yes, it's still racist

I realize I haven't posted on here in awhile. I've been getting my social justice fix from reading and writing in other places, but I'd like to get back to doing it here too.

For now, I point you a post over at OCgirl about the terrible comic in The Oklahoman about Sonia Sotomayor. I was so angry reading all the things the media said about Sonia and reverse racism.

Here's the cartoon if you haven't seen it:

Virginia GA GOP booes high school students at session

Wow, I can't believe ANY booing should be going on in a legislative session, much less in response to visiting high school students who are there to see how the General Assembly operates. For shame.

Here for video

Economy booster

LOL

(From Love Puppy)

The Bible's case for gay marriage

There's nothing I like better than poking holes in religious conservative arguments.

Thanks Newsweek.

Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy

About why gay marriage is not spoken against specificially by the Bible, and in fact, argues for it.

Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition (and, to talk turkey for a minute, a personal discomfort with gay sex that transcends theological argument). Common prayers and rituals reflect our common practice: the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer describes the participants in a marriage as "the man and the woman." But common practice changes—and for the better, as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice." The Bible endorses slavery, a practice that Americans now universally consider shameful and barbaric. It recommends the death penalty for adulterers (and in Leviticus, for men who have sex with men, for that matter). It provides conceptual shelter for anti-Semites. A mature view of scriptural authority requires us, as we have in the past, to move beyond literalism. The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it's impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours.

Love that quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. I just keep repeating that to myself when thinking of social change.

Gay adoption ban violates FL's equal protection guarantees

Florida Judge Rules Against the Gay Adoption Ban

NPR's All Things Considered, November 25, 2008 ·

A Miami judge ruled Tuesday that there is no rational, scientific or moral reason that sexual orientation should be a barrier to adopting children, finalizing the adoption of two siblings by their gay foster father.

It saddens me that we need a judge to emphasize that statement above. It is a good thing, of course, but it is a real shame that we can't realize that humans are humans, sexuality is a spectrum, and who you love and are attracted to is just one piece of who we all are.

Also, the dad looks a little like Skinner from The X Files

He's Not Black

He's Not Black

By Marie AranaSunday, November 30, 2008; Page B01 The Washington Post

He is also half white.
Unless the one-drop rule still applies, our president-elect is not black.

To me, as to increasing numbers of mixed-race people, Barack Obama is not our first black president. He is our first biracial, bicultural president. He is more than the personification of African American achievement. He is a bridge between races, a living symbol of tolerance, a signal that strict racial categories must go.

The article discusses the complicated nature of race and how even in a historical event like this last presidential race, we still manage to look at race in strictly bilateral terms.

My Two Dads

I don't know where this is originally from, but I found it on Lavender Lines

Protest

From Lavender Lines

So many are killed just because of their gender identity

Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2008
Richmond Friends Meeting House
4500 Kensington Avenue
7:00pm til 9:00pm

more
http://www.transgenderdor.org/

Election Night

Since An OC Girl came looking for my post-election reaction, I felt compelled to post.

It's hard to sum up how powerful last night felt. There's something to be said for being in a huge room full of people on the cusp of history who all share your excitement, nervousness, wonder, and glee. It was truly amazing to be jumping up and down in 3 inch stiletto boots that I'd had on since 13 hours before and hugging everyone in sight, screaming at the top of my lungs, first as CNN called Virginia and then shortly after as they announced the entire race. I don't think any of us were expecting it to be decided so fast, and then BAM, McCain made his concession speech. Compared to the last two elections, when we all went to bed wondering what was going to happen, it was unexpected to have what could be considered a landslide. I don't think any of us expected that.

For me, the presidential race could be boiled down to an essential issue--who was truly speaking to ALL Americans. TV and commentary last night and today all piled onto that issue, and I'm not sure why all of a sudden they seem to realize that's what the race was about, but I'm glad. For once, a candidate was really bringing people of diverse backgrounds together. All you had to do was look at an Obama rally vs a McCain rally to see this. The stark whiteness of McCain's crowd spoke for itself. The crowd last night at the DPVA party was equally as telling. College kids, greying couples, black, white, Latino, Asian, gay, straight. All people who got it. That this really was about history, for more reasons than just the first black President. I don't think most unenlightened white people were able to grasp what it means for people to feel like they are finally being heard, that their voice is being represented. Delegate Jennifer McClellan of Richmond noted that Virginia hadn't voted Democratic since the Civil Rights Movement. A fellow supporter last night commented that the electoral map looked like the civil war, with blue in the North and red in the South. The 60's was not that long ago, yet it seems eons away culturally. I hope Americans are finally as surprised and disgusted as I am to realize that we haven't come as far as we think. This election proves otherwise. The world was watching us, and don't you wonder what they think now? Isn't it funny that most other developed nations, even those not as diverse as ours, have been far more progressive in their politics for far longer? Do you think they congratulate us, welcome us to their world stage, or do you think they are shaking their heads at their poor, slow-to-catch-on ally?

And isn't it terrible, that as Obama came to the podium to give his victory speech, that a uneasy feeling in my gut worried about something terrible happening to him at this pivotal point? That I had to even worry about the possibility. That others in the room hushed to hear him and thought their own private dark thoughts. That the sound of the helicopter in the background was hopefully a good thing.

So today is another day, just like every other day. My day-to-day has not changed. But let us not doubt Margaret Mead in that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Yes We Can

Step outside of your privilege for just a second please

It can be difficult for me to express articulate arguments when I get so worked up about the subject matter. When something is so important, you want to get it right, you want to convince people why it's important. Notice I didn't say convince people to change their minds. I don't think we all have to agree but some people certainly need more education, more perspective, and a different paradigm about certain things. We should not be afraid to speak up, to argue til we are blue in the face, to make a scene. If something necessitates questioning and action then keep talking, keep fighting, keep getting doors shut in your face, harsh words thrown at you.

I notice often that people have such difficulty stepping outside of their privilege, out of what they know to be. This is especially true of those whose privilege is the majority--namely, moneyed, white men. What bothers me is that someone of this privilege cannot comprehend that perhaps the reason that this particular election is so frenzied, that there is all this talk about change, and that there is more turnout all around is that for once, there is a candidate who is speaking to their issues. Someone who looks like them. Someone who could represent them. Let's discuss the terms Us and Them for a minute. The majority considers any other, them, and I speak not just in numbers, because a minority is not just a minority because it is small, but because it lacks power and influence. It is easy to group others into one lump when you do not understand them. This is why stereotyping is so frequent, so convenient. It allows us a frame of reference to begin to comprehend an other.

I am a sociologist. I can spot socialization, I can spot social pressure. I know movements when I see them. We are what we are taught, how we grew up, what we've experienced. This influence cannot be discounted. There are larger social forces acting upon us constantly. We are not always independent actors. Not everyone thinks like a sociologist. If it isn't your reality, then you don't look behind the curtain to ask why. If your reality is comfortable, you don't consider how it got to be that way, if it is inherently good or fair. Why would you? You like it the way it is. For all this talk of change, society and people are not quick to change. It was only 50 years ago we hunted people down and ostracized them for supporting an economic and political model that was in the minority. In America. In the melting pot. In the country that embraces free speech and dissent and the freedom to question government. Twinges of McCarthyism are resurfacing even now. We have learned nothing.

Everybody has a story. The American dream is talked about a lot. But somehow, the real meaning of the American dream was lost. That "real America" became a catchphrase, one that applied only to certain kinds of people. People of certain races, religions, occupations, parts of the country. We have become adept at putting our heads in the sand and living in our own terrariums. When did we become an America that really only cares about ourselves? When did sharing in things like wealth, resources, education, and privilege become a dirty word? When did those who want to do well for themselves decide that meant they had to at the cost of others?

I will continue to speak up, to champion the unpopular ideas, to dissent, to stand up for justice. I will continue to fight because the cause is worthy.

Church and State

Sigh. I am so fired up by everything anymore. It is stressful. It's frustrating seeing hate and injustice and religion-pushing and stupidity and hypocrites over and over and not feeling like anything is changing.

And this is just ridiculous. Especially the commenters:
Virginia Pharmacy Caters to Pro-Life Customers

I cannot stand the argument that people who receive their life direction from God get to live by different standards than the rest of the world, most of whom DO NOT SHARE their position. When you live in a world with many other people who are different from you, you have to have separate spheres for public policy and legislation versus religion and home life. This is a John Rawls principle that is the simplest answer I've seen to these kinds of arguments. Rawls argued that a narrow definition of public reason was necessary for the sake of achieving agreement in a pluralistic society.

He also argues that since many people have differing doctrines that are understood to be reasonable, those who insist in the public forum on acting solely on what they believe (and that others don't) are being unreasonable. Therefore, in a public sphere, this concept of the reasonable then displaces that of moral truth. Rawls states, "Once we accept the fact that reasonable pluralism is a permanent condition of public culture under free institutions, the idea of the reasonable is more suitable as part of the basis of public justification" (Source)

This is not so different from our constitutional (though eroding) separation of church and state. It is fine for you to have a faith that makes you live your life a certain way. But when that way is incompatible with all the other freedoms and basic rights of others, then you don't get to push that way of life on others.

I think I'm going to start going back and re-reading my philosophy and political and religious liberalism books from college. I miss this kind of learning, this kind of discussion.

Obama in Richmond

View the live feed of Obama's rally in Richmond today here

UR hosts Mayoral Debate

The University of Richmond will host a debate among the five candidates for mayor of Richmond Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Alice Haynes Room. The debate is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow.

Questioners will represent local media, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Centro, Style Weekly, WWBT TV-12 and the university's student newspaper, The Collegian. Audience members may submit questions, which moderator Dan Palazzolo, professor of political science, will ask as time permits.

All five candidates for Richmond mayor—Paul Goldman, Robert J. Grey Jr., Dwight C. Jones, William J. Pantele and Lawrence Williams—have agreed to participate.

University sponsors of the debate include the Office of the President, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, Richmond School of Law, Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and the Center for Government and Policy.

For more information, call (804) 289-8056.

Celebrity do-gooding

Brad Pitt stands up for LGBT

from Below the Belt

This is not a normal human

Jezebel, in its popular, Photoshop of Horrors, illustrates how much photoshopping can change what a person looks like. Just looking at this ad, you wouldn't necessarily notice anything odd about Britney Spears.But at closer look, you realize that her wrists and ankles are impossibly thin. Her legs are unnaturally long. Her waist has been shrunken.

Have a comparison between the photoshopped version on the left and a regular photo of Britney on the right. See?

These kind of images, this kind of ultra-distorted photoshopping, affects us all. When we don't realize that the images we see every day are not actual reflections of reality, we assume them to be truth. So even though we may have an idea that some photos are generally photoshopped, at casual glance, our brain is not picking up on the fact that her ankles are not normal. All we see is a thin, tanned, perfect model. And we set that image as normal, as regular, when in fact, NO ONE is shaped that way. This is so harmful, not only for women and their own body image, but for men, who will expect women to look this way, even if only subconsciously.

I think many have noted that this issue is serious, and even unacceptable, but what can be done about it? What has to happen for magazines and photo editors to stop making cartoons out of humans? I can understand that a magazine wants the best possible version of their models, but this isn't removing red eyes and stray hairs--this is creating fiction.

Presidential Policy Advisers at UR today

Environmental policy advisers to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain will discuss their candidate's proposals Oct. 1 at the University of Richmond School of Law.

The 12:15 p.m. program will beheld in the Moot Court Room and is free and open to the public. Noah M. Sachs , assistant professor of law, will moderate. He serves as faculty director of the law school's Merhige Center for Environmental Studies . The event is co-sponsored by the Jepson School of Leadership Studies . The interactive session will begin with opening remarks from each campaign, followed by questions from the audience. For more information, contact Kris Henderson at (804) 289-8186, or see this release

Reusable bags aren't really all that "green"

I'm really not surprised to hear that those hipster-trendy reusable shopping bags are not actually that "green". The WSJ article here explains more about why.

"If you don't reuse them, you're actually worse off by taking one of them," says Bob Lilienfeld, author of the Use Less Stuff Report, an online newsletter about waste prevention. And because many of the bags are made from heavier material, they're also likely to sit longer in landfills than their thinner, disposable cousins, according to Ned Thomas, who heads the department of material science and engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What about you, readers? Do you use those reusable bags or do you reuse your current bags? My thing is, I reuse all of my plastic grocery bags again in my house for trash bags and for scooping out cat litter. I reuse the paper bags for recycling because they won't let you put recyclables out in plastic bags and won't give large apt buildings reusable plastic bins (nor will a huge bin fit in my tiny Fan kitchen). Most of the cloth or remade totes are not large enough to hold what a normal bag would anyway, and I'd need several of them for a large grocery trip.

More than 6000

I snicker at this blog I found, that illustrates for us things that have more people than Sarah Palin's town.

My favorite so far is this (emphasis mine):

On July 25th of this year, more people than the population of the town of Wasilla, AK showed up to see Miley Cyrus sing in concert on Good Morning America in New York City. Approximately 7,000 people attended the festivities, proving that 15 year old star of “Hannah Montana” fame has a larger draw than Ms. Palin’s home town.

And we can't forget of course, our very own mob stampede right here in Henrico, VA

Richmond Mayoral Forum

I know I still have no idea who I want to vote for. I'll definitely be here.