Miscellany

[loneraven]

It's really nice to be home. I didn't have the quietest of weekends, really; I was at Amicus training again on Saturday, and that was kind of sort of exhausting. Practical, not theory, so lots of running around with my hands in my pockets trying to make myself as good an investigator as possible, i.e., not very good. The funny thing is, I find, is

Comments

[tau_sigma]

Saying something is 'natural' is a terrible argument...

...it is about the best cohesive argument I can come up with for breastfeeding in public, which is shocking. And, because it's a feeble argument, it never works, and people say 'well, urinating is natural, but you wouldn't do that in public would you?!' To which I think my answer of 'yes, but breastfeeding is perfectly sanitary and hygenic' is actually perfectly decent, but, um. You are literate and coherant, Iona: why is breastfeeding in public ok? It frustrates me that I can make no good arguments for it, despite generally feeling that people mostly have problems with it because of the over-sexualisation of certain female body parts.

The Spring Arrangements Bill is wonderful.

[loneraven]

I would argue that we don't normally stop people from doing things in public unless they harm other people, or they're seen as sexual. Breastfeeding doesn't harm people - it is, as you say, perfectly sanitary and hygienic. Which suggests it's being seen as sexual, which is really a problem: because either it says that a baby breastfeeding is a sexual act (ewwwww), or that a woman's body is a sexual object regardless of context, which strikes me as oh-fuck-no on many levels. Do you think that works? I'm not sure...

[tau_sigma]

THAT. That is, at least, a large part of it. I've considered this several times, and just could not get any further than an instinctual 'urinating in public is not ok, breast feeding is'.

You are a genius, Iona. Or, you know, I was just struggling with putting ideas into words and conscious thought, but yes. Thank you!

[biascut]

I also just go with a practical element. Either breastfeeding in public is OK, or breastfeeding women are unable to leave the house for six months or more, and that is Not Cool.

[pinkdormouse]

Secret Histories Project sounds awesome. Thanks for the link.

[loneraven]

You're very welcome!

[gamesiplay]

Everything you have to say about public defense is fascinating; I know basically nothing about it in practice, and you have such a cogent way of getting to the heart of what it means.

Examples already mentioned: Alan Turing's homosexuality;

I was going to say, in outraged shock, SCHOOLS DON'T TEACH THAT TURING WAS GAY? until I stopped and considered: (a) of course they don't, why is that a surprise, and (b) okay, no, one play does not common knowledge make.

Finally: Iona, can we start a support group for people whose passionate academic/career interests frequently tempt them to write off the entire human race? Because really. I'm having this experience too, of wanting to spend all my time immersed in the early '80s... until I come up for air, out of the rarefied deeps of pure intellectual pleasure, and realize that oh, hey, I am MORALLY OUTRAGED and HATE EVERYONE.