Macho Men

                While flipping through the channels the other night, I saw a clip from the show “101 Cars You Must Drive” on the Speed channel hosted by comedian Alonzo Bodden.  I could not control my laughter as I watched this extremely hyper-masculine man (who I would never have guessed is a comedian by trade) explain why one of the cars was on the list.  Dressed in a tank top to show off his bulging arm muscles this man was yelling the whole time, heavy metal music was playing in the background, using violent words to describe the car like “it will crush the competition”, “the other cars will be begging for their life” and basically how domineering and violent you can be while driving such a car.

                I went online to try and find the video clip of this part and the website was even more stereotypical – the left side menu was a selection of various photos of the “hot grid girls” and other bikini clad “dreamgirls”.  This isn’t the clip that I saw, but my argument still stands.  This clip has the host talking about destroying the environment by wasting gas in a Hummer because “that’s what you do”.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxO3VJChCK0  For those of you who are car enthusiasts, here is the link for the 101 cars http://www.speedtv.com/programs/101-cars-you-must-drive/.  I'm not against amazing cars, but I certainly think that amazing cars are not men's territory only.

- Jennifer Rey

Human Sexuality is Complicated

A student in my Introduction to Women's Studies class shared this and I thought it was appropriate for our Masculinities blog so here it is. On sex/gender/sexuality...it's more complicated for some folks than others!

As I was working on Module 4, I came across this really interesting article and was excited to share it. hopefully it can help us frame Asian masculinity more clearly.

                

http://www.racialicious.com/2010/01/27/whatever-happened-to-rufio-the-non-asian-ideal-of-masculinity/

Men Can (and Should) Be Feminist Too

We talk so much about men being feminist and their role in feminism and this is an interesting take on it--men do not need to find a place within 'feminism' but rather to make their prominent space in society feminist. What do you think about this quote?

NBC Is Stuck in a Century in Which Guys Taking Care of Kids Is a Hilarious Concept (by Dan Treadway)

I was at my sister's the other night and she wanted to watch the new sitcom Guys with Kids. I had seen previews and suspected it would rely on the standard 'guys as incompetent caretakers' stereotype so avoided it until then. While it was slightly 'better than expected' in this sense, it is still guilty of reinforcing the message that men caring for children is a foreign concept and that they require the everpresence of a woman to keep them in check. I think this article sums up the issues quite effectively...

--------------------------------------
"Ultimately, the underlying message dictating that there's something bizarre about a man capably and willingly taking care of his child is at best a dumb commentary and at worst a harmful one. There are now more women receiving a college education than men, and this trend is likely only going to increase in coming years. Given the demographics, it's senseless and ignorant to suggest that despite achieving higher than their male counterparts education-wise, it should be a natural given that women should be the ones forced to put their careers on hold to in order to raise children. From a sheer economics standpoint, we should want to encourage the more educated segment of our society to contribute as much time to their jobs as possible. And thus, it's long past time we fully retired this notion in the entertainment industry that dictates that male characters are meant to be providers and female characters are meant to be nurturers -- and anything deviating from this is somehow a 'hilarious' happenstance."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

A Simple Yet Brilliant Analysis of Gender Roles.

A little girl named Riley explains her views about what is wrong with marketing and gender roles. She takes less than two minutes but what she says is powerful!

"Who You Callin A Faggot?"

Today in society, slurs such as faggot and  homo are used to de-masculize a individual by questioning their masculinity.  The slurs are used commonly and are even directed at non-gay and homosexual men. Used as slang and comedic dialogue for describing something or someone as lame or stupid, these sayings have caused much controversy as members of the gay community find the slurs to be both offensive and ignorant.  The article "Who You Callin A Faggot", is an excellent example of how the use of such derogatory words can negatively impact and affect the individuals for whom these slurs are directed at.

 http://www.flakmag.com/sports/queensbury.html

Whitney Scott

Hey baby! Women speak out against street harassment (CNN Article)

Street harrassment is an issue that demands attention. Whether walking dogs, shopping, driving in a car, or simply going to work, I know most women have experienced this type of harrassment and know how uncomfortable it can feel. People have a right to move freely without being leered or yelled at or touched or made to feel unsafe. It's good to see mainstream media covering this.

 

CNN Article: Hey baby! Women speak out against street harassment

Healthy Masculinity: The Idea That Men Can Control Themselves

An excellent article by Soraya Chemaly on healthy masculinity and the relationship between violence and masculinity which can also be the connection between compassion and masculinity. "Here is some Breaking News, Patriarchy: MEN CAN CONTROL THEMSELVES. They do all the time. Day in and day out, all over the world. Men demonstrate that they are capable of control, kindness, empathy, compassion and humanity."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/healthy-masculinity-why-m_b_1933324.html

Louis C.K., Fatherhood and the Sexism of Lowered Expectations

C.K. said in a brilliant Father’s Day bit: “I decided I’m gonna be a dad, I’m not going to be mom’s assistant. Don’t do that if you’re a dad; [don't] just wait for her to write you a list. Be a man, make your own list. Fathers have skills that they never use at home. You run a landscaping business and you can’t dress and feed a four-year-old? Take it on. Spend time with your kids and have your own ideas about what they need.

“It won’t take away your manhood, it will give it to you.”

Read the rest of this excellent piece by Joshua Ostroff HERE

The Bearded Woman

Someone posted a picture of a woman with facial hair on the internet a few days ago and has sparked up quite a conversation. Although bearded women are nothing new, I think that this brings up a good point about masculinity. Facial hair is usually associated with masculinity or the characteristics of a man. But here you have a woman who lets the hair grow which is unusual to most cultures. But her choice to have a beard is based on her religious beliefs. This shows that characteristics of what is manly is not some universal standard. This is an example that even within cultures, in this case American, there are sub-cultures, in this case religious, that have differing views of what it means to be a man or a woman.

To read the original article on CNN blogs, click here.

Does Plastic Surgery Make A Man Un-Masculine?

Today, many people's perceptions and beliefs of what the male body should be is influencing many individuals of the male sex to consider extreme measures to fit the medias image. This article speaks of how men are extremely self conscious of their bodies and are doing anything to fit the mold. While many would consider this as okay because they are trying to become more masculine, others would argue that plastic surgery is not masculine and not intended for men. Not only a concern for women, men are also trying to present images of perfection to the public eye. From a male perspective, this article explains men's point of view on lipo- suction.


http://articles.everyquery.com/articles-the-masculine-point-of-view-of-lipo-45038.html

Whitney Scott

Cool Sweatshirt, Bro

In case you were wondering what's currently available in men's fashion...

http://www.zazzle.com/original_cool_story_babe_now_go_make_me_a_sandwich_tshirt-235841278927985351

Black and White Masculinity

Masculinity is often determined by race. In this particular article, the focus is on Black and White masculinity. Stereotyped by their race, many men are categorized because of their race, rather than be judged off of their personal being.  Elaine Roth, discusses these issues further in her article" Black and White Masculinity."

web url:
http://www.genders.org/g43/g43_roth.html

Whitney Scott

A Real Man

                                    


            http://www.salon.com/2012/09/21/rush_feminism_shrinks_penises/

Women in Secularlism

In Susan Jacoby's Humanist article "A Woman’s Place? The Dearth of Women in the Secular Movement", the lack of women in a male-dominated American secular movement is discussed. I highly recommend this article to fellow secular women, and I think it can also be interesting in the context of a masculinity theory class. 

You can read the article here: http://thehumanist.org/september-october-2012/a-woman%E2%80%99s-place-the-dearth-of-women-in-the-secular-movement/.

Chris Brownout

Interesting read. Further expansion on Lela's post about Chris Brown and his tattoo..


http://bitchmagazine.org/post/block-chris-browns-stupid-face-google-chrome-feminist-magazine-internet

Is Homosexuality Masculine?

In society today, masculinity is based solely off of what we think makes a man masculine such as his physical features or characteristics. Instead of actually looking at the individual themselves, we conclude that a man is unmanly or not masculine because of their race, how they dress or act, and due to their sexual preference or being. Recently singer Frank Ocean came out as a gay man in the music industry and was praised by many fellow entertainers and others, for having the courage to do so. Upon coming out, he knew that his masculinity would be both challenged and criticized. Why do you think others have such a hard time with considering gay men as masculine?

This article gives the reaction to the singers homosexuality:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/hip-hops-anti-gay-tone-frank-ocean_n_1824494.html

Whitney Scott

The word Masculinity

This article is very interesting because it is directly from a man's perspective on what is considered masculinity. It is a very informative and worth reading, as it aims to give us readers a better understanding of masculinity through society's perspective.
http://www.avoiceformen.com/men/mens-issues/the-word-on-masculinity/

Whitney Scott

Neck Tattoo or Not, We Should Be Boycotting Chris Brown

This article from Huffington Post by Anne Donahue, Neck Tattoo or Not, We Should Be Boycotting Chris Brown specifically addresses the Chris Brown 'battered woman' tattoo on his neck but goes further to examine how media keeps Chris Brown in the public eye and supports his success despite being convicted of beating his girlfriend at the time. Brown claims the tattoo is a Day of the Dead image and perhaps it is. But isn't the blatant similarity of the image to that of a woman with a battered face something he considered? Probably--and he chose to do it anyway. Shock value? Or does he simply not see anything wrong with this? Based on the behavior we have seen reported in the media, it doesn't seem he is affected by the implications or that he has learned or changed, as he is unapologetic about the fact that he badly beat his (ex?) girlfriend. Rihanna. From the beginning, the Chris Brown/Rihanna story has been an opportunity for the media to promote productive discussion about domestic violence but we unfortunately see more sensationalism than we do awareness or education. MTV has been the most irresponsible, in my opinion, by continuing to promote Chris Brown, by featuring him in their music awards shows and by seating them next to one another, etcetera. Women between the ages of 20-24 are at greatest risk for domestic violence which is a core of MTV's demographic. According to to national statistics, "On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners" in the U.S. every day. With statistics like this, domestic violence is not something we can afford to take lightly, making commentary and dialogue around the Chris Brown attack even more crucial. For more domestic violence statistics, follow this link.

Men are from Google+, Women are from Pinterest

For those of you who have not read Bitch magazine, the new issue is absolutely filled with articles about gender. I am a Pinterest enthusiast as are many people I know, including men, but according to society, maybe they "shouldn't" be?

                                                           

                                              http://bitchmagazine.org/article/pinned-down

Sexist greeting card

I recently came across this picture of a greeting card for sale at Wal-Mart. While I am used to noticing sexism directed against girls and women in products, such as in this girl's top from JC Penney,

sexism or negative stereotyping against men in advertising and products flies more so under the radar. Finding this greeting card opened my eyes to some of the terrible gender stereotypes against men that permeate our culture, namely the "bumbling idiot" who is dumb and even smells bad! This got me thinking about other examples of this negative trope; characters on sitcoms, the "incapable" man in commercials for cleaning or baby products, etc. 

Some questions that occurred to me were, how does the "bumbling idiot" advertising trope negatively impact both men and women? Are there other examples of this I'm forgetting?

Thoughts?

This story is inspiring! You can't help but smile and hope this can happen en masse.

http://gawker.com/5938676/father-of-the-year-helps-dress+wearing-son-feel-comfortable-by-putting-on-a-skirt-himself

Swiffer Sexism Strikes Again

I have been silently critiquing the Swiffer ads I have seen on television lately for their tired old sexist stereotypes but when the following popped up on my Facebook (because a few of my friends 'liked' Swiffer), I had had enough. Need an activist project? Write Swiffer a letter, comment on their Facebook page, and let them know that you do not support or appreciate these offensive sexist stereotypes. 

The New Velveeta Ads. Have you seen them yet?

Here is another in the semi-recent rash of ad campaigns playing on the hypermasculine man--Velveeta Skillets. Of course a boxed dinner makes sense for such an approach to fit the 'men-can't-cook' stereotype. It's funny how media likes to play on the idea that men can't cook...but only at home. Otherwise they are quite adept at being chefs in 5-star restaurants. What do you think about the 'new' approach of these ads playing with the idea of masculinity. Are they subversive? Are they poking fun at the inflexible nature of masculinity in Western culture are are they simply reinforcing it in an underhanded kind of way? Or are they simply reverting back to the 'woman in the kitchen' ideal? I know I posted about this awhile back with the Drain-O commercials. Those were just plain shocking! At least the Velveeta commercials leave something to the imagination. The Drain-O ads should have been rated R for 'really really RACY.' ;)

Velveeta Ads Introduce the Man Your Mom Could Cook For (with video clips)

That Helicopter Guy at the Mall (with video clip)

Lupe Fiasco Taking On "Bitches"

Check this out...Lupe Fiasco taking on the hip hop tradition of calling women bitches and treating them like 'hoes.' He makes some important points... We should see/hear more hip hop like this. More importantly, kids (boys and girls) should be exposed to more positive messages regardless of genre.

This how we learn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dswhhPtpdck&feature=player_embedded

I love Ms. Zuniga's poetry. I thought this was a perfect statement about how our collective neurosis's are formed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dswhhPtpdck&feature=player_embedded

Guante: 10 Responses to the Phrase "Man Up" (Spoken-Word)

A powerful and passionate response to the insistence by Western culture that men fit into a tough narrow muscular box where to "man up" is the ultimate goal.

Masculinity and Mass Murder

See the following link (and full-text) of this article "Dark Knights Falling" by Rob Okun from Voice Male Magazine. This is SUCH an important perspective that needs to be addressed more directly across media sources. The common denominator in most (if not all) mass killings and shooting sprees is that the perpetrator is male. We need to talk about the implications of constructs of masculinity in our culture. (If you are a UCF student, sign up for my Fall online Theories of Masculinity course for more conversations like these:)

(link) Dark Knights Falling

(full-text)
Even though it was–once again–a man who went on a shooting spree, the national conversation following the mass murders on July 20 has so far failed to focus on the root causes of this latest lethal outburst: men’s mental health and how men are socialized.

Until we acknowledge those issues, we can only expect more tragic bloodlettings.

The massacre at the Century movie theater complex during a showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo., ended with 12 dead and 58 wounded. The shooter, James E. Holmes, was arrested and remains in police custody. The multiple murders are the latest example of an expression of masculinity that society continues to ignore at its own peril.

Sh*t Men Say To Men About Street Harassment

For too many women—as well as LGBTQ folks and men who don’t “blend in”—crossing the street, riding a bus or running in the park involve the risk of catcalls, groping, leering or even violence.

Studies show that nearly 90 percent of women have been harassed in public by the age of 19. Not to mention, as anti-street harassment expertHolly Kearl points out, “Gender-based street harassment can intersect with racism, homophobia and transphobia, classism and ableism to create multi-layered harassment.” Since there are legal recourses for victims of school and workplace harassment, the streets remain one of the final unsafe frontiers for marginalized groups. Until we have the freedom to move through our everyday lives without fear, we will not have achieved basic civil rights.

Since men are almost entirely responsible for catcalls and groping, street harassment is clearly their issue. To solve the problem, we need men to be true allies to women, girls and the queer community. But how? (READ MORE)

The Reign of the Doltish Dad

Men in commercials can’t do anything right. Will that ever change?

The Buddy System

Most interesting is what Niobe Way shares about the connections between her book and male relationships. Although she acknowledges that boys/men are capable of, in fact do possess emotions and expression, she fails to unpack the system(s) (patriarchy) that have put them inside of the "man box". She points out that in high school, they fear being called girls or gay- but does not explore why this is problematic. In my opinion, this is a fine example of how professionals in the psychology field could use Womens Studies course or two.

Mantyhose: Is Brosiery The Final Step Toward 'The End Of Men'?

Robin Hood wore them. Prince Charming probably had a pair or two. But what would you do if you saw a man walking down the street in tights today? In herNew York Times op-ed column on Sunday, Maureen Dowd mused on an email from a male friend calling into question the manliness of "mantyhose": "Crying Putin, manscara and now mantyhose. We are over."

At first, I was unsure about lumping together a teary-eyed world leader, male makeup and the manufacture of "mantyhose" (also known as "brosiery" or "guylons," according to Dowd) -- I certainly don't think this triad symbolizes "the end of men." But upon further consideration, I did begin to see a pattern (and no, I'm not just talking about this star-spangled bit of brosiery). The public display of emotion from a politician, the manscara and the mantyhose each mark another step toward a more mainstream acceptance of men adopting products and attitudes that were once seen as the sole purview of women -- a shift that's been happening quietly for years. 

Read more...

Huggies Pulls Ads After Insulting Dads

Huggies is sorry. Very very very sorry.

So sorry, that it rushed representatives down to Austin this weekend to apologize, repeatedly, to 200-plus Dad bloggers gathered at their first ever convention, called Dad 2.0.

The company thought it had a winner of an ad campaign -- a series of spots all filmed during five days spent in a house with real dads and their babies. "To prove that Huggies diapers and wipes can handle anything," the female voice-over explains, "we put them to the toughest test imaginable -- Dads."

The marketers at Kimberly-Clark, which owns Huggies, figured it was a combination that couldn't miss. It showed fathers parenting! It included adorable babies! It was light-hearted and fun, what with those poor hapless dads responsible for their own children for five whole days!

Read more...

Men Supporting Women

TOWARD A PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSOR by Michael Kimmel

THIS BREEZE AT MY BACK

To run or walk into a strong headwind is to understand the power of nature. You set your jaw in a squared grimace, your eyes are slits against the wind, and you breathe with a fierce determination. And still you make so little progress.

To walk or run with that same wind at your back is to float, to sail effortlessly, expending virtually no energy. You do not feel the wind; it feels you. You do not feel how it pushes you along; you feel only the effortlessness of your movements. You feel like you could go on forever. It is only when you turn around and face that wind that you realize its strength.

Being white, or male, or heterosexual in this culture is like running with the wind at your back. It feels like just plain running, and we rarely if ever get a chance to see how we are sustained, supported, and even propelled by that wind.

It is time to make that wind visible.

(click title to continue reading)

Call for Submissions Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex and Power •revised second edition•

CHECK OUT THIS OPPORTUNITY!!!!


Call for Submissions
Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex and Power (Routledge)
•revised second edition•
Deadline: March 30, 2012


How can we better understand and imagine new possibilities for men and feminism? Are you a guy who hates sexism? Do you call yourself a feminist? Have you spent hours over coffee (or beer or on blogs) debating issues of gender, power, race, class, and sexuality? Are you involved with social justice activism? Have you grappled with accountability, imperfection, and social change? If so, then you have stories to tell and I’d like to hear what you have to say. I am collecting essays for a revised second edition of Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex, and Power (Routledge). I’m interested in first-person accounts of growing up male and identifying with — or questioning the ideals of — feminism. Stories about pivotal moments in personal or political change are especially welcome. You don’t have to call yourself a feminist to have a relevant story. There are so many directions your essay can take, but I am NOT looking for an academic essay. No citations, no footnotes. I AM looking for thought-provoking stories written in your own unique voice using language you actually use when you talk with your friends. You can use personal stories, things that happened to you, things that people said to you, or that you said to them (or wish you had … or hadn’t.) I am looking for a wide range of experience and perspectives on men and masculinity.


This book respects the risk involved in being willing to critically investigate gender, sex, and power — especially when this isn’t what some people expect from guys. There are lots of good books written by and about feminist women. Men Speak Out is written by, for, and about men and male-identified contributors. The revised second edition will add compelling new perspectives on culture, society, masculinity, feminism, women’s/gender studies, social justice, and anti-sexist movements.

DEADLINE: March 30, 2012
LENGTH: 2,000 to 3,500 words.
FORMAT: Essays must be double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font, paginated, double spaced, with standard margins. For full consideration, submit full essays, a brief bio (75-100 words), and complete contact information. Send submissions in .doc or .docx attachment.
SUBMITTING: Send to Shira Tarrant at Shira_Tarrant@yahoo.com. Include Men Speak Out 
2e Submission in the subject line. Essays must conform to these complete guidelines for full
consideration.

Read more at http://shiratarrant.com.

"If Beer and Sausage Sandwiches were Babies"

I saw this on Facebook on the Diary of an Accidental Dad page (posted by someone else which led me there) and had to post it here! The caption of this series of images reads: "If beer and sausage sandwiches were babies." Of course this is intended for humor and not necessarily to be deconstructed but that's how I roll! I am curious about whether folks think this reinforces stereotypes, subverts them, plays with them, upsets them (not that any of these are necessarily mutually exclusive), etcetera (emphasis on etcetera;). His site seems based on "play" and I appreciate the broad representations of "manhood" and "fatherhood" he imbues with humor along the way.

JT'S CAUSE - Amend Hair Policy for Boys, For Donating Hair to Charity

A petition worth signing to eliminate a double standard!

Men Struggle for Rape Awareness

This important article published in the New York Times was shared on Facebook by UCF's Mentors in Violence Prevention program. If you are interested in issues of violence against women, men, transgendered individuals, sexual violence, dating violence, and/or prevention, I highly recommend checking them out. I also recommend this article!

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Why Are the New Samsung Ads Depicting Decidedly Unmacho Dudes?

Interesting!

!

http://jezebel.com/5871175/awesome-boys-club-works-to-stop-violence-against-women

Gendercide

Star BU Hockey Player Assaults a Woman

And for once, it's actually handled properly! He immediately lost all affiliation with the team even though he was their most vital player, he is being prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and his behavior is being assessed by the university and it is expected he will receive either academic suspension or expulsion. Go BU!

UCF Professor and Masculinity

UCF Creative Writing professor David Poissant is featured today on the Good Men Project!

Research on Men and Masculinity

I came across this journal while doing research for another class and I thought I'd share it for fellow psychology students or anyone interested in research :) The Journal is called the Journal of Psychology of Men and Masculinity. Some of the abstracts look really interesting and I'm sure you could get the full versions by logging onto UCF's library website.

Songs

I was driving around town for work when I really paid attention to Bruno Mars' latest hit song, "It will rain." It goes something like this "I'm making alot of sacrifices for you; don't you ever leave me baby or I may develop a substance abuse problem " It was alarming to me because I know I've heard my little sister and cousins singing along to this and commenting on how adorable it is. Songs with lyrics like this take away from the gravity of situations in which people do say these things and mean it. It makes it okay for young boys to tell their girlfriends to be ready to feel awfully guilty if they ever try to leave. After researching the song a little bit, it seems that it was produced for the new Twilight movie. A song like this goes along perfectly with a saga that romanticizes a boy staring at you while you sleep from your window.

Becoming a Gendered Body: Practices of Preschools

Came across this and thought it was interesting. I have a couple of friends that are education majors, and they talk about how many educators enforce gender stereotypes within classrooms. Looking back on my preschool education, there were definitely a couple of instances where I was discouraged from doing certain activities because of my gender.

Military’s newly aggressive rape prosecution has pitfalls

In general it seems like there are more cases on rape and sexual assault being brought to trial than originally thought, but the actual charges being brought down are not as severe.  Only 27 percent of those brought up on charges were actually convicted which is a problem.  This was a very interesting read which gave some incite into how the military might be dealing with cases like this.  There are definitely still problems, but it seems that the rate of the cases being brought up and convicted has improved.  It is not being pushed under the rug quite as much as before.

Mobilising Men to End Violence Against Women

 The UN have funded and are still funding money to get men to help end violence against women.  The money is going to around 339 projects going on around the world which are trying to help in this goal.  The only way to end violence is to try to educate others and keep fighting for what is right even when hard.  

Counting the social cost of masculinity

This article really looked at how the biggest thing that was not brought up about the riots in England was how drastically the rioters were men.  Why was this key information not really talked about and what does it say about the views of masculinity?  The article also goes into other moments when men were violent which still goes to the question about are views on masculinity.  It seems like a trend to either not mention the range of men being violent or just not really making it seem important.  It is much harder for everyday people to recognize what some of the issues are in their country if the information is not given or skewed.

Sylvania SilverStar Ultra Headlights Video - Advance

The first thing I notice about this commercial was the fact that the description of what a red blooded American is which I found fit very well with the ideas of masculinity that seem to be pushed on society.  It was pushed as if there is not reason that a red blooded American would leave watching a football game unless it is for a good reason.  It also makes it seem like the commercial is saying that someone is not a red blooded American if they are not watching football.  This also takes away that women could install the lights and that women like football.

A Better Life

Watched this film a couple of weeks ago… a definite “MUST SEE”. It’s a film about a single father and son, whose bond grows stronger while in search of the "American Dream".

Link to their FB Page and Trailer …
http://www.facebook.com/ABetterLifeMovie#!/video/video.php?v=947584605930

Church bans interracial marriage..."It sure ain't Christian. It ain't nothing but the old devil working."

Not a new article but it was posted on my friend's FB page and it left me shocked. Ive never realized how lucky I am to belong to groups and communities are are so open-minded and accepting of EVERYONE!!!

here is the video of this article from CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/12/02/erin-gulnare-stella-harviille.cnn

A Message To Women From A Man: You Are Not “Crazy”

I thought this article was very interesting and brought up a definite problem.  It was more like a message to everyone instead of just women.  The article was definitely not perfect, but it brought up an issue that is a problem.

Snuff Films

Click the title for a link to a Jezebel (I know, I know) article about snuff films. I wish the author held delved further into how those how consume snuff porn live. We've talked about (particularly with Wresting with Manhood) how media and real life are interrelated. Snuff films are particularly disturbing.
Nothing is ever "just entertainment" and nothing is ever "just porn." This is an extreme case of the mix between sex and violence.

Any more thoughts on the consumption of snuff films and how it relates to a violently sexual masculinity?

The VOX Blog

If you have a tumblr, make sure to follow the VOX blog (and my service learning project) at prochoiceinflorida.tumblr.com

How to be a fan of problematic things

I thought this was an interesting read and actually very true.  It is hard to find something that is not problematic is some way, which is why avoiding everything is not really a great option.  The main thing is to not try to justify what is problematic, but to acknowledge it and move on if still a fan of it.  This could become a good teaching moment for others when explaining why it is problematic.  I watched Disney movies all my life, but I never took any of the bad messages, but only the good ones away from the movies.  A big part of that was how my parents talked to me and my sister about the movies.  I still love Disney movies, but I have know problem acknowledging that there are some problematic messages in their movies.

http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/how-to-be-a-fan-of-problematic-things/

I've been transcribing some of the stories my dad use to tell me as a child. As a kid, I didn't realize the kinds of messages I was receiving and devouring to straighten me into some kind of Athia.

Before I had feminism, I learned resistance from narratives of decolonization. Feminism has given me language, yes. But it has only ever been one part of the picture.

So, I hope ya'll enjoy. Good luck in finals week!

...

Back in my country, a long time ago when your Dada was a little boy, there was a town where you could find the most beautiful saris in the whole world. It wasn't any ordinary sari. The silk cloth was seven feet long and could fit inside a tiny, tiny matchbox.

It all started with the master weaver. Even before he made the most beautiful sari, he was very famous. He moved his thumbs across the silk like water. People came from all across the country to watch his fingers work. But he was not very happy. He knew that the more and more silk he used, the more and more tired the silk worms became and that when he died, he would have to answer to Allah why he worked the silk worms so hard. So, he would pray every morning during Fajr that Allah show him guidance--how could he still feed his family and all the people dependent on him in the town without torturing the silk worms?

He finally got his answer. One day, while he was collecting silk from a family of silk worms, the littlest of the worms crawled onto his thumb. She said: "My parents are very tired. Please, let them rest." And then she was gone. So, the master weaver decided that he would use only one kind of silk and as little of it as possible. It took him two years to weave the sari and when he returned to the same family of silk worms to show them his work, they were very happy. The material was so strong and so well crafted, it would last an entire lifetime. Now, the silk worms were rested and said that they wanted to share their silk with him.

For a little while, everyone was very happy. The master weaver was able to share his good fortune with the whole town. Everyone had enough food to eat and work to do. But this happiness didn't last long. News traveled very far about the master weaver's extraordinary saris--all the way to the Queen of England. The Queen was a very proud woman and wanted to gloat about the riches of her colonies. She demanded that she have a sari for herself. So, she sent her army to the little town with the message that the master weaver was to make a sari especially for her.

The master weaver became very nervous. He knew that if he made a sari for the Queen, then she would demand he make one for all her family and all her royal subjects. He would have to work the silk worms until they died and would have to answer to Allah. The army took him to England were they kept him in a small cottage outside of the palace. For many days he refused to work until the army threatened to destroy his town. He sent a message to the Queen that he would only make the sari for her if she promised that he had to make just one. She agreed and he began work.

After three years of working on the sari, he finally presented it to the Queen. She was very pleased at the wonderful material. She then became very jealous that she could not show off how magnificent her riches from her colonies were to the rest of the world. She demanded that he make her more and more saris. He refused. She knew she could not force him any more, but she wanted to make sure that no one else could ever ask him to make them a sari. So, she had her guards cut off his thumbs and blind him and had her army burn all the other saris he ever made. She kept her sari in the matchbox and it's now in the museum in London.

When the master weaver returned to his home, he was ashamed of himself. He thought he let down all the people of the town and they would now all starve. As he walked around his garden, he felt something crawl up his hand. It was the same little silk worm come to comfort him. She said: "You did the right thing. If you had agreed to make her more saris, she would have worked all of us to death, from my family to yours." The master weaver knew that the little worm was right. They would find another way. They always had.

We Complain About Treatment of Rape Victims, but it Doesn't Compare to This...

It is true that even here in America there are a lot of issues with how victims of rape are treated, but I don't think it can really compare to the kind of story in this article about Afghanistan. It is well know that women hold little to know power even over their own bodies in Afghanistan and in many cases a woman can be imprisoned for being raped because it is seen as having sex out of wedlock. In this case, the article title seems to be a positive and unexpected one, a rape victim having been imprisoned is being pardoned. In reality, upon reading the article it is apparent that it is actually a tragic story. The woman is only being released because she has agreed to marry her attacker. Not only was she raped, impregnated as a result, gave birth to the child behind bars, but now her only option for getting out is to marry the one who put her in the situation and exerted power and control over her. The worst part? The attacker was a member of her family, though it is not disclosed who he was. There was a film made about the events, but the European Union blocked the documentary from being released to protect the women it featured. We are fortunate to not have to deal with these extremes in victim treatment, but there is room for improvement all around.

This is the stuff I appreciate from Yahoo!

I posted this to my Facebook wall in October and decided that since I bad mouthed Yahoo! for their crap on dating advice, etc. I should share a redeeming post of an photo found in Yahoo! News which links to the original article at ABCNews.com that I would not have otherwise known about. I am pretty impressed because the school realized that a "female identifying person" who happens to have a gay orientation can be a "king." At least the structures of king and queen have been questioned, but I think they should get rid of the whole tradition all together.

P.S. She also just happens to be badass too:

Arellano posted a statement to those who opposed her on her Facebook wall that read: "For all the girls who think tradition should be continued, go back to the kitchen, stop having sex before you're married, get out of school and job system, don't have an opinion, don't own any property, give up the right to marry who you love, don't vote, and allow your husband to do whatever he pleases to you. Think about the meaning of tradition when you use it in your argument against us."

Yahoo! Does it Again

Why does Yahoo! insist on putting this gendered crap on their site? I would hate to assume mainstream society feeds into this bullshit so much that they need to be fed it every other day. I appreciate much of the information Yahoo! puts out there, aside from the celebrity gossip and whatnot, but this is kind of ridiculous... Enough already.

Rise Up UCF

I attended the Rise Up UCF rally today to support the cause and not only had a blast, but was impressed by the turnout and movement of my fellow students. It was refreshing to see such passion for a cause and to hear so many eloquent speakers trying to make a difference. And I think we did make a difference, we were heard, and I was happy to see that many of the legislators took flyers containing the information about our protest. I think we raised awareness through the march and entire rally. Not only were we a sight to be seen, but many people joined the cause as we made our way around campus spreading the word. I can only hope that this opened the eyes and ears of the people in office making such devastating decisions such as cutting Bright Futures and financial aid, raising tutition, and dividing the voting districts to suppress the voices of us students. I have attached a link to UCF's Knight News which contains an article and video of the event.

On state violence, white male privilege, and 'Occupy'

This article states a lot of my issues with the Occupy movement.

What do y'all think?