[Content Note: Rape culture; stalking; sexual assault.]
We've previously discussed in this space many times before the "stalking as romance" rom-com trope. Another increasingly ubiquitous rape culture trope I've seen played out over and over in recent years, in both romantic comedy films and in sitcoms, is a scene that goes like this: Female Protagonist and Male Protagonist wake up together in bed after a night of heavy drinking. Female Protagonist is deeply hungover and can't remember what happened, but is embarrassed and scared that they "had sex." Male Protagonist assures her that they didn't "hook up," and she is so relieved!
I hate this scene so much for so many reasons.
I hate that the possible sexual encounter is never framed as rape, even though Female Protagonist was too inebriated to even recall what happened. (Although, almost always, the scene then continues with her recalling vague details of her drunken antics that are "adorably embarrassing.")
I hate that we're meant to believe that Male Protagonist is definitely telling the truth; that there's some world in which he raped her and then admits it the next morning.
I hate that the purpose of this scene is inevitably meant to serve as character development that defines Female Protagonist as a scatterbrained flake who needs help getting her shit together, and defines Male Protagonist as a great guy. "Doesn't rape vulnerable women" is a goddamn low bar for being a great guy, but that's all it takes, apparently.
That's not a complete list, but you get the picture.
Anyway! What are some of the other rom-com rape tropes that you hate?
Rom-Com Rape Culture Tropes
We Need Jobs to Support People, Not Profits
[Content Note: Class warfare.]
Last week, when the new jobs numbers were reported, I said: "That sounds great, except: What kind of jobs are they? Are they full-time jobs with benefits and a livable wage?" And this piece in the New York Times, about people who are working but still need public assistance to survive, underlines exactly why I asked those questions.
A home health care worker in Durham, N.C.; a McDonald's cashier in Chicago; a bank teller in New York; an adjunct professor in Maywood, Ill. They are all evidence of an improving economy, because they are working and not among the steadily declining ranks of the unemployed.These aren't jobs to support the people who hold them; they are jobs to support the profits of their employers—to make money for shareholders and corporate executives, who can line their pockets with the wages stolen from people doing the actual work that generates revenue.
Yet these same people also are on public assistance — relying on food stamps, Medicaid or other stretches of the safety net to help cover basic expenses when their paychecks come up short.
And they are not alone. Nearly three-quarters of the people helped by programs geared to the poor are members of a family headed by a worker, according to a new study by the Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California. As a result, taxpayers are providing not only support to the poor but also, in effect, a huge subsidy for employers of low-wage workers, from giants like McDonald's and Walmart to mom-and-pop businesses.
And then those thieves promulgate cultural narratives about welfare recipients being lazy, shiftless, unhelpable moochers who can't be convinced "that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives," and about the jobs that working poor people work not being "real jobs," and about how raising the minimum wage kills jobs and ambition.
They call people who rely on public assistance "welfare queens" and then sit back and collect checks for work they didn't do, without a trace of irony.
We need jobs, but not just any jobs. We needs jobs with a basic wage that guarantees self-sufficiency, security, and a decent quality of life to the people who hold them.
That is not an unreasonable exchange for a lifetime of labor. That is not an unreasonable exchange for a lifetime of labor.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker BigDots: "Do you feel a special connection to a particular type or species of animal? If so, why?"
Photo of the Day
I love this photo. I mean, we already knew that President Obama is a wizard, but I bet you didn't know he could cast rainbows, did you?!
Chief White House photographer Pete Souza tells the story of capturing this photo of the President and a rainbow in Jamaica here: "Behind The Lens: Somewhere Under the Rainbow."
Shaker Gourmet
Whatcha been cooking up in your kitchen lately, Shakers?
Share your favorite recipes, solicit good recipes, share recipes you've recently tried, want to try, are trying to perfect, whatever! Whether they're your own creation, or something you found elsewhere, share away.
Also welcome: Recipes you've seen recently that you'd love to try, but haven't yet!
Quote of the Day
"I think this country's at a generational moment where it needs to decide not what party it wants in charge but what kind of country are we going to want to be moving forward. I think the 21st century can be the American century, and I believe that I can lead this country in that direction. I can help lead it there from the Senate. I can lead it there as president."—Republican Senator and now official presidential candidate Marco Rubio, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos today.
I legit don't even know what this garble-blob of words is supposed to mean. What kind of country the US is going to be is largely dependent on what party is in charge. Does this man who wants to president understand how politics works?
Ha ha just kidding. Of course he does. He just also understands how many people think his party is toxic garbage, so he's trying to pretend like party affiliation doesn't matter. Whooooooops your party!
The Monday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by clouds.
Recommended Reading:
This is an important resource worth bookmarking: Fat Friendly Health Professionals List. If you see a fat friendly health professional, please submit their name!
Reina: [Content Note: Misogyny; racism; homophobia; abuse] Gender Gap
Deepa: [CN: Misogyny; racism] Outraged About the Purvi Patel Case? Four Things to Do Now
stavvers: [CN: Victim-blaming] On Victim-Blaming and Voting
Rob: [CN: Police brutality; image of violence at link] Cop Who Shot Walter Scott Laughed About Adrenaline Rush
Kyler: House Democrats Introduce Resolution Against LGBT Discrimination
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Daily Dose of Cute
Titchy wee Sophs.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Shooting] "One person was killed on Monday in a shooting at a North Carolina community college that was locked down as authorities searched for a gunman, officials said. 'There have been shots fired on the campus of Wayne Community College,' said Kim Best, spokeswoman for the city of Goldsboro, where the school is located. 'There has been one fatality, and there is one shooter.' The shooter was not in custody, she said. She would not say whether the man was still on campus." Further details are not available at the moment.
[CN: Police brutality; death; racism] Another death by Taser: "Incident reports show [Natasha McKenna, who may have had mental illness] died after being subdued with a stun gun at the Fairfax County jail [and] was restrained at the hands and legs when she was shocked four times. ...Documents show McKenna initially cooperated and agreed to be handcuffed. But she then began trying to fight her way out. Six officers in full biohazard suits then placed McKenna into full restraints. The reports show McKenna wouldn't bend her knees to be placed into a chair, so an officer shocked her four times with 50,000 volts." What the absolute fuck.
[CN: Sanctions] I don't even know: "As the United States and Iran come closer to a historic nuclear deal, many U.S. states are likely to stick with their own sanctions on Iran that could complicate any warming of relations between the long-time foes. In a little known aspect of Iran's international isolation, around two dozen states have enacted measures punishing companies operating in certain sectors of its economy, directing public pension funds with billions of dollars in assets to divest from the firms and sometimes barring them from public contracts. In more than half those states, the restrictions expire only if Iran is no longer designated to be supporting terrorism or if all U.S. federal sanctions against Iran are lifted—unlikely outcomes even in the case of a final nuclear accord. Two states, Kansas and Mississippi, are even considering new sanctions targeting the country. The prospect of unwavering sanctions at the state level, or new ones, just as the federal government reaches a landmark agreement with Iran risks widening a divide between states and the federal government on a crucial foreign policy issue."
[CN: Misogyny] In somewhat good news: "Chinese police have freed three women's rights activists who were held for more than a month, in a case that sparked an international outcry. A lawyer for Wei Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng Churan said they were not charged but their release was conditional. The women, who were detained shortly before International Women's Day on 8 March, had planned protests against sexual harassment on public transport. The fate of two other women arrested at the same time is not yet clear." Let us hope the conditions are lifted and that the other two women are promptly released.
I did not realize this: "This would make Hillary's campaign the first major presidential campaign ever to make combating climate change a central issue."
[CN: Carcerality] I ♥ John Legend: "John Legend has launched a campaign to end mass incarceration. The Grammy-winning singer announced the multiyear initiative, FREE AMERICA, on Monday. He will visit and perform at a correctional facility on Thursday in Austin, Texas, where he also will be part of a press conference with state legislators to discuss Texas' criminal justice system. 'We have a serious problem with incarceration in this country,' Legend said in an interview. 'It's destroying families, it's destroying communities and we're the most incarcerated country in the world, and when you look deeper and look at the reasons we got to this place, we as a society made some choices politically and legislatively, culturally to deal with poverty, deal with mental illness in a certain way and that way usually involves using incarceration.'"
Neat! "For the first time, scientists believe they have evidence of liquid water on Mars. It's only a tiny bit, and only in certain seasons, but this salty water makes the hunt for past life on Mars all the more exciting."
[CN: Body policing] Pink responds to body policers in a terrific way: "I can see that some of you are concerned about me from your comments about my weight. You're referring to the pictures of me from last night's cancer benefit that I attended to support my dear friend Dr. Maggie DiNome. She was given the Duke Award for her tireless efforts and stellar contributions to the eradication of cancer. Unfortunately, my weight seems much more important to some of you. While I admit that the dress didn't photograph as well as it did in my kitchen, I will also admit that I felt very pretty. In fact, I feel beautiful. So, my good and concerned peoples, please don't worry about my. I'm not worried about me. And I'm not worried about you either:)…I am perfectly fine, perfectly happy, and my healthy, voluptuous and crazy strong body is having some much deserved time off. Thanks for your concern. Love, cheesecake." My favorite part is: "And I'm not worried about you either." Perfect.
[CN: Hostility to consent; white privilege] Madonna planted a nonconsensual kiss on Drake last night at Coachella, and of course the conversation has largely centered around how she's "old" and "gross," rather than the fact that she sexualized a black man without his consent.
[CN: Animal neglect] Kids today: "Texas Teenagers Save the Life of an Abandoned, Dying Dog." Blub.
And finally! FROLICKING PIGLETS! True Fact: Frolicking makes piglets soooo hungry!
An(other) Observation
[Content Note: Racism.]
Already I am seeing white people using this framing: "Will black people vote for Clinton?"
Instead of this framing: "Will Clinton earn the trust of black voters?"
It's like, we're one day into it, and already we're lining up the scapegoats. Don't do this shit. Do not do this shit.
And let's be clear: The constituency about which the eventual Democratic nominee really has to worry throwing the election to a Republican opponent is the one that Hillary Clinton is presumed to have in the bag—white women, who "have consistently voted Republican, at least since the 1970s."
If Clinton shows up for black voters, black voters will show up for her.
White women, whose privilege assures them of more access and opportunity, are not remotely as reliable voters for liberal candidates. Which is putting it politely.
An Observation
I noted last week that there are things I like about Hillary Clinton the politician and candidate, and things I don't like about Hillary Clinton the politician and candidate, and thus people should manage their expectations of my coverage of her campaign accordingly.
I also want to note that, for me, part of being a good progressive base is pushing a candidate when they're not progressive enough, but also praising them when they are.
Criticism is just part of what I will be doing. Saying, "Yes, this is good; I want more of this, please" is going to be another part of what I will be doing.
In regard to Hillary Clinton, and any other candidates who may emerge to challenge her.
Praising any candidate for any single policy position does not mean I believe they are above criticism.
That seems like it should be an obvious thing, but it has never, ever, played out that way in this space or any other, so apparently it's not obvious.
Let me thus repeat it: Praising any candidate for any single policy position does not mean I believe they are above criticism.
You can agree with my thinking the candidate is solid on said issue, or you can disagree with it, but responding to praise on one issue with: "Yeah, but she sucks on this other issue!" is derailing bullshit that necessarily implies all praise is off-limits unless a candidate is perfect.
I have never seen a perfect candidate. I don't believe I ever will.
But I have seen better candidates than others, and part of the way I believe we get better candidates is through telling them what we like, as much as what we don't.
Primarily Speaking
Welp, Hillary Clinton made it official over the weekend, and here is the video she released to launch her presidential campaign:
Montage of various people doing things, who will all appear later in the video.Overall, that's a pretty damn good video. I don't guess we're going to see a lot of presidential announcement videos with same-sex couples being affectionate with one another and talking about getting married, nor with fat people.
A young, thin woman, who appears to be Latina, appears onscreen and says: "I'm getting ready for a lot of things. A lot of things."
A middle-aged, thin, white woman prepares her garden. She says: "It's spring, so we're starting to get the gardens ready. And my tomatoes are legendary here in my own neighborhood." She laughs.
The Latina mother holds her daughter, and they flex their arms, smiling. "My daughter is about to start kindergarten next year, and so we're moving, just so she can belong to a better school."
Two Latino men work in a restaurant, getting it ready to open. In subtitled Spanish, one of the men says: "My brother and I are starting our first business."
A young, thin woman, who appears to be white, appears onscreen with her young son. "After five years of raising my children, I am now going back to work." She makes a nervous and excited gesture.
A young, thin, black different-sex couple unpacks baby supplies. The woman says, "Every day, we're trying to get more ready and more prepared." They stand side-by-side, and he puts his hand on her belly and smiles and says, "A baby boy, coming your way." They laugh happily.
A young, thin, Asian woman walks down the street. "Right now, I'm applying for jobs. It's a look into what the real world will look like after college."
Two young, thin, white men walk down the street and clasp hands. "I'm getting married this summer to someone I really care about."
A young black boy shows off a drawing of a fish and says, "I'm gonna be in the play. I'm gonna be in a fish costume." He sings, "Little tiny fishes!"
An older, fat, white woman smiles broadly and says, "I'm getting ready to retire soon." She laughs. "Retirement means reinventing yourself, in many ways."
A young, different-sex, interracial couple, appear onscreen. The woman, who is thin and appears to be Asian, says, "Well, we've been doing a lot of home renovations." Their labrador runs excitedly down the hallways. The man, who is fat and appears to be white, says, "But most importantly, we really just to teach our dog to quit eating the trash." The woman laughs. They sit beside each other on a couch, and she has a cat in her lap. "And so we have high hopes, for twenty-fifteen, that that's gonna happen." Laughter.
A young, thin, bald-headed white man appears in a warehouse work environment. "I've started a new career recently. This is a fifth-generation company, which means a lot to me. This country was founded on hard work, and it really feels good to be a part of that."
Scenes of Hillary Clinton talking to various people, then speaking directly to the camera. "I'm getting ready to do something, too: I'm running for president." Over a montage of scenes of the people previously shown, and others: "Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top. Every day, Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion, so you can do more than just get by—you can get ahead, and stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong." Scenes of families, including a lesbian couple. Then back to Hillary speaking to camera: "So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote. Because it's your time, and I hope you'll join me on this journey."
Pictures of people form an H, which turns into Clinton's logo, an H with an arrow pointing to the right, with text reading "Hillary for America."
I'm not loving the logo, with an arrow pointing rightward, even though I understand it's gotta go that way because of how English is read. Still, it's not my favorite.
I'll also note that Clinton is, again, branding herself as "Hillary," which is both a humanizing thing and an implicit response to criticism that she rides on her husband's name and coattails. And, note to the media: Just because she calls herself Hillary doesn't mean you can do it in a way that's clearly intended to marginalize her and then claim it's because she calls herself Hillary. You can—and should—still refer to her as Clinton.
In other Clinton news, President Barack Obama gave her a really lovely endorsement: "She was a formidable candidate in 2008. She was a great supporter of mine in the general election. She was an outstanding secretary of state. She is my friend. I think she would be an excellent president."
Meanwhile, not-president Mitt Romney called her "a creature of Washington." A creature. Of course.
On the Republican side, official candidate Rand Paul continues his terrific relationship with the press, as CNN's Dana Bash calls him out on his homophobic hypocrisy, and he gives an answer that essentially boils down to, "Yeah, I'm a massive hypocrite. What of it?" Cool candidate!
And the other official candidate Ted Cruz is, in typical GOP fashion, being bankrolled by a billionaire: "Hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer...is the 'main donor' bankrolling the super PACs supporting Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) presidential campaign, The New York Times reported Friday. According to The Times, Mercer, 'a reclusive Long Islander who started I.B.M. and made his fortune using computer patterns to outsmart the stock market, emerged this week as a key bankroller' of Cruz's 'surprisingly fast campaign start.'"
Citizens United is just the gift that keeps on giving!
And Marco Rubio will reportedly make his candidacy official at Miami's Freedom Tower this evening. Make sure he's hydrated, Team Rubio!
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
And Again
[Content Note: Racism; police brutality; class warfare. Video may autoplay at link.]
On Friday, an Oklahoma sheriff's department released video showing "an unarmed black man named Eric Harris fleeing police as they exit their cars to chase him. After officers catch up to Harris and bring him to the ground, an officer calls out the word 'Taser' twice, before firing a single shot at Harris. The shot, which was fired by Reserve Deputy Robert Bates, was fatal. Harris was pronounced dead an hour later."
The shooting appears to be a tragic accident. Bates did say "Taser" before shooting Harris, and immediately after pulling the trigger, Bates drops the gun and says "Oh! I shot him. I'm sorry." At a press conference on Friday, a Tulsa County Sheriff's Office spokesperson claimed that Bates was a "true victim" of something called "slips and capture" — a police term for when someone does one thing while believing they are doing something else in a high stress situation. They say that Bates believed he was holding his Taser and not his firearm when he fired the round that killed Harris.A couple of notes:
Whatever Bates's intentions, however, the other officers on the scene respond to Harris's cries for help by forcefully pinning him to the ground and telling him to shut up in the video released by the sheriff's department. As Harris lies face down on the ground bleeding and crying out "oh shit man, he shot me, he shot me! Oh, he shot me!" one officer puts his knee on Harris's head in an apparent effort to subdue him. An officer tells Harris to "shut the fuck up" shortly thereafter.
When Harris tells one of the officers "I'm losing my breath," the officer responds, "fuck your breath."
1. "I can't breathe" vs. "Fuck your breath." Welp. That pretty much sums it up.
2. Tasers are dangerous weapons, too. Nearly 900 people are known to have been killed by Tasers in North America since 1983. They are certainly not as deadly as guns, but Tasers should also be used by police only when absolutely necessary.
3. The sheriff's spokesperson calls the man who claims to have accidentally shot Harris a "true victim." That is a really disgusting choice of words for someone who mixed up a Taser with a revolver, even if it was a genuine accident.
4. Bates is identified as "Reserve Deputy" which is evidently the title given to rich men who pay lots of money to play sheriff: "An unusual twist in this story is that Bates, the reserve deputy who shot Harris, is not a full-time officer. He is a 73-year-old insurance executive and a wealthy donor to the sheriff's department. The department includes 130 reserve deputies who are volunteers who donate their time to law enforcement. Bates is classified as 'advanced reserve,' the highest level of reserve deputy, a position that permits him to 'do anything a full-time deputy can do.' [Bates] had to complete 800 hours of training to be classified as advanced reserve. Once they have completed this training, however, an advanced reserve deputy must only serve for 40 hours every six months in order to maintain their certification."
And, just like a real sheriff, Bates will see no consequences: "At the Friday press conference, Tulsa Police Sgt. Jim Clark said the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office's investigation concluded that Bates did not commit a crime and no policy violations occurred."
Rage. Seethe. Boil.
My condolences to Eric Harris' family and friends. And to everyone who has been reminded, again, that #BlackLivesMatter is still not regarded as absolute truth by many police departments across this nation.
Update: Bates has now been charged with second-degree manslaughter, as the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office was apparently not persuaded by the Sheriff's Office's investigation. Or, perhaps, was persuaded by public outrage.
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!
The Friday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by pink nail polish.
Recommended Reading:
Brittney: [Content Note: Racism; police brutality; images of violence] Black Death Has Become a Cultural Spectacle: Why the Walter Scott Tragedy Won't Change White America's Mind
Digby: [CN: Nuclear proliferation; sanctions] Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Grace: [CN: Ageism; racism; misogyny] Silicon Valley's Other Diversity Problem: Age Bias in Tech
Carla: [CN: Surveillance; Islamophobia] A Former Black Panther-Turned-FBI Informant Brings a Camera Crew to Work
Andy: [CN: Homophobia; terrorism] Man Charged for Sending 'Anthrax' to Iowa Gay Bar: 'This Is Your Punishment for Sinning'
Erica: [CN: Transphobia; homophobia] Gender-Inclusive Restrooms Proposed as LGBT Members Depart City Council
TLC: [CN: Transphobia] Elton John and Michael Stipe Speak Out for Trans Inmates
Diamond: [CN: Images of violence; VIDEO] Here's the Trailer for HBO's 'Bessie'
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Nope. Noooooo. NOPE.
Fox is doing the Time Warp: EW has learned the broadcaster will make a new TV version of the 40-year-old iconic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show.If there's no new script, then WHAT THE FUCK IS THE POINT OF A TV REMAKE? Just air the original film and be done with it!
The musical midnight movie classic is getting a small-screen modern-day makeover. Only unlike NBC's prime-time musicals and Fox's own upcoming Grease, the Rocky Horror reboot will not be live.
The two-hour event will be directed, executive produced, and choreographed by Kenny Ortega (Xanadu, High School Musical) with original film producer Lou Adler as well as Gail Berman also on board. There's no new writer credited, however, since Fox plans to stick to the text of the original 1973 play by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien.
Just no.
There is only one Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and his name is Tim Curry the end.
Note: I fully recognize that Rocky Horror is full of questionable or outright objectionable garbage, and it's on my Problematic Things I Like list big time. I'm definitely one of the millions of weirdos for whom this incredible, exhilarating, fucked-up, glorious, grotesque movie was, at one time, truly life-changing.
And, truthfully, all the problems with it are also a pretty strong argument against remaking it.
Daily Dose of Cute
Dudley and Zelda subtly hint that they'd like to go out now, please.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
