by Shaker KaterTot
[Trigger warning for discussion of sexual violence.]
Vice President Joe Biden, who has long lent his support to programs and policies combating violence against women, launched a new campaign, 1 is 2 Many, in honor of the 17th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. In the accompanying video, he cites a bunch of statistics (also available in text at the site) that mostly make me want to throw up, so I'm not going to repeat them here. (Spoiler Alert! Sexual assault and dating violence on campus is incredibly pervasive.) Then he asks for public input on how to make campuses safer for all students and requests ideas for how to prevent dating violence and sexual assault.
Please take a minute to fill out the form (or you can use the grammatically-incorrect hashtag #1is2many on Twitter) and teaspoon a bit for appropriate violence prevention tactics. In other words, let's be quite clear about who is responsible for preventing these types of violence: Those who are at risk of perpetrating such violence.
There is, as Shakers well know, a whole world out there where potential victims are tasked with the prevention of sexual violence. Let's advocate an alternative solution.
Some of my ideas include: Education on consent as a mandatory part of sex education (for those school districts that still provide it...sigh); campaigns that give folks tools to educate each other when they hear violent and/or degrading rhetoric against women, members of the LGBTQI community, people of color, people with disabilities, and other marginalized populations at higher risk for sexual violence; introducing reinventions of prevention strategies like the "buddy system" to task men with holding their male friends accountable; and centering concepts that go beyond "no means no" and reach the realm of enthusiastic consent (silence might mean no, consent must be repeatedly given for each sexual act, etc).
Although the campaign is US campus-specific, college campuses are steeped in rape culture just like everywhere else, so awareness-raising ideas that are not campus-specific will be valuable, too.
Please feel free to borrow my ideas and/or add your ideas in comments, too. Let's raise our voices and our teaspoons and use this opportunity to send a strong message about appropriate ways to address the staggering rates of assault on campus.
Non USian Shakers, go for it; you'll just need a US zip code for the form.
The form can be located here. Thanks folks!
Add Your Voice to Vice President Joe Biden's Anti-Rape Campaign
Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of
From NPR:
A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family, where two of the three children and one of the two dogs may remember her.
An anonymous man found Willow on East 20th Street. I don't care what the fashion industry says, Willow, I think you've got talent. Just look at that face!
Quote of the Day
[Trigger warning for racism, sexism, ablism.]
"I can't really tell for sure, but a number of people are abuzz about this video of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Hussein Obama Idi Amin Dada. The consensus seems to be that the First Ms. Thang is saying to hubby Barack, 'All of this for a damn flag.' (She said this about the American flag—you know the one brave men died for.) Wouldn't be surprised if that's what she said because we know she hates America and previously said she wasn't proud of our country until Obama had a chance to become Prez. Looks like that's what she said, but I can't tell for sure. I would need a deaf person or other expert lip reader to confirm. Watch and see if you agree (like I said, even if she didn't say exactly that, we know she's thinkin' it)."—Rightwing asshole Debbie Schlussel, on the latest pearl-clutcher scandalizing the conservative blogosphere. Media Matters has more here.
Hey, Debbie—don't look now, but in the middle of your sneering racist screed at the First Lady, you also managed to slight every female soldier who has fought and died for her country. Whoooooops!
P.S. Not all hearing impaired people are "expert lip readers." FYI.
[H/T to @BenDimiero.]
Oh, Rick Perry. Don't Ever Change.
There is a lot of good stuff (where "good stuff" means terrifyingly stupid stuff) in this interview with Rick Perry at Time, but this is definitely my favorite:
Now that you've been in the race for while, do you feel pressure to temper some of your rhetoric, like calling the Obama administration socialist?1. Rick Perry has no idea what socialism means. 2. If only!
No, I still believe they are socialist. Their policies prove that almost daily. Look, when all the answers emanate from Washington D.C., one size fits all, whether it's education policy or whether it's healthcare policy, that is, on its face, socialism.
[H/T to Steve Benen.]
Top Chef: Just Desserts Open Thread
Comcast sucks monkey ass. Last night they refused to actually air Bravo. All I got was the message "This channel should be available shortly." Whut? Ummm, yeah, fuck you, Comcast. So, instead I watched Matlock. Basically out of spite. Matlock did make a pretty tasty looking sandwich, and maybe I was better off. If you happened to see "The Cover Girl" ep on the Hallmark Channel last night, you can discuss that, too. Or talk about the Wonka disaster that was Top Chef. Either or. I don't care.
As per usual, last night's episodes will be discussed in detail, so if you haven't seen it, and don't want any spoilers, pack your linen suits and go...
Great Jobs Plan. Very Cool.
Liberal Democrats fear payroll-tax holiday will undermine Social Security:
Liberal lawmakers in both chambers are hammering the Obama administration for pushing a payroll-tax holiday they say threatens Social Security.Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure that a Republican president would have been more successful at advancing a Republican fiscal agenda and more deeply entrenching Republican fiscal memes than Obama has been.
The lawmakers fear Obama's proposed 2012 payroll-tax break — included as part of his newly released jobs package — could become permanent, stealing from Social Security's lone funding stream and eventually eroding senior benefits.
"Over a period of years — if you do it one year, and then you do it two years, and then you do it three years — then it becomes permanent," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters Wednesday in the Capitol. "And somebody's going to say that if you don't do it, then you're raising taxes."
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) sounded a similar warning, noting that the loss of revenue created by the payroll-tax holiday makes Social Security necessarily reliant on general funds. That, in turn, makes the program much more susceptible to cuts, he added, particularly in a political environment in which deficit reduction has become a top priority.
"Suddenly, someone will say, 'Wait a minute, we can't afford to subsidize this thing anymore,' and the Republicans will say, 'Well, you can't raise the tax,'" DeFazio said.
...Meanwhile, Obama has adopted the popular GOP argument that allowing a tax cut to expire constitutes a tax hike — a message he delivered last week in challenging Republicans to support his payroll-tax cut.
"If we allow that tax cut to expire — if we refuse to act — middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time," Obama said last Thursday night in his address to a joint session of Congress. "We can't let that happen."
The odd dynamics weren't lost on DeFazio.
"A little ironic, isn't it?" DeFazio said. "What he's done is create the [question] of, 'What do we do after that?'
"If this becomes permanent, then Social Security would be exhausted in 2021, instead of 2037. Now, that's a big problem."
That he's staring down a real unemployment rate of about 16%, wage stagnation, a foreclosure crisis, the highest poverty rate in half a century, etc. and his jobs plan consists of tax cuts that will undermine the social safety net, is manifestly absurd. It's frankly no wonder that Sen. Harry Reid is refusing to prioritize the president's proposed legislation. That may be the smartest thing he's ever done as Senate Majority Leader.
Dame Gwyneth Paltrow Thinks My Life Is Meaningless
Not only am I fat, which obviously makes me human garbage, but I am also not a mother and have no plans to be one, which, no doy, renders my life a hollow shell with no "real meaning."
Paltrow is so "happy" that her good friend Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé are expecting and admits that becoming a parent really puts everything in perspective.Someone needs to introduce Gwyneth Paltrow to the concept of "I language." It's fine and dandy if she finds motherhood to be her "biggest blessing of all time," the thing that gave her life "real meaning" and rendered all of her previous achievements relatively insignificant, but it is gross and offensive to universalize that experience and thus suggest that any woman's accomplishments pale in comparison to motherhood, that every woman's life is devoid of "real meaning" unless and until she becomes a mother.
"I think motherhood is the biggest blessing of all time and it give your life real meaning," she points out. "It's always interesting when you're a woman with success and you've achieved a lot, and then you have a baby and you realize everything you thought was an achievement really is nothing until you have a kid, and I think that will be [Beyoncé's] experience."
And, you know, it's not just gross and offensive to women who cannot have children, and to women who choose not to have children, but it's also gross and offensive to the millions of women around the world who are not fortunate enough to have a choice about motherhood at all, the women for whom motherhood is not a carefully planned option in a lifetime of available options, but an inescapable fate, by virtue of forced marriage, rape, lack of access to free or affordable birth control, lack of access to safe and/or legal abortion.
Motherhood is not always a blessing. And, for many women, choosing to not be a mother is one of the most radical, self-defining, meaningful acts they will make in a life full of meaningful acts.
It is evidence of privilege to not know these things.
Speak for yourself, Gwyneth Paltrow. Please.
[Related Reading: Nope!]
There's An App For That
Wanna Shrug (it's capitalized because it is important) and Twitter at the same time? There's an app for that! Looking to annoy your Facebook "friends" with Ayn Rand quotes while watching videos of her talks? There's an app for that! Need to play Wesley Mouch Said WHAT? with your kids on your next train trip? There's an app for that!
New American Library is proud (maybe?) to announce the Amplified Edition of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. It's like a book, but since it's for your iPad it has a bunch of other garbage thrown in for free! (Not really, since the Amplified Edition is two bucks more than the regular e-book. "There's no free in Objectivism!" - Tom Hanks.)
Amplification materials include:
- Full length audio lectures, including a Q&A on Objectivism, an outline of its basic principles, and commentary on the state of business and government
- Illustrated, revealing timeline of the author's life and major works, including personal documents, letters, and correspondence
- Photo gallery of early images of the author at work
- Endorsements and testimonials from celebrities and business leaders on the enduring power and influence of Atlas Shrugged
(H/T to Shaker Ethyl.)
We Should Talk About This
[Trigger warning for trans*/homophobic violence, applies to all links]
This Monday, a trans* woman of color was shot in Washington DC. The latest victim was at least the fifth trans* woman to be shot (or shot at) in DC over the past two months.
On Saturday, DC police found the body of a trans* woman of color.
In late August, drunk, off-duty police officer Kenneth Furr fired at a crowd group of women, at least two of whom were trans*. I haven't seen any reports on the victims' races, FWIW.
On the last day of July, a suspect shot at and missed a trans* woman of color in Northeastern DC.
A day before that incident, two men attacked five lesbian women of color at a D.C. metro station.
On July 20th, Lashai Mclean (also a trans* woman of color) was shot and killed in Northeastern DC.
Don't get me wrong-- a lot of the usual suspects have been covering this. Moreover, I'm not naïve enough to think that violence against queer women of color is going to garner much coverage in the mainstream media (although the DC media has grudgingly acknowledged the existence of said violence).
To point out what I think is obvious, the disinterest society shows towards these crimes is both a cause and symptom of the violence.
I'm honestly not sure if I can say that I'm surprised that this level of violence is being witnessed. I don't see very many of our cultural and civic leaders (including those at DC's Metropolitan Police Department) acting in ways consistent with acknowledging that queer women's lives matter. This needs to change.
Number of the Day
46.2 million: The number of people living in poverty in the United States, according to the annual income and poverty snapshot released yesterday by the US Census Bureau.
That is the highest poverty rate in half a century.
The report also notes that an additional one million USians are now without health insurance, and household income has had a precipitous decline over the last year.
Know what won't fix any of that? Tax cuts.
Blogcation Piccies
As requested, some piccies from my blogcation. We did actually make it out of the house—we went on a great forest hike with the dogs, ate at my Iain's and my favorite restaurant, where Deeks ate the best mac and cheese he's ever had, saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes because James Franco, had lunch with Mama and Papa Shakes at a local diner whose giant mascot is a balloon-loving hobo (?), etc.—but I continually failed to bring my camera with me anywhere. Sad trombone. But here are the pictures I did take!
Dudley and Uncle Deeks, power-lounging.
Zelda and Uncle Deeks are totes BFFs now.
See?
Deeks lies on the floor of my office, surrounded by the Cuddle Gang.
Sophie's got her eye on Deeks.
Tilsy hangs out between Deeks and Spudsy.
Sophie makes herself comfy in Uncle Spudsy's lap.
Zelda snuggles up with Kenny Blogginz.
Our favorite Pink Donut!
Our Talisman avatars engage in a little consensual oral play while we eat pie.
(That's what everyone said.)
Livs wonders why Uncle Deeks would ever stop brushing her when she loves it so much.
Sleepy Dogs after a trip to the dog park with Uncle Deeks.
Dudley appreciates Uncle Deeky making the bed all nice and warm for him.
Zelda is pooped from all the cuddling!
Fin.
Breaking Bad Open Thread
Hank wants a vanilla shake. Walt not so much.
Sunday's episode will be discussed in infinitesimal detail, so if you haven't seen it, and don't want any spoilers, take your chicken batter and move along...
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by fennel. So enjoy!
Recommended Reading:
David: Changing the Rules
Akimbo: Tell Your Senators Not to Wage War Against Women
David: MA-Sen: Warren Officially Announces
crunktastic: [TW for racism] Refereeing Serena: Racism, Anger, and US (Women's) Tennis
Adrienne: [TW for cultural appropriation] Oh, (Miss) Canada.
Peter: Progressive Bloggers and Activists Will Determine President Obama's Political Fate
Fannie: A Meta-Mansplanation
Andy: Group Demands NY Town Clerk's Resignation for Breaking Law, Refusing to Sign Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
Tigtog: [TW for misogyny] That "Feminist Whore" Code in Dead Island Game: Nice to See a Proper Apology
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Set Your DVRs!
[Trigger warning for homophobic and misogynistic slurs; heterocentrism.]
Speaking of garbage projects from the garbagetainment industry, NBC is reportedly developing a new comedy series with the working title My Best Friend Is a Lesbo.
The project, from Warner Bros TV and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's studio-based Fake Empire, is about two best female friends — one straight, the other gay — who become roommates and help each other navigate life, love, and dating in Los Angeles. The semi-autobiographical comedy is based on the real-life friendship of writers and longtime roommates Sascha Rothchild and Randi Barnes, who will co-pen the script together. This is a rare paring of the two, who are not a writing team. They will co-executive produce My Best Friend Is a Lesbo, with Fake Empire's Schwartz, Savage and Len Goldstein executive producing. If the project goes to series, its provocative title will probably be toned down the way ABC's Good Christian Bitches became Good Christian Belles and The Bitch At Apt. 23 was shortened to Apartment 23.I love how the "provocative title" is deemed the most problematic element, and not the treating as HIGHLARIOUSLY RADICAL two friends of differing sexualities. I also love how the use of "lesbo" is definitely the "provocative" part and not the centering of the straight woman right in the title, despite the fact that the show is ostensibly about the two of them equally.
Coincidentally, the working title of Deeky's and my Victorian werewolf docudramedy is My BFF Is Not a Lesbo. Small world!
100% Pure Adrenaline!
Get your hoverboards out, kids, the future is now! And if your idea of the future is one where Hollywood is completely out of new ideas, then you're in luck!
Coming soon to an IMAX near you: Point Break! Hells to the yeah, Hollywood bigshots have greenlighted a remake of the Keanu Reeves/Patrick Swayze surfing and sky diving and bank robbing action epic!! Oh man, there are not enough exclamation points in the world to contain my excitement!!!
The new version will be set "in the world of international extreme sports" (obviously) and will be scripted by Kurt Wimmer who wrote Salt (barf) and Ultraviolet (double barf) and the upcoming Total Recall remake (wait, whut?)! So you just know this will be a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat, deadly game of cat-and-mouse! (And why are games of cat-and-mouse always "deadly"?! Time for some new adjectives, movie trailer guys!)
Hollywood bigshot Michael DeLuca had this to say: "Point Break wasn't just a film, it was a Zen meditation on testosterone fueled action and manhood in the late 20th century and we hope to create the same for the young 21st!" Can't argue with that! (You can't! I dare you to even try!)
No director has been attached (Hollywood lingo), but it will surely be someone "hot"! I am thinking Kathryn Bigelow, because she won a crater-full of awards with her heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat, deadly game of cat-and-mouse movie The Hurt Locker! She should totally direct this!
Also! Casting choices! (If I were a Hollywood bigshot!) Bradley Cooper as Keanu Reeves' Johnny Utah! Mos Def as Patrick Swayze's Bodhi! Megan Fox as Lori Petty's Tyler! Jake Busey as Gary Busey's grizzled FBI guy! Kid Rock as Anthony Red-Hot-Chili-Pepper Kiedis' whatever-that-guy's-name-was! The Jonas Brothers as Bodhi's crew! Casting choices!
I can't wait til next summer or whenever this comes out!
