Feminist Monday, November 19

Image from Dissent Magazine https://www.dissentmagazine.org

American Thanksgiving is this Thursday. So, it's likely this is the only post from me this week. I've novels to finish rewriting and pies to bake. (Six of them to be exact.) At least there's zero chance of Headbees. :) 

This week I wanted to add on to last week's discussion about white women and women of color working together. This is something I want to explore. We need to discuss the differences in our varying cultures and face our biases against our sisters. Don't get me wrong, from my perspective (a white woman's perspective) I feel a huge part of the work is necessary on white women's end of the discussion. I will not shift the blame--not that blame is an active part in the discussion. Trump, white nationalism, and racism are in power at this moment because a majority of white women actively worked for it. We are responsible. That needs to change before we make any headway. Period. And the only way that happens is if we own up to our own biases. Anyway, I wanted to draw attention to this Red Table Talk video. Even though it barely scratches the surface of the long discussion that needs to happen--it's a start. Sadly, you can't watch it without getting into FB. Not ideal, I know. But it's totally worth it. I haven't made my way through all those videos yet, but I will.

The next video answers a question I had about Feminism and Right Wing women--an important discussion when talking about white women and their relationship to power. Bonus note: everything said about Hefner's stance on what Playboy was all about is directly applicable to Crowley/Alexandrian/Gardnerian witchcraft. All three are bound up in the gender binary and sexism. It's in their blueprint. You cannot use sexist symbolism and simply declare it not sexist. The unconscious doesn't work that way. Symbolism is a language. It's used to communicate with the unconscious. And just like when you use words--you're using all the definitions of words when you communicate whether you mean to or not. This is even more the case when symbolism is used. (Now, add to this picture the film The Runaways -- watch the whole thing to understand what I'm saying -- and punk's/rock's relationship with women in general.)

This next video is amazing. Get ready to cry.

The Real Thing from Brandon Kelley on Vimeo.

And now, those links.

Entertainment/Literary: Topmost news in my world? ZOMG! ZOMG! ZOMG!!!! MICHELLE YEOH IN NEGOTIATIONS TO STAR IN ‘STAR TREK: DISCOVERY’ SPIN-OFF. And here's an article about a new non-fiction book that discusses the history of women in Rock. Mothers Of Invention: Evelyn McDonnell's Women Who Rock. Also, I Cruised LA with the Badass Moxi Roller Skating Girl Gang. And How Marvel and Corporate Comics Are Failing the ‘Vulnerable’ Creators Behind Their Superheroes. 
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General: This first link is fucking outrageous. This was still happening in 2017, y'all. Indigenous women kept from seeing their newborn babies until agreeing to sterilization, says lawyer. An Asian American talks about her experiences. THE DAY I TOOK BACK MY NAME. And this next article is awful, but I'm glad that supportive people have stepped in to help. It's shameful that this shit still happens. Disowned for being gay, Canisius athlete Emily Scheck will keep running. Now, let's talk about Nancy Pelosi. The rebellion against Nancy Pelosi is absurd and I’m fine with women in power, just not this one specific woman currently in power and The #FiveWhiteGuys Are Offering a Sucker's Bet to Anti-Pelosi Democrats. (Pssst. If you were against Hillary Clinton AND you're against Nancy Pelosi, I've got news for you. You're not okay with women in power.) And Mother Jones talks about voter suppression in Georgia. Brian Kemp’s Win In Georgia Is Tainted by Voter Suppression. Also, this article (in GQ of all things) about how Kavanaugh is just fucking fine and Ford is still in hiding due to serious threats and harassment. And this next article needs to be thought of as a part of the picture regarding internalized misogyny. Sheryl Sandberg and the emptiness of leaning in. And this week in Feminist History:  The mighty women of World War I. Go Canada! Viola Desmond banknote set to go into circulation. Are you concerned about infant mortality in the United States? Then fucking support ObamaCare, damn it. Otherwise, you are full of shit. BABY SURVIVAL RATES IMPROVED IN STATES WITH AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, DATA SHOWS. And here's another perspective on why white women vote Republican. (However, I feel it's incomplete. I'll also argue that being married to a white man with power does NOT transfer that power to their partner. It grants some privileges but it does not grant power.) deal or no deal: why white women vote for turds. Lastly, have some good news. Voters are stripping partisan redistricting power from politicians in anti-gerrymandering efforts.

Trigger Warning: #ThisIsNotConsent: Protests In Ireland After Thong Underwear Cited In Rape Trial.