zan-a-vision

bbook: But for young women, the culture of slut shaming that...

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:13:42 -0700

But for young women, the culture of slut shaming that the Kristen Stewart scandal represents won’t go away. I might not be concerned for K-Stew, but I am concerned for all the young women today who are tuned into this scandal, ones who are learning that it’s not okay to screw up, ever. Chris Brown can publicly beat the hell out of his girlfriend but still be played on the radio and win Grammys. However, if you ever cheat on your boyfriend, your life is over and no one will ever want to be associated with you. Almost no one will blame the much-older guy you cheated with, and it might actually make him more famous andhelp his career. Few will care that he was your boss and in a position of authority or that he may have have taken advantage of your youth and relative inexperience. Everything is your fault, and your life will be threatened over it. If you are a trampire, you will be publicly staked for it, even though cheater Ashton Kutcher recently emerged relatively unscathed by the media. No one asked for him to be fired from Two and a Half Men.

I might not be concerned for K-Stew, but I am concerned for my younger stepsister who has pictures of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson on her walls, who idolizes and worships them, and who might grow up to hate Kristen Stewart for reasons she doesn’t understand. I’m worried she will be taught that it’s not okay to mess up, learn from it and apologize, because no one wants your apology, just your suffering on camera. I’m worried that she’ll think its okay to harass and threaten women for their indiscretions, even if men get off scot-free. I’m worried she will think this culture of bullying, slut-shaming and rhetorical violence against women is the norm, because you get a t-shirt for it. I’m worried she will learn to internalize the shame brought on far too many women today, for having sexualities, for not being perfect, for not fitting into a box. I’m worried she’ll believe men like Todd Akin, Paul Ryan and Mike Huckabee are right.

Because even if she doesn’t know who Akin, Ryan and Huckabee are, even if she doesn’t pay attention to politics or the radical right-wing GOP, she does pay attention to Twilight and Robsten. And if we want to empower her to be a strong, independently minded woman who knows that her body, sexuality and safety are legitimate and can stand up for her rights, we need to pay attention, too. This might seem ridiculous to us, and most people I know can’t wait to stop talking about it. But for her, having this conversation makes a difference. Although no young woman shouldn’t think it’s okay to cheat, what we are teaching them right now is so much worse.

“Trampire:” Why the Public Slut Shaming of Kristen Stewart Matters for Young Women

Marco Rubio only cares that his mother worked the overnight shift at K-Mart and that his dad worked 16-hour shifts. He doesn't care about anyone else who has to do the same.

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:24:00 -0700

Mitt Romney's children and grandchildren will never want for anything. But the 3.1 million young Americans who will be covered under Obamacare -- which Romney wants to repeal -- well, tough shit.

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:22:46 -0700

"Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me. But they all seem to. It doesn’t..."

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:21:12 -0700

“Why extremists always focus on women remains a mystery to me. But they all seem to. It doesn’t matter what country they’re in or what religion they claim. They want to control women. They want to control how we dress, they want to control how we act, they even want to control the decisions we make about our own health and bodies. Yes, it is hard to believe that even here at home, we have to stand up for women’s rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us, because America needs to set an example for the entire world. And it seems clear to me that to do that, we have to live our own values and we have to defend our own values. We need to respect each other, empower all our citizens, and find common ground.”

- Hillary Clinton [video] (via ericmortensen)

Massachusetts ranked 47th out of 50 in job creation under Romney.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:07:52 -0700

Massachusetts ranked 47th out of 50 in job creation under Romney.:

kateoplis:

[via Rachel Maddow]

"In North Michigan Park, a predominantly black middle-class neighborhood in the District, hundreds of..."

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:07:21 -0700

“

In North Michigan Park, a predominantly black middle-class neighborhood in the District, hundreds of residents gathered Saturday for a community reunion picnic. It had plenty of food and music and lots of hugs and laughter. Then I started asking people how they felt about the Republican campaign to defeat President Obama.

Talk about a mood killer.

“The whole slant of the Republican campaign is an outright lie and overtly racist,” said Billy Hudson, a retired D.C. firefighter, seething as he spoke.

Sharon Goines, a retired Verizon employee, said: “These new voter ID laws are nothing but a scam to suppress the black vote. It feels like people are trying to send us back to the days before we could vote.”

Ola Borders, a retired employee for the Internal Revenue Service, added, “Better hope and pray that they get some honest election officials, or else Obama might find himself cheated out of a job.”

I attended the festivities near Fort Totten in Northeast to see if black people could really be having much fun at a time like this, when Obama’s opponents are trying to tag him as “food stamp president” and “welfare king” and a “foreigner,” all part of a campaign to stir up white resentment — not just toward the president but black people in general.

North Michigan Park is part of the backbone of black Washington, where residents earn respect through hard work, sacrifice and fiscal responsibility. It is not a place where black residents walk around with racial chips on their shoulders. If only their eyes could gloss over a racial code word or their ears deafen to racist “dog whistles.”

But as wearisome as it is to be on constant guard against racial threats, relief through denial is a luxury that the black survival instinct simply won’t allow.

“The Republicans are saying that Obama wants to take Medicare away from whites and give food stamps to blacks,” Hudson huffed. “Incredible. Baldfaced lies. And they are getting away with it.”

”

- Courtland Milloy writing in The Washington Post, “At Black Middle Class Picnic in Washington D.C., Racism in Election Campaign Hardly Goes Unnoticed.”

“It’s all in your paranoid heads, but it’s okay since you’re not voting for us anyway, LOL!” said The Republican Party.

‘Oogieloves’ Averages $47 Per Screen, On Track For Wrong Kind Of Box Office Record | Movieline

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:06:38 -0700

‘Oogieloves’ Averages $47 Per Screen, On Track For Wrong Kind Of Box Office Record | Movieline

inothernews: Yes, Clint. Us too.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:05:41 -0700

inothernews:

Yes, Clint. Us too.

What does that mean, "We're the best in the world"?! In child poverty? Class division? Math & Reading? Prison population?

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:05:24 -0700

kateoplis:

WHAT.

lazydad: What has happened to the world when Al Sharpton is the...

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:05:07 -0700

When did Al Sharpton become the Voice of Reason?

When did Clint Eastwood lose his mind?

lazydad:

What has happened to the world when Al Sharpton is the Voice of Reason and Clint Eastwood is the Voice of Insanity? It’s like we’ve entered Bizarro World or something.

I ask this question seriously: are the Republicans intentionally trying to throw the election or what? Seriously.

The Republican Party will not rest until every single American is a business owner. Because reality.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:04:47 -0700

Marco Rubio only cares that his mother worked the overnight shift at K-Mart and that his dad worked 16-hour shifts. He doesn't care about anyone else who has to do the same.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:04:16 -0700

Mitt Romney is talking to a whole bunch of conservative white people. Or, as Mitt Romney calls them, "America."

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:03:30 -0700

All these people from Michigan and Detroit clapping for Mitt Romney like Mitt Romney didn't once essentially tell them to fuck off.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:03:22 -0700

"If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family, and God’s love,..."

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:02:53 -0700

“If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family, and God’s love, this world would be a far more gentle and better place.”

- MITT ROMNEY.

Unless that child was born into poverty and couldn’t get adequate healthcare, or food to eat, or have a roof over their head. Those children can fuck right off.

This is the part of the convention where Mitt Romney talks about all the women in his life and all the women who worked for him and all the women who spoke at the RNC and tries to make women in general forget the mindset that allowed his party to give birth to the concept of "legitimate rape."

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:02:39 -0700

Hey Mitt, do you know who wouldn't appreciate all this talk about money and investing? Jesus.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:02:15 -0700

Oh Mitt, saying that the best feeling I had about Obama was when I voted for him.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:01:56 -0700

mykicks:

The best feeling I had about Obama was when he signed a law expanding health care coverage to millions of Americans.

The best feeling I had about Obama was when he helped make sure that everyone brave enough to serve in the military can do so openly.

The best feeling I had about Obama was when he said that everyone should be able to marry whomever they love.

I barely remember the act of voting for him now.

just wondering if anyone at the RNC has brought up the fact that george w. bush started an unnecessary war; couldn't win another; wouldn't end either; gave tax breaks to the rich and a prescription drug plan that wasn't paid for; or was in office when a massive financial crisis erupted and a recession began. that's all.

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 21:11:02 -0700

Election 2012: Republican Senate Candidate Says Daughter's Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy is 'Similar' to Rape(via @Gawker)

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:59:34 -0700

Election 2012: Republican Senate Candidate Says Daughter's Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancy is 'Similar' to Rape(via @Gawker):

Meet Tom Smith, the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania. Smith has never had to deal with a situation as difficult as his daughter being impregnated by a rapist.