Superbad

Superbad.

A movie that reflects real life is an opportunity to talk about the attitudes and issues you find distasteful in it (the movie, and real life).

It is a chance to get perspective on what we're taught when we're young. On how many of us, or our friends, thought about things when we were young. Amazing how the young can reflect so clearly both the good and the bad of a society, eh?

Getting drunk as a prelude to having sex is unbelievably, incredibly, common. And for most people it has nothing to do with rape (thank gods). It has to do with over coming your inhibition/phobia (socially constructed, I might add) of initiating or engaging in sex and making you more comfortable with yourself as a sexual being (again, socially constructed blocks here, especially for girls). The back and forth the boys have about their goals in this regard is probably the most criticized element I've seen.

Seth's statements (he's invariably the openly entitled male opinion) comes out of a patriarchal socially conditioned expectation that girls will not admit that they want to have sex unless they are intoxicated. As well as the fact that he is not exactly a "catch" by the same standards, thus his chances are slim to pull a girl like Becca unless she is "wearing beer goggles." As a result he figures his only chance to get sexual experience is through this method. Additionally, if it was only about getting the GIRL drunk (as I have seen suggested) neither Seth nor Evan would begin promptly drinking as well once they got to the party. Obviously alcohol was a part of the picture for them in their own minds as well. Most likely (this is my own extrapolating from how I thought as a teenager) to facilitate an "omg I was drunk" brush off should either party decide later that sexual activity was a mistake.

Engaging this movie (and really most Apatow) on surface value is missing the opportunity to talk about the problematic situations, and attitudes, that can arise out of situations like the ones in the movie. Presenting this out in the open, with what discussions even those two boys had about respecting women vs not, that is giving US the chance to take perspective from the film. While I didn't enjoy this film as much as Knocked Up, I did like it. I felt it (like Knocked Up) was excellent comedic satire.

How does this headline make sense?

This was in my NY Times email this morning:

Tainted Drugs Linked to Maker of Abortion Pill
By JAKE HOOKER and WALT BOGDANICH
A state-owned Chinese company is at the center of a scandal after nearly 200 Chinese cancer patients were paralyzed or otherwise harmed by contaminated drugs.

So, exactly what part does the abortion pill they make play in this particular story?

Nothing. But apparently it serves to make the story more sinister/sensational. Can I get a collective eye roll?

Stars Update

Mars is out of retrograde

But Mercury is now in it.

Fortunately this is not the end of the world, and in fact may be, in my estimation, rather productive, coming away from the Mars retrograde drama.

W T F UW?!

From Cara

A story from the Seattle Times about the violent history of the University of Washington football team and the way that UW has worked to cover up their crimes for the sake of winning games. In 2000, the year that team won the Rose Bowl, a dozen of its players had been arrested or charged with a crime within the past year, and at least a dozen others had been arrested or charged with a crime during previous years that they were on the team. Those crimes include a robbery and shooting, domestic violence that ended in a broken nose, a broken arm and lacerated face by a player who had previously served jail time for choking his wife to unconsciousness, and sexual assault.

This article tells the story of a sexual assault, how the drugging and raping of a fellow student was covered up by everyone who could have possibly helped cover it up and dropped by prosecutors despite a victim that wanted to go forward, DNA evidence, an eye witness to part of the rape (he called the police) and several other witnesses willing to testify that the victim was either drunk or drugged out of her mind.

There's more at the Curvature, but even just that completely horrifies me.

Round up

Yah, 8 days straight of work is fun... And it's not over yet. As a result I have stories piled up that I wanted to share with you all, and plenty more to sort through, plus that post/review regarding Superbad that I really want to get to. So, I think it's time for another edition of "What whatsername has found interesting lately, or thinks you should know."

Changing Attitudes in Christian Clergy from the Wild Hunt

So while it may be easy to get wrapped up in the latest intolerant actions of certain Christian believers, with some of us concocting doomsday scenarios of a new "burning times", there is a very good chance that their actions represent the death-throes of certain approach to religious outsiders. The next generation of Christian leaders may surprise us by not only being literate and aware concerning modern Paganism, but by being increasingly willing to engage Pagans with mutual respect in ecumenical settings.

Gods, I can only hope! Perhaps the Age of Aquarius really is upon us?

Mt. Rainier community considers becoming a sanctuary for immigrants
Nezua says;

Because in my estimation it is either empathy and human dignity and rights for ALL....or it's selective.

Amen brother. Mt. Rainier is semi-local to me, and after a similar recent action in San Francisco, I am starting to be encouraged for our immigrant sisters/brothers situation this country.

From Feministing: Meet EMERJ

At EMERJ we are organizing for a strong and vibrant reproductive justice movement that ensures that all people have the economic, social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our gender, bodies, and sexuality for ourselves, our families and our communities. We represent diverse communities and a broad set of strategies.

Nice. To learn more.

From Women's Space: The Padlocked Vagina Fistula Rapes
I don't suggest reading this if you're eating or just ate. Or if you're already incredibly depressed, and it may be triggering. That said, while I felt absolutely nauseous when I was done, I am glad I know about this issue. And I'd like to know just why the fuck it's not being covered in the mainstream media, and just why the fuck the "culture of life" assholes we have running the country aren't up in arms about this.

Via Ren, BA and BFP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LGBT youth of color are pushed out of our homes, schools, and safe spaces every day as access to vital resources and opportunities decreases. FIERCE has been opposing the private development on Pier 40 [the pier next to Christopher Street] that will further displace LGBT youth, especially youth of color, from the West Village. It is simple: development can and should meet the needs of poor people, not corporations. Now is the time to take action to SAVE THE VILLAGE and put LGBT Youth Before Profit.

It really says it all for me...

To end on an up note, I have two items of awesomeness. One is this bag. The other is magic. Ok, not really magic. But almost. Meet the vibrator that knows what you like. Or at least learns when taught. WTF? Yes! It's true! How unbelievably cool is that?

Community Building

For the record readers, community building work only happens when you actually allow discussion.

And I will never delete a comment unless it is openly disparaging or offensive to my readers, commenters, or myself. This means random comments like "you're a bitch."

Beyond that, people of any persuasion, within feminism or without, are welcome to express their views here, even if you already know I will disagree with you.

That is because I, unlike others, believe there is growth to be had in discussion with differing viewpoints. And that you can do so without violating safe space, while I do not claim my blog to be safe space, elements of it are kept in mind on my part.

Further, and most importantly, I will never allow someone's work to be discussed without giving them the chance to participate in that discussion. And I hope others will pay me that courtesy as well.

Female Genital Mutilation

When I read this story last week, I felt absolutely chilled to the bone.

When a girl is taken — usually by her mother — to a free circumcision event held each spring in Bandung, Indonesia, she is handed over to a small group of women who, swiftly and yet with apparent affection, cut off a small piece of her genitals. Sponsored by the Assalaam Foundation, an Islamic educational and social-services organization, circumcisions take place in a prayer center or an emptied-out elementary-school classroom where desks are pushed together and covered with sheets and a pillow to serve as makeshift beds. The procedure takes several minutes. There is little blood involved. Afterward, the girl’s genital area is swabbed with the antiseptic Betadine. She is then helped back into her underwear and returned to a waiting area, where she’s given a small, celebratory gift — some fruit or a donated piece of clothing — and offered a cup of milk for refreshment. She has now joined a quiet majority in Indonesia, where, according to a 2003 study by the Population Council, an international research group, 96 percent of families surveyed reported that their daughters had undergone some form of circumcision by the time they reached 14.
[...]
According to Lukman Hakim, the foundation’s chairman of social services, there are three “benefits” to circumcising girls.

“One, it will stabilize her libido,” he said through an interpreter. “Two, it will make a woman look more beautiful in the eyes of her husband. And three, it will balance her psychology.”

It just makes me want to cry. It's not like the head scarf or something. Not like male circumcision where there has been evidence of health benefits (though arguable). I truly, truly do not want to cast judgment from afar on an entire culture. But... I mean gah, just read that! "It will stabilize her libido"? STABILIZE? Given how many women require a clitoris to have an orgasm ever in their life... STABILIZE? It will KILL their libido. It will make it so the only orgasmic pleasure (most likely) is that of her husband. Thus binding her sexuality to that of her husbands (oh and apparently "make her beautiful" in his eyes thusly). Given my feelings on the fundamentalness of sexuality, I can only hope you can understand how agonizing such a prospect is to me.

What I'd really like to see them justify is how it's possible for this procedure to "balance her psychology." I can't even begin to attempt to analyze that, except to assume that it is a classic fear of female sexuality, fear of females as sexual beings, and that robbing them of that capability happily eliminates their "unnatural" needs. Or something. What makes this topic all the harder is that reading the article it's clear this is important right of passage for many young women. That it is meaningful to them. Can we retain a meaningful right of passage while getting rid of this abhorrent practice?

A fundamental right

At work I tend to be pondering topics of interest while I work. One benefit of mostly manual (mind numbing?) labor is this opportunity to day dream and consider/reconsider topics and arguments. Today I was thinking about a few things, Superbad being one and a post I shall probably have to write in the near future. Another was an idea for a series of posts, there are a number of labels which I ascribe to myself, and I was thinking it would be interesting to describe the whys of each one as I did with "sex positive."

But the thing I wanted to share with you all was this. I was thinking about the Roe V. Wade anniversary and the inevitable abortion debate that follows. For some reason the "if you don't want to have kids, don't have sex" argument popped into my head, and I rolled my eyes as I always do. I thought to myself "that's just not reasonable." But then I thought...

Why?

Why is that not reasonable?

Why is it not reasonable to expect people to refrain from sex unless they are willing and/or able to bear and raise children?

In our still largely Christian culture, we can't discount the influence of Christian thought, and I think this is one example where it is still strong. Because most people don't come back readily with an argument against this idea.

But I did, today.

This is an unreasonable expectation because human beings are (for the most part) sexual beings. Our sexuality (or asexuality) is integral to our identities and experiences as human beings. And we have an inalienable right to experience our sexuality fully. An inalienable right to express that sexuality with partners or ourselves as we see fit.

It is our RIGHT. Our BIRTHRIGHT. Sex and sexuality is a part of being human. And it is separate from the desire some of us have to procreate. The fulfillment in experiencing our sexuality is independent of procreation.

Some of us will never want to have children. That is absolutely no reason for us not to experience our birthright too.

New Carnivals

Up at Femtique is the new Radical carnival.

Up at Figure is the newest Feminist Carnival.

Check'm out!