When everything is going pear-shaped and the world feels like it might just spin right out of control, at least I know that Phyllis Schlafly is always there, consistent and steady, to blame feminists for everything.
[H/T to Melissa, the Feminist Texican.]
Phyllis Schlafly Is My Constant
How Cool Is This?
Bruce Springsteen issues statement in support of New Jersey's gay marriage bill:
Like many of you who live in New Jersey, I've been following the progress of the marriage-equality legislation currently being considered in Trenton. I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that, "The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is -- a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law." I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now.
Not surprisingly, governor-elect Chris Christie (R) has indicated he will veto the bill.
Today in Rape Culture
[Trigger warning.]
In another objectionable new ad (the other was recently linked here), Orangina has borrowed a page from the Method playbook and used an animated character committing sexual harassment/assault as the centerpiece of the messaging:
[Transcript + commentary below.]
A white, balding, slightly chubby, middle-aged man in a brown suit looks fearful as we hear the sound of a whip cracking. The camera cuts to an animated character—half woman, half black panther, clad in a gold bikini, and cracking the whip. "Dance!" she demands. The man begins to dance. "In rhythm!" she scolds. He frantically moves his feet. She cracks the whip at him. "Strip!" He looks panicked and begins to take off his clothes. "Focus, baby," she says. "Focus!" She nears him and hisses. He looks terrified and takes off his shirt. She roars and cracks the whip. He whimpers in fright and takes off his belt, spanking himself with it. "That's my baby," she coos. She takes a drink of Orangina, then cracks the whip at him again. He's down to his underpants. "Go on, baby. Go on. Yeah, I like it." She approaches him again and purrs, stroking his chin. "Come on," she urges. He pleads with his face. She hisses and roars. He sobs and takes off his underpants. "Don't think." He whimpers and kicks his underpants away with his foot, covering his genitals with his hands. All he is wearing are his socks and shoes. "Keep going!" she growls. He trembles. The whip cracks again. Cut to a bottle of Orangina Red. Voiceover: Organgina Red—made with blood oranges. Perhaps a bit too bloody.The selling point, thus, is that Orangina Red will turn you into a sexually aggressive monster. Awesome.
I have the same problems with Orangina's advert that I have with Method's: There's nothing—nothing—amusing, clever, or appropriate about equating a drink with sexual assault, thereby diminishing the gravity of the latter. That the leering, objectification, intimidation, bullying, and assault are perpetrated by an anthropomorphized cartoon does not minimize the effect watching a man being assaulted. The victim is a human being.
Making the victim male and perpetrator female doesn't make it any more acceptable, either. Men are victims of sexual assault, too—although, as in the vast majority of female-victim assaults, the perpetrator is almost always also male.
And before anyone gets it in their head to argue that this isn't a sexual assault, but instead a scene of a dominatrix and a consenting customer, I'll just note that the setting of the ad is a circus ring. She's literally treating him like a performing animal, and he appears to be utterly terrified. I am acquainted with someone who worked as a professional dominatrix for many years; men went to her to be punished, not petrified—and if someone had become visibly frightened of her, she would have stopped. Images of dominatrices thrilling in hurting scared, vulnerable men are images of sexual assault, not of anything a consent-insistent sex worker does.
Contact Orangina.[Via AdFreak, to whom I'm not linking directly because the commentary unfortunately includes some fat hatred.]
Shaker Thumbs
Howdy, Shakers! Welcome to a special holiday double edition of Shaker Thumbs. This is your opportunity to give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to a product or service you'd recommend to other Shakers or warn them away from.
Previously: One, Two, Three, Four, Five.
____________________
Bandolino "Edwena" riding boots from a reseller on eBay and a mid-weight lavender denim from Gorgeous Fabrics. I expressly neglected to iron the skirt so y'all could see what the fabric looks like halfway through the day. Ha.
I have two recommendations today. The first is the Bandolino "Edwena" riding boot in dark brown (about $59 from a reseller on eBay). This is a great "arthritis shoe", at least for me. It's hard for me to find shoes that are stylish, affordable, well-made, and comfortable for all-day wear. The color of this boot is so dark that it can pass as black or brown. The heel is a sturdy-but-not-clunky 4.4 cm-high block and the toes are nicely shaped, neither too square nor too pointy. The style goes with a lot of different clothes, from jeans to dresses.
It's tricky to tell if boots will fit you in the calf just by looking at them online, so I got lucky here. I provide the dimensions and a close-up of the boot details below the fold.
It's Stand on Your Deck Like a Pirate Day! Yarrrr!
For a U.S. size 6 (measurements will of course vary with size):
Heel height: 1.75 inches (4.4 cm)
Shank height: ~15 inches (38 cm)
Calf/top circumference: ~15 inches (38 cm)
Note: there is a stretch gusset at the top to ease calf fit.
Quite a few of you out there have chronic pain problems, so please share with us recommendations for products that make your life easier. The same goes for other chronic issues you face.
We have some sewers/sewists around here as well; hence the Gorgeous Fabrics recommendation. Ann Steeves has a helpful blog and a great fabric business with wonderful customer service. Her quantities are limited, and when she sells out of a fabric, it's often gone for good, but she always has great new things coming in. Gorgeous Fabrics is divine browsing for fabric fans, and you can sign up for email notifications of her frequent sales. (The fabric pictured above is 60" lavender fields denim, of which only 4 yards remain in stock. It is currently $10 per yard, but I got it on sale for $8.50.)
Gorgeous Fabrics is not cheap, but if you watch and wait, you can get a great deal on amazing fabrics. Just make a muslin first.
Have at it, folks: what product or service do you have to talk about?
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, makers of Butch Pornstache's Super-Hetero Mustache Wax.
Recommended Reading:
Marcella: Personal Lasting Impact Of Sexual Violence
Anna N: Testosterone, Anger, and Greed: How Gender Stereotypes Influence Us
Khushbu Srivastava: Gaining Better Access to Abortion in Indonesia
kaninchenzero: I Hope You Feel Better
Atrios: No Remorse
Latoya: Rethinking Beyoncé: Video Gender Studies
Sean: Ultra Deeply
Leave your links in comments...
Today in Rape Culture
[Trigger warning.]
Last week, along with many other feminist bloggers, I wrote about advice columnist Amy Dickinson's dreadful, victim-blaming response to a rape victim who'd written to her for advice. In the interim, feminist writers and readers wrote to Amy and about Amy, and she has finally responded.
And she still doesn't get it.
Amanda Hess does a comprehensive deconstruction here.
I just want to quickly highlight Amy's refusal to acknowledge her victim-blaming, even going so far as to sniff that readers "have accused me of 'blaming the victim'," as if the mere suggestion were preposterous. And yet she continues to victim-blame:
I certainly didn't intend to offend or blame her for what happened, and I hope she will do everything possible to stay safe in the future.That sentence would be hilarious if it weren't so fucking tragic.
You simply cannot claim that you don't intent to blame a survivor for what happened to her, if in the next breath you exhort her to "do everything possible to stay safe in the future." Implicit in that admonishment is the idea that she has some responsibility, some role to play, in whether she is raped or not. That is the definition of victim-blaming.
Let's do this again, shall we?
Left to my own devices, I never would have been raped. The rapist was really the key component to the whole thing. I was sober; I was wearing sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt; I was at home; my sexual history was, literally, nonexistent—I was a virgin; I struggled; I said no. There have been times since when I have been walking home, alone, after a few drinks, wearing something that might have shown a bit of leg or cleavage, and I wasn't raped. The difference was not in what I was doing. The difference was the presence of a rapist.
Amy, like other "women should be responsible" victim-blamers, puts forth her recommendation as if no one's ever said that before, as if no one has ever suggested that the burden of rape prevention should be on women. And as if women aren't socialized from birth to be intimately familiar with "rape prevention," from their behavior to their clothing choices to their attitude, etc. etc. etc. Hardly a week goes by that I don't read an article saying the same goddamned thing, whether women are being admonished to "learn common sense" or "be more responsible" or "be aware of barroom risks" or "avoid these places" or "don't dress this way" or whatfuckingever. If Amy wants to make a serious contribution to rape prevention, she could try dedicating her next column to answering this question: Why is it always more important to lecture women on what they should be doing to avoid rape than to talk to men about the fact that they do not have the right to women's bodies without explicit consent?
But she doesn't want to make a serious contribution. She wants to victim-blame, and she wants to pretend that telling a young woman she should be more responsible is somehow going to stop her getting sexually assaulted again, as if that's a new idea. As if we don't live in a rape culture in which women are told from the day they're born to be careful about what you wear, how you wear it, how you carry yourself, where you walk, when you walk there, with whom you walk, whom you trust, what you do, where you do it, with whom you do it, what you drink, how much you drink, whether you make eye contact, if you're alone, if you're with a stranger, if you're in a group, if you're in a group of strangers, if it's dark, if the area is unfamiliar, if you're carrying something, how you carry it, what kind of shoes you're wearing in case you have to run, what kind of purse you carry, what jewelry you wear, what time it is, what street it is, what environment it is, how many people you sleep with, what kind of people you sleep with, who your friends are, to whom you give your number, who's around when the delivery guy comes, to get an apartment where you can see who's at the door before they can see you, to check before you open the door to the delivery guy, to own a dog or a dog-sound-making machine, to get a roommate, to take self-defense, to always be alert always pay attention always watch your back always be aware of your surroundings and never let your guard down for a moment lest you be sexually assaulted and if you are and didn't follow all the rules it's your fault.
And yet somehow, even with all these admonishments to vigilance, and even with all the compliance with these admonishments, millions of women are still sexually assaulted, many of them multiple times.
Are all these women just irresponsible?
Or is it, perhaps, that rape culture is also the persistent, obdurate refusal of victim-blamers to acknowledge that the only thing that the victim of every rapist shares in common is not a catastrophic streak of irresponsibility, but the bad fucking luck to be in the presence of a rapist...?
Quote of the Day
"You might not believe me when I tell you this, but there's no doubt: MacGruber was amazing."—Amir Bednarsh, reviewing MacGruber, a film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, which is a send-up of MacGyver.
He was right about one thing: I don't believe him.
[Warning for sexist and ablist language.] Some of the things Bednarsh notes approvingly about the film: "MacGruber (Will Forte), having sworn off the life of an action hero, is approached by the U.S. government and informed of the plan of his arch enemy Dieter Von Cunth (Note: the 'h' is virtually silent). ... It's time for MacGruber 'to go pound some Cunth'." and "[I]n one scene [von Cunth] asks his henchmen why they didn't capture MacGruber, to which they reply that they didn't think he was a threat. They actually thought he was mentally retarded."
I'm not amazed so much as contemptuous.
Why Diversity Matters
Boom:
Justice Sotomayor's opinion in the case, Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter, No. 08-678, marked the first use of the term "undocumented immigrant," according to a legal database. The term "illegal immigrant" has appeared in a dozen decisions.We've previously discussed the problems with the phrase "illegal immigrant" (or the even worse "illegal"), and about the implicit racism with which the term is loaded.
It's not a coincidence that it was the first Latina appointed to the Supreme Court who introduced the term "undocumented immigrant" into the Court's lexicon.
Healthcare Open Thread
ABC News—Senators Defeat Anti-Abortion Amendment in Health Care Bill By 54-45: "By a vote of 54-45, senators dismissed the abortion amendment offered by Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Nelson had threatened to vote no on final passage if his amendment was not included, but he declined to say today if he would abandon the Democrats' razor thin 60-vote majority. 'This makes it very hard for me to support it,' Nelson told reporters after the vote."
TPMDC—Democrats Agree to Tentatively Trade Opt-Out for Trigger, Medicare Buy In, and More:
An aide briefed on the negotiations among the gang of 10 offers up the rundown of the most important aspects of the public option compromise being sent to CBO.The White House responds: "Senators are making great progress and we're pleased that they're working together to find common ground toward options that increase choice and competition."
If this trade-off carries the day, the opt out public option is gone.
In its place will be many of the alternatives we've been hearing about, including a Medicare expansion and a triggered, federally-based public option, the aide said.
As has been widely reported, one of the trade-offs will be to extend a version of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan to consumers in the exchanges. Insurance companies will have the option of creating nationally-based non-profit insurance plans that would offered on the exchanges in every state. However, according to the aide, if insurance companies don't step up to the plate to offer such plans, that will trigger a national public option.
The public option is dead. Long live the market.
Deck the Cross
Here's the latest in holiday decor that really... well, you decide.
Yes, it's a Christmas tree on a cross. The creator of it, Marsha Boggs, explains:
"When I became a Christian a few years ago," says Boggs, "I was appalled by the secularization of the Christmas holiday. When retail stores started substituting 'Happy Holidays' for 'Merry Christmas,' and schools began calling their Christmas programs 'Winter Plays,' it all seemed ridiculous to me. That's why we have created products that remind people what the Christmas season is really all about - the birth of Christ."I think Ms. Boggs needs to remember that Christ was not born on the cross; that's where he died. So, as one commenter at No More Mister Nice Blog suggested, at Easter we should have a manger filled with colored eggs and chocolate shepherds?
A portion of the proceeds of all "CHRIST-mas" Tree sales will go to support the American Center [for] Law & Justice, ... as well as to the Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family.The ACLJ is the legal outlet of Pat Robertson, and the ironically-named Liberty Counsel is the brainchild of the late Jerry Falwell. Of course.
Frankly, I think they might be on to something. Having holidays scattered throughout the year is a waste of time, and it disrupts businesses and families. So why don't we take some of the other holidays and mash them all together into one big one? We could merge Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. We'd have a big parade, followed by a picnic where we barbecue a turkey while setting off fireworks at Arlington National Cemetery. We could call it Thanks Four the Memories Day.
HT to Steve M at NMMNB.
Cross-posted (HA!)
Question of the Day
Inspired by this list (PDF file):
What is your favorite last line from a novel?
As far as I know, we've done first lines, but never last lines. And I'm totally drawing a blank. The first one that popped into my head* was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I'll go with that.
"Anything to eat?" Charlie cried, laughing. "Oh, you just wait and see!"
*(Actually, the first one to pop into my head was the final line from Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," but that's a short story.)
Quote of the Day
"One of the things that concerns me is that in the United States there's a real talk of 'maybe we need to have this big tent and make sure that we just accommodate every view.' That's what will kill the conservative movement." — Mike Huckabee, pontificating on the inevitable destination of the GOP's "big tent" platform.
Hey, Losties!
Out today, Lost: The Complete Fifth Season Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit.
Among the goodies
included in this set:VHS Orientation Video for New Recruits
Limited Edition Collectible embroidered DHARMA Patches
(Random sets include the exclusive Submarine Patch)
Orientation Guides to the Compound, Motor Pool, Security and Cafeteria
Exclusive CD of Geronimo Jackson's "Dharma Lady"
Just in time for Xmas!
[Cross-posted.]
Today's Edition of "Conniving and Sinister"
Strips One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81. In which Liss reimagines the long-running comic "Frank & Ernest," about two old straight white guys "telling it like it is," as a fat feminist white woman and a biracial queerbait telling it like it actually is from their perspectives. Hilarity ensues.
Tweetspoons!
by Shaker BGK / Twitter: bgkev
Greetings out there in Shakesville land.
From ShaxCo, makers of Deeky's Delicious Dental Floss, we have an addition to the Not Quite Daily Teaspoon Report. We're twittering! If you send your 140 characters of your teaspoon to dailyteaspoon-at-gmail-dot-com, it will be posted to our new twitter account NQDTR. This will allow us to update our twitter feed, and keep everyone motivated and thinking about how they can use their teaspoons.
When sending in your teaspoons to dailyteaspoon-at-gmail-dot-com, please do not have a subject. Just leave it blank. This will help speed up the processing time. Also, we've turned on an option to allow you to send in links, and they will be automatically shortened with tinyurl for you! If you have any questions about how to use this new feature, please send an email to dailyteaspoon-at-gmail-dot-com with a subject and I'll be happy to help.
If you're on twitter, please follow us at NQDTR. This way, the follow list will have tons of Shaker people, which we can add and follow on our own twitter accounts. Also, feel free to reply to @NQDTR if you want to compliment or congratulate someone on their use of their teaspoon. NQDTR will be retweeting from its followers as well. If you don't use twitter, you can read along at www.twitter.com/nqdtr. If you'd like to add an RSS feed to your reader, please use:
http://twitter.com/statuses/friends_timeline/95438323.rss
Catch you on twitter, Shakers!
Wow.
[Trigger warning.]
Via Jezebel, the blog AdRants has also weighed in on the Method controversy. Steve Hall writes:
Words fail at this point but we'll give it a shot:You've just gotta love a guy who uses sexual assault imagery in a post contending that survivors of sexual assault (and their allies) are hysterical reactionaries. Yes, where indeed do we "come up with this crap"?
1. Cause groups and feminist blogging should be outlawed.
2. Everyone with a stick up their ass over this should promptly shove it all the way through until it pops out the top of their head. Hopefully they'll die and allow the rest of us to "use the loofa" without feeling like we're being gang raped in the shower. (Where the hell do people come up with this crap?)
3. Brands should grow a pair and proudly lift their middle finger when confronted by a gaggle of idiots who have nothing better to do than to suck the last drop of humor out of life.
4. Just for fun, Dow should hire an army of men in Scrubbing Bubbles costumes, send them to BlogHer (and the rest of the female conference circuit) and have them ejaculate foamy white stuff all over attendees. That ought to get some panties in a bunch.
5. Um... Nope. Got nothing left. Feel free to add your own.
By way of reminder, my original post about the ad consisted of a one-sentence intro ("Shaker Katecontinued emails about this [ad for Method cleaning supplies], which was approvingly posted at TreeHugger with the note that it's 'hilarious'."), the video, a transcript, and a single word of commentary: "Wow." It was followed up by an eminently reasonable and totally measured letter to Method, explaining my objections.
That warrants the hope that I—and everyone else with a "stick up their ass over this"—will die. And I'm allegedly the hysterical reactionary in this scenario.
LOL. Okay.
[Previously on the Method Shiny Suds Ad: Today in Rape Culture, I Write Letters, I Get Letters, Hysterical Bitchez, Well, I Guess That's Us Told.]
