Tag Archive for "Deep Thoughts"

Posts Tagged Deep Thoughts

Pro-choice orgs won’t get rewarded for rolling over

In a piece at The Nation called “Payback for Prochoicers,” Katha Pollitt argues that health reform passed because the pro-choice community allowed it to move forward even with abortion restrictions included, despite previous statements to the contrary. Therefore, we deserve political payback from President Obama and the Democratic Party. Pollitt outlines a list of suggested issues politicians can take action on.

It is true that pro-choice politicians and the major reproductive rights organizations chose not to try to kill the bill, even with the unconscionable Nelson “compromise” included. The options were to support or not oppose the bill or to fight for the defeat of the bill unless restrictions on abortion access were removed. The stated goal going ...

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

Issues are more important than elections

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way we do politics in this country. Not just the approach of politicians, but how politically engaged people who care about social justice issues direct our time, energy, and funds. I’ve watched us go from talk of universal health care to a bill that might very well die, or might empower the insurance companies by forcing everyone to buy from them, create a working class tax increase to pay for expanded access, further restrict access to abortion… It seems we have to admit the opponents of health care reform are doing something right and we’re doing something wrong. OK, probably a lot of somethings plus events that cannot be controlled (the loss ...

By Miriam • 14 years ago

The “myth of independence”

Mia Mingus, a friend and well-respected activist in a number of movements (including reproductive justice and disability justice, among others) recently posted some excerpts from talks she has given around the country.
I’ve heard her talk about this concept of interdependence and it has always struck a chord with me. While I am not disabled, and therefore have a very different relationship to these concepts of dependence and interdependence, I do know that as a feminist and a young person I struggle with these ideas as well. Independence is very much a force-fed American value, one that I find myself questioning all the time. I am appreciative of new ways of thinking and rethinking these concepts and how we ...

By Lori Adelman • 14 years ago

The Sanctity of Marriage?!

As Courtney mentioned yesterday, the NJ State Senate said no to same sex marriage in a disappointing 20-14 vote. You can view individual voting records, as well as a play-by-the-play of the debate that went down in the State Senate here.
In light of this monumentally disappointing– if not entirely surprising– setback, I offer as very small comfort the following comment on the sanctity of marriage:

pic via. h/t to Kelly.
Update: Some commenters have pointed out there are a couple of inaccuracies in this map. The point of this post was to reinforce the hypocrisy of “sanctity of marriage” arguments against gay marriage. For a more detailed and up to date map of same ...

By Lori Adelman • 14 years ago

New Year’s Feminist Blogging Resolutions

It’s the end of December, and I’m still nibbling holiday meal leftovers even though I’ve forgotten what hunger feels like. So I think it’s about that time….time for some end-of-the-year reflection Last week, I posted the top ten international wins for women in 2009 (and resisted the urge to name the post “FTW”). This week, I’d like to offer a more personal take on the end of the year, and share my blogging resolutions with you, in the spirit of continued feminist[ing] progress and community-building.

It’s been an eventful and wonderful year. Being able to interact with you all, a fantastic community of people who just plain get it, has strengthened and invigorated my feminism in ways ...

By Courtney • 14 years ago

The Courage to be Cliche

File this under musings on radical love.
I’ve been thinking a lot about love and courage lately and something has struck me: sometimes I feel like my friends and I, and my generation of thoughtful feminist types more broadly, seem to conflate radical with original in a lazy, uninteresting way.
We don’t want to read the latest bestseller, listen to the latest hits, or participate in time-honored traditions for fear that it will make us seem like sheep. But in fact, this becomes it’s own form of unconscious conformity. In fact, it is sometimes radical to participate in traditions rooted in long histories, to like music that is popular and fun, to be inspired by ideas that have been inspiring ...

By Rose • 14 years ago

In the Name of Security Risks

Lil’ Wayne recently pleaded guilty to gun possession and next year he will likely join the cadre of rappers that have gone to jail post-fame and post-economic security. He will lose many rights as a prisoner in New York. However, it is likely that he will also lose the right to wear his hair in the natural style of locs:

“Male prisoners are only allowed to wear their hair in cornrows, going straight back. And they can’t exceed the ‘natural hairline’ in length.” Now of course our question is: what does ‘natural hairline’ mean?
“It means it can’t extend the neck.” But there is one loop-hole in the issue – though I’m not sure it’s going to help Wayne. ...

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

There are no safe spaces

Since I started writing in the Feministing Community I have seen the idea of a safe space come up when comment threads take offensive turns. I find the notion of creating a safe space on a highly trafficked website dubious. Hate speech should never be tolerated but, though we can edit comments and ban users, it cannot be completely prevented.
I think there is a bigger problem with the idea of safe spaces that goes beyond the internet, though. I have come to believe that creating safe spaces is an unrealistic goal and that labeling a space as safe is highly problematic.
The goal of creating a space free of violence, including verbal violence, is a lofty one. But we ...