five links for your wednesday (fannish, political, and otherwise)

[virginia_bell]

1. kennahijja is gauging interest in a "Write-Your-Own-Fic" Fest. See the link for more information!

2. ToneMatrix: I stumbled upon it last night, and it may be the most addicting thing ever. It is both visually aesthetic and aurally pleasing, not to mention quite happiness-inducing!

3. Bernanke and Geithner take in a ballgame: Because, hello, the most

Comments

[starpaint]

Your links, they are awesome :) (I'm particularly fond of the Slate article, but that may just be because it sounds a whole lot like the paper I'm writing right now for this one civil rights class...)

[virginia_bell]

I enjoyed the Slate article because I'm rather ashamed to admit that I'm not nearly as familiar with civil rights law as I should be and because the issue is, alas, so easily politicised (and thus completely misunderstood -- thank you, talking heads!).

Ooh, what is your paper about? :D

[starpaint]

Civil rights issues are one of the many things that make me realize just how weird a perspective I've got with regard to, well, everything--I've always gone to v. v. v. liberal schools and lived in v. v. v. liberal places, so while I know the issues are hotly debated and uber-politicized? I can probably count the people I know who oppose affirmative action on my fingers. It can feel a little like living in a bubble of unreality.

The paper's about Supreme Court cases on affirmative action in higher education, and how they've been shaped by a general reluctance to deal with systemic discrimination and inequality in American society. It's not dealing with the Civil Rights Act so much as it is with the 5th and 14th Amendments, but same general idea.

[virginia_bell]

I can probably count the people I know who oppose affirmative action on my fingers.

Interestingly enough, even though I've lived in relatively liberal areas for most of my life, I can probably count the people I know who support affirmative action on my fingers...and that would be me, if I could ever really make up my mind about it. I've always found it a bit odd, that people who otherwise walk the liberal line on practically every other issue have a rather vehement dislike of affirmative action, where their argument essentially boils down to, "AA is racism against white people!" (And Asian-Americans, as my parents never fail to remind me.)

Your paper sound so interesting! Constitutional law is one of those subjects I really wish I was more well versed about -- is it very bad that I secretly want to read your paper when it's finished? ^^

[starpaint]

Mmm, that makes sense. Most of the people I've talked about this with either are in my civil rights class or went to my high school. The first group was definitely self-selected, and the second, well... 1) our teachers made sure we were aware that just being at the school was a privilege that most people didn't have, and 2) we were smart enough, and confident enough in our own abilities, that it really didn't occur to us that race would make or break our college/job applications. (Which sounds kind of elitist, and maybe obnoxious, but it is what it is. I think a lot of opposition of affirmative action boils down to that--people don't want to deal with more competition among their peers, and definitely don't want their children to have to deal with it. It's understandable, but it's also pretty damn selfish.)

Hey, I've demanded that my roommate send me her BA at the end of the year, so I don't see a problem with it :p