For some reason, despite the fact that "don't hit a woman" is quite a popular mantra in our culture, most people seem to not give two shits that Chris Brown once bludgeoned and threatened to kill his then-girlfriend, Rihanna.

It was clear from that incident that Chris Brown is a very disturbed man who has serious issues and represents something that we should NOT glorify, especially as a role model for young men and boys. His career should have been over following the many, many horrifying details and photos that were released demonstrating the seriousness of that situation, but it seems that now the dust has settled and Chris Brown has emerged virtually unscathed.

He should be insanely grateful that his worst problem that emerged from this scandal is an angry Twitter remark here and there from his seemingly few haters, but no. The latest person to criticize him via Twitter, Jenny Johnson, sparked Brown's obviously rampant bad temper, causing him to verbally attack her, calling her a "bitch" and a "hoe" and other things I can't bring myself to repeat.

The whole exchange was a CLEAR AS FUCKING DAY sign that Chris Brown learned absolutely nothing about how to treat women. And his fans learned absolutely nothing about not worshiping a terrible human being. But alas, in their eyes Brown can do no wrong, hence the thousands of death threats they tweeted towards Johnson for daring to speak harsh words towards their beloved woman-beater.

Chris Brown is publicly treating women like dogs and getting away with it.

Here is the latest example: this past Tuesday, during an interview with Howard Stern, the Game, who refers to Chris Brown as "like a little brother to me," said this when asked about Brown's violence towards Rihanna:

"I feel like he made it back OK, and they're back together. What I thought of it, I just figured they were young and that was just, you know, one of those Hollywood mishaps. I don't think it'll happen again."

Oh, you know, yeah he punched a woman repeatedly and threatened to kill her, but it's totally just one of those funny Hollywood hijinx. We can all laugh about it now!

You really have got to be kidding me.

And what is that bullshit about "it won't happen again"?! Um, does he not remember Chris Brown verbally attacking a woman on Twitter last month and threatening to shit in her eye?

Yeah, he really "made it back OK."

Howard Stern was smart enough to ask the Game if he would be as forgiving towards Chris Brown if he had beaten up Game's own daughter. He didn't have an answer, which means, "Hell fucking no, he would be dead to me."

The point is that not only is violence again women alive and well (and rampant) but so are the people who are perpetuating it. And I don't just mean those who physically raise a hand to a woman, but the people who fail to hold abusers accountable for their actions. Chris Brown got away with it all because we let him. We are still glorifying and honoring him, despite the fact that he did something seemingly unforgivable. His fans threatened to murder the person who most recently dared to remind the world what he has done.

This whole ordeal has been a good indicator of how much of a problem violence against women really is... because we're not just up against the abusers, we're also up against every single person who's ready to stand by the abuser's side and defend his actions.

What's missing from nearly every commercial for Sandals, Jamaica? Oh right, anyone who isn't white, heterosexual, coupled, or thin.

Don't have too much time to blog, but I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a
For those of you who don't know, August 26th was picked by U.S. Congress as Women's Equality Day because it was the day the 19th amendment was passed, giving women (though women of color were widely left out) the right to vote. Today marks 90 years.

If you're a reader of this blog, most likely you know the seemingly endless list of reasons as to why feminism is still necessary... the simple reason being, "WE STILL AIN'T EQUAL!" And let me try to make up for a fraction of the exclusion faced by most women by the mainstream feminist movement of the first and second "waves" by saying that equality is not fully achieved until it is achieved for ALL women: women of color, women with disabilities, immigrant women (including undocumented), LBTQ women, etc etc etc.

I realize many modern feminists have issues with the suffrage movement because women of color were largely left out, but instead of dismissing this day altogether, let's shape and reclaim Women's Equality Day to be a day of positivity in which we honor the sacrifices our foremothers* made, while looking ahead to the future and thinking about what we can improve.

What's everyone doing to celebrate Equality Day? I'll be here.

*My computer is telling me this word is misspelled, but "forefathers" is correct. Nice.

Found many-a interesting things while perusing the web on my Sunday afternoon, so here's a nice little round-up for y'all.

• If you need your daily dose of disgust, you can read about the opposition to building mosques near Ground Zero.


• For those of you who haven't heard, an appeal has already been filed against the Prop 8 ruling. No one's particularly surprised.


• From The New Gay: Queers You Should Know: Fred Karger, Our First Gay President?


• In honor of World Breastfeeding Week (which ended yesterday), Kimberly Seals Allers wrote a piece for Women's eNews about the low breastfeeding rates amongst black mothers.


• I found this absolutely horrific but thought it served as a good reminder of the lengths people will go to in order to protect their precious gender roles. A man allegedly beat his girlfriend's 17-month-old son to death because he wasn't acting "manly" enough.


• From AlterNet: In States Where "Gun Ed" Is Prevalent, Comprehensive Sex Ed Is Nowhere to Be Found.


• Another one from AlterNet: The GOP Fights to Make African-Americans Sicker and Poorer.


• Scenes from an anti-choice abortion-kills-black-babies protest.


• Ironically, Lucky magazine airbrushed Jessica Simpson to make her look thinner in her photo for an article about how much she loves her body.


• Jane Lynch. Hosting SNL in October. 'Nuff said.


• Thank goodness for Rachel Maddow and her ability to take on offensive media powerhouses, e.g. Bill O'Reilly.

Wow, just when I thought Mel Gibson's existence couldn't get anymore appalling, the internet gets ahold of his latest disgustingly misogynist and racist rant. It was recorded by his girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva. "Horrific," "offensive," and "repulsive" are all understatements.

Here's a part of it, from AlterNet, where Gibson yells at Grigorieva for looking like a "Vegas whore." SERIOUS TRIGGER WARNING.

You go out in public and it's a fucking embarrassment to me. You look like a fucking bitch in heat. And if you get raped by a pack of niggers it will be your fault. Alright? Because you provoked it. You are provocatively dressed all the time with your fake boobs that you feel you have to show off. I don't like it. I don't want that woman. I don't want you. I don't trust you. I don't love you.

Even though this is absolutely detestable language, I'm posting this here because this is an unfortunately common sentiment today: dress like a "whore," and you're asking for it. Not too long ago, I was out at a bar with some friends, dressed in my usual jeans, boots, and a tank top with a cardigan over it. Some charming gentleman tried to hit on me, I took him I was married to get him off my back, to which he responded, "If you were my wife and you went out looking like that, I would smack you around." Nice.

The Sexist actually recently posted a really nice PSA from Scotland that dealt with this issue.



Seriously, this shouldn't be such a hard concept to grasp. Women NEVER "ask for it," and even if a woman does go out in public wearing a short dress or whatever and ends up getting raped, the fault ultimately lies with the rapist. To say otherwise is preposterous.

My Fellow Americans,

I'm always torn on the Fourth of July, between feeling grateful that I live where I live, and not in a country where FGM and stoning and acid attacks are the norm, and feeling utterly ashamed by the horrific past the good ol' U.S.A. has of exploiting, slaughtering, an enslaving its people.

I suppose it's OK to feel both ways on this day. It is also OK to eat 5 burgers and wash them down with a beer each, which I plan to do.

But amidst the brouhaha of fireworks and BBQ, I encourage everyone to do a little internet exploration and learn something new about our past. No doubt it will be a depressing delve into history, but it's important to know about the injustices the U.S. has inflicted upon its citizens... because unfortunately those injustices are being repeated today. A good place to start is with Frederick Douglass' "Fourth of July" speech, delivered in 1852 to a crowd of white men, including the president. In his speech, Douglass asked why he was invited to speak, when clearly the country they were celebrating still saw him as less than human.

Fellow citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!” To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world. My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is AMERICAN SLAVERY. I shall see, this day, and its popular characteristics, from the slave's point of view. Standing, there, identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July!

Sums up my sentiments quite well. Other things to do today: read the "Declaration of Sentiments," put together in 1848 at the herstoric Seneca Falls Convention. Also learn about the women that played key roles in the American Revolution, conveniently left out of history textbooks.

Also, take a look at some reflective pieces written by contemplative Americans who are using today to ask some important questions. "Has the American Dream Become Our Nightmare?" on AlterNet is a good place to start.

But let's not get too down today. After all the depressing stuff, find a reason to smile, whether it's what I said earlier about being grateful that we live here considering some of the alternatives, knowing that amidst all the injustices in this country, we can truly make a difference, or this Michael Ian Black/Michael Showalter 4th of July video:



Enjoy today, and eat many hot dogs (or soy dogs).

The ever-amazing Sociological Images posted recently about the undeniable fact that in the fashion world, "nude," "skin," and "natural" equals Caucasian, and I went hunting for some examples. I found three of them in all of five minutes.







Lesson learned: white people are the default, and people of color are the other.

When will the fashion industry learn that there is no one color that can be associated with "skin"?

Today is Blog for Fair Pay Day.

The fact that over 45 years have passed since the Equal Pay Act was signed and women still face unfair pay shows that discrimination is alive and well. A wage gap still exists in every state, women are poorer than men in all racial and ethnic groups, and black women have a median net worth of $5.

We have a long way to go.

That's why calling awareness to unfair pay is so important. The ability to be economically stable and independent is crucial for women, and we cannot settle for anything less than 100% of what men make.

Take action today. And as usual, make some noise! Talk it, blog it, post it, tweet it.

WE WANT FAIR PAY, ALREADY!

...Robert F. McDonnell, governor of Virginia!

This prestigious award is given to Bob because of his push to create CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH in Virginia to honor a rich history of oppression, slavery, and proclaiming that "the negro is not equal to the white man."

Keep up the good work, Bob.

Saw this on Women's eNews, and wow!

By: Bre - from the series of guest posts written by Dr. Baldwin's students at Michigan State University.

So with February being Black History Month I decided to actually do what they wanted us in elementary school to do. I started to research and read about different women’s lives and their achievements towards equality. I read quite a few and was quite amazed at the difficulties that these women had to overcome for our modern world to be become more equal. For example, Daisy Bates guided and advised the Little Rock Nine. The nine children that voluntarily forced a white school to integrate and allow black children in. During this time she was arrested and voluntarily went to jail for a violation of a city ordinance just for helping and protecting the children. Also she and her husband started and wrote a newspaper that voiced civil rights, before the Civil Rights Movement was even a movement. She later went on to improve the life of her community until she died in 1999. But what makes her truly stand alone is that she was the only female civil rights leader to speak at the March on Washington in 1963.

Mary McLeod Bethune also lived to improve her community. She founded a school for African American children, now known as the Bethune-Cookman College, in 1904. At the time she was only one of a few women who were the president of a college. The school she founded surpassed the standards of traditional black schools and rivaled those of white schools. She was also president of the National Association of Colored Women. And among her list of credentials she was also a member of Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet” whose purpose was to raise concerns about the black community.

One more woman I want to mention, that I believe should be a role model to everyone is Dr. Maya Angelou. She experienced many hardships growing up as many people of her race and of her gender also did. She spoke about many of these in her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” which memoirs her childhood. She worked closely on the civil rights campaigns of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. And was even a world wide activist with her early career in West Africa. Dr. Maya Angelou was even appointed to many capacities by many presidents and read an original poem at President Clinton’s inauguration in 1993.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I've compiled a list of my favorite quotes said by Dr. King. Enjoy, and take today to remind yourself of the messages Dr. King's words sent, and also to think about what you can do to continue his work.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
-Strength To Love, 1963.

Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten....America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness--justice.
-Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
-Nobel Prize acceptance speech, 1964.

A good many observers have remarked that if equality could come at once the Negro would not be ready for it. I submit that the white American is even more unprepared.
-Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
-Strength To Love, 1963.

Tweet/post your favorite MLK quotes.

What are everyone's thoughts on this Harry Reid controversy? For those of you who don't know, a new book revealed that Reid, leader of the Senate Democrats, made "racist" comments towards Barack Obama, calling him a "light-skinned" African-American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

Reid issued an apology, and President Obama has accepted it. Prominent Democrats, as well as the nation's first black attorney, have defended Reid. Republicans are calling Democrats hypocrites, accusing them of applying a double-standard by calling out others on racism, but not their own. They are also calling for Reid's resignation. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement that Reid should step down, calling his comments "embarrassing and racially insensitive."

Except, um, remember when the GOP and conservative activists were constantly guilty of distributing horrific materials attacking Obama for his race?

Methinks the Republicans aren't criticizing Democrats because they are genuinely offended by Reid's racist comments and by racism in general, but because they are using this as an opportunity to call us hypocrites.

Also, blogger Brian Montopoli of CBSNews.com made a good point. Look carefully at what Reid said. Reid didn't seem to be criticizing Obama, but instead describing how certain aspects of himself will work in his favor for election. Montopoli wrote:

On NBC's "Today" show Monday, Matt Lauer asked PBS' Gwen Ifill this question: "Isn't Harry Reid implying that a dark-skinned African American who speaks in a way that some would consider more stereotypical would not be electable?"

Ifill's response? Well, yes. Because it's true.

While Reid could have done a much better job structuring his comments, I don't find what he said racist. I find it true. The fact that Obama isn't very dark-skinned and speaks in a manner that Americans don't associate with the stereotypical person of color helped him win. We have said it time and time again: Obama's victory was a step in the right direction, but racism continues to plague America. Obama was an "acceptable" African-American, just like there are "acceptable" queer figures and "acceptable" feminists (see: Sarah Palin).

It is immoral to condone offensive remarks simply because they were made by an ally instead of an enemy, and I do think we should urge Reid to better exercise sensitivity and morality in the future, but asking him to step down as Majority leader? That is far too extreme.

I hope everyone had/is having a fabulous holiday! I haven't been able to write a post in a few days because of the festivities, but here's what's been going on:

• With more and more people becoming aware of the fact that abstinence-only programs do not work, supporters of the no-sex-until-marriage curriculum in schools are looking for its revival in the health care bill.


• Both pro-choice and anti-choice activists are displeased with the final Senate version of the health care bill.


• Sarah Thomas has become the first woman ever to referee a college football bowl game.


• Mexico City has legalized adoption and marriage rights for same-sex couples.


• Jill of I Blame the Patriarchy wrote a post yesterday about an anti-feminist blog run by a husband and wife team, called The Art of Manliness. Eesh.


• Cara of Feministe sheds light on the sexual trafficking of Native American women.


• Check out Racialicious for commentary on the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog.


• It isn't just the painful phrase "no homo!" that is becoming prominent in pop culture, but its counterpart "no lesbo!" as well. Commence banging head against wall.

I saw this on Huffington Post, and it made me think. It's a parody video that basically shows Disney filmmakers constructing a movie about the first "Jewish American Princess," entitled Rachel and the Dragon.



I'll admit: this made me laugh a bit. But I was upset and offended more than I was amused. In my first Women's Studies class ever, we discussed the "JAP" stereotype and how harmful it is, and it was the first time I had looked at Jew jokes as anything other than innocent fun. As a Jewish woman, you would think I would have realized that earlier, but I was a naive teenager at the time. Jews are an oppressed people, and no matter how much time passes and how much things improve for Jewish people around the world, we will always have that history of being oppressed, harassed, and stereotyped. Because of that, you don't make jokes like this. You just don't.

My roommate also pointed out that if this same video had been made based on stereotypes surrounding people of color, it would never be posted by Huffington and tweeted and retweeted by people who find it hilarious. Why is this?

But most of all, what disturbed me was the fake movie poster they made for Rachel and the Dragon. The "JAP" portrayed on the poster is extremely stereotypical: wild brown hair, too much makeup, large nose, cell phone, irritated expression. And what this portrayal instantly reminded me of was the anti-semitic posters the Nazis once distributed as propaganda:


I realize that the whole Rachel and the Dragon parody isn't anywhere near the hatred popularized during the Holocaust, but stereotypes and seemingly "harmless" jokes are what fuel that hatred. You cannot tell me that Bill O'Reilly calling Dr. George Tiller (may he rest in peace) "Tiller the Baby Killer" didn't have some effect on his eventual death.

I just ask that people think before they make these jokes or laugh at them. They are more harmful than we think.

This is a trailer for a new movie coming out, called "The Blind Side."



This is a concept that has been covered by quite a few films: the privileged white person coming in and fixing the lives of Black and Hispanic kids. It's been seen in both "Dangerous Minds" and "Freedom Writers" and has been parodied in "High School High" (whether it was parodied tastefully or not is another story).

What does everyone think of Hollywood's obsession with these types of movies? Are they positive and inspirational, or stereotypical and offensive? I think it's an interesting and important debate to have, especially since it seems like these kinds of films aren't dying out anytime soon. Gimme your two cents.

I just have a question: WHAT YEAR IS THIS?

Because clearly it must be 1960. Surely it isn't 2009 because I thought we left this bullshit in the past.

The racist judge, Keith Bardwell, said he denied the interracial couple a marriage license out of concern for the children:

There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it.

And of course, like many prejudiced bigoted jerks who know they're about to be crucified by the public for their hateful views, Bardwell tried to pull the old "I'm not racist, I totes have black friends!" card.

I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.

Omigosh... you let black people use your bathroom?! How kind! What a saint you are, Judge Bardwell! And look at you, refusing marriage licenses to protect children. How noble. Nevermind that you're making assumptions based on outdated views and treating interracial couples like they're sub-human.

Un-fucking-acceptable.

This video seems to be making its rounds in the blogosphere on what has been deemed as "Columbus Day," a day to honor a man who deserves no honoring.



It is time to reconsider Columbus Day.

Teachers who are struggling with how to address Columbus Day in the classroom can order a guide from RethinkingSchools.com. Or, if you're simply a concerned citizen who is sick of being forced to celebrate a man who committed heinous crimes, you can sign this online petition calling for a holiday to honor Native Americans instead of Columbus. You can also sign the petition calling for the abandonment of plans to build a Columbus monument in Puerto Rico.

Following an incident that received news coverage in which a white student was beaten up on a school bus by black students, Rush Limbaugh had a thing or two to say:

You put your kids on a school bus you expect safety but in Obama's America the white kids now get beat up with the black kids cheering 'yeah, right on, right on, right on.' Of course everybody said the white kid deserved it he was born a racist, he's white.

Wait... who said the kid deserved it? Oh right, no one.

While the video of that student being brutally beaten was undoubtedly horrifying, you have GOT to be kidding me when you blame it on Obama. Rush, do you honestly think that Obama would applaud ANY child being beaten up, regardless of race? You need to have your head examined.

Rush Limbaugh and his lackies need to stop trying to play the victim. People of color are slowly climbing up to the white man's level, racism is (hopefully) disappearing as time goes on, and equality now doesn't seem like a myth... and Rush is going to stand there and claim that his poor white man status is in jeopardy? BOO FUCKING HOO.

Build a bridge, and get your racist ass over it.

Funny sidenote: police reported that the crime was probably not racially motivated. So shut it, Rush.

There's an interesting article in Newsweek, entitled "See Baby Discriminate." It explores how and why babies and toddlers see differences between white people and people of color. The article cites several different studies that tested how children see race, similar to the infamous black doll vs. white doll study:



Most studies seem to go somewhat like this:

Vittrup's first test of the kids revealed they weren't colorblind at all. Asked how many white people are mean, these children commonly answered, "Almost none." Asked how many blacks are mean, many answered, "Some," or "A lot." Even kids who attended diverse schools answered the questions this way.

Not surprising. Racism is a cycle, perpetuated by parents passing on either their racist views or their let's-never-talk-about-race philosophy:

Combing through the parents' study diaries, Vittrup realized why. Diary after diary revealed that the parents barely mentioned the checklist items. Many just couldn't talk about race, and they quickly reverted to the vague "Everybody's equal" phrasing.

Of all those Vittrup told to talk openly about interracial friendship, only six families managed to actually do so. And, for all six, their children dramatically improved their racial attitudes in a single week. Talking about race was clearly key.

But...

Others think it's better to say nothing at all about the president's race or ethnicity—because saying something about it unavoidably teaches a child a racial construct. They worry that even a positive statement ("It's wonderful that a black person can be president") still encourages a child to see divisions within society.

The fact of the matter is... there are divisions within society. I think more than anything it's important to educate our children about prejudice and stereotypes and injustice so they can understand what they will encounter out in the world.

If I ever have a daughter, I plan to sit her down and explain, "Some people might try to make you feel like you can't do certain things because you're a girl, but know that you can do anything you put your mind to. Don't let them get you down." To me, ignoring the state of our society is a surefire way to end up with confused children who think "black people are mean." Talking is key.