuckos without hesitation to score a dubious political point. (With whom? The unstable fuckos. Great plan.)
You know you're engaging in full-tilt fuckery when Bill freaking O'Reilly is the voice of reason.
(And, by the way, I just love hearing the man who stuck a picture of my face in a sniper's crosshairs while he told demonstrable lies about me and demanded I be fired from my job talking about fighting the good fight without hurting other people in the process. Fucking hilarious. Asshole.)
BECK: So, the shooting in Alabama.
O'REILLY: Yeah.
BECK: Did you hear how they described this guy? I mean, it was a typical, you know, "he was a loner. He was quiet. I didn't know." I mean, it was really— But what they really described, when they really got down into it, what they said was, "here's a guy who felt that he had been wronged. He didn't feel comfortable talking to anybody. He was disgruntled and everything else." And then he went out and shot a bunch of people. As they were describing him—and they said, you've got to go, now more than ever, you've got to start talking to people. You have to start connecting with people because we're going into hard times yadda yadda yadda. As I'm listening to the description— First of all, this guy's a psycho. Clearly, he's a psycho.
O'REILLY: Right.
BECK: But as I'm listening to him, I'm thinking about the American people that feel disenfranchised right now. That feel like nobody's hearing their voice. The government isn't hearing their voice. Even if you call, they don't listen to you on both sides. If you're a conservative, you're called a racist. You want to starve children. Yadda yadda yadda.
O’REILLY: Sure.
BECK: And every time they do speak out, they're shut down by political correctness. How do you not have those people turn into that guy?
O'REILLY: Well, look, nobody, even if they're frustrated, is going to hurt another human being unless they're mentally ill, I think.
BECK: I think pushed to the wall; you don't think people get pushed to the wall?
O'REILLY: Nah, I don't believe in this snap thing. I think that that kind of violence is inside you and it's a personality disorder. But I do understand the frustration of people. But it's called fighting the good fight. That's what it's called, fighting the good fight. You stand up for your belief system, you tell people what you believe, you take the slings and arrows—both you do, I do, we have to take it. But you fight. You fight for your country. You fight for your family. You fight for your dignity. And that's it. And you don't hurt other people in the process. You just fight the good fight.
Rape Culture: Watchmen Edition
[TRIGGER WARNING — graphic violence/rape imagery]
by Shaker Scott Madin
Liss asked me if I'd be interested in writing about this, and I've got a couple shots of rye in me now, so here we go.
So, for starters, here's a little bit of non-Watchmen-related background. There's this guy, David Hayter. For most of his career, he's been a voice actor for cartoons, especially English dubs of anime. Most people who've heard of him, however, know him as the voice of Solid Snake, the main character of the Metal Gear Solid series of video games. (Although the focus of the MGS series is stealth, Solid Snake's character is mainly based on Snake Plissken from John Carpenter's 1981 movie Escape From New York. For comparison purposes, here is a photo of Snake Plissken; a photo of Solid Snake can be found here [second picture]; and photos of David Hayter are at his IMDB page.) Turns out that since 2000, Hayter has also been working as a screenwriter, including on the first two X-Men movies and the modern classic The Scorpion King. Guess what else?
Yep, he co-wrote the screenplay for Watchmen. And our David is a sensitive soul: he's been stung to the quick by criticisms of his movie* and, fearful that "if it drops off the radar after the first weekend, they will never allow a film like this to be made again," has decided to write an open letter, ostensibly addressed to "the fanboys and fangirls. The true believers. Dedicated for life," asking — nay, begging — nay, demanding that they go see it again and again, and to the people who haven't seen it yet, well...he thinks they deserve to be raped.
Oh, no! Not literally raped, of course, I'm sure he'd insist; he doesn't think anyone deserves to actually be raped. It's just a great, edgy metaphor for how his movie treats its audience! Who could object to a metaphor? Here's what he actually writes:It may upset you. And it probably will upset you.
There, see? His hypothetical audience really, secretly, wanted the metaphorical rape! Because wanting to be raped is totally a thing that happens! And we know his hypothetical audience wants it because in the hypothetical future:
And all along, we really meant it to.
Because face it. All this time...You there, with the Smiley-face pin. Admit it.
All this time, you've been waiting for a director who was going to hit you in the face with this story. To just crack you in the jaw, and then bend you over the pool table with this story. With its utterly raw view of the darkest sides of human nature, expressed through its masks of action and beauty and twisted good intentions. Like a fry-basket full of hot grease in the face. Like the Comedian on the Grassy Knoll.Trust me. You'll come back, eventually. Just like Sally.
...
OK, I can't keep up the sarcasm anymore. There are so many things wrong with Hayter's letter that I can't even point them all out. His second, fourth and ninth paragraphs, for example, I'll leave as exercises for the reader, and skip right to 11, which comes just before the bit I've already excerpted. This is, I think, where we first see just how wrong Hayter has gone. He explains that he's telling people to go see the movie again, not for his own personal benefit (and as far as I know what he says in 10, that writers don't get any extra profit from increased box office returns, but make their money on residuals from DVD sales, is true) butfor people who love smart, dark entertainment, on a grand, operatic scale. I'm talking to the Snake fans, the Rorschach fans, the people of the Dark Knight.
So, yes, this would be part of the root of the problem. He thinks fans of Rorschach, who's a sociopath, are a good audience to court. In the beginning of his letter, Hayter implies that he's read Watchmen many times; it seems he hasn't read it enough. I don't have a source for this right now, but I've read that when Watchmen was first being published, Alan Moore received a lot of mail from fans telling him how great they thought Rorschach was, and how much they wished there were people more like him in real life, and that this so disturbed Moore that he said he wished he'd never written the book. Hayter appears to think that being "dark" is a good and worthwhile quality in itself.
And he also thinks, as we've seen, that there's nothing wrong with using rape (which is a compliment, and which the victim secretly wants, and will come back for more of!) as a metaphor for a "dark" movie which mimics the story of the novel on which it's based without having understood it.
Now, I honestly believe that David Hayter really doesn't think rape is OK, or that rape victims "were asking for it" or "deserved it." Not consciously, that is; I believe if you asked him those questions, he'd say, "of course not!" But he's soaking in privilege and in the rape culture (though if he's ever even heard the term "rape culture," he probably thinks of it as a crazy thing that only crazy feminists like that crazy man-hating Andrea Dworkin say because they're crazy and hate men — because being so normalized that any challenges to it seem bizarre is one of rape culture's more powerful defense mechanisms).
This combination of socialization and privilege means that, in Hayter's mind, rape is something that happens to Others, i.e. women, and so it's not real to him (see the discussion in comments here); and that women's function is sex, so that must be why Sally "come[s] back, eventually" to the Comedian. Hayter probably also believes that the Comedian/Sally scene is what rape "normally" looks like: a man, probably a stranger or an acquaintance rather than an intimate, overtly using physical force to overpower a struggling, protesting woman while muttering clichés about how she's dressed. That's another clever trick of rape culture: teaching us that only the least frequent forms of rape count as "real" rape.
Hayter has provided a very clear example, but of course he's not unique in how he thinks. The society he lives in has taught him, as it has taught many, probably most, men (and believe me, I do not claim to be exempt; at best, I am just better equipped with the analytical tools to recognize this in others and in myself), to see women, and rape, and violence, and sex, in this terribly damaged way. On a visceral, sub-rational level, he believes that rape is something that happens to Other People, not People Like Him, that it's not really all that serious, and — since he's addressing his letter to "people like [him]" — he's just being "raw" and "dark" (he doesn't, but might as well have also said "edgy" and "un-PC" — all of which is, other issues aside, a gross mistaking of style for substance), which is to say, titillating to his audience. If you told him he was doing real harm by treating rape so flippantly, well. I guess we're all familiar with the litany of responses by now.
There's probably a lot of important ground I've failed to cover in responding to this. There's a lot to say, and even without people like David Hayter casually tossing around rape imagery as though it were just a bit of fun, I'd be angry and frustrated with Watchmen near to the point of incoherence, because I'm sick to death of people taking books which should never be made into films, and which they don't understand in the first place, and producing glossy, high-budget blockbusters that betray the source material but make gobs of money from a public easily wowed by special effects. I'm sure y'all will help fill in things I've missed in comments.
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*Why yes, typically one does say that if the movie is anyone's, it's the director's, not the co-writer of the adapted screenplay, but Hayter sure seems to be taking it as personally as if it were solely his product.
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Bonus question: what could make rape even more hilarious? When it happens to a man, because that's just wacky! Ugh.
[H/T to Shaker Failed Lurker.]
Important Announcement
Appropriate and necessary use of the word rape: To describe what has happened to someone who has been forced or coerced into a sex act.
Inappropriate and unnecessary use of the word rape: To describe what has "been done to you" by the IRS and/or US Government by requiring you to pay taxes.
Important Corollary, subject to same rules as Important Announcement #10: If you are a rape apologist and/or teller of rape jokes, you are not a progressive; you're a fauxgressive.
[This announcement will be made annually during tax season until further notice.]
Massive Dose of the Cutez!
Shaker Molliecat sent these amazingly adorable photos with the note:
I work in the vet tech department of a university and one of our students is fostering a baby kangaroo. My dog, Clover, comes to work with me several times a week, and last week got to meet the kangaroo. Instant infatuation ensued. (At least on Clover's part.) It is the love that dare not speak its name.
The kangaroo's foster mom always carries him in a zebra-striped knapsack; yesterday another student came in carrying a zebra-striped purse and Clover IMMEDIATELY went up to her and was standing up on her hind legs trying to sniff the purse, looking for her kangaroo. (So not only is Clover cute, she's a GENIUS.)Awwwwwwww!
