April 2012
151 posts
ameliorate or destroy: There is a new meme going around Reddit and Tumblr. →
khaleesi.tumblr.com
[TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence, misogyny]
It’s called (HUGE trigger warning on this link)Domestic Violence Turtle and it is, as you might expect, stunningly unfunny.
What is exhausting to me about this meme is not only that each page has ten different versions…
I honestly think the meme’s are chuckle worthy, and I don’t understand why people have to be so harsh about it?
Would have made it funny if the meme’s were called, “Pimp Slap Turtle”, “Dominant Turtle”, etc, etc? I don’t fucking know.
But because it’s called “Domestic Violence Turtle”, people want to flip tables and throw chairs. These meme’s have NO back story, NO meaning, NO nothing behind them except a laugh or two. Let’s not go to mention HALF of the meme’s shown aren’t even domestic violence-ish, shit, one of them is a quote from The Other Guys!!
Seriously. It’s a joke. In the real world, no turtle would slap a woman for having rights or not being in the kitchen, or even being a female.
It wouldn’t be funny regardless of what it was called (“pimp slap turtle” adds a nice healthy level of racism) because it normalizes and trivializes a form of gender violence that is most often used against women and has been in place for centuries, and is still not taken seriously, even today — as evidenced by the fact that it is the basis for a popular meme. There is a huge problem with that.
Media always has meaning. Media, including things like memes, determines what is and is not considered acceptable by our culture. It is not an accident that this meme is popular - domestic violence is considered a joke by our culture. If you don’t see a problem with that, I suggest you very seriously examine the ways in which you engage with media. Do you passively accept that which is fed to you, or are you actively critiquing the media that you consume? It’s a good skill, and an important one.
There is a new meme going around Reddit and Tumblr.
[TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence, misogyny]
It’s called (HUGE trigger warning on this link) Domestic Violence Turtle and it is, as you might expect, stunningly unfunny.
What is exhausting to me about this meme is not only that each page has ten different versions of “bitch get me a sandwich” or “bitch get in the kitchen” jokes, but that it exists in a world that’s supposed to be post-feminist. Of course, we know that such a world does not exist, and if anything could prove that (other than, of course… everything else that could prove that, from the GOP’s War on Women to the default sexualized woman on TV and in movies), it is the fact that there is now a fucking meme whose entire premise is that domestic violence is funny.
I keep trying to think of a way to finish this with a punchline, some kind of wry sarcasm in the face of this kind of bullshit, but I can’t. I just feel bitter. I am dully unsurprised by this particular development and wary of posting my outrage anywhere, because you know, it’s a joke. I’m just a humorless feminist. Can’t I take a joke?
“What I want is for you to write FUCK ME on your chest. And then I want you to walk out that door and I want you to walk down the street and anybody that wants to fuck you, say sure, no problem. And when they do, you have to say thank you very much and make sure that you have a smile on your face and then you stupid fucking coward, you’re going to know what it feels like to be a woman.”
“People of color, women, and gays—who now have greater access to the centers of influence that ever before—are under pressure to be well-behaved when talking about their struggles. There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner: newspapers love to describe words or deeds as ‘racially charged’ even in those cases when it would be more honest to say ‘racist’; we agree that there is rampant misogyny, but misogynists are nowhere to be found; homophobia is a problem but no one is homophobic. One cumulative effect of this policed language is that when someone dares to point out something as obvious as white privilege, it is seen as unduly provocative. Marginalized voices in America have fewer and fewer avenues to speak plainly about what they suffer; the effect of this enforced civility is that those voices are falsified or blocked entirely from the discourse.”
—
Teju Cole, The Atlantic (via lotus-eyes)
Reblogging again because this can never be said enough.
(via sugarthroughyourfingers)
HOLY SHIT. Former sex worker trans woman of color’s book about food, community, and identity. I AM SUPPORTING THIS. YOU SHOULD, TOO!
A family that cooks and eats together, stays together. In Cooking in Heels, first time author Ceyenne Doroshow takes tradition to heart with over 50 recipes designed to be easy and inexpensive for the whole family to enjoy. As a transgender woman who was inspired to write her book while serving prison time for a prostitution conviction, Ceyenne might not seem like the most likely representative of home cooked family values. But her book, which is peppered with good humor and begins with the story of her life, shows that food and love are the ties that bind, and family is what you make it.
Ceyenne Doroshow and Audacia Ray, the founder of the Red Umbrella Project and the editor of the book, were introduced by Ceyenne’s lawyers at the Sex Workers Project in February 2011 and have been collaborating on Cooking in Heels since then. In the early days of our collaboration, Ceyenne showed up with handwritten recipes and lots of stories, and Audacia showed up with an audio recorder to try and capture Ceyenne’s tales. The Red Umbrella Project has been supporting Ceyenne in honing her storytelling and amplifying her voice, and she has shared her talent for storytelling as a frequent performer at the Red Umbrella Diaries storytelling series that Audacia hosts in New York. Ceyenne’s vision forCooking in Heels is certainly bigger than a breadbox, and the Red Umbrella Project has been enthusiastically supporting that dream.
We need your help to create a book that inspires people to cook together, and gets people talking about gender identity, sex work, and struggles for social justice, topics that don’t seem “family friendly,” but that tear apart families and harm individuals when they aren’t discussed. There’s no better place for laughter, comfort, and conversation than the kitchen - and we want to invite you into Ceyenne’s kitchen to see the world through her eyes.
omg
Support her here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/audaciaray/cooking-in-heels-a-memoir-cookbook
another thing about Nice Guy Syndrome (TM)
the one thing college has taught me about dudes, is that I have this weird feeling of obligation to talk and entertain guys who want to speak to me. Oh, some guy takes an interest in me and feels the need to make conversation everytime we meet? better talk back or get labeled a rude bitch. (or there is at least some semi-natural fear/instinct to never be anything short of pleasant and constantly open, always smiling.)
A girl does the same thing, or even slightly shows a dude attention? “this bitch wants the dick SOOO BAD!!!” yeah, ok.
that’s fantastic…
30+ Examples of Cisgender Privilege
Following is a list of cisgender identity privileges. If you’re not familiar with the term, “cisgender” means having a biological sex that matches your gender identity and expression, resulting in other people accurately perceiving your gender. If you are cisgender, the list below are all benefits that result from your alignment of identity and perceived idenity. Folks who are transgender/genderqueer don’t have all the same privileges. Read more about gender in my comprehensive gender identity guide.
- Use public restrooms without fear of verbal abuse, physical intimidation, or arrest
- Use public facilities such as gym locker rooms and store changing rooms without stares, fear, or anxiety.
- Strangers don’t assume they can ask you what your genitals look like and how you have sex.
click here for more »»
“You know what would help? Seeing someone on TV who has a butt like mine and is the smart, classy, desirable character and not the goofy friend. Reading a profile of a female C-level executive that doesn’t mention her hair. Reading blog posts by women at tech or sci-fi conventions that don’t make a single mention of sexual harassment. Seeing a female comic book character who actually gets to wear armor on the parts of her that need armoring. Never again hearing the word “anorexic” if it’s not referring to an actual medical condition. Never again seeing thong underwear sold in the children’s department. Putting on a short skirt on a hot day and walking outside confident that I won’t have to suffer any abusive commentary. And then going to a feminist blog to read about body image without worrying that some random guy is going to backhandedly criticize my body because in his unsolicited opinion, my breasts are just too big to be attractive.”
—
Why “I prefer small boobs” isn’t helping (via sociolab)
Nothing is more annoying than reading or commenting online about body image issues and having a guy wander in and proclaim that he finds all kinds of women attractive and we don’t even need to wear makeup anyway. (via feminist-submissive)
CeCe McDonald is facing the same charge as George Zimmerman
i’m just going to keep reblogging this.
The Change.Org petition to have charges against CeCe dropped.
Reblogging again for the petition link AGAIN, because it makes me really angry that this has been going on for so long and the petition still has less than 10,000 signatures. I feel like everyone has to know about CeCe McDonald right now, but clearly not.
Update: 11 year old trans girl lost appeal →
translate.google.com
The above article is an update. Her mother went to appeal to keep her out of the psychiatric ward and lost. She will be institutionalized because of her expression of her gender. She will be held until she conforms to male gender and then released to foster care, not her mother who was supporting her.
Please, if you haven’t signed the petition, sign it, reblog it, ask your friends to sign it. We’ve managed to get 40K signatures for a pageant model, we’ve only gotten 11K for a little girl about to have her life ruined. Lets get on the ball and spread the word.
I want to throw up. I’m so fucking angry. Sign this shit.
signal boost because this is one of the most disgusting occurances invloving a child i have ever heard of. please sign it.Sign this. It will take you 5 seconds. A CHILD is about to be institutionalised because her gender does not match the one society has assigned to her. INSTITUTIONALISED.
Please, peeps. ;~;
Hey BFF Readers!
I wanna thank you all for following this here blog, it means a TON to me.
I have a bunch of stuff on the burner right now and not a lot of time to work on any of it - I’m in a production of The Vagina Monologues that opens this weekend (!!), have to defend my thesis Friday, and am gearing up for a massive school-wide festival that’s open to the public and that the club I’m part of (full disclosure: it’s Classics Club) is putting on skits for. Plus I have three jobs. And a full slate of classes.
SHORTHAND: I AM MAD BUSY. This is why most of the content on this blog so far has been reblogs, and why I’ve fallen behind on the inbox (so sorry about that one, guys).
So this is basically a heads-up to say I’m not ignoring you, and the things I’ve been talking about (resource lists, how to run a workshop, what to say to jerks, etc) is still coming. It’s just… taking longer than expected, sigh.
Anyway, hope y’all are well! And thanks again for following, you’re the breast.
- Kaye
“[TRIGGER WARNING: Rape]
If white heterosexual men determine the ‘truth’ of rape, then the law of rape will reflect society as experienced by white heterosexual men.
Women’s sexual experiences will only be understood in terms of this masculine reality and law may, consequently, work against women’s interests.
Representations of rape thus often naturalize female passivity and legitimize male sexual aggression, treat only certain classes or types of people as rapeable and have a disciplinary effect on men and women’s social behaviors.
” —Kylie Stephen, Sexualized Bodies
*I would say white heterosexual cis men.
(via wretchedoftheearth)
