Trying to clear my mailbox -- Linkety-linkety

[moominmuppet]

I need a specific icon for these posts. I should ponder that.

Anyway, trying to wade through my inbox, and I've got entirely too much tagged as "to read/post", so here it comes:

Some impressively hideous racism on a local radio channel, link from meganj28

PolyMedia has some astute things to say about poly media coverage, and how it happens (and a bit more about poly coverage is Australia)

This is concerning on a number of levels: Hamas dress code aims to make Gaza more Islamic from jajy1979

Clit talk, with Mary Roach -- I haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet, but I think it's something different than her TED talk, and knowing her writing and speaking in general, I bet it's good.

Doctors help tame wild myths, medical misconceptions with a dose of reality

Notes from a bitch...pondering the privilege of anger... -- a good piece about why it's so infuriating that there's so much focus on Professor Gates' anger. Also, bradhicks has a great post about it.

What's so funny about rape? Damned good question. And a lot of good points about pretending to be all edgy when there's nothing the least bit subversive about supporting the dominant paradigm with your humor. That specifically speaks to my distaste for shock jocks, especially. It's possible to be thoroughly lewd, crude, and shocking, and amuse the hell out of me by actually using that humor to look at social issues from a new perspective. It's also possible, and a lot more common, to simply use those tactics to reinforce disgusting and damaging stereotypes.

Oh, yay! Audacia Ray is guestblogging for Feministe! (has lots of links to cool things she's involved in)

Also, I don't think I've mentioned it recently, but zodarzone does regular comic reviews. If comics are your thing, you might want to wander over to his journal and check it out.

Quick Hit: Houston Mayor proclaims first Transgender Day

Can't see this from work either, so listing it here partially for my own reference: Wordweaverlynn points to some Craigslist poetry in response to penis-pic personals

Mama_hogswatch is smack on target with this column about poly dating (and Leora's comment is particularly true and relevant, too)

mama_hogswatch also posted a bibliography of poly-helpful books (not the usual contenders -- this is wider-ranging, and covers general communication/shared households/etc)

Serena Williams rockin' the body acceptance!

As many as 87% of employer-based insurance programs cover abortion. I mention this because, although it's such a political hot-potato that I don't think there's any chance any governmental plan will be allowed to cover it (much like the Hyde Amendment screws women on Medicaid), people need to understand it's not an unusual thing to have covered, and this will have a big impact on women who end up on any governmental plan that's likely to come into existence. More on this

This year at Comic Con, EA encouraged attendees to grope its "booth babes" -- promising attendees dinner with the "babes" if they took and published a photo of themselves sexually harassing the women.

On a lighter note, awesome old school Willy Wonka icons

(My Vagina is) Eight Miles Wide. Worth watching. Probably not at work. Especially not with the sound turned up.

My brother Jajy1979 recommends the Bill Moyers this week on Healthcare, and on Rage on the Airwaves

What's wrong with the new pro-lifers: The progressive anti-abortion movement still doesn't truly value the life and identity of the mother

NATIONAL POLITICS & POLICY | Surgeon General Nominee Backs Obama's Positions on Reproductive Health, White House Says -- Reassuring to hear, although I'm already a big fan.

Some more examination of the Withdrawal as Contraception study that created so many waves

OK, it's break time. That's all for now, although I'm only partially through my mailbox.

Comments

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

Quite honestly, Bill Moyers journal should be recommended nearly every week. I listen to the podcast and it's always good. If I didn't enjoy listening at work, I'd totally have us tape it every week. It's the same reason I don't push for us to record Washington Week.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

The only reason we don't record both is that they conflict with all the Friday night shows we already tape, and I couldn't find a way to make it work...

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

I have to say in defense of rape jokes, they can be funny. This does not mean that all of them are funny or that one should encourage little Timmy to study the works of Andrew Dice Clay as if they were the talmud but they can be funny.

George Carlin challenged this idea thusly: http://artists.letssingit.com/george-carlin-lyrics-rape-can-be-funny-7j9zp7k

I think Sarah Silverman's Aristocrats joke about being raped by Joe Franklin was funny. Not just because of the absurdity of it but also because of the actualization she has within the joke where she goes from thinking it was something great to realizing it was something horrible, like many people actually do.

I blatantly stole that concept on my own show where I did a piece about being raped by Jesus while on vacation in Majorca. I stand by that piece it's offensive, yes. But funny.

Also keep in mind that rape literally has different definitions by law wherever you go. In California you can't give consent if you're under the influence. So every time you combined weed and sex, you were raped. At least you were by California's standards. Between the intent of that law and it's literal meaning, there's a lot of room for humor.

Finally, humor at best, is like a scab on societies wounds. It lets us bring out into the open things which we wouldn't feel comfortable talking about if we weren't making a joke. Which is why the best comedians make so many people uncomfortable. And why so many have bits that you can't really steal. Somebody else doing Richard Pryor's comedy would sound like a klan member. Same thing with Dave Chappele or Paul Mooney. Sarah Silverman, taken out of context, seems hideously offensive but because we know she doesn't mean it yet other people say the same things and aren't kidding, it's okay when she says it. Well... to some people anyway. I know you don't care for her.

Again, that doesn't mean that rape is hilarious or sexual violence against anybody is just a light matter or that all shock humor is deep social commentary in disguise. But because something is horrible doesn't mean it can't be funny. If anything the worse something is the more it needs humor to get people talking about it.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

I think that's exactly the point of the difference between subversive comedy and status quo shock jock crap. I think they did address that in the article, at least briefly.

[zodarzone.livejournal.com]

Lots of great links again. (Thanks for the plug, I need it)

As a male comic geek and gamer I'm appalled by EA's contest on numerous levels, from the disregard for the personal rights of women, to what the contest itself says about their opinions of their audience. And their apology was pathetically flimsy and insulting in its lack of understanding.

Rape jokes? Obviously I'm missing what's "hip" and "in" these days because I haven't heard any. I'm glad I haven't. The only "rape joke" I've heard/seen was the idea that the fourth Indiana Jones movie equated to Lucas and Spielberg raping Indy. I found it funny. And I found it acceptable because it is symbolic and a visual metaphor. Also, it was not glorifying rape. The whole episode centered around the fact that rape is unacceptable, the victim should be protected, and the perpetrators should be punished. And that's from South Park.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

*nod* When the joke's on the rapist, or on the fucked up attitudes in society that foster rape, I've got no problem. When the joke's on the victim, I've got some serious issues.

[jajy1979.livejournal.com]

As a gamer I was completely outraged at the stunt by EA. Frankly, as said gamer, I'm also willing to step up and say that EA is the worst thing to happen to the industry. Between their marketing stunts that continue to break laws, reinforce social stereotypes, and propogate bad behavior in males, to their weak game lines and penchant for driving out more viable and progressive industry competion (usually by buying them out), they are an absolute disaster. An embodiment of just about everything wrong with the gamer culture, past and present.

I'm amused at how often I end up linked in your linkity posts.