I heard about Amazon's antics and can't decide whether to laugh or cry. Needless to say, I shan't be engaging in it, for starters because I believe in the gift economy of fandom, but also because their arbitrary censorship guidelines are something I won't fit my work to. In fact, I'm more inclined than ever not to be an Amazon customer as a result ( Read more... )

BBC News this morning starts on some twaddle about the importance of breast feeding, goes on to say, "But there is another, important thing women can do to ensure their newborn's health ( Read more... )

This won't be a great surprise to most, but for now, I'm done with this show. I don't know if I'll come back to it or not, whether I'll watch the end of the season some other time, but for now, I have to quit watching something that is just making me unhappy ( Read more... )

I've lately been rewatching Judging Amy. I'm sure some people on here will be too young to remember that show, while for others it's a dim memory, but anyway. It aired during that glorious time in the 90s when everything was okay and nothing hurt, the time I grew up in and will forever secretly long for. It was also very feminist. It has lines like ( Read more... )

"While I want to believe we've arrived at and are living in the feminist idyll so hard-sought for and dreamed of by previous generations of women and men, I avoid most mainstream entertainment, particularly comedy, because frankly, I find it dehumanizing to be told over and over again that sex and sexual appeal are all, or the most important things ( Read more... )

Young men. The kind that travel in packs. You know the ones I mean. Not the nice, polite ones that are a little shy, or the earnest ones, or whatever, but the kind that travel in packs and have to show off their coolness to their friends. Specifically the kind that do that by trying to intimidate women ( Read more... )

Though, seriously? Rhiannon Lucy Coslett wrote a piece for the New Statesman on the subject, because she felt trigger warnings held her back recovering from PTSD, and therefore, no one should get trigger warnings. Well, except may be a few spaces for survivors (but don't call them victims, because that smacks of "victimhood"), but she isn't clear ( Read more... )

I wrote the following in response to a woman on tumblr who tried to explain to a guy why women don't always appreciate compliments (because women are taught men are a threat. I disagreed.) You can read the whole thing here, but for those of you without tumblr or who want to have a convo that involves a functioning comment system, I'm reposting here ( Read more... )

[Trigger warning for rape jokes/making light of sexual assault.]

So, I was watching this last night (relevant section at 2.28 till 3.20):

Click to view

And you know, for a second there I thought it funny. I still do, especially when Davies mock-screams. But at the same time, the other half of me is horrified at the casual way they discuss this. It is so ( Read more... )

( cut for spoilers )