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By bookwoman27 • 15 years ago

DADT de-thought out in Kansas City

I read Don’t ask, don’t tell: The way things ‘ought’ to be, or the way they ‘are’? by Grant Martin, an editorial in the local online edition of the Kansas City Star and it blew me away. Mr. Martin tries to deconstruct good reasons for repealing DADT with the statement:

“Unfortunately for sexual minorities, the majority of big, burly humans that perform well in combat are heterosexual males.
Thus, if the ugly reality is that heterosexual males are physiologically predetermined to perform admirably with each other and detrimentally with others (women, homosexuals, bisexuals, transgendereds, etc.), then we may be wasting our time debating what ought to be. Unless, of course, we are willing to accept a decrease in our combat effectiveness in exchange for an increase in the prevailing social morality of the day.”

Seriously? Scare tactics and misinformation abound. Since when did heterosexual males have a lock on the ability to perform well and be part of a team or unit? The argument that if men can’t sit around and talk about women all day they have nothing in common and can’t work together is absurd! There are so many things wrong with this piece I just want to scream. Am I crazy in this? Your thoughts?
By bookwoman27 • 15 years ago

Could not Afford Them if I had them

“[name withheld]can not wait till I have a wife of my own, and kids of my own, but unfortunately I could not afford them if I had them….
This was recently posted by a friend from high school to a message board I belong to and it immediately struck me. The guy posting this is white, christian and just finished college. It wasn’t that the post was unexpected by this friend, what shocked me was how much he believed in it.

“[name withheld]can not wait till I have a wife of my own, and kids of my own, but unfortunately I could not afford them if I had them….
This was recently posted by a friend from high ...
By bookwoman27 • 15 years ago

“Felicity” Fangirl Angst: 10 Years Later

This is a nostalgic and meandering trip I took analyzing the 1998-2002 WB series Felicity, a show I found to be very feminist at turns and rather unfeminist at others. Some of the discussion here is for pure unfeminist fun and obsession, but my thoughts about gender roles, masculinity/femininity, and relationship equality continually creep in.

Crossposted at: Library Cat

(Spoiler warnings)

This summer I marathoned the entire Felicity series with my sister. I was in college during its 1998-2002 run, but she, seven years younger, had never seen the show (and barely heard of it, actually). I hadn’t seen it in years, save for a few re-runs on the WE network, although I had always, without question, reserved for it a special ...

This is a nostalgic and meandering trip I took analyzing the 1998-2002 WB series Felicity, a show I found to be very feminist at turns and rather unfeminist at others. Some of the discussion here is for ...
By bookwoman27 • 16 years ago

Being Erica: A Feminist Review

I have a new TV addiction: Being Erica. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an hour-long drama produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and airing on Canadian television since early January. Here in the States, I’ve been watching it on SoapNet, where it has quickly absorbed the Thursday night anticipation I usually reserve for Grey’s Anatomy (a show that has steadily slipped in my must-see lineup the last couple years). Being Erica airs on SoapNet Thursdays at 10/9 Central.
The premise is this: Erica Strange, a 32-year-old single Jewish woman living in Toronto, periodically goes back in time to address the regrets of her life. In this endeavor she is assisted by her psychiatrist, Dr. Tom, who acts as ...

I have a new TV addiction: Being Erica. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an hour-long drama produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and airing on Canadian television since early January. Here in the States, I’ve ...