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

[stephl.livejournal.com]

Caster Semenya is now under close supervision lest she commit suicide.

I'm so rage-y over this whole debacle. Starting with the bullshit gendered misogynist assumption that a woman couldn't possibly be that good at something, so she MUST be a man trying to pull a fast one. Then the utterly ridiculous "makover" that magazine gave her, because if she *says* she's a woman, then she needs to know how to perform her gender "properly" -- because there's only one acceptable way to be a woman.

And the way her life has become public property, including the reporting of her test results before even she knew them. To some degree, all well-promoted athletes end up being seen as public commodities, but it's so much worse for women, who are already viewed as public property.

And, finally, the fact that she's intersex is no one's goddamn business but her own. (And if I hear/read "she-he" one more time, I'm going to absolutely lose it.)

[drfardook.livejournal.com]

Did I really just listen to that teabagger weasel fuck in the CNN video brush off racist elements of the movement he's fronting with an "oh well, some people are bigots, can't do anything about it"?

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

"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?"

Followed by all manner of shocked chicken-clucking that "someone like that" would stalk, assault and murder a woman, then to be followed by "Well, he was lonely, you know, and women just wouldn't talk to him, so..."

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Just be glad you haven't run across "it," as I have. My own fault, of course, for being stupid enough to click the reader comments on absolutely any online newspaper story about anything much less this.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

Jesus. I have read/heard "it" used in other places to refer to trans* and/or intersex people. But I've deliberately avoided the comments sections of articles about Caster Semenya because I'm already too ragey from the situation itself. Reading hateful comments would push my blood pressure into stroke range, I fear.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I want to link them to that "I Expect More" blogpost from (I think) Shakesville.

And yes, another instance of people cutting down someone because he's successful...

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I can only view Caster Semenya's trials as being made up to be a reactionary cautionary tale for black women athletes who are just too good.

The "sexual ambiguity" just played into it too easily.

The rage... it's hard to contain.

Norma Rae is one of my favourite movies and Ms. Sutton's death in light of the debate (crazy that it's a debate) over healthcare is poignant in a way it shouldn't be.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

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.

I'm doing both.

Also, I totally agree with the Annie Le prediction, and I'm so pissed about Caster Semenya I can't comment.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'm doing both.

That's because you're awesome

[such_heights]

I don't know why I'm in the least surprised, but - oh my god.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Between that and the people being totally dismissive of her own self-identification as female ("That's a GUY in that photo, hurrhurrhurrhurr!"), the human race is fired.

[frodo-esque.livejournal.com]

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.

Interesting, I didn't feel that in the link you provided, CNN (at least), alleged that her crime knowledge lent herself as a 'victim who should have known better', to me it was an ironic note. She actually wrote an article comparing Yale crime to crime at other Ivy Leagues, how ironic that she should soon become a crime victim herself.

However, I will admit that I have not read other news sources on this subject, and if another 'reputable' news source did allege that she should have known better, that is horrendous.

Caster Semenya is now under close supervision lest she commit suicide. How devastating. ;(

[lonebear.livejournal.com]

giraffeaholic and I are both disgusted with the Caster Semenya issue. I guess giraffeaholic is not feminine enough because she almost never 'gussies up'. Feh on all those bastards who are hounding the poor woman.

We also have almost no respect left for the 'mainstream media'. Our best news and commentary comes from HuffingtonPost, Kos, Rachel, and Keith.

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

Good gods...I really wish I hadn't clicked on that Obama link...that was offensive as all fuck. Why is it even a question if it's racist???

I didn't recognize the name Crystal Lee Sutton but once I clicked the link....then it 'clicked' (so to speak). I've seen Norma Rae a number of times..it's a good movie. Despite what I think of what unions have become (this does not mean btw..that I think unions are a bad thing...just that some of them have lost sight of what their original purpose is), she did a good thing and I'm sad to see that she's passed.

I'm sad that Swayze is gone...but not surprised. He'd been fighting for a while now. I'm glad he's not suffering anymore. Now I really *do* need to buy a copy of Dirty Dancing.

Oh yeah...and the Semenaya stuff? Gods...why the fuck can't people leave the poor woman alone??? So she has some male characteristics? So what! She's a human being and deserves to be treated with respect. Period.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

...and now I have an image in my head of my mother doing the Dirty Dancing finale dance with Patrick Swayze up in heaven.

This is far more uplifting than you'd think.

[imaginarycircus.livejournal.com]

The novel I've been working on for the last 18 months? Is about how rape is not a woman's fault and no woman should ever feel guilty about saying, "No. You cannot touch me."

The Annie Le case is so awful and everytime the press mentions that she was such a small woman I want to scream. And I would not be at all surprised if some asshole snapped because she was marrying someone else. Ew.

My dad took me to see Norma Rae when it came out and then we had a long talk about equal rights for women over ice cream. I love that my dad is such a feminist.

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

Oh good lord....are you serious????

Ugggghhhh!!!


It's shit like this that makes me embarrassed to be associated with the rest of humanity.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I'm serious. :-/ It's all a big hilarious joke, apparently, unless of course you're the person contemplating suicide because there's literally no place on planet Earth to hide anymore.

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

Gods...that poor woman. I can't even imagine how her family must be feeling about all this either. It can't be good.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed To Work yet?

[sunhawk.livejournal.com]

I swear, I am losing track of the number of conversations I've had online where someone says something really racist about Obama, I point out it's racist, the person in question runs off crying that OMG YOU ARE SO MEEEEAN I AM NOT RACIST YOU DON'T EVEN KNOOOOW ME!@@!!!

[laughingacademy.livejournal.com]

It’s only Tuesday, and I am so ready for this week to be over. Memo to world: STOP SUCKING.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Have now! Thankies!

[isil-helyanwe.livejournal.com]

I really liked this little speech on Semenya, I thought it was an interesting perpesctive on the whole gender-in-sport issue:



Based a little on this article.

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

The Swayze thing.

I was never a huge fan (though he was wonderful in To Wong Foo and Donnie Darko), but I started paying attention to him more closely when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. My dad also died of pancreatic cancer, a fact we didn't learn until the autopsy. The disease is so swift and painful, and it was great to see how humble and gracious and -- yes -- human Swayze was in dealing with death. I can only imagine the pain he was in, and if any good comes out of it I hope there's renewed research for pancreatic cancer.