sundries

[rm]

First, Annie Le. I've spent a lot of time in New Haven in general and at Yale in particular. From fairly early on it seemed fairly clear that this was not one of those random New Haven crimes, and yet, even as recently as yesterday, articles about Le are telling us that she was street smart and "aware of crime in a college town" and "knew how to protect herself."

1. I hate reporting that explains to us why a woman is or is not to blame for her rape and/or murder. A WOMAN IS NOT TO BLAME FOR HER RAPE AND OR MURDER.

2. Annie Le was not the victim of random crime by a stranger. Walking with a group or any of the shit they tell women to do (because our risk is our fault, fuck you very much), would not have protected Annie Le. She was a researcher, doing her research, and she was most likely killed by one of her peers. When the facts come out, will anyone be surprised if she was killed by a male colleague who was angry that her impending marriage made her unavailable to him?

Second, Caster Semenya is now under close supervision lest she commit suicide. Fuck you world and fuck you Internets. In this whole debacle Semenya has been subject to, in no particular order: racism, misogyny, other people's tall-poppy hostility, the medicalization of gender and identity, society's acceptance of public ownership of private female bodies, and about twenty other things I'm too angry to list right now. Most importantly, she's been subjected to other people's cruelty, and all for really, one simple fucking reason: because she's really goddamn good at something, better, in fact, than most of us will ever be at anything. If you have ever cut someone down for talent or success, take a second and check yourself. Around here, I'm going to assume you all are not assholes on the gender front, but just in case, let me say it again: either gender, any gender, gender status, gendered pronouns: don't ever use them as an insult -- not for yourself, not for anyone else. It's hard; our society teaches us to do this; I struggle with it. But seriously, we can all work on that.

Third, Patrick Swayze died. He was talented as fuck, and gracious, fierce and ordinary in the face of illness. Instead of having an '80s kitsch celebration, learn from that.

Fourth, Crystal Lee Sutton died, and if you don't know who that is, you should follow the link.

Fifth, are we actually asking whether or not the Obama witch-doctor image is racist? CAN WE SOMEHOW NOT TELL? Yes, folks, it's fucking racist!

Now, moving along... I've just found out I have to go to Europe for three days in November. OMG WITH THE TRAVEL ALL THE TIME.

Patty and I are having dinner with some of her colleagues tonight. Yay.

More as it comes.

Comments

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Most of the Annie Le reporting is pissing me off so much I could scream. Mainly for the reasons you pointed out. Also, I almost clocked someone who said something to the effect that she shouldn't have been alone in the building. WTFF????? She was there, as you say, doing her research. Should she have to have a burly man bodyguard and a snarling Doberman babysitter with her to do her job? Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Can people not see how fucked up this is?

*breathes*

Thank you for giving me this space to rant. Or for letting me take this space to rant. Or something. And, yes, to what you wrote.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I am in my office at weird times alone a lot. And people are always telling me I shouldn't be (and you wouldn't believe the shit Patty hears about her work), but at the moment I am supposed to stop exercising my mind and abilities to earn income because of the risk of sexual violation to my gender (and let's face it, it's not about my safety, it's about how uncomfortable the word rape makes a bunch of men who don't have to worry about it on the same terms), is the point I should give up being literate or speaking or being a human being. She was doing her work! Gaaaaaaaaaaaah.

[bizetsy.livejournal.com]

Absolutely agreed that no one should have to explain motives or tiptoe around following their career at any time of day or night.

Along with the idea of someone killing her because s/he couldn't have her, I also wonder about the possibility of someone killing her because s/he couldn't BE here--embody her talent, do her research, have her ideas.

[rm.livejournal.com]

That thought occurred to me too, although largely in the context of "you know, we only see women kill each other for these reasons in horror films" and it's (sadly?) hard for me to imagine any man consciously envying a woman her skills with so hateful an outcome.

[bizetsy.livejournal.com]

Your comment made me take a sharp inhale, in that you made me realize that is, sadly, true.

I am fortunate that I get to read your insightful and very intelligent writing; thank you for the work you do.

(Sorry for my awkward wording and spelling mistakes, I'm post stroke/pre restorative therapy and my brain is doing weird things.)

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

In the Classics department at my second college, they solved the male envy problem by routinely denying qualified women tenure, thus only killing or maiming their careers. Of course this led to lawsuits.

You likely can't hear the dry sarcasm in my tone masking my deep fury over the tenure thing.

It wasn't just the classics department, of course. It's just I happened to know a certain plaintiff rather well having been in the classics department when she was denied tenure. she was the best teacher in the department and an excellent scholar and human being with colleagues who thought there shouldn't be women grad students as they should be off making babies, sentiments expressed openly to those grad students. *facepalm*