And you?
Open Thread
This week's open threads have been brought to you by novelty phones. Which is something you really don't see all that often any more, and I have no idea why.
The Virtual Pub Is Open
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
Beloved Community
[Content Note: Discussion of domestic violence, racism, worker exploitation and injury, misogyny.]
So, I promised I'd talk a little bit about the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) conference I attended earlier this week, and also provide a transcript of my speech (which is below). Misty's post has a lot of good information on workshops we attended and some of the speakers we saw, which I won't duplicate, so make sure you read her post, too.
I first want to extend my thanks to the WSCADV staff, who are amazing. Primarily, I want to say thank you to Mette, who had the faith in me to be a presenter and who invited me to speak. I also want to say thank you to Reed, who managed the technical part of my presentation. Thank you to Ankita, for taking pictures. Thank you Nan (and Flat Nan), and Leigh, and Sandi, and Ilene, and Traci, and Erin, and Tyra, and Jake, for making me feel so welcome and supported. Special thanks to Tyra for our conversation about the future of the movement, which gave me lots to consider.
Thank you to the ASL interpreters who made my speech and Misty's and my workshop accessible. And thanks to Misty for being my ride, even though it was out of her way.
If it seems like I am literally full of gratitude, I am. It was a gift to inhabit space for a few days with hundreds of people who care about other humans so profoundly.
* * *
If I wrote about every stand-out moment of the conference for me, this post would be a thousand miles long. But here are a few…
Nan Stoops, WSCADV's Executive Director, talking about how she loves being the catcher in softball, because it's the only position in which you get to see the whole rest of your team. The catcher's view is unique. Great catchers are underrated.
Rosalinda Guillen, in her Monday morning plenary address, urging us to consider the cost to the migrant workers who keep our food as cheap as it is; recounting how she cannot eat raspberries, because they remind her of a friend who lost his feet to frostbite working raspberry fields.
Lynne Kuchenbuch, also speaking on Monday morning, reminding us that "shift happens."
On Fat and Health: A Personal Anecdote
[Content note: Both external and internalized fat hatred, health issues, diet talk, CICO thinking.]
The recent news out of New York has a great many members of the blogophere talking about "public health" and fatness, with an attendant uptick in public shaming of fat folks. If anyone is tempted to to buy the argument that all of this somehow improves public health, and any fat-shaming is just a harmless side effect, I share my own recent experience.
Three things to know:
1. I have hypothyroidism. It is fairly easy to treat, but needs monitoring; when it worsens, the signs are often subtle. Among its symptoms is weight gain.
2. I am fat. Recently, I gained some additional weight.
3. Because US health insurance is garbage, I lost access to the physician I have been seeing for the last seven years, with whom I had an excellent rapport.
Putting these facts together meant that I knew I needed to find a new doctor, and I knew I probably needed to get him or her to check my thyroid. I knew there was a strong possibility that my weight gain was a symptom of falling thyroid hormone levels.
But based on my experiences with physicians, based on a lifetime of living in a culture that demonizes fat and relentlessly tells fat people that "all" they need to do is diet and exercise and CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT and blah blah evil fattiez!
...I didn't go.
If you aren't fat, you may find this hard to believe, but if you ARE fat, then you know exactly why. If you're fat, then chances are good you've had a physician refuse to listen to anything about your health other than your weight. I know I have been told "just go lose some weight" for maladies ranging from ankle sprains to endometriosis. The latter misdiagnosis ended up costing me an ovary. Whooooops your "healthy" fat-shaming!
In fact, it took me two years to get diagnosed initially with hypothyroidism, because the doctors I saw about my weight gain, hair loss, snoring, feelings of lethargy, depression, all said the same thing: "Lose some weight." Never mind the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism. Never mind the family history of thyroid disorders. When I told one doctor I was having trouble exercising because of tiredness and increasing aches and pains in my legs, he suggested I just needed to "keep at it."
Thanks, buddy. What a splendid idea! I will take two "keep at its" and call you in the morning.
And so, before hieing myself to another physician, this time I was determined to show that I had already been doing everything right, that it was something other than "fatness" causing the problem. I wanted to get my ducks in a perfect row. I didn't diet, but I tracked what I ate, and fretted over my occasional swings in appetite.... even though I knew from experience that those swings were likely related to an underperforming thyroid not properly regulating my insulin. I struggled to run at least three times a week, and tried not to feel too bad about the many times I was just too tired to run, or ran poorly... even though I knew that this was likely thyroid-related lethargy. I tried to get the requisite 8 hours of sleep, and worried that the fat was causing the snoring...even though I knew that hypothyroidism had previously caused me to snore.
In short, I was internalizing all of the pernicious fat hatred that masquerades as a concern for health. Somewhere this became not just about the possible attitude of my yet-unknown new physician. It was also about me ignoring or downplaying the increasingly clear signs that my thyroid was off because I, too, was buying into the idea that I wasn't worthy of health because of my fat.
Rather than viewing my fat as a symptom like any other, it was a special source of shame. Three months went by, and I still had not seen a physician. Until I was less fat, or at least could show beyond a doubt I was *trying* to be less-fat, I did not deserve health.
And I am aware of fat hatred, I am a believer in HAES, I moderate and contribute to Shakesville. How much harder is it for someone who hasn't been exposed to those things to counter the relentless fat-shaming?
My story has a happy-ish ending: a UTI forced me to go to Dr. New Doctor, who agreed to check my thyroid without too much hassle. And yep, my thyroid hormone numbers are off. I'm on a new prescription. And I hope to work with my new physician and to build a relationship wherein fatness myths don't interfere with my medical needs.
But there are so many stories like this one out there, and so many that do not end happily, or even acceptably. Almost every fat person can relate horror stories related to medical visits. The reality is that fat-shaming is a serious and important barrier to health care. Instead of banning large sodas, how about we downsize the fat hatred? It just might save a life.
Photo of the Day
From the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day for 14 September 2012: An elephant stands on its back legs to reach high leaves with its trunk in a forest at Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Zimbabwe. Photographer Morkel Erasmus captured this behaviour, which has made the Mana Pools elephants famous but has rarely been photographed. [MORKEL ERASMUS / CATERS NEWS]
My Thoughts on the WSCADV Conference
The conference was wonderful. Full stop amazing. So many (over 350!) people committed and invested in compassion. In empathy. In justice. It was truly inspiring and I feel privileged to have been able to be part of it. Thank you to Nan, Mette, Sandi, Tyra, Leigh, and all the fabulous staff at WSCADV!
Since I hadn't seen Liss in quite a while, it was a lot of fun to be able to catch-up in person and hang out. I don't think either of us are itching to move to Yakima any time soon, LOL. It's an...interesting...place. If you ever go there, I recommend that you do NOT eat the food at the Holiday Inn. Fair warning.
Anyway! The theme for this year was Beloved Community and, from my perspective, it seemed to me that the theme was truly realized at the conference itself and left the people attending energized and inspired to take it out into their work and in their lives in various parts of the state.
Some highlights, for me:
The last speaker on Monday morning was Rosalinda Guillen, Executive Director of Community-to-Community/Comunidad-a-Comunidad:
Community to Community Development is a place based, women-led grassroots organization working for a just society and healthy communities.She gave a powerful keynote regarding the fact that we (as agencies/orgs, as advocates, as activists, as society, as people) need to start not at the "end" with the picking up of the pieces but with the beginning: the institutional and societal oppressions that lead us (as society, as people) to the point of needing domestic violence advocates, of needing food banks, of needing anti-rape awareness campaigns, etc... That what we see is just the "tip of the iceberg" and we need to start looking at the rest of that iceberg. She was fierce and eloquent and amazing. I highly recommend checking out their site and the important work that they do.
We are committed to systemic change and to creating strategic alliances that strengthen local and global movements towards social, economic and environmental justice.
Friday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by trees.
Recommended Reading:
Nicole: Judge Blocks Indefinite Detention Provision
Andreana: You Ma Brown Skin, Girl (Literally): On Chris Brown's Ink [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of violence and misogyny.]
Felicity: I Am Not a Puzzle Box [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of the rape culture and misogyny.]
Peter: Is the Torture of Children Accepted in America? [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of disablism, violence, and neglect.]
Adrienne: Paul Frank Offends Every Native person on the Planet with Fashion Night Out "Dream Catchin' Pow Wow" [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of racism and appropriation.]
Ragen: Asking for It [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of strategies for dealing with fat bias.]
Echidne: The End of Men, Again
Dani: Can Black Women Lead on Rethinking Marriage?
Chloe: Amy Poehler's Advice on Loving Your Body
Andy: The Full Trailer for Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' is Here
Ben: Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?
Meredith: World's Tallest Dog Is a Lovable Monster
Other people do swell round-ups, too! Like Tigtog and Schmutzie and Zerlina, and you should definitely read them!
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Quote of the Day
"I think the challenge that I'll have in the debate is that the president tends to, how shall I say it, to say things that aren't true."—Mitt Romney, Republican Presidential Candidate and Tenured Professor of Flimflamology at Firepants University.
LOL FOREVER.
Libya Embassy Attack & Associated Protests Open Thread
[Content Note: Violence; terrorism.]
The protests which started with the Libya Embassy Attack and then proliferated in response to an anti-Muslim film produced by some assholes totally unaffiliated with the US government, have spread to Jordan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Bangladesh, East Jerusalem, Malaysia, Qatar, and the Kashmir region of India. That may not be a comprehensive list.
Below, links to some of what I've been reading this morning. Please feel welcome and encouraged to drop in comments links to things you've been reading and/or writing.
The Guardian's live blogging coverage of the protests is here.
CNN's live blogging coverage is here.
Both sites are frequently updated.
Chris Stephen in Benghazi for the Guardian—Inside the US Consulate in Benghazi: Material and Human Damage Laid Bare:
The bullet holes, smashed masonry and blood on the walls of the burned-out consulate on the southern outskirts of Benghazi are testament to the gun battle that raged through the building, claiming four lives including that of the US ambassador, Chris Stevens.That entire article is so sad. I don't even know what else to say about it. It's heartbreaking.
As the owners of the damaged building and the accommodation block a mile down the road took the Guardian on a tour of the sites on Thursday, reports that the attack was the work of an isolated group seemed to be at odds with the physical evidence and what their staff had told them.
"Better security would not have stopped this," said Adel Ibrahim, the owner of the accommodation building where blood is now spattered beneath a hole smashed in a wall by a heavy projectile. "A security unit is fine if you are facing 10 persons, but there were 400 attackers. [The Americans] would have needed an army to stop them."
It is clear the US staff and their Libyan guards were subjected to a terrifying, night-long ordeal, which began with protests outside the consulate in the al-Fawahat residential district. Demonstrators gathered in the narrow Venice Street outside the main gated entrance, voicing protests against the reported release in the US of a film that ridiculed Islam.
The protest quickly turned violent, the landlords said. Who fired first is a matter of dispute, with some claiming the Libyan security guards hired by the Americans shot in the air, panicking the crowd.
There is no doubt about what happened next. The compound is bound by a breeze-block wall topped by barbed wire, but it was not enough to stop the attackers. "They jumped in from everywhere," said Ahmed Busheri, owner of the consulate.
...Sadness is everywhere in the city whose proud boast is that it was the cradle of last year's revolution. A Libyan photographer inside the ruined compound came over to offer an unsolicited apology. "We are not all like this," he insisted. "Libyans do not approve of this."
There is also unease about how America will react. It has not had an ambassador killed since 1979, and President Barack Obama's vow that "justice will be served" has fuelled rumours that US marines now deployed in Tripoli will head to Benghazi and take action.
But many also hope the government will move against the protagonists. "They have to show a fist of steel," said Mohammed el-Kish, a former press officer with the National Transitional Council which handed over power last month to Libya's newly elected congress.
"They have got to rid us of these people."
As I mentioned above, the protests are spreading [continued content note for violence; some of the below stories also contain reports of anti-Semitism]...
Washington Post—Egypt, Yemen Work to Contain Anti-US Protests as Anger Spreads through Muslim World.
Reuters—Sudanese Storm German Embassy, Hoist Islamic Flag.
AP—German FM: Sudan Embassy in Flames.
Desert News—Indonesians Protest Anti-Islam Film at US Embassy.
Reuters—Bangladesh Muslims Protest, Blocked from March on US Embassy.
Meanwhile, in the US...
The Fact Checker: The Romney Campaign's Repeated Errors on the Cairo Embassy Statement.
Jonathan Chait: Romney Tries to Defend Embassy Lies.
Greg Sargent: Conservatives Bash Media for Being Mean to Mitt Romney.
In other news, there is a big piece in The Independent today claiming that "the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and 'lockdown', under which movement is severely restricted."
The Obama administration is denying the veracity of that report: Shawn Turner, spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed in response to a request from Politico: "This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent."
If I had to wager a guess, it would be that there was a general warning about potential attacks on US missions, but nothing that fundamentally differed from constant noise to the same effect, i.e. nothing that indicated an attack of this scope or ferocity was imminent. I'm basing that supposition largely on the Guardian article excerpted above, particularly this piece:
"Better security would not have stopped this," said Adel Ibrahim, the owner of the accommodation building where blood is now spattered beneath a hole smashed in a wall by a heavy projectile. "A security unit is fine if you are facing 10 persons, but there were 400 attackers. [The Americans] would have needed an army to stop them."My intuition is that if the Obama administration is trying to obscure any failure, it's not knowing at all, rather than knowing and failing to act.
Top Five
Here is your topic: Top Five Least Favorite Household Chores. Go!
These do not, of course, have to be universal household chores, e.g. doing the dishes, although they certainly can be those things. They can also be things that are unique to your household, so if you live on a dairy farm, one of your dreaded household chores might be unclogging the milker, and if you live in a high-rise, one of your least favorite chores might be cleaning bird poop off of the balcony, etc.
Please feel welcome to share stories about why your Top Five picks are what they are, though a straight-up list is fine, too. Please refrain from negatively auditing other people's lists, because judgment discourages participation.
Talked the Talk, Didn't Walk the Walk
Good morning! (Or whatever!) Here is a video of Stuart Hodes, an 87-year-old US veteran, rapping about Mitt Romney and how he is terrible! Enjoy!
[Lyrics available at Stuart's blog.]
[H/T to Shaker Teaspoon.]
Question of the Day
What's your favorite animated series?
Doesn't have to be current. TV series, mini-series, web series, and film series all count.
Ugh, Mitt Romney. Ugh.
This is your regularly scheduled reminder that Mitt Romney, and everyone around him, is terrible. So, so terrible.
Daily Dose of Cute
All of the Furry Residents of Shakes Manor were happy to see me after I returned from my four-day absence, which was nice. It is nice to be welcomed home! (That's exactly the sort of insightful observation for which you read Shakesville, right? RIGHT!) But no one was happier to see me than Zelly.
I want to note that Zelly was not miserable without me. She was her usual happy self. And that's what I want. I don't want my pets to be so attached to me that they are unhappy without me.
But Zelly, who is unique among our pets in having had a previous owner (except Dudley, whose life on the track was not a home environment like ours), understands the feeling of losing a person. We don't how she came to be a stray, but she is so loyal I cannot image that she would leave of her own volition unless she was being hurt, and probably not even then. She was probably dumped. She probably knows what it's like to not have someone come back for her.
When I came home, I poked my head around the doorway and said, "Where's the good girl?" Her face lit up; it always lights up, but this was special. She ran in joyful circles and leaped at me breathlessly and licked my face. She didn't even run to get a toy, the way she usually does when I'm gone for only a few hours. She just looked at me with a huge grin, like she almost couldn't believe I was there again.
Dogs, we're told, aren't supposed to remember. And I'm sure they don't remember in the same way we do. But they carry their experiences with them. She's learned that giving me a high-five will get her a treat or a snuggle. Just as assuredly, she learned that sometimes people disappear.
And now she's learned that sometimes they come back.
This is so the worst thing you're going to read all day.
[Content Note: Feminist caricatures; misrepresentation of privileged women's experiences as all women's experiences.]
Meghan Casserly in Forbes: Is 'Opting Out' the New American Dream For Working Women?
First of all: Yawn.
Secondly: Barf.
Obviously everything about this piece is terrible. I won't even try to deconstruct all the ways in which it is failful (I'll leave that to you in comments), but I will note that this—"Forget the corporate climb; these young mothers have another definition of success: setting work aside to stay home with the kids."—made me LOL for realz.
I love that in the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and twelve, there are still people writing about "staying home with the kids" like it's bon-bons and soap operas, and treating "work" and "parenting" as mutually exclusive concepts.
Yiiiiiiiiiiiikes.
[H/T to Jessica Valenti.]
