Feminist Monday, November 20

Happy Monday, y'all. Let's get that blood pumping, shall we? Because caffeine isn't the only way to wake up. Righteous anger can work as well and--if applied in constructive ways--be more effective. So... just in case you weren't clear that the American Republican Party has lost its damned mind...exhibit A: Roy Moore. (Trigger Warning: sexual abuse and assault discussed in detail.)

Best line: "How can you call yourself a Christian and not know your hero's origin story?" Jesus was, so I was taught in religious school/instruction/mass once a week for thirty something years, the result of an immaculate conception. Dear Evangelicals: stop trying to justify statutory rape with your religion. It's creepy as shit. And now...links.

Literary/Entertainment: Today is International Men's Day.[1] I choose to celebrate the wonderful men in my life. I've a lot of them: my husband and friends. (Shout out to Barry Goldblatt, Joe Monti, Thad, Ben, Andre, Christian, Matt, Jim, Chris, Paul W., the Shauns/Seans in my life, Jeremy and the long list of others who I've failed to mention due to the list being too long. Keep being the fabulous people that you are. Toxic Masculinity sucks and should be fought for your sakes as well as everyone else's. With that in mind, let's talk about...Punisher. Like many other folks, I have some...serious concerns. In the light of all the white dudes shooting up schools, music venues, and churches, promoting a damaged soldier with PTSD who shoots up neighborhoods with automatic weapons as a hero is, shall we say, problematic in the least. Never mind promoting the concept of vengeance as justice. (These two concepts are not, in spite of popular opinion, the same damned thing.) Can we agree that the Damaged Soldier with PTSD™ is a dangerous stereotype? Anyway, let's start with Why Cops and Soldiers Love the Punisher and Welcome Back, Frank. Yes, America has let down veterans. Most definitely. But your average American didn't do that. The Republican Party did when they gutted program after program in their efforts to make government "smaller." The connection between Toxic Masculinity and mass shootings is obvious. Creators need to be more discerning about what our Action movies, adventure stories, and television say about masculinity. It's important. Next, Kate Elliott talks about Writing Women Characters Into Epic Fantasy Without Quotas and Pleasure Principles: An Interview with Carmen Maria Machado. And this looks interesting: New Details on the Female Kick-Ass Comic, Which Mark Millar Wrote Before His Netflix Deal. And Wakanda Forever: On the Importance of Black Panther. Every time I see a Black Panther trailer I get chills. If it's a cut that focuses on the women of Wakanda, I tear up just like I did with Wonder Woman. I seriously can't wait for this film. It's going to be so damned amazing. Games show how the presence of competent women generates hostile behavior in incompetent men. And Diversity in video games with Emily Marlow.

General: First, Reproductive Justice for Black Women, Latinas, More Critical Than Ever. Trigger Warning: discussion about harassment and assault ahead, but it isn't an intimate discussion of details so...I've left the links here, but I wanted to provide a heads up. Also, we need to remember (during this time when we're finally focusing on the epidemic of sexual assault and harassment in workplaces everywhere) women of color. Let's not just give our attention to white women who've suffered. Okay? SEXUAL ASSAULT: WE MIGHT HAVE TO THROW THE WHOLE HOLLYWOOD AWAY. The allegations of sexual harassment/assault have come home to roost on the US Federal government as well as on the state level. 'Nothing about it felt right': More than 50 people describe sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, Harassment claims shine light on California Capitol partying, Alabama governor plans to vote for Moore even though ‘I have no reason to disbelieve’ accusers, I’m a feminist. I study rape culture. And I don’t want Al Franken to resign, Uncle Sam is a slacker in policing sexual misconduct in agencies, The Deepening Partisan Split Over Sexual Misconduct, How Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Allegations Are Playing Out In Politics, Al Franken Issues Apology After Accusation of Forcible Kissing and Groping, Franken, Moore assault allegations dredge up accusations against Trump, ‘My pain is everyday’: After Weinstein’s fall, Trump accusers wonder: Why not him? and Sexual harassment is a huge problem in politics, too. What can we do about it? 

Trigger Warning section: Rohingya Were Raped Systematically by Myanmar’s Military, Report Says.

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[1] Question: when is International Non-Binary Day? If International Men's Day is all about making things more equal...