Thursday, October 13, 2011

"Tact"



Ever since I was a child, I've been a very polite person. As an adolescent I was also very shy and had a hard time making friends. Then, when I was in grade nine I read How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. "Smile," the book told me. "Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves," "Talk in terms of the other person's interests," were among the many useful tips within. 

I took the book to heart. And it worked. Getting people to talk about themselves made conversation a lot easier and less awkward. And because I really listened, people liked talking to me. That book became my bible. I took it so seriously that about a year and a half after befriending one of my now best friends, she said, "I hardly know anything about you. You never talk about yourself. Why don't you talk about yourself more?" Why? Because I followed HTWFAIP's instructions assiduously, and focused on encouraging others to talk about themselves. 

The major lesson I took away from the book was to always put my feelings aside, and put the other person's feelings, ego and interests first. To go out of my way to make the other person feel comfortable and respected. The number one rule for dealing with others was, "Never criticize, condemn or complain." And this is all well and good in many situations. But as a model for daily living I found it saps one of one's sense of agency, of power. Interestingly, a lot of Carnegie's advice goes along well with the ideals that women in our society are supposed to live up to - always smiling, always supportive, ever a self-sacrificing wife and mother. 

Friday, September 9, 2011

Tumblr Round-Up: Sept 1 - 9

via




Stuff I wrote/commented on



Reblogged

Friday, September 2, 2011

Stupid Products That Endorse Sexism

Get ready for me complaining about "trivial" stuff. 


Okay, so this is an in-store ad, not a product. It's back-to-school time, so Loblaws is providing easy lunch box fixes, "with busy mom in mind". Because care-work is for moms only. And of course she's busy because she's the "super-mom"; the woman who can do it all, who has a job, but still does most of the child care and housekeeping herself because that's women's work. And of course, all kids have moms, none of them are raised by single dads, or other relatives, or have two dads. Nope. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Tumbler Roundup: Aug 24- 31, 2011

My Posts



Reblogged




Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Loss Of A Leader




During the last election, I officially became a member of the NDP, but I've identified with the NDP since highschool. I had been impressed with Jack Layton as a politician ever since he became leader of the NDP and started to improve the fortunes of the party. And after he gave a talk at my law school a couple of years ago, where he went overtime answering detailed questions about policy, I have never trusted, never had as much faith in, as much hope for, a political figure as much as Mr. Layton.

He reasoned the same way I do. He thought about the impact of policies on marginalized people. He prioritized the interests of low-income families. I wanted him to be our next Prime Minister so badly, and after this last election, it seemed like that goal was within reach.

I'm afraid of what will happen in Canadian politics without Layton's galvanizing presence on the left, without his energy. I'm afraid that the Liberals and NDP will flounder as the Conservatives become the new "governing party".

But as Jack wrote in his last letter to Canadians, "Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair."

Despite the almost overwhelming sense of unfairness that he died before he could fully realize his potential and ambition, I have to acknowledge that what Jack Layton did accomplish was pretty awesome. And it's up to those of us who share his ambitions to take his accomplishments and run with them. So many are cynical about politics, but through political involvement we can build a better society and a better country. Jack almost got us there, we just have to go the rest of the way.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

What Ever Happened To...?

Hello there!

Basically, I have been going through some relationship turmoil, my sister is getting married, I'm going out of the country on vacation for the first time in years, and when I get back I'm moving.

Which is all to say that I've been too preoccupied to even think about writing. But! I am not going to let this blog fade away into oblivion. I have a lot to say, and this is where I plan to say it. So stay tuned! Regular posting will resume in about a month or so.

In the meantime, here in Hamilton Wesley Wigglebottom:

1306724682578 Whatever happens, dont say Awwww (14 GIFS)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Fucking Fuck Fuck Fuck

First Toronto, now Canada.

Ontario, I fucking hate you. What the hell.

It looks like I'm going to have a Conservative MP. I didn't think it would happen.

I guess it's time to get activist. 

Weekly Joy


A great send-up of ads whose main product is a certain standard of masculinity. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

This Election is Important

I am freaking out over the possibility that Harper might win a majority. Because he is doing well in Ontario. ONTARIO WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.

Please, please, everyone do what you can to prevent a Harper majority from happening. Talk to people about why it's important to vote and why it's important to not vote Conservative. The Conservatives are garbage on just about every issue you can think of. There are resources and information about why Harper is bad for Canada, here, here, here, here, and here. Use social media, make reasons for not voting Conservative your facebook status, tweet about is, write to newspapers, call radio stations, talk to your relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbours. If you can convince one person to vote who otherwise might not have, or if you can convince one person to not vote Conservative, that is an accomplishment.

This is going to be a very tense week. I probably won't post much until after May 2. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

An Anti-Choice Fantasy

Remember those greeting cards for expectant mothers that were ostensibly from her fetus?

Ie. these things.

Someone took this idea a step further, and wrote a series of letters to a woman from her fetus. Her aborted fetus.

I'm not exactly sure where it came from, or who wrote it. You can see it on Facebook here. I found it on Tumblr, but the original post, and many of the reblogged posts, have since been deleted (in some cases, the entire Tumblr account was deleted). Probably because the post was accompanied by an image of a bloody fetus. (Which I did not reproduce here, for obvious reasons.)

Anyhoo, the whole thing is, in various measures, bizarre, creepy, patronizing, ignorant, insulting, and ridiculous. It's horrific. But in a manner that makes it hard to look away. So instead, I dissect it. As one might dissect a fetal pig.

The following includes an account of domestic violence. Just so you know. 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Look South To See Harper's Vision For Canada



I would like all Canadians to take a look at what's going on south of the border right now. The war on women's reproductive rights. The war on unions. The anti-environmentalism. The anti-intellectualism. The outright class warfare. Look at what Republicans are making of our neighbour.

And remember: These are the people that Harper takes his cues from. When the USA went into Iraq, Harper wanted to go in with them. When it looked like a Democrat was going to win the presidential election, the PMO tried to discredit him. When US politicians started using "socialism" as a dirty word, Harper tried to use it the same way, to make the NDP look scary. When right-wing USians got huffy about their census, he started a census controversy here. His environmental policy is explicitly "We'll do whatever the US does". He even jacks Republican campaign ads.

The Republicans that are bent on making life a soulless grind for all but the richest USians are the people that Harper admires. Like he admires George W. Bush. (And seriously, how many people still admire Bush?).

Harper wants Canada to be like the USA. So look hard at the US. Do you want that? 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Canadians Against Harper

Find more posters here


Canadians!

Are you concerned about the outcome of the upcoming election? Are you interested in something simple you can do to help prevent another Harper government?

Then head to AnyoneButHarper - a site where you can download printable posters, each displaying a simple fact or two illustrating why the Conservatives are bad for Canada on any given issue. Are people in your area concerned mostly with the economy? There's a poster for that. With farming? There's a poster for that. With immigration? There's a poster for that too. Find the issue you think is most relevant to your neighbourhood, download the pdf, and print out posters to put up.

It doesn't take long to spread a little information. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Quick Thoughts on Slutwalk

The crowd congregating at Queen's Park

I went to Slutwalk today.

The crowd was great! Tons of people of all ages, men and women and gender queer, people of all colours, and sexual orientations. The signs people made were clever and thoughtful. I loved seeing the outfits that people chose - lots of slutty clothes. There were spontaneous outbursts of chanting; and some folks brought percussion instruments and were playing an awesome beat that people were dancing to.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Instersectional Oppression, Intersectional Privilege: White Female Privilege



The existence of white female privilege is being debated. (See the comments here, or just read Renee's take on the whole thing). I see the debate as an example of the continued failure of white feminists to grasp intersectionality.

As I wrote here,
The universal human being is not just male. He is heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied, middle-class, and - in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand - white. We tend to conceptualize every deviation from the default atomistically, even though this does not reflect individual identities or experiences. So, for example, the experiences of a disabled woman of colour do not amount to the experiences of a white able-bodied woman + an able-bodied man of colour + a white disabled man. Her experiences are those of a disabledwomanofcolour. The different aspects of her identity cannot be separated out from each other.

As such, I do not just experience marginalization as a woman. I experience marginalization as a white woman (among many other aspects of my identity).

By the same token, I do not just have privilege as a white person. I have privilege as a white woman. I have white female privilege.

That is, there are assumptions made and expectations placed on me that, vis-a-vis my interactions with white men, rather suck. But vis-a-vis my interactions with people of colour - particularly women of colour - those same assumptions and expectations privilege me.

This is not contradictory. It's about relative power in the kyriarchy. This is intersectionality.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

How To Wallow In Your Privilege



I think my activity on Tumblr is mainly going to consist of cutting up other Tumblr users when they write horribly oblivious things.

This is something that I wrote on Tumblr today, and I thought I'd share it...

***

On March 21 the Admins of Fuck Yeah English Major Armadillo replied to an ask from eatenplacenta that let them know that many of the submissions they post are ableist - that is, the ones where Armadillo responds to improper grammar/spelling with rage, violence, and death threats. Personally, I agree that such posts are ableist - and not only that I think they are classist, racist and nativist as well. Also, not very funny. Seriously, it feels like there have been dozens of iterations of the same joke, we get the picture.

The Admins replied in a kinda-accommodating, kinda-'splainy and justifying way. They could have done better, but they also could have done worse. So, yeah, take that as you will.

ANYWAYS, today they posted another ask, from bw9, that was written in response to the ask about ablism. The admins posted it without any response or commentary, so one can only assume that they agree with it's content. It's pretty horrible. There was no option to reblog the ask, so I'm just doing a post on it.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

"The Harper Government" Meme!

The Invisibility of Women Warriors

Ukrainian guerillas, 1944

I was watching a BBC World War II documentary about the Eastern front. It focused quite a bit on the partisan fighting in Ukraine. It was a while before I realized that the only footage they showed, and the only interviews they conducted were with male partisans.

My grandfather was part of the Ukrainian resistance during the war. And I have researched the activities of Ukrainian nationalists during WWII. So I know that there were more than a few women partisans - one of them even had her autobiography published in English (unfortunately I can't remember what it's called).

The documentary also showed local communist activists who were targeted by the Nazis - again none of them women. When there were certainly women among them - my grandfather's aunt was one of them.

Throughout the documentary, the narrator talked about German and Soviet atrocities carried out against the local populations for their support of nationalist partisans. Even against "women and children". Erasing the fact that there were women who were actively involved with the partisans. And assuming that it was somehow more reasonable to kill men who were not active partisans.

This post on Feministe criticizes the common MRA line that women ought to be more grateful to men because men are the ones who built society and fought in wars, blah blah blah. The idea that it has only ever been men who fought is, of course, bull shit. The assumption itself makes it easy to ignore any evidence to the contrary, obscuring the trials and sacrifices that women experienced as active fighters in war. It's a self-perpetuating myth, that is reflected throughout pop history.

Image is property of Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, here on Flickr.

Friday, March 25, 2011

It's Election Time!



"The Harper Government" has fallen! Good. I'm glad they were taken down on a vote of non-confidence due to the government being in contempt of Parliament in the first time in Canadian history. Instead of being taken down on the budget. It seems like the Liberals are aggressively trying to frame the election - unlike last time. They have to make this about democracy, not economic scare tactics.

Although I'm not terribly fond of the Liberals, and I think Michael Ignatieff is an enormous douche, they aren't anti-democratic like the Conservatives.

And if the Liberals don't win this one, they had better come together with the NDP and the Bloc to form a coalition government. Most Canadians vote for a left or left-of-centre party, and it's ridiculous we don't have a left/left-of-centre government.

Image source.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

To My Fellow Privileged Feminists...

So I just posted a rant at Sady Doyle on Tumblr. That might not have been the wisest course of action. But I'm angry and frustrated. I am disappointed in third wave feminism, and in us, white cisgender heterosexual able-bodied North American class privileged feminists. I thought we were trying to do better than our predecessors. I thought we were trying to set our egos aside and make room for people who deal with more axes of oppression than being cis women. I thought we were trying to not use feminism to trample over more marginalized people. Can we try to not fuck that up for a while? Seriously. And if we do fuck it up, can we at least try to not make things worse subsequently?

Without getting into the background of the Tumblr thing, here are some of the key points from my rant:

  • Questioning the subjective reality of the marginalized person you’re talking to is not cool. 
  • You know what doesn’t matter and what you don’t need to explain when someone tells you you’re being racist, or disablist, etc? YOUR INTENT. Does. Not. Matter. What matters is that you understand how and why what you did was racist/disablist/etc, and that you make an effort to not do it again. 
  • If you step on someone’s foot (to use the ever-popular foot-stepping metaphor) you don’t say, “yikes! Either I was being clumsy, or you got in the way. I’ll assume that I was being clumsy. But see, I was just trying to demonstrate this really neat dance move that involves a lot of stomping.” No. You step off the person’s foot, apologize, and be more careful. 
  • As white cisgender heterosexual able-bodied North American feminists, I tend to think that we should always be combating our own privilege. That means not deciding, “Oh, I’ll just revel in my privilege this one time, in this one space.” If you realize that you’re looking at something from a privileged perspective, challenge your perspective yourself. Don’t wait for a more marginalized person to come along and do it for you. 
  • What we can do is SHUT UP AND LISTEN. And help in the ways we are told we can help. And also: WE ARE OWED NO ALLOWANCES, NO ASSUMPTIONS OF GOOD FAITH. If you want to be considered an ally, you need to prove that you are an ally, and continue to prove it. And if you fuck up, that does not mean that you get a free pass because, hey, at least you’re trying! It means that you have to keep trying harder.
Yeah. End rant.






Hey, Torontonians!



Are you going to SlutWalk on April 3rd? 

Monday, March 21, 2011

And I'm Also On Tumblr Now

It seems like a lot of stuff is going down on tumblr these days. So I jumped on that bandwagon too. Follow me on tumblr!

It's not going to be the exact same content as here; I think I'm going to do more post just about things that happen in my life, and random observations and stuff. Also, reblogging.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

On Black People Being Held To A Special Standard Of Goodness: A Message To White People

This video has been making the rounds online:



A white woman takes it upon herself to sneer at a younger black woman who is eating on the subway. She calls her an "animal". She says that she will be "going to jail". Apparently, the white woman - and countless others who have commented on this video - expected the black woman to just take being dehumanized by a stranger as she was going about her daily business. Apparently - to countless people who have commented on this video - the fact that the black woman did not just take it, but instead confronted the white woman, and did not let her get away with how she was treating her, and the white woman continued to antagonize the black woman until the confrontation became physical, "proves" something about the "aggressive nature" of black people.

As a white person myself, I would like to address that white woman, those internet commenters, and all white people who might watch this video: If you feel anything other than sympathy for the black woman in this video, and perhaps concern that the white woman will try to get her into trouble, then you are being racist.

Friday, March 18, 2011

WTF Cleverbot?



My partner plays World of Warcraft. We were talking about the different bots people use in the game, and how sophisticated some of them are. That made me think of Cleverbot, the website where you can have a conversation with an artificial intelligence program. So I went over there.

I started by asking, "Do you play WOW?"

It replied, "No, I'm a girl."

There are girls who play WOW.

Are you a boy?

No.

You are a boy.

What makes you think that?

Because you love me and I am a girl.

I could be a lesbian.

You're a man?

No.

Is Scotland better than England?

Not only are you sexist and heteronormative, you're ethnocentric too.

You cannot claim ownership of that statement.

I totally own that statement.

Yes.

Seriously, who programs this thing?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I'm On Twitter!

Yeah, so I got a Twitter account. Cause sometimes I want to share my thoughts, but there's not enough for a blog post. And it seems to be what all the cool kids are doing. Follow me please! (See sidebar for button) Also, I'm wondering who I should follow, so if you have any favourites, please suggest them!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

It's About Power



I've been catching up on feminist blogs, including a piece that Amanda Marcotte wrote for The Good Men Project called "The Solution to MRA Problems? More Feminism". The article is pretty much exactly what I think whenever I read anything by an anti-feminist "men's rights activist". Some of whom turn up in the comments to that very article. One individual who calls themselves thehermit wrote,
Equality would probably help everybody, the basic problem is, that feminism never was equality. Not at all.
Do they want 50% women in the congress? Of course. 50% of directors of big companies? Sure. 50% of homelesses? 50% of workplace deaths? …….
Oh wait, they only want half of the GOOD things.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A Radical Idea

Not an actual woman.

In a recent interview, Charlie Sheen was asked if he has ever hit a woman. He replied, "Women are not to be hit. They are to be hugged and caressed."

I don't know much about Charlie Sheen. Or anything, really. But that one sound bite is enough for me to determine that he is an asshole.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Bits and Pieces

Oh, look! I haven't disappeared!


The thing with Attention Deficit Disorder is that it doesn't just mean that you have trouble concentrating on things. It also means that you're prone to hyper-concentrate on some tasks.

If you're wondering why there's been a lack of posts recently, the answer is: puzzles. Lots and lots of puzzles. And a new guitar. And shopping for bridesmaid dresses. But mostly, puzzles.

So now Libya is in upheaval? And Wisconsin? I have no clue what's going on.

Anyways, here is a collection of random feminist-y observations about the unimportant things that have been filling my life. Namely: Some Like It Hot, Get Smart, and hidden object games.

Some parts of this post talk about fictional depictions of sexual harassment and controlling/abusive behaviour. Just so you know.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

New Meme Alert!


Being mocked for your ignorance? That's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. 

See the new ApologistBeiber tumblr for more. 


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Recommended Reading

On Dented Blue Mercedes: Canada: Is the Conversation Lurching to the Right?

Answer: Yes.

That has been the Conservative's plan from day one.

It is depressing. And scary. And why we cannot allow them to win a majority.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

For Trans Equality Write To Your Senators


Some good news this morning; from suite 101:
Bill C-389, introduced by NDP MP Bill Saskay and read for the first time in May 2009, provides rights and protections to the transgendered. The bill, opposed by the Conservative government but supported by the three opposition parties, passed third and final reading by a vote of 143-135. 
The purpose of the bill is to extend the concept of equality to transgendered persons in respect to all matters that fall within the jurisdiction of the federal government. The legislation is to ensure the transgendered have equal opportunity and equal access in order to better meets their needs.
So the bill amends the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to protect people from discrimination and hate crimes on the basis of "gender identity" and "gender expression".

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

9 Reasons Not To Spank Your Kids





I just read a post by Renee at Womanist Musings, written in response to an article called, "8 Reasons to Spank Your Kids." I agree with Renee's take entirely. Corporal punishment is something I have strong opinions about, and intend to write a full post on at some point. For now I'll just say that corporal punishment is not about what's best for the child, but about breaking their will, as one breaks-in a horse. And I'll quote from an article by Anne McGillivray, in which she summarizes the results of Elizabeth T. Gershoff's meta-analysis of over eighty studies on the effects of corporal punishment:

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Crazy: Addendum



In this post, I talked about how calling someone "crazy" - even if good-natured in intent - is dismissive and derogatory. In similar conversations about other words ("retarded", "gay", etc.), it's common to see comments in the vein of, "Now I'm not allowed to say [crazy/retarded/gay/etc.]!? Censorship! Political correctness police! Newspeak!"

I have not had any such comments here, but they came to mind, as I've found that taking "crazy" out of my vocabulary has resulted in me expressing myself better. Because now instead of just saying "that's crazy!" I have to put more thought into my intended meaning. Instead of "crazy", "nuts", "insane"; it's "unpredictable", "out of control", "incomprehensible", "irrational", "illogical", it "doesn't make sense". I have to be more precise in my language. And I avoid simply dismissing an idea or person - saying something is "irrational requires justification; saying something "doesn't make sense" invites explanation.

Contrary to what those opposed to "political correctness" think, avoiding dismissive slurs improves discourse for everyone.

Image source.

Monday, February 7, 2011

An Open Letter To Lady Gaga, From A Fan And Fellow Feminist



Dear Lady Gaga,

I love what you do. The populist spirit with which you insist that pop culture is art. Your devotion to performance. The sense of community that you're building with your fans. That you're not afraid to make out with butch women in your music videos, or be photographed in drag. I love that you've taken up the phrase "born this way," not only as the title of your next single and album, but almost as a slogan. In light of the constructedness of your image, it's very post-modern, and speaks strongly to self-determination - you become the person you want to be, and no one else can tell you who you are. And I relate to you - your upbringing, your feminism, your desire to create and to be heard. I relate to "Wonderful." In other words, I'm a huge fan.

But I need to tell you something, not as a fan, but as a fellow feminist. Specifically, as a fellow white feminist.

It's about "Born This Way." You released the lyrics a little while ago. A lot of people found them inspiring and life-affirming, as they were intended to be. A bunch of people thought they were trite - but honestly I don't think that will matter once the lyrics are set to music. And some people found them offensive. Normally, you don't respond to criticism, and often that's a good thing. But you need to listen to those people.

Weekly Joy

This week: Supernatural star, Jensen Ackles (links to a YouTube vid - it's funny!)


What? It can't just be kittens and bunnies every week!

Image source

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Racism Isn't Ironic



An Idiot Abroad has been running for a while now. If you haven't heard about it, the show is premised on following a inexperienced British man on a trip around the world, so that everyone can laugh at the racist things he says. One of the creators is Ricky Gervais. Something happened recently that made me think of it. 

My partner's father has a tendency to say offensive things. My partner had a tendency to do impressions of his father saying offensive things. He wasn't recounting stories, just saying what he thought his father would say in a given context. 

It got kind of irritating. 

"You know, just because you're saying something in your dad's voice, doesn't mean that you're not the one who's actually saying it."

My partner thought about this for a moment. 

"Yeah, you're right." 

So he pretty much cut it out. 

Ironic/hipster racism - of which An Idiot Abroad is a prime example - works the same way. You can put an ironic tone on it, be all like, "This is what a racist person would say! Ha ha! We're not like that!" But ultimately, you're the one who came up with the racist stuff, and decided that it needed to be shared. 

Ironic racism really is just plain racism. 

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The "No Abortions For Floozies!" Stance

Someone who deserves to be forced
into childbearing


 I was reading the comments on Sady Doyle's article on H.R.3, and came across a comment from someone calling themselves Evil Conservative:
Don't just lead with John Boehner.The abortion bill was sold to the public as a way to an abortion in the event of rape or incest. Something like 2-3% of the time. Now, abortion has become a right and a cottage industry. All those that go out and have a one nighter, or for whatever reason need an abortion-do it. It's like getting a wart removed!! There is no revererce for life.
I'd be more inclined to have rapists castrated or have ladies that want to just have sex with no consequences get fixed. I think that would be better than just worrying about funding.
Rape is a terrible crime of power.I'm not minimizing it at all. But these cases of rape should be taken case by case, and any others hopefully would take some precautions and protect themselves. 
Despite the commenter's moniker, the comment reminded me of many a conversation I've had with people who identify as liberal. The notion that there be some readily identifiable circumstance excusing the woman from carrying the foetus to term is a common one. People who consider themselves pro-choice may go so far as acknowledging that financial constraints meet this criteria, but then - just like Evil Conservative - they add the qualification that there has to be some reason to have an abortion besides "she doesn't want to be pregnant and have a kid." Oh, and she has to have used some contraceptive that failed. We can't have people using abortion as their first, last, and only line of defence against pregnancy! I've seen people take this position over and over again, in real-life and online. I would go so far as to say that in liberal circles, this is the standard, "reasonable" stance on abortion.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

To My American Readers...


H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act" would limit the exemption that allows federal funding of abortions for survivors of rape and incest to those whose pregnancy is the result of "an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest." Survivors of rape are to be scrutinized and re-victimized, not helped.

Read what Sady Doyle and Nick Baumann have to say about all this.

And take action by clicking on the banner at the top of this page post.

Edit 1: And take part in the #DearJohn campaign.

Edit 2: Palaverer at Chunky Monkey Mind has done an extremely thorough job compiling links to resources and commentary on H.R.3. Check it out. 

Monday, January 31, 2011

Weekly Joy

"Out On The Water" by Camera

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Marketing Diversity: WINdows and FAILdows at Holt Renfrew



In case you aren't familiar with Canadian retailers, Holt Renfrew is the high-end department store in the country. Holt's flagship store in Toronto is known for having creative and eye-catching window displays. I walked by there yesterday, and saw that their windows were set up for Valentine's Day in a series of five or six scenes, each featuring a mannequin couple and a mannequin cupid. Most of the couples consisted of a male mannequin and a female mannequin, and most of the mannequins were stark white.

This was the first display that really caught my attention:

Monday, January 24, 2011

Weekly Joy

This week: cute gifs!

animated gifs 19 02 Merry Christmas Eve! Now chew on these animated gifs (8 photos)

Oh Yeah and Pigs Too, Right Gif - Oh Yeah and Pigs Too, Right?

Funny Animated Gifs - Boot Scoot Baby

funny gifs - Double facepalm

Monday, January 17, 2011

Weekly Joy

This week: a couple of slacker-looking dudes goofing off while playing and absolutely gorgeous arrangement of Lady Gaga songs.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Crazy



Morgan constantly flits from one thing to another, and has never been able to settle on a single path in life.

"That Morgan is crazy!" someone comments. Ha ha ha!

Morgan is bipolar, and has been suicidal in the past.

* * *

Leslie is schizophrenic.

Someone elaborates, "Or in the words of those in the industry, cuckoo!" while drawing circles in the air next to his ear. Ha ha ha!

* * *

As a listener in those conversations, I was shocked. I should not have been.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Weekly Joy

Before Meomi designed the mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics... before they were even called "Meomi"... they made this video...



Friday, January 7, 2011

On Gay People Being Held To A Special Standard Of Goodness

Ever read Post Secret and think to yourself, "it's a good thing the secret-keeper keeps that one to themselves, because that's just offensive, and makes them look clueless." This week there was one of those.


If you can't see the image, it consists of a photocopied picture of soldiers in combat, over which someone has drawn rainbow stripes, and pasted the text:
I thought gays fought to promote tolerance of differences thus the rainbow flag representing their acceptance of diversity. Seems like fighting and killing are the exact opposite of promoting tolerance and diversity. 

Where to begin...

A Message To Christmas Warriors



My family is celebrating Christmas today. There are no carols on the radio. One person at work yesterday wished me "Merry Christmas," because she's celebrating today too; but there are no "Happy Holidays" from strangers. The only decoration in a public space that I've seen was a black-and-white computer-printed "Христос ся рождає" on the door of the liquor store by my parent's place. And it strikes me that this is what the "War on Christmas" people are afraid of.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Weekly Joy

This week: Meme