abi @#37: I think it's worth fighting actual oppression, even in cultures we barely understand, but going after what we see as the symbols of that oppression seems counter-productive to me. Like banning wedding rings because we don't approve of forced child marriage.
Carrie S:
Yes, upon reflection I should have said "are harder to do in a skirt" or something along those lines. I'm all for wearing a skirt as a choice, particularly since the list of things that are easier to do in a skirt is also a long one. But I think being forced to wear one is more oppressive than being forced to cover one's hair, because it can make some physical labor more difficult or more dangerous, which limits a skirt-wearer's earning potential.
Also - looking at the "by population size" section of "Islam by Country" on Wikipedia, it appears that the majority of Muslims do not, in fact, live in countries where head-coverings are mandatory.
ajay @#28:
1. You can't roll up all the oppressions of Sharia law into "headscarf" and say that skirts don't count. There are multiple articles of dress that make up "modest wear," and different cultures and laws mandate different ones. Here in the US, women wear headscarves with pants all the time, because they are free to interpret the rule according to their own particular religious tradition, rather than an oppressive law. In the Sudan they are not allowed to do that. Just because the headscarf is the one article of clothing that stands out to western eyes doesn't make it the most oppressive one. Good gravy, the list things you can't physically do in a skirt is epic, whereas a headscarf really doesn't prevent any kind of work or activity.
2. Women in this country do risk violence if they don't conform to expected norms of femininity. If they are too masculine-looking, they may be vulnerable to anti-gay or anti-trans violence; if they dress in a particularly feminine way, they will be vulnerable to various other kinds of violence, since a standard article of female clothing in this country is shoes that render women incapable of outrunning an attacker, and another standard article is an easy-to-steal bag full of money and keys.
This needs to be a LOLNH photo.
Congratulations! Wishing you much more joy to come.
Patrick, since you're in Europe I suppose that all of your misadventures, bicycle and otherwise, should occur in the style of Hergé.
I think I knew "president-elect" but maybe I just knew "daughter-in-law-elect." Bow, bow, etc.
My deepest sympathies to everyone who knew him.
My deepest sympathies to everyone who knew him.
Thanks for posting this, Abi. Good choice of date. As it happens, today I'm finishing up a trip to visit one of my good siblings. I have a very large family of origin (I'm the youngest of 7 siblings, and we had an aunt and grandparents who lived with us when I was a kid). So it's a bit of a curate's egg. Spending time with the good parts is always tricky because there are so many reflections of the bad parts. Including in my own reflection, sometimes.
Looking at my (genetically-unrelated) son and knowing that he won't inherit anything of us, except what I teach him, is a tremendous consolation.
How did we come to this uneasy acceptance of blatant falsehood, corruption, and incompetence?
My earliest memory of watching TV news as a child was some boring guy talking about a thing called Watergate.
Marilee @ #117
Perhaps so. Frequently this phrasing is used for effect, rather than because someone is making a literal comparison.
Anyway, as I said, I don't think this rhetorical device should be forbidden. I just don't like it. I sympathize with Jo in this situation, so I'm not trying to say she shouldn't feel whatever she feels.
Best if I leave this discussion, I think.
Mary Frances @ #104: I like your analogy...except that most of us volunteer to have our bits probed on a regular basis, and I think Jo's feelings about this are stronger than that. I would choose burglary as a metaphor, myself - someone breaking into your house and messing with your belongings, maybe ruining some of them, and then leaving.
Except that someone here has probably experienced exactly that, and would say that it's different, and might be upset at me appropriating their experience. Metaphors are tricky, particularly in the vasty depths of the internet, where every discussion contains at least one of every type of person. Witches? check. Rape survivors? Very likely. Cancer survivors? Of course.
Which doesn't mean that it's morally wrong to use rape as a rhetorical device. It's a powerful image, and powerful images are what rhetoric is built upon. It's just that...very few things are, actually, like it.
Jo Walton @ #96: it all sounds like "Do you mind being raped just a little bit?"
Unfortunately making any kind of art makes you vulnerable - posting pictures of yourself or your family on the internet makes you vulnerable - anything that shows a private part of your mind to the world makes you vulnerable. It sucks, and I don't have a good solution for it, and I entirely sympathize with people who are horrified by that vulnerablility.
That said, comparing other types of violation to rape is my least favorite rhetorical device ever.
Jo Walton @ #96: it all sounds like "Do you mind being raped just a little bit?"
Unfortunately making any kind of art makes you vulnerable - posting pictures of yourself or your family on the internet makes you vulnerable - anything that shows a private part of your mind to the world makes you vulnerable. It sucks, and I don't have a good solution for it, and I entirely sympathize with people who are horrified by that vulnerablility.
That said, comparing other types of violation to rape is my least favorite rhetorical device ever.
...ousting war criminals and torturers from the United States...
By sending them to do their thing in our secret prisons in other countries.
I suddenly understand why nobody's rushing to receive slush submissions in electronic format.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2006 | 22 |
| 2005 | 189 |
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