Accolade - The All-Girl Saudi Rock Band

If you read the New York Times or any of the major blogs, you've probably heard about the first all-girl Saudi rock band. It's a pretty interesting story - Saudi culture has relaxed to the point that the band is a possibility, and they are apparently becoming a bit of an underground hit in the country. This, of course, is wonderful news from a feminist and humanitarian point of view. It's a sign of the improving cultural conditions that reformers in the country have been working hard to achieve.

Here's an excellent commentary on the band and the reactions to it, and you can hear the band's single here.

Despite many of the reactions on the web, Accolade isn't exactly on the cutting edge of Saudi cultural change. (Several Saudis have commented that they aren't even the first all-girl rock band, only the first one to go public) And while their existence is certainly nothing to sniff at, I think that their most important impact may come from a rather different direction.

Accolade is musically quite good. I've only hear the one song, of course, but I think they might turn out to be really, really good. In five years they might be as good as, say, Girlschool. This means that they could have staying power far beyond the "Ooh, a Saudi Girl Band! Shiny!" that the media has latched on to. They could have an international following - and they wouldn't be the "First All-Girl Saudi Band" - they would be "Accolade! (Of Saudi Arabia)".

And that would be something incredible. They would be an inspiration to women in oppressed cultures everywhere. They would spawn imitators, and hasten the cultural changes in Muslim countries. And perhaps most interesting of all, they would change the world's perception of Muslim Arabs. Whereas now, when the average paranoid westerner hears 'Muslim' or 'Arab', the first thought that comes to mind is 'Terrorist!' Wouldn't it be amazing if, instead, people thought "Hey, that new album from Accolade is AWESOME!"

Perhaps it won't happen - but I think that there's a chance! Their song has already received 78,000 listens - in only twenty days. Google "Saudi Rock Band" - it's all them. All they need now is a youtube video!

Feminist Flashback #13

A classic PSA film from 1951: Girls Beware. It provides surprisingly sound advice actually, especially considering it's over 50 years old, although some of it is pretty over-the-top...and what happened to girls having any agency of their own? Warning for possible triggering, although the references it makes to rape and unwanted pregnancy are incredibly oblique:



Enjoy the remaining hours of your holiday weekend.

Update: Ann over at Feminist Law Professors also included a link to the companion film Boys Beware, which warns boys against homosexual advances. You can imagine how that goes! So painful to watch.

Shut your lips and talk with your hips

I live in Colorado and split my in-car radio time listening to NPR and 93.3, which is an alternative/pop station. Since I listen to the latter, I am frequently subjected to a popular local hit by the Boulder band 3OH!3. The song is called "Don't Trust Me" and the first few times I heard it my mouth fell open every time it reached the breakdown and these lovely lyrics flooded my car:

Shush girl, shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller
And talk with your hips

Oh. Yeah.



Most of the lyrics aren't that surprising, really. Calling a woman a ho in popular music isn't exactly rare, but this song pisses me off so much I don't even know what to say. WTF? "Girls" should not only shut up, but be deaf and blind as well, left only with their sexuality as a means of communication?

Maybe it's a joke, but it's not a very funny one, and I really could do without hearing it on the radio day in and day out.

Here are the full lyrics:

Black dress with the tights underneath
I've got the breath of a last cigarette on my teeth
And she's an actress but she ain't got no need
She's got money from her parents in a trust fund back east

T-t-t-tongues always pressed to your checks, while my tongue
is on the inside of some other girl's teeth
tell your boyfriend
If he says hes got beef that I'm a vegetarian
And I ain't fucking scared of him

CHORUS:
She wants to touch me, whoa oh
She wants to love me, whoa oh
She'll never leave me, whoa oh whoa oh oh oh
Don't trust a ho
Never trust a ho
Won't trust a ho, cuz a ho won't trust me
She wants to touch me, whoa oh
She wants to love me, whoa oh
She'll never leave me, whoa oh, whoa oh oh oh
Don't trust a ho
Never trust a ho
Won't trust a ho, cuz a ho won't trust me

X's on the back on your hand
Wash them in the bathroom to drink like the bands
And the set list
You stole off the stage
Has red and purple lipstick all over the page

B-b-b-bruises cover your arms shaking in the
Fingers with the bottle in your palm
And the best is
No one knows who you are
Just another girl, alone at the bar

[CHORUS]

Shush girl, shut your lips
Do the hellen keller
And talk with your hips

I said shush girl, shut your lips
Do the hellen keller
And talk with your hips
I said shush girl, shut your lips
Do the hellen keller
And talk with your hips

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm stuffed full of food and lolling around on the couch with little energy for writing, so, in lieu of a real post, enjoy the charming Bridget McManus in her Thanksgiving episode of The Jam:



Now, that's my kind of cooking!

Isn't that a girlie dog?

Just a short note to say that as much as I think President-Elect Obama is terrific for our country, I couldn't help but find some of his interactions with Michelle on ABC's Barbara Walter's special interview a wee bit grating. It's just my gut reaction, but I'd be willing to bet there was a bit of a ruckus off-set, since I dearly hope Michelle wouldn't let him get away with calling her "unreasonable" on national television (as in "we only get in arguments when she's unreasonable")! And what the heck's wrong with a "girlie" dog???

Along these lines, there's an interesting op-ed in today's Washington Post by Ruth Marcus about Michelle Obama and her role as "mom-in-chief":

"No matter how liberated I liked to see myself as . . . the fact was that when children showed up, it was Michelle and not I who was expected to make the necessary adjustments," Barack Obama writes. "Sure, I helped, but it was always on my terms, on my schedule. Meanwhile, she was the one who had to put her career on hold."

Expected to -- by whom? Had to -- says who? I remember reading this passage two years ago, when the book came out, and thinking: Hey, buddy, she has to scale back only because you're not willing to.

And yet, Barack Obama could have been describing so many women today when he explained that, for Michelle, "two visions of herself were at war with each other -- the desire to be the woman her mother had been, solid, dependable, making a home and always there for her kids; and the desire to excel in her profession, to make her mark on the world and realize all those plans she'd had on the very first day that we met."

This is where the identification comes in. The brutal reality is that, like our president-elect, most men do not wrestle quite so strenuously with these competing desires. So when the needs of our families collide with the demands of our jobs, it is usually the woman's career that yields.

(By the way, I'm a little sidetracked by the holidays and family-time, so blog-posting will be light this weekend. I will be posting my fourth wave "manifesto" in the next few days, but, in meantime, don't forget to check out Brianna's take on modern feminism.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update (12/01/08):Check out Billy Kimball's take on Obama's dog comments over at The Huffington Post, Barack Obama Insults Dog, Jumps Shark:

The semiotics of dog ownership, for presidents and paupers alike, are equally well established. By saying that he wanted a "big, rambunctious dog," Obama was trying to don the mantle of the "guy's guy." Big rambunctious dogs, through their genetic link to working and hunting breeds, establish one's bona fides with the masses. Those toy breeds who don't have to work for living probably belong to people who don't either - or so the conventional wisdom would have it.

[...]

To give Michelle Obama credit, she attempted to give her husband some cover by suggesting that a "girly dog" would be entirely appropriate for "a houseful of girls." It was a nice try, but clearly Mr. Obama meant "girly" in the pejorative sense, not as an adjective denoting "nice for girls," but rather to suggest a dog that lives in conflict with its own manly nature or the manly nature of dogs in general.

Uh, yeah, what he said.

Holiday Ten Tips for Dads & Daughters®

Year-end Holidays can make wonderful experiences and memories for parents and kids—and all the rest of us. They can also be stressful, and whip by incredibly fast. For the past few years, I’ve posted 10 practical tips for Dads & Daughters to keep in mind for making the most of the Holidays, and you can read them by clicking the link above.

These tips are easily “translated” for mothers, sons, or any other sentient being trying to keep the next month or so in perspective. Share your thoughts—and additional ideas—in a comment.

The state of modern feminism: Brianna's view

(This started out as a comment on Aviva's post, but it got so long that I decided to make a whole new post!)

I've never really been completely satisfied with the current feminist movement. I suppose some of this might be the fault of my family (They think that feminism has done enough already), but whatever the cause, I've just never been quite happy. In fact, when I first started learning about and agreeing with feminist ideas, I was calling myself a 'post-feminist'. Real post-feminism, of course, is really anti-feminism, but what I meant by the term was, that I wanted to move past simple equality, to work for a basic cultural changes, and to include all sorts of ideas, not just the narrow set espoused by the second-wave feminists that I was reading and listening to at the time. And so, when given the opportunity to write for this blog, I was very excited - It's something that has always concerned me!

Third wave feminism has been mildly successful at rectifying the problems I mentioned, especially the problem of inclusiveness. Modern feminists spend as much time working on racial, GLBT, class, and environmental issues as they do women's and gender issues. While this is a good thing, there are many problems, too. Worst of all, I feel like third-wave feminism has stagnated, has stopped growing, even as it is still hampered by a lack of definition (most people still haven't heard of it!)

More specifically, I have three problems with modern, third-wave feminism:

1. Lack of coherence and a resulting lack of involvement.

The infighting needs to stop. The 'what does it mean to be a feminist' argument must stop. (See any thread on any major feminist website for examples!) Now, I don't mean that we can't disagree - I mean that we need to overcome our disagreements enough to become unified.

An example from the other side of the cultural spectrum: I come from a very conservative christian background. Now, conservatives fight all of the time. Baptists, who really make up the core of the christian right, fight constantly. But they don't fall apart - as an example, the minute Glorious Leader James Dobson pulls out all the stops on his radio show, they all drop the arguments and write a million letters, place a million calls, or go protest en masse. They donate money by the ton. And the people who do these things aren't activists - they're ordinary people who are only mildly involved in the conservative movement!

Can we get that kind of response from the average 'I'm not really a feminist - I don't hate men or anything - but I support the ideas.' sort of person? I doubt it. And while third-wave feminism has done a good job of attracting young people who formally thought that feminists were just angry women who couldn't have any fun, I think that in doing this, we have lost our ability to work together on anything. There's too much 'girl power' and not enough real work being done.

2. Lack of a real goal:

As I said earlier, when I was first discovering feminism, I called myself a post-feminist. I had been reading the major second-wave works, and it seemed to me that feminism had succeeded in the goals that they had set for themselves - women do have basic political equality, don't we?

I now know that even this is not true, of course. (and that the post-feminism concept was already taken.) But to hear many third-wave feminists talk, you would think the only thing wrong are with a few misogynists in the media, a few lingering cultural problems, and a bunch of international problems. They complain endlessly about sexist ads, about Rush Limbaugh, and about health care problems. You get the impression that if we could just stop the rape problem, stop the evil corporations, equalize pay, and find a solution to the sex industry, everything would be fine, and we could get down to turning everything into a communal utopia.

But those problems are a symptom, not a cause. The real problems are things like the cultural obsession with the gender binary, the glorification of 'masculine' qualities, the normalization of rape and violence (rather than individual acts), etc., etc. These problems are occasionally talked about - but often, feminists act as if the solution is simply to pass a few laws and insist that the media do a better job!

Now, that's not to say that nothing is being done - many wonderful things are being accomplished. Most feminists, though, casual feminists in particular, aren't doing very much. It often seems, too, that it is the remaining second-wave feminists who are getting things done, not the third-wave!

3. Lack of rigorous thinking:

Okay, I admit it - I'm a bit of a academic elitist. I've spent hours and hours reading dry academic works. And I think that academic feminism is absolutely vital for the health of the feminism as a whole.

Now, I do understand that many don't like all those books and theories - they seem disconnected from the real world - but I believe that we need a foundation of rigorous theory in order to function. The second-wave movement had this to an incredible degree - but the third-wave movement seems to be moving farther and farther away from the academic, which is still tied to the ideals of the second-wave movement.

Thus, the modern feminist movement depends on theories developed twenty or thirty years ago. It's not that new ideas aren't being published, but the big, well known ones seem to be of the Full-Frontal-Feminism variety - fairly popular works for a general audience, not academic works that can really develop new theories.

Conclusion

So what about the future? What should we try to make feminism into? Following the above points:

1. Stop the fighting. Just do it. And, we need to insist that it does matter for feminism to be a movement, not just a girl power club.
2. We need to work toward another fundamental cultural change. We did it once, and we can do it again.
3. More interaction between the theoretical and the practical, between the academics and the bloggers, the women's organizations, the activists. I think that this should help with the first problem, too - theory can help us find real answers, rather than engage in name-calling style faux-academic arguments. ("Classism!" "Ableism!" "Capitalist Pigism!" - sound familiar?)

In summary: We need the intelligence, strength, and coherence of the Second-Wave movement combined with the inclusiveness and individualism of the Third-Wave movement.

I really mean combined, too - not merely coexistent like the they are currently.

Feminist Flashback #12

From the 2006 documentary I Was a Teenage Feminist:



You know, I'm not even that surprised by these responses. And that's really sad.

Has anyone seen this film? If so, please let me know what you thought of it.

Attractive Girls Union

Attractive Girls Union Refuses To Enter Into Talks With Mike Greenman

Funny? Not Funny? Mildly Offensive? Very Offensive? Or Who Cares?

H.R.C.

A Friday dosage of news about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton:

Via Feminist Law Professors, a link to this NY Times magazine article, entitled "The 'Bitch' and the 'Ditz'." Interest isn't peaked enough? Then read this excerpt:

In the grand Passion play that was this election, both Clinton and Palin came to represent—and, at times, reinforce—two of the most pernicious stereotypes that are applied to women: the bitch and the ditz. Clinton took the first label, even though she tried valiantly, some would say misguidedly, to run a campaign that ignored gender until the very end. “Now, I’m not running because I’m a woman,” she would say. “I’m running because I think I’m the best-qualified and experienced person to hit the ground running.” She was highly competent, serious, diligent, prepared (sometimes overly so)—a woman who cloaked her femininity in hawkishness and pantsuits. But she had, to use an unfortunate term, likability issues, and she inspired in her detractors an upwelling of sexist animus: She was likened to Tracy Flick for her irritating entitlement, to Lady Macbeth for her boundless ambition. She was a grind, scold, harpy, shrew, priss, teacher’s pet, killjoy—you get the idea. She was repeatedly called a bitch (as in: “How do we beat the?…?”) and a buster of balls. Tucker Carlson deemed her “castrating, overbearing, and scary” and said, memorably, “Every time I hear Hillary Clinton speak, I involuntarily cross my legs.”

Career women, especially those of a certain age, recognized themselves in Clinton and the reactions she provoked. “Maybe what bothers me most is that people say Hillary is a bitch,” said Tina Fey in her now-famous “Bitch Is the New Black” skit. “Let me say something about that: Yeah, she is. So am I … You know what? Bitches get stuff done.” At least being called a bitch implies power. As bad as Clinton’s treatment was, the McCain campaign’s cynical decision to put a woman—any woman—on the ticket was worse for the havoc it would wreak on gender politics. It was far more destructive, we would learn, for a woman to be labeled a fool.

Via Feministing, some news about how Senator Clinton is fighting Bush's ludicrous HHS regulation, which could seriously impact women's access to reproductive health care.

And, finally, via Girl w/ Pen, my favorite Clinton is spoiled for choice: Should she take on the pretigious and powerful Secretary of State position in Obama's cabinet or stay close to home and head the Senate Heath Care Team?

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today, November 20, 2008, is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Please take a moment and check out the moving accounts, memorials and links at Shakesville, Feministe, Feministing, and The Bilerco Project the authors of which all do a far more thorough job of memorializing this day and expressing there thoughts and feelings than I could.

Feel free to leave additional links in the comments.

The third wave

I have a lot to say about third wave feminism and the need for feminism in general. As you can probably guess, that's half the reason I started this blog (the other half had to do with the election; now that that's over, I'm turning my focus to feminist issues full-time).

Since Fourth Wave launched back in August, I've been meaning to write a post entitled "Why not third wave?" in order to explain the name of this blog (which is not meant as an arbitrary, cutesy or opportunistic addendum to the third wave). That said, I've obviously had a bit of a mental block with the actual post, even though I've engaged in several discussions over email and in person regarding how I imagine the "fourth wave." Feminism today is especially difficult to define and, hence, thinking about how it can be enacted and where/when it is necessary is a continuing and essential aspect of our roles as feminists (and as feminist bloggers).

I'm going to be on a plane most of the day tomorrow, and I'm hoping to use that captive air-time to finally articulate my thoughts on the fourth wave and the goals/hopes/aims/ambitions of this blog. In the meantime, though, I'm curious about your thoughts on feminism today...be it third wave, fourth wave, fifth wave or something else...

How do you define contemporary feminism? What do you envision as the future of feminism?

Final Girl vs. Kinderwhore

I don't watch many horror films - I find them quite boring, actually. But I've always been fascinated by the 'Final Girl' concept. Is she a male fantasy? A female fantasy? How does her identity change throughout the film? What portion of the audience identifies with her? Why is she always a virgin? And why all the contradictions?

But I'm not going to try and analyze the Final Girl here. Instead, I present you the musical Final Girl, of sorts: the Kinderwhore.

Like the Final Girl, she's definitely feminine. Babydoll dress, long hair, makeup. She's innocent, virginal - note the wide eyes, the vaguely 'schoolgirl' look (shoes, plastic hair clips). And also like the Final Girl, she appears to be in a bad situation; messed up hair and makeup, ripped dress, etc. Lastly, she is holding a phallic (musical) weapon - the electric guitar.

But the music itself paints a... rather different picture, to say the least:




The Kinderwhore isn't even remotely feminine. And there's no killer to escape from. she's not 'rising to the occasion' - instead, she is the aggressor!

According to Clover (quoted in the linked article), the Final Girl is:

...feminine enough to act out in a gratifying way unapproved for adult males, the terrors and masochistic pleasures of the underlying fantasy, but not so feminine as to disturb the structures of male competence and sexuality.

The Final Girl is a blend. She's temporarily masculine enough to succeed, but feminine enough to maintain the patriarchal status quo. The Kinderwhore is a contradiction. She looks feminine, victimized. She looks like a virgin. But she's really powerful, sexually dominant, and strong - and if she seems destructive, at least she's very much in control of her own destiny.

Also, she's definitely not planning on being killed anytime soon!

If you didn't catch it, the pertinent lyric is:

You’re dead meat motherfucker
You don’t try to rape a goddess

From a purely feminist point of view, I'm not entirely sure what to think of the Kinderwhore. On the one hand, the music is rather violent (especially toward other women). Furthermore, while I'm certainly not opposed to expressions of rage, the rage expressed in the music seems more destructive than healthy.

I often find it oddly comforting, though. I think that the existence of violent, powerful, female archetypes, who are neither masculine nor a reaction to abuse, yet who aren't portrayed as evil, is both valuable and interesting.

Plus, screaming along to Kat or Courtney is sometimes just plain fun!

Feminist Flashback #11

From season 5 of The Simpsons:



If you can get a hold of the whole episode, do. If not, here are a few quotes (Lisa's my hero):

Lisa, on her idea for a new talking doll: She'll have the wisdom of Gertrude Stein and the wit of Cathy Guisewite, the tenacity of Nina Totenberg, and the common sense of Elizabeth Cady Stanton! And to top it off, the down-to-earth good looks of Eleanor Roosevelt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lisa: They cannot keep making dolls like this...something has to be done!
Marge: Lisa, ordinarily I'd say you should stand up for what you believe in. But you've been doing that an awful lot lately!
Bart: Yeah. You made us march in that gay rights parade!
[Holds up newspaper showing gay parade with Bart prominently in front looking surprised]
Homer: And we can't watch Fox because they own those chemical weapon plants in Syria.
Lisa: I can't believe you're just going to stand by as your daughters grow up in a world where this, this, is their role model.
Marge: I had a Malibu Stacy when I was little and I turned out all right. Now let's forget our troubles with a big bowl of strawberry ice cream!
Stacy: Now low let's forget our troubles with a big bowl of strawberry ice cream!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the recording studio:
Techie: Talking doll, take eight.
Lisa: "When I get married, I'm keeping my own name." Oh, no, that should probably be "If I choose to get married."
Techie: Uh, look, little girl, we got other talking dollies to record today.

Quotes are from this episode transcript).

The Whole Feminist Mess Over Porn

I'm writing an honors thesis on porn.

I've mentioned this before, and I've said a few things about it. You probably have some idea where I'm coming from, especially since I'm a stripper. That gives you some prepackaged ideas about who I am and what I think.

I don't know, though, how to engage with all the shit (yes, shit) that feminists say about pornography.

Everybody is so concerned with taking a side. We must all be Pro-Pornography! or Anti-Pornography! and there is so little room allowed for having an opinion that's in between. It's yet another fun incarnation of the good ol' virgin/whore dichotomy.

There's so much vitriol on both sides:

"Those who oppose pornography are anti-sex! They continue the oppression of women by oppressing our sexual expression! They take away the agency of sex workers, taking away the agency and independence of women! Pornography should be encouraged as a sexual expression and an education tool!"

Or:

"Those who support pornography are anti-woman! They continue the oppression of women by encouraging representations of violence against women, perpetuating the myth that all women want to be dominated and abused! They ignore the economic and social coercion of women into sex and sex work! Pornography should be illegal and stigmatized!"

For heaven's sake, you're both right.

I think, actually, that Ariel Levy has a good idea of what's going on. Her book Female Chauvinist Pigs is immensely popular, especially with the anti-porn set, but if you read carefully, she's in the middle of the debate. She doesn't actually think that all porn is terrible (as the anti-porn activists want us to think), but she's not unequivocally accepting of porn and what she calls "raunch culture" either.

Here's an excerpt from an email conversation she had with Susie Bright about her book and what it means for "sex-positive" or "sex radical" feminists:

OF COURSE I don't think you & co. are responsible for this...the whole point of sex radicals is to explore new and different and more creative ways to represent— and to have— sex. I'm all for creativity. I'm all for exploration. I'm just not for the incessant reiteration of this one incredibly dull shorthand for sexiness... Wet t-shirt contests! Implants! Brazilian bikini waxes!

It's pathetically limiting. I'm tired of hearing about how liberating and empowering "raunch culture" is. I think it's the easy way out... as if when we buy a thong or a t-shirt with the Playboy bunny on it, then we don't have to question or face our own complicated desires. (But then you miss out on all the fun!)

You have always been about encouraging women to investigate what they really and truly want from sex. Raunch culture, on the other hand, is about performance, not pleasure. That's my objection.

Let's try and find a middle road here, people. We all want the same thing, ultimately. We want women and men to be equal to each other. We don't want these gender stereotypes and privileges to rule our lives. We want to preserve sexual freedom for both sexes. We want to make sure that no one ever has to give in to a sexuality that's harmful to them. It's a noble goal. We should work towards it together.

Cross posted at Paper Cuts and Plastic.

Breaking News: Women in the White House

President-Elect Barack Obama has asked Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State. She's asked for time to consider the offer, according to The Huffington Post. (Technically, this offer isn't official yet. Neither Obama or Clinton have commented, but the leak was from "two senior Democratic officials." I think this is real, but I'm sure there will be no official statement until Senator Clinton makes her decision.)

Update: Apparently, he also met with Bill Richardson today, so either he hasn't actually made a decision yet or he's waiting to see what Clinton decides with Richardson as a back-up. The Huffington Post is awfully misleading about all this...

As a great admirer of Hillary's, this seems like an amazing position for her, but I understand the quandary she might face weighing the Secretary of State position against her goals in the Senate for the following years (vis-a-vis health care, etc.) and her possible bid for the Presidency in the future (not that being Secretary of State would necessarily hurt that chance, but it's a different avenue to take). That said, as Secretary of State she would have a lot of influence, power and political clout, not to mention a great deal of exposure. I'm eager to hear what she'll decide.

A quote from an earlier article speculating about the possibility:

"She is a beloved figure around the world. She has visited over 80 countries, as first lady and senator together," the assistant said. Noting in particular the fact that she learned as first lady how to be effective as a "backdoor diplomat," the former White House assistant said Sen. Clinton actually mastered "a lot of the intricacies of these issues before ever joining the Senate's Armed Services committee. She's tough; she had meetings with some Prime Ministers and Presidents where she had to deliver some blunt messages for us."

And there is one other symbolic reason why Obama might go the extra mile to convince Clinton to come on board, the former assistant said. "He would be choosing a very high ranking woman to be one of the faces of this country all over the world. This is the first woman's name that has come up, by the way, for one of the top four cabinet posts. So she gives him this great political asset. And she and Biden are really tight. So I wouldn't be at all surprised if Obama offered it to her."

He's also named friend and top campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett as a senior White House adviser.

Fight the H8 this Saturday...

Special edition? New York Times?

If you all haven't seen it yet, you should check out the New York Times special edition which came out yesterday. Headlines/articles include:

Iraq War Ends: Troops to Return Immediately

Ex-Secretary Apologizes for WMD Scare

National Health Insurance Act Passed

Big Boxes Appeal Eviction from Low-Income Neighborhoods

Court Indicts Bush on High Treason Charge

Popular Pressure Ushers Recent Progressive Tilt

Nation Sets its Sights on Building a Sane Economy

All Public Universities to be Free


Obviously, it's a fake newspaper, quite elaborate, dated for July 9, 2009 and not sanctioned by the Times itself. Check it out and read some of the articles before someone shuts the website down.

The editorial note reads:

Two years ago, who would have dared to image we’d elect, as President of the United States, an African-American community organizer?

Six months ago, who would have predicted we’d enact universal health care, reform our education system, establish a maximum wage and “true cost” tax, and start taking steps to make our cities more livable — or that we’d so swiftly end the war in Iraq, and try for treason the leaders who took us there?

Yet we’ve done all that. Although we demanded change of Barack Obama, we understood that only we could bring about that change. And that’s why it happened.

Of course even with all these victories, we can’t let up for a second, and we can’t get tired. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past two years, it’s that the most restful, energizing thing we can do is fight for a better world.

What do you all think? An uplifting look at a possible future? A silly prank? Are there any artistic and/or political merits to this sort of utopian look forward? Is it just amusing or also hopeful?

And why, oh why, aren't there headlines like Congress passes an across-the-board equal pay act for female workers or Gay Marriage Legalized Nationwide or, I don't know, Patriarchy Called into Question, Women Take Over Government? Now that's my kind of utopia! ;-)

The 68th Carnival of Feminists is here!

Come one, come all and Welcome to the 68th Carnival of Feminists (thanks Natalie)! My favorite thing about these Carnvials is the unique opportunity to read about issues I hadn't yet considered and the work of bloggers that I hadn't yet come across and this Carnival was no exception.

Check out all the great posts--some compelling, some fun, some thought-provoking, some heart-wrenching--below:


Politics on the brain

slothwomyn at ...snapshots of a spiral path muses on the ups and downs of election day. Celebrating Obama's win, she also considers the passage and defeat of a few California propositions, for better and for worse.

P Threlfall at Sociology Eye wonders about former Vice Presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin and whether she can be considered a feminist icon. Some compelling questions are asked, so go weigh in on the debate.

And, Word Bandit offers a few thoughts on misogyny, Sarah Palin and double standards. Was Sarah Palin picked for all the wrong reasons and how would she be treated differently now if she were a man?


On Women, Writing and Big Ideas

Jason at Executed Today remembers Olympe de Gouges, beheaded in Paris in 1793. Ahead of her time (pun intended), this "proto-feminist" authored Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen, voraciously wrote plays and pamphlets, and lobbied for the rights of those less fortunate.

earlgreyrooibos at This is What a Feminist Blogs Like critiques the claim that women don't write "big idea" books. She considers the gendered nature of the publishing industry and wonders why women are often deemed better at fiction than nonfiction.


Popular Culture and Everyday Life:

Unmana at Unmana's Words recounts an anecdote about sexism and cooking. Are the two so intermeshed that some men only want to eat food cooked by women?

harpymarx analyzes misogyny in slasher films. She considers the filmic trope of "the final girl," and asks some really compelling questions about where women viewers are allowed to seek identification in horror films.

Sierra at Pervyficgirl rants about fan fiction and consent. She writes about how she sees pairing a mentally-unstable, teenaged girl with an older man in the Marvel comics fandom as akin to a rape narrative.

mzbitca at What a crazy random happenstance explores the women of Harry Potter. In particular, she examines how the character of Molly Weasley, as a stay-at-home mom in the series, challenges our assumptions about homemakers and feminist roles.


Reproductive Rights, Sexuality and Our Bodies:

Word Bandit's anecdote about her neighbor's sex life leads to an examination of female sexuality. How is female sexuality often performed, used and abused in our society and what does it say about women's position of power in relation to sex?

Saranga at Pai writes about the erasure of bisexuality in Diva magazine. She wonders why bisexuality is often elided by the media and despairs at not finding bisexual representation in UK-based popular culture.

Jill Morrison at Womenstake argues that a pro-life pharmacy is far from "pro-life." She wonders what will happen to women who fall through the cracks because they're falsely instructed by a pro-life pharmacist that they can't get the contraception they want or need.

little light at Taking Steps recounts her heart-wrenching trans rape narrative (trigger warning!). She opens up about the stigma she faced from the very people who were supposed to help her because she is trans.

Genevieve Dusquesne at UneFemmePlusCourageuse offers an impassioned rant against John McCain's “health of the mother” scare quotes. She ruminates on the reasons for third-trimester abortions and wonders if McCain and those who think like him actually have any compassion for women.


Last, but not least, Meditations on feminism:

At incurable hippie's musings and rants, the author contemplates disability and access to feminism. She offers a variety of critical accounts and recounts her personal experience with ableism among other feminists.

Aerik wonders what makes a feminist ally. He examines what makes a good ally as well how sexism often prevails in the name of pseudo-feminism, particularly in relation to science and Skepticism.

Kenneth Reitz discusses modesty and political centrism. He wonders who's to blame for commodity culture's objectification of women and what both women and men can do to stop it.

mzbitca at What a crazy random happenstance contemplates feminist deal-breakers. Her post about what she finds untenable in regards to otherwise feminist people and actions inspired a great discussion, so go join in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that's all for this edition, folks! Thanks for stopping by.

By the way, if you forgot to contribute this time around but would still like to, send me your post within the next day or two (to fourthwave[dot]feminism[at]gmail[dot]com), and I'll add it to the Carnival.

If you'd like to contribute to the next Carnval (wherever it may be), you can fill out this form.

Enjoy!

Keith Olberman and Proposition 8

I'm a little late on the draw here, and this has been posted everywhere lately, but it always bears sharing again.

MSNBC's Keith Olberman, with his powerful, heartfelt critique of "yes on Proposition 8" voters:

68th Carnival of Feminists Last Call

Last Call to submit your recent blog posts to the 68th Carnival of Feminists here at Fourth Wave.

Again, you can submit posts by filling out the online form or sending an email directly to me at fourthwave[dot]feminism[at]gmail[dot]com.

Deadline is midnight tonight Eastern Standard Time (12:00EST)! I've got a whole list of awesome posts, so I think it's going to be a great Carnival.

The Carnival should be up by noon tomorrow.

Feminist Flashback #10

Just under the wire, the 10th Feminist Flashback also marks this blog's 101st post! Landmark moment... Okay... Moving on...

For today's flashback I'm showcasing the photography of Catherine Opie, a contemporary, L.A.-based lesbian artist whose amazing portrait photographs and sharp still-lives/landscapes showcase the stark realities and simple beauty of our lived communities (especially LGBTQ communities). For an overview of her work, check out her bio on the Guggenheim Museum's website.

I find her work, particularly her portraits and her Domestic series (which chronicles lesbian families across the country) really haunting and beautiful. Hence, in honor of LGBTQ people and their families, today's post is also a tribute to same-sex marriage (down with Prop 8!) and the struggle for equality (there's a selection of photos below the cut):

Self-Portrait, 1993


Being and Having, 1991

Miggi & Ilene, Los Angeles, California, 1995, from the series Domestic

Melissa & Lake, Durham, North Carolina, 1998, from the series Domestic

Catherine, Melanie and Sadie Rain, 1998, from the series Domestic

Self-Portrait/Nursing, 2004

For some more, high-quality photos, check out this online exhibition.

Change: It's alright

We've been hearing the word 'change' rather frequently the last few months. Too much, for those of us who dislike slogans. But whatever our feelings toward the word itself, most will agree that all of the talk about change has paid off. Perhaps now we'll get some of the change we've been asking for.

Ordinarily, though, few people really like change. It bothers us. Our situation must be extremely bad before we start to really crave changes. Change is frightening. Change is uncertain. Change is, well, change. Sure, things might get better - but they also might get worse. Who wants to take the chance?

But we have to. Look where women's rights, worker's rights, civil rights in general were at 50, 100 years ago. 150 years ago slavery was legal, even praised. Women were property in all but name (and often in name, too). The idea of equality was just barely being considered. You can argue that some things are worse now than they were then - but not in general, not on average.

Amazingly enough, most of the time, change is, well, alright:

I'm feeling philosophical tonight, so let's ignore the literal meaning completely, and focus on some interesting thoughts that this song conjures up!

Firstly, while change might be alright, is isn't completely wonderful. This is really the song of the US right now. Right now, some people are wildly joyful and full of hope. Some are torn between two emotions, alternating between extreme anger and extreme happiness. Some (myself included) are merely cautiously optimistic. Some are very depressed or angry. Some are just trying to feed themselves. But we voted for a change - we hope we'll get it. We certainly won't have a perfect government - but maybe, just maybe, it will be an alright one.

Secondly, we can't not change. Something didn't change recently. It was something that should have changed, but it didn't. (I'm referring to prop 8, of course). The status quo should have been altered; instead it was reinforced. And while we don't like change, we resist it, we fight it - when it needs to happen, it must happen. This time, it didn't.

And that is not alright.

Lastly, and perhaps this only is my inner hopeless romantic talking; despite everything, I feel like it really is alright. Change or no change, steps forward, steps backward, things are slowly getting better. And as long as we can talk about it, can sing about it, can write about it, there is hope for change.

Change that is - alright.

So Sexy So Soon

The dangers of hyper-sexualizing children have been well documented. Dads (and moms) are distressed by, frightened by and sick of the onslaught of “sexualized” messages and images raining down on our daughters—and sons.


Two women for whom I have the greatest respect have written a guide for parents on how to deal with this problem: “So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect their Kids” by Dr. Jean Kilbourne and Dr. Diane Levin. Jean and Diane are veteran researchers and advocates on marketing to children and I’ve shared platforms with them many times through the years. This new book is very, very needed and very well done.

For children today, learning about sex too soon is only one problem. Another serious issues is what the authors call “the synthetic and cynical source of a child’s information.” Popular culture and technology shower mixed and developmentally inappropriate messages on young children who don’t yet have the emotional sophistication to understand what they are hearing and seeing.

The result: kids have distorted, unhealthy notions about sex, sexuality, their bodies, relationships, gender—the list goes on. On top of that, some kids are getting into increasing trouble emotionally and socially by engaging in precocious sexual behavior. We are left with little girls wanting to go on diets so they can be “sexy,” little boys getting suspended from school for sexual harassment, and parents in desperate need of guidance.

“So Sexy So Soon” provides it. If you’re the dad (or mom) of children today--or if you care about human relationships--read it.

(Joe Kelly runs http://www.thedadman.com,/ blogs @ http://www.dadsanddaughters.blogspot.com/ and has written books about healthy father-daughter relationships.)

Carnival of Feminists Submission Reminder

Hey folks,

Don't forget to submit your posts (anything from the past couple weeks) to the 68th Carnival of Feminists here at Fourth Wave.

For now, there's no theme, as long as your posts are somehow related to feminism. You can submit posts by filling out the online form or sending an email directly to me at fourthwave[dot]feminism[at]gmail[dot]com. Submit away! It's an excellent way to network and introduce your blog to a different audience of readers.

Also, feel free to encourage readers on your own blog to submit their posts! I've already gotten a few excellent submissions, but I'd love to have a nice long list of great links.

My words say nothing

I'm pretty torn up about Prop 8, but I keep trying to remind myself that it passed by a far narrower margin than similar initiatives in 2000. That's a sign of progress, however dim.

That said, everyone has been writing about Prop 8 today, which is heartening in its own way. Now that we've elected Barack Obama, we need to turn our focus to LGBTQ rights. That's the next civil rights battle of the 21st century.

And since I can't quite muster up the energy to say more than that, I'd like to share some words of anger, wisdom, and hope from some others around the blogosphere. My own words today just aren't enough:

Anger

From Brianna's post, here at Fourth Wave:

The effects from this will last far, far longer than almost anything else in this election. It's just incredibly depressing. I still can't believe it passed - in fact, my conservative parents were surprised it passed! The message is clear. If California can't defeat a marriage amendment, nobody can. I'm guessing Massachusetts and Connecticut will both pass amendments as soon as they can.

From Cara over at The Curvature:

California voters didn’t just cast their ballots to deny rights to their fellow citizens. That would have been bad enough. California voters cast ballots to take rights away.

I don’t understand how this could have happened. How can you vote to revoke the rights that people already have? How could you do it in such large numbers? How could it happen in California, of all places? And with hindsight being twenty-twenty, I’m kicking myself. What the hell was I doing phone-banking for Obama? The man won by a monumental landslide. Why didn’t I give my time to Prop 8 instead? Why was I so wrongly comfortable? How did we let them win?

From Bill Browning at The Bilerco Project:

The LGBT community supported the Democratic ticket. We supported change and hope and equality. We supported our fellow Americans as we reached for the stars. And we won. Today is the day.

But I'm not joyful; I feel robbed. Americans didn't support the LGBT community. Instead, we've been slapped back into place with marriage amendments in Florida and Arizona and an anti-gay adoption law in Arkansas. The ultimate insult, the California marriage amendment to strip LGBT couples of their right to marry, looks poised to pass even though opponents rattle lawsuit sabers and refuse to concede until all absentee and provisional ballots are counted.

I don't feel hope; I feel despair.

From Thomas at Feministe:

Today is a day of both triumphs and disasters. When we went to bed last night, We were not saved, if maybe a little more than We had been the day before. And this morning We are more broken than We were when We went to bed. But today as yesterday, We fail, and We fall short, and We do the wrong thing, and our country is broken. So I’m not celebrating. And that the ways We fail often benefit me personally isn’t a comfort — it’s a rebuke of my complicity. Every day I benefit from it I cheat people who’ve never wronged me; who I’ve never met.

Wisdom

From Lesbiatopia:

For the first time, in a victory speech, a President included ME, as a gay person, in his remarks. [...] He didn't trip over the word GAY. It didn't sound dirty. Or Shameful. It sounded...like it belonged. [...]

However, thousands of people who are this morning patting themselves on the back because they helped elect the first African American president, also voted to write discrimination against gays and lesbians into the Constitution.

The irony is painful.

How can we travel so far forward AND backward in the same night?

From lindabeth at don't ya wish your girlfriend was smart like me:

Even more, just like there is so “natural” definition and understanding of marriage–that it is a human construction that can be defined differently, the way we have organized societal obligations along the lines of marriage is also a construction, and so can be constructed differently. That we take the married family to be the social unit upon which our social assumptions are made is something that needs it change; it does not reflect the interests and realities of many Americans’ lives and their desired choices today. We have to stop foreclosing ways to organize one’s economic, reproductive, and sexual needs, as well as the way we wish to form relationships commitment other than heterosexual marriage. Just like heterosexual marriage is not what is always has been defined as, social organization does not have to be what it always has been. We can be creative in the way we organize our lives to meet our needs, if we can only decenter marriage as the central, normative, ideal set of living arrangements.

From Bo Shuff, also at The Bilerco Project:

No community has had their rights recognized simply by asking for them. We must get to work. [...]

Our work starts today anew. We are the agents of the change we demand from the people we put into office. WE, as a community must being the lobbying process and grass-roots work needed to ensure that the laws and policies of our government move further toward Equality.

Write or call the campaign office of any new Member of Congress, Senator and President Obama and remind them of what we did. Every donation you made and any hour you volunteered should be fresh in their heads as they move toward Washington and take their oath of office.

Hope

From PortlyDyke at Shakesville:

When I was 17, the thought of being accepted as a queer in my family, or in society at large -- the idea of being "out" at a job -- any job (except maybe a gay-bar) -- simply did not exist.

At the time, I was pissed about this at some level -- but it was a vague, subconscious kind of anger -- and I would never have expected it to be addressed in the media or a topic of conversation outside of the secretive community that I inhabited as a queer.

Now, at 52, I'm pissed again -- but this time, my anger is out in the open.

That may be bitter cause for Hope -- but it is, for me, Hope, nonetheless.

And last, but not least, from Queers United:

We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual, and straight allies. We must be united and not divided in our fight for true equality for all sexual and gender minorities. We have our differences, but our passions are the same. We want to live our lives as who are, with whom we want, and the way we want. We want protections for our families. That is our vision that is our hope, please don't give up. We never thought we would see the day when an African-American man becomes president. Now we know we will see the day for a brighter America, where the rainbow will shine and one day LGBT people too will rise above the bigotry and hatred that the majority has bestowed upon us.

Updated to add: Feminist Law Professors just posted this update about Proposition 8 litigation. It's a good sign, but doesn't change the fact that half of California is opposed to equal marriage rights for LGBTQ people.

Well, the election is over...

And now, we'll find out that the government is still broken, Americans are still in debt, big corporations still run the world, people are still suffering and being exploited, and the president can't really do anything about most of it.

Don't get me wrong - I'm very glad Obama was elected - but an election always seems to be far more important than it really is. Congress is still the same weird inefficient mess, lobby interests are still far too important, the voice of the people still ignored. People are still stupid and ignorant and biased. Obama likely won't be able to pass most of the legislation that he really wants to, and four years from now, the US will still be in about the same place it is now. I hope it will be better, but that remains to be seen.

It's just another election.

A couple of important things happened, though. One is very bad, and the other very good. Hopefully, the good outweighs the bad:

The bad: California's Proposition 8. It failed. The effects from this will last far, far longer than almost anything else in this election. It's just incredibly depressing. I still can't believe it passed - in fact, my conservative parents were surprised it passed! The message is clear. If California can't defeat a marriage amendment, nobody can. I'm guessing Massachusetts and Connecticut will both pass amendments as soon as they can. (Side note: I have this theory on ballot measures. It seems like it is much easier to pass them than to defeat them, almost as if a certain number of people just vote 'yes' without actually reading it first! I think that some LGBT rights organization should get an amendment started somewhere that allows gay marriage - it just might work! I have no real evidence to support this, though!)

The good: We just elected the first Black president! Irrespective of any policies, legislation, judiciary appointments, or other actions that Obama and the new Congress might make, this fact alone will have a wonderful effect. I can't count the number of times that I heard someone say how "terrified" they were of Obama being President. When pressed, they would always say that they thought that Obama was a socialist. That wasn't it, of course. Most people don't have an irrational fear of socialists - and Obama isn't any more socialist than other Democrats (or Republicans, for that matter!) anyway. Heck, Teddy Roosevelt was a socialist! No, people are scared of Obama because he's Black, pure and simple. And I'm excited about the effect that having a Black president will have on the country, on rights for people of color, for women, for any marginalized group.

Bigoted people will see that they were fools. People with latent and subconscious racism or sexism will be pushed toward a better viewpoint. Everyone will realize that the country is better when it's not just being run by White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestants. And most importantly, when people say, "In America, anyone can try to accomplish whatever they want. Anyone can be elected President.", it will not just be an expression, a legal technicality.

It is now the truth.

(Crossposted at Constant Thoughts)

54

Apologies if this post speaks “too much” about men and fathers---I wrote it for my daughters.

And, with apologies to Oprah, there are three things I know for sure: I am a white man about to turn 54. I was born in 1954, the year that the Supreme Court ruled school segregation illegal in Brown v. Board of Education—probably the most important civil rights decision ever. Until this year, it never occurred to me that a Black or biracial person would ever be elected President of the United States in my lifetime…or in the lifetime of my twin 28-year-old daughters. Like the majority of voters, I happen to have cast my ballot for President-elect Obama. But no matter who we voted for, we fathers and daughters are living through a stunningly historical moment in our national history.

During the course of this campaign, my heart warmed to hear how often Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama (and Ms. Palin, Mr. Biden, Ms. Clinton and other candidates) expressed love and concern for their daughters during the campaign. As an advocate for Dads & Daughters (to borrow a phrase), my faith in people’s respect for father-daughter relationships was vindicated.

Last night, I shed tears listening to Sen. McCain’s honest, healing and patriotic speech; listening to the President-Elect’s call for mutual effort and sacrifice…and listening to my own daughters describe their amazement at the election’s outcome.

All I could think to tell them, through a choked voice, was this: “I am so grateful that you lived to see and experience something like this. And that Mom and I lived to see and experience it, too.”

This morning, I can articulate more clearly why I am so grateful. No matter what one’s political persuasion, November 4, 2008 was a thrilling and humbling reminder of the unfolding miracle of the idea of the United States. Despite our troubles and problems (and, too often, our cynicism), we are all stewards of a remarkable, ongoing experiment of a Republic.

And as a member of the fraternity of fathers, I feel this morning like my life is some reflection of that. At (almost) 54, I’m not an old man. But in the course of that relatively short lifetime, the United States has gone from a place where the children of middle-aged fathers (Black and White) were murdered because Blacks wanted to ride a bus, attend a college—or cast a vote. In my lifetime.

And in the lifetime of us fathers and our daughters, the son of Black and White parents became our President-Elect last night. Whatever happens next, please make time today to ponder with your daughter how we all made history this week.

O.B.A.M.A.

I've never listened to John McCain so closely in this entire campaign as right now.

I'm am stunned. I still can't quite believe it. That was so fast...

Live election results

And we wait, with baited breath...

Vote. Vote. Vote.

VOTE

I was out canvassing today (or, more properly, reminding people to vote and leaving information about their polling places), and I'm nervous and excited and terrified and buzzing with energy. I'm also exhausted and getting a cold, but I still wanted to post a quick reminder before I collapse for the night with all my fingers and toes crossed.

Please vote, if you haven't already. Make sure all your friends have voted. Remind people on the street to vote. If you can, volunteer to help out tomorrow at a polling center near you to make sure voters aren't disenfranchised and to encourage people to hold out even if the lines are long.

The time for change is now.

Also, my sincerest condolences to Obama and his family for the loss his 86-year-old grandmother Madelyn Dunham. Barack and his sister issued a statement. Such a tragedy that she didn't live to see the election, but how wonderful that she lived to see her grandson achieve so much already.

Feminist Flashback #9

(click to enlarge)

In retrospective honor of Halloween, today's Feminist Flashback is a clip from Charles M. Schultz's beloved 1966 classic Peanuts cartoon, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown:



And, as a timely bonus (though not really feminist), I've included a clip below the cut from "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown":




Don't forget to vote!

Music for the Election

Here's some music for the election:

First, something from before women were even allowed to vote. I couldn't find any online recordings of music from the Women's Suffrage movement, but here's a song that anyone can sing (Sing it to the tune of 'Auld Lang Syne'):

I have a neighbor, one of those
Not very hard to find
Who know it all without debate
And never change their mind

I asked him "What of woman's rights?"
He said in tones severe--
"My mind on that is all made up,
Keep woman in her sphere."

I saw a man in tattered garb
Forth from the grog-shop come
He squandered all his cash for drink
and starved his wife at home

I asked him "Should not woman vote"
He answered with a sneer--
"I've taught my wife to know her place,
Keep woman in her sphere."

I met an earnest, thoughtful man
Not many days ago
Who pondered deep all human law
The honest truth to know

I asked him "What of woman's cause?"
The answer came sincere --
"Her rights are just the same as mine,
Let woman choose her sphere."

(For the curious, a few other period songs can be found here.)

Much has changed since that time. Women can vote now, and we are at least equal according to law (for the most part). Than again, look at how much has stayed the same! Society is still full of drunken jerks who despise women and abuse their wives. Everyone still has a know-it-all neighbor like that. People might not use the phrase 'women's sphere' anymore - but when was the last time you heard someone talk about "women's role's", or heard a "why isn't she back in the kitchen" joke? It's all rather depressing.

So, here's something a little more positive!


I know, I know, everyone's heard that a million times - but I still think that "We Shall Overcome" is fascinating. Notice that it doesn't say what we are overcoming, just that we are. And yet, it's completely obvious to anyone that listens, that we are overcoming injustice, hatred, violence, intolerance, fear - and this universal understanding gives me hope that we really can overcome.

In any case, just remember - whatever happens in the election, this guy is out of there!

Everybody vote!

A message to Sarah Palin...

...from some American girls:


(Janet, thanks for the link)

On a related note, even though I'm not thrilled about the prospect of talking to strangers (an understatement, really), I finally bit the bullet and signed up for some last minute volunteer shifts for Obama's campaign. Please don't assume that the race is already won. It could still be a close call on Tuesday, and I for one don't want to be heartbroken again like I was in 2000.