Feminist Monday, November 27

Good morning, y'all. I've got some catch-up writing to do. (Thanksgiving was pretty great. It was also pretty lazy which, you know, is what it's about--after all the mad baking, that is.) So... ready for that steaming cup of righteous anger? Let's do this thing!

​First up, let's discuss listening to women--particularly women of color. Also? Let's stop with the 'Who would've thought?', 'We didn't know!' 'If only someone had known!' bullshit. It's a form of rewriting history. Many groups knew there was a resurgence of white supremacy, and they were actively vocal about it. Women knew the GamerGate movement was a problem. (There's a direct connection between Steve Bannon and Gamergate.) Dear White Men, we--the whole rest of the planet--need you to wake the fuck up and listen.

And Godless looks interesting. I haven't seen it yet. I understand the episodes dropped over the weekend. 

Literary/Entertainment: More interesting news in the Kick Ass universe. The New Kick-Ass Comic Is Being Joined by an Ongoing Hit-Girl Series. For those who haven't seen this story... Pixar’s John Lasseter Was the Subject of a ‘Whisper Network’ for More Than Two Decades. I've a degree in computer animation. I'd fully intended to work in the field, but found the struggle too daunting. As awful as working among sexist male mechanical and electrical engineers could be (Motorola and Dell), the animation world was far worse. In addition, I knew I wasn't twice as good as the males around me. And you have to be twice as good to be considered half as good and employable. Sometimes even that isn't enough. Misogyny within the ranks of the news staff held Hillary Clinton back from the presidency. It continues to hold women back in politics every time a news outlet plasters a headline about how awful HRC is. (This, in spite of the fact that Hillary isn't running for anything. Ever wonder why?) That said, women have been held back by this system forever. It's time to stop. And because Ursula K. LeGuin is a goddess... Writing Nameless Things: An Interview with Ursula K. Le Guin. 

General: Because editing history is still a thing. ‘Comfort Women’ Statue in San Francisco Leads a Japanese City to Cut Ties. Also, TRANS INDIVIDUALS ARE ON THE FRONTLINES OF MANY DIFFERENT FIGHTS FOR EQUALITY. The new tax bill continues to be more and more of a shit show. Senate Republicans Shoehorn Anti-Abortion Measure Into Tax Bill. As if we weren't clear the GOP was a group of self-involved, greedy, sexist, racist assholes. They just keep doubling down in the hopes that no one will notice. I guess? Meet the Teen Who Discovered the Secret of Social Capital. The next article poses a very good question. Why do so many people pretend to be Native American? And let's talk about wage theft, shall we? Ever since I heard about McDonald's and their employee wage policies I've been interested in the subject of wage theft. (Also, when I worked a Dell I had a boss who repeatedly insisted that I work off the clock. She wanted me to work at 3am with an office half a world away. WITHOUT PAY. And got very snippy when I refused.) Corporations want toothless employment laws. They certainly don't want Unions and safety regulations. These things cost them money. Is this a Feminist issue? Yes. Since women are paid significantly less than men, wage theft affects women more deeply. Next, What’s the point of sexual harassment training? Often, to protect employers.