Feminist Monday, July 30

This image from "Why Kurds need Feminism" by Dilar Dirik https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36657078-why-kurds-need-feminism

Patriarchy has a negative affect on the economy. Women pay a heavy toll for merely existing. This subject came up when my husband mentioned how much a friend of ours paid in child care costs: "He told me it was $3000 per month. How can it be that expensive?" I told him that care centers have to carry insurance. Care-givers are required to have emergency response training in addition to time/experience in educational and child development studies. "You're kidding." I told him I wasn't. Briefly, I had once considered babysitting in order to bring in some money. (We don't have children, by the way.) I told him that far too often, women are forced into the position of using their entire salaries just to pay for child care. When you add in that women are paid less than men--the percentage less varies, depending upon the woman's race and trans women have difficulties getting hired at all--and then the fact that everything is more expensive for women: dry cleaning, clothing, common medical and hygiene supplies, hair care products, hair cuts, cosmetics...it's a financial death of a thousand cuts. It's referred to as the Pink Tax and yes, it is a fucking thing.

Just watch John Oliver's reaction as he turns the interview toward a bit of self-examination. That's brave and powerful. He's showing some genuine vulnerability. Anita's response is magnificent too. And you know what else? "Men are afraid to work with women. Men are afraid to hire women." is merely a continuation of "Shut up about sexual harassment or your job will be threatened." That should demonstrate just how much Oppression is a system. The pattern is set and obvious once you look for it. We're all programmed with it. You don't have to be consciously aware that you're supporting Oppression. You're infected on a deep level. It happens unconsciously. It's time to wake up, recognize it, and do something about it.

Literary/Entertainment: First, have a link about sex, women, and the media. How Women Are Pressured into Being Sexy, But Punished for Being Sexual. And now, the bizarre story of Literary ambition. Fabulous parties. A hidden past. Who is Nancy Lott? Check out the Women's Art Blog. (Thanks, Dave Leatham.) Lastly, because I'm a huge fan of Angela Bassett... Angela Bassett Answers the Proust Questionnaire.

General: Why ‘Looking Like a Lesbian’ Isn’t an Insult (And How the Thought May Be a Reflection of Your Homophobia) Repeat after me: being perceived as gay is not an insult.  
Next up, Debunking the ‘Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps’ Myth. If there's a myth that I wish could finally die-die-die, it's that one. Unfortunately, it's pretty stubborn. And in case you missed it, WW2 Spitfire pilot Mary Ellis dies. FYI: she wasn't the only female pilot during WW2. There was a whole unit. But hey, no one talks about that, do they? Now, read an extremely well considered article about White Fragility™: A Sociologist Examines the “White Fragility” That Prevents White Americans from Confronting Racism. And Doctoral Student Compiles Database Of Indigenous Women Who've Gone Missing. Next, understand that Women are more likely to wait longer for a health diagnosis and to be told it’s ‘all in their heads’. That can be lethal: diagnostic errors cause 40,000-80,000 deaths in the US alone. And this is 2018: a White lawmaker warns black attorney she may ‘go missing’ if Confederate statues are threatened.