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However, it’s important to separate the book as a whole from a short op-ed piece. Lauredhel and I were both interviewed via email for the book by co-author Zora Simic, so it’s not as if we are wholly disinterested in the message of the book, we want to know what others think of it. Here’s where the giveaway comes in: Melbourne University Press kindly sent me a review copy plus two copies to give away to readers here and at Hoyden. I haven’t actually read it yet, because I want to distance myself from the reaction to the op-ed first. But other people should definitely be reading it and making up their own minds.
So, this giveaway is open to any reader who has left at least one comment here before: the book will wing its way to the first reader who provides me with either a limerick or a haiku about the concept of the book – that young women are distancing themselves from the feminist label and that we need to understand why. There is only one condition – to qualify for the giveaway the poem must avoid buying into the fracas over the Dux op-ed. (Yes, I know that this leaves it open for those who don’t want a copy of the book but who do want to make a point – they can submit a more withering disqualifying contribution just because they can – do it if you must, but abide by the comments policy as you do, please.)
Posted in writings Tagged: give-away, Monica Dux, poem, The Great Deminist Denial, Zora Simic
This is my MA thesis abstract. If you have nothing to do and want to spend a long night under a blanket, let me know and I will send you a copy of the whole thesis.
The present research examines themes of women’s sexuality, silence, power and negotiation of spaces in Homer’s The Odyssey and Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. The study employs an open reading of the texts alongside feminist perspectives to offer new, alternative meanings that are hidden within the folds of the dominant, patriarchal discourse. As meaning depends mainly on the lens through which a text is read, the strategies utilized in this research enable fluid shifts in meaning because they open up the texts to alternative possible interpretations. Maneuvering within the dominant discourse and reading between the lines uncovers a space within which women have to struggle in order to find their own private spheres and modes of being. No research—to my knowledge—has engaged in a comparative study of the two literary works under consideration, despite a number of common elements. The thread connecting these works, and on which the arguments in this study are built, is the image of stone that is prominent in both works. In The Odyssey, Penelope is presented pausing near a pillar of stone a number of times, whereas in The Winter’s Tale, the queen Hermione is turned into a statue of stone at the end of the play. These two images are closely analyzed in relation to these women’s silence and marginalization, and they constitute a central point of reference in exploring the other themes. A unique element of the present research is that it combines two contrasting approaches often utilized by feminist literary research. The first seeks to uncover the oppressive patriarchal mechanisms which act to marginalize and constrain women, while the second searches for openings in the text which enable an alternative, celebratory reading. In my research, I harness both of these strategies to offer broader possibilities of reading The Odyssey and The Winter’s Tale, paying attention to the possible ways in which these two varying readings can interact to offer broader and richer understandings of the themes dealt with.
Planned Parenthood has sent out an email specifically outlining why Sarah Palin is NOT the choice for women. Here is the text:
Dear Sarah Palin,
You are not our candidate.
You are not our candidate because you required women in Wasilla to pay for their own medical examinations after being raped.
You are not our candidate because you do not support a woman's right to choose, even in the case of rape or incest.
You are not our candidate because you've cut funding for teen moms and comprehensive sex education, while promoting failed abstinence-only programs.
You are not our candidate because, as vice president — a heartbeat away from the presidency — you would jeopardize health care for women everywhere.
We are teachers, doctors, athletes, programmers, artists, lawyers, secretaries, CEOs, students, designers, nurses, factory workers, mothers, and fathers. We are conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, country and city people. We are women and men. We are voters. We are the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
We believe in a woman's right to choose and the right of every person to have access to complete reproductive health care. We are hundreds of thousands strong, and we are doing everything we can to make sure you are not elected.
Early on in the Democratic primary, one of the factors that swayed me toward Obama and away from Hillary Clinton was Obama's prescient decision to vote against invading Iraq. I viewed Obama as the more "feminist" candidate because he favors diplomacy over war.
Last night's debate troubled me for a lot of reasons but mostly because neither candidate really spoke about how to bring about a more peaceful global society. Rather they disagreed about which country should have been invaded and which should be invaded next. I still think Obama favors diplomacy over war, but it seems that the media's calls for him to "toughen up" might be pushing him to talk tough in order to prove that he can "keep America safe." But I worry, like I worried about Hillary, if proving himself tough (read masculine) will mean that Obama will have to appear pro-war. Even though McCain finds Obama's desire to meet with all world leaders without precondition a signal of the younger candidate's naivety, it's that kind of diplomatic thinking that drew me toward Obama. Refusing to talk with other leaders, even if you disagree with them, is childish and hubristic.
Most of the world's citizens do not want to be at war. Isn't it time we elect leaders who value our lives? Or is the desire for peace also naive?
Daphne Valerius' The Souls of Black Girls, the culmination of her Master's thesis project, opened the 11th Annual Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series. Featuring interviews with journalist Michaela Angela Davis, actors Jada Pinkett-Smith and Regina King, news moderator Gwen Ifill, rapper Chuck D, among others, Valerius' film addresses the lingering question of beauty, how the media shapes these standards, and the impact those media standards have on real black girls. The film also alluded to the desire black girls and women have to be loved and valued by their black male counterparts, a running undercurrent of the film that was left unexamined and uncritiqued(and needless to say the heteronormativity was not probed).
In other words, teaching black girls to love themselves for themselves -- not to meet male approval, black or otherwise -- could have been emphasized more. To be sure, some black women feel unloved and abandoned by black men, including their fathers, as Pinkett mentions in the film. The broken ties between black fathers and daughters is not given nearly enough attention by today's critics who continue to study the "negro problem."
Valerius' film is sure to spark some much needed conversations, especially in this climate where suddenly the U.S. public is "paying attention" to gender. Most importantly, young girls will benefit from seeing Valerius' film and talking about it with their peers and supportive older women (mothers, sisters, mentors ...).
I know, I know, she is no Rachel Maddow (the one with the sultry voice and totally sapphic resume), and most certainly couldn't measure up to my official platonic boo, Donna Brazzille. But Lady Almighty, Campbell Brown (btw, a totally "top" name for a girl if you ask me) totally knows how to make a feminist squeal with delight.
I call upon the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower who will wilt at any moment.
This woman is from Alaska for crying out loud. She is strong, she is tough, she is confident. And you claim she is ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff.
Over the weekend, I met up with (NY) Women for Obama for a press conference at city hall. Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Councilwoman Leticia James, and actress Kathleen Turner were among those who spoke at the gathering.
I learned about the rally through my Brooklyn for Obama/Women for Obama networks. Other groups representing included South Asians, Latinas, and Jews for Obama as well as Grandmothers against the war--quite a feisty fired-up group of women.
Apparently, sometimes readers see ads on this blog, and I never knew. According to the encyclopaedic Lorelle on WordPress, wordpress.com have been inserting ads onto their free blogs for a while now, but those who are logged into wordpress.com don’t see them i.e. the actual bloggers whose blogs are being used to display these ads don’t see them but their readers (those who are not also logged into wordpress.com) do see them. Has anyone noticed any ads appearing here?
The ads module is apparently in the experimental stages, so the ads have been intermittent, but soon they will be a more constant feature. As they work using keywords, you can see why this is a potential problem for a feminist blog that discusses controversial issues – I don’t particularly want my readers to be bombarded with ads touting inappropriate goods and services.
One can opt out of having the ads module display on one’s blog, but it costs US$30 a year. I appreciate the free service provided by wordpress.com, and 0.08c a day isn’t very much, but I’ll have to think about this. It’s yet another example of the WP team implementing new features which many bloggers will hate without any announcement. I hate that.
Posted in FF101-admin Tagged: ads, controversial, experimental, keywords, opt-out
OK, if you aren't watching TRUE BLOOD on HBO.... well, you should be.
It's entirely possible that they could fuck it all up, but as of right now, this is the best vampire anything, ever, and believe me, I know my vampires.
Columbia University is hosting a two-day local and global feminism conference. I attended yesterday's session and it was quite a treat to listen to feminist scholars from different parts of the world and various disciplines talk about the state of feminism. I would have liked to have seen feminists from my generation represented though. There seems to be a huge gap between "70s-era" feminists and those of us born in the 70s who have chosen to continue working for justice.
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I can’t deny, the timing on this has been a little awkward. Hoyden About Town (my primary blog) had a monster thread nearly two weeks ago about an op-ed written by one of the co-authors of this book, Monica Dux, where the general sense was aggrieved at some phrasing she used on the way to making a broad argument.
