She does a great job with this. I've yet to read her book but I love how she talks. She's good.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/06/feministings-jessica-valenti-talks-feminism-with-stephen-colbert/
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
We should praise Christians for the Civil Rights Movement!
From this article: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/16/sunday/main3174781.shtml
But Stephen Prothero, who chairs the religious studies department at Boston University, says that atheists miss the fact that religion, while being a source of some terrible evil, is also the greatest force for good.
"And so, if you're gonna criticize — you know, religious people for the Inquisition, then you need to praise them for the civil rights movement," he said. "You need to praise them for getting rid of slavery in the United States, which they did. You can't sort of have it both ways."
Excuse me? Civil rights and an end to slavery were brought about by religious people? Uh, I'm thinking no. The religious people were just as likely to bring the verses from the Bible about slavery to justify slavery as those who used the Golden Rule to justify ending it. A few choice examples:
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
Oh, look! It's Leviticus! That very same chapter which they use to enforce their homophobia. Can you really insist on the literal and still applicable truth of one verse while insisting that another is outdated?
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)
Exodus. That's a credible book, for sure. No nonsense about the inferiority of gays there. Just good ol' slavery.
And here's a quote from a God-fearing gentleman of the time:
"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.
Obviously he sees his own beliefs backed up by the highest form of religious law.
The same could be said about justifying the continuing racism of the US post-slavery using the Bible. Anyone familiar with the curse of Ham? It was incorrectly interpreted time and time again to justify the subjugation of dark skinned people, having been said to translate to "dark" or "black", rather than its currently accepted translation of "hot" or "multitude".
Here's an example:
"The doom of Ham has been branded on the form and features of his African descendants. The hand of fate has united his color and destiny. Man cannot separate what God hath joined." United States Senator James Henry Hammond.
Interpretation has always been the fault of any sort of literature or media. One can certainly take whatever one wants from a source to enforce a certain agenda. This being said, I think it's ludicrous to assume that it was Christians who ended slavery and began Civil Rights because it seems to me just as likely that their individual faiths would be interpreted to encourage these things.
I think it would be safer to say that these movements came around due to ethical, secular considerations of equality and human rights. Let's not give too much credit, here.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_bibl.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham
But Stephen Prothero, who chairs the religious studies department at Boston University, says that atheists miss the fact that religion, while being a source of some terrible evil, is also the greatest force for good.
"And so, if you're gonna criticize — you know, religious people for the Inquisition, then you need to praise them for the civil rights movement," he said. "You need to praise them for getting rid of slavery in the United States, which they did. You can't sort of have it both ways."
Excuse me? Civil rights and an end to slavery were brought about by religious people? Uh, I'm thinking no. The religious people were just as likely to bring the verses from the Bible about slavery to justify slavery as those who used the Golden Rule to justify ending it. A few choice examples:
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
Oh, look! It's Leviticus! That very same chapter which they use to enforce their homophobia. Can you really insist on the literal and still applicable truth of one verse while insisting that another is outdated?
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)
Exodus. That's a credible book, for sure. No nonsense about the inferiority of gays there. Just good ol' slavery.
And here's a quote from a God-fearing gentleman of the time:
"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.
Obviously he sees his own beliefs backed up by the highest form of religious law.
The same could be said about justifying the continuing racism of the US post-slavery using the Bible. Anyone familiar with the curse of Ham? It was incorrectly interpreted time and time again to justify the subjugation of dark skinned people, having been said to translate to "dark" or "black", rather than its currently accepted translation of "hot" or "multitude".
Here's an example:
"The doom of Ham has been branded on the form and features of his African descendants. The hand of fate has united his color and destiny. Man cannot separate what God hath joined." United States Senator James Henry Hammond.
Interpretation has always been the fault of any sort of literature or media. One can certainly take whatever one wants from a source to enforce a certain agenda. This being said, I think it's ludicrous to assume that it was Christians who ended slavery and began Civil Rights because it seems to me just as likely that their individual faiths would be interpreted to encourage these things.
I think it would be safer to say that these movements came around due to ethical, secular considerations of equality and human rights. Let's not give too much credit, here.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_bibl.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Learn before you judge!!
I can deal with people educated and versed in my views telling me that they disagree. It's everyone's right to have an opinion. Sadly, this also extends to people who form these opinions without any basis in fact, or any attempt at understanding the opposing side.
This from my ex husband this morning via email: "As for the feminism, just remember. Penis-envy is worse than heroine addiction, at least with heroine you can get your fix and only hurt friends and family. Try that one on for size." Uh...huh. As if that even made sense. Also, this from the man who once screamed at me followed by a week long silent treatment because I didn't verify to his friends that he had a 9" dick. And somehow *I* am the one with a penis issue.
If he so much as ever listened to me about feminism, about my beliefs, about what I've learned in my women's studies classes, I KNOW that he wouldn't say ridiculous things like that but to ask uninformed people to shut up spewing their own beliefs and simply listen for a minute seems far too much to ask.
If you're a feminist reading this, how many of these presuppositions have been applied to you?
1. You hate men
2. You want better treatment than men/want to keep men down
3. You're a lesbian
4. You don't wear a bra/don't shave your armpits/etc
That list could continue but this is straight off the top of my head. People think things about feminists without even bothering to learn. If this wasn't the case, then why would the first exercise in countless women's studies 101 classes be to rattle off a list of things any rational person would think (people deserve equal pay for equal work, people should be treated the same for health care, etc) and then tell the students that if they believe it then, oh *GASP*, you're a feminist!
Why else would the word 'feminist' be so poison? Why is it that when you ask an average girl of teenage age range (usually most common in this group) if they are feminist, they'll deny it even holding the beliefs of feminism? Why else would we hear this phrase that makes feminists shudder to this day: "I'm not a feminist but..."?
Something needs to be done about the feminist reputation. Women (and MEN) should be proud to stand together and fix the inequities we fight against, and to unite under the label of feminist. The facts need to be straightened, the damage done by the patriarchy reversed, and the cause renewed.
I believe the only way to this goal is through education. I try to talk to people and straighten out their misconceptions about feminism. I may end up teaching women's studies one day (education and money willing) and I will make it a point to show people that it's not a compilation of all the bad stereotypes they've heard, but rather a legitimate cause focused on the simple idea that women are people too and deserve the same consideration.
This isn't much of a conclusion but again, I'm new at this serious type of blog so please forgive. Meanwhile, go out and spread the good word. Correct people who call you a "feminazi" (make sure to point out that it was coined by that drug addled hate mongerer Limbaugh). We can make small changes in our own social circles and backyards and the ripples will fan out eventually.
This from my ex husband this morning via email: "As for the feminism, just remember. Penis-envy is worse than heroine addiction, at least with heroine you can get your fix and only hurt friends and family. Try that one on for size." Uh...huh. As if that even made sense. Also, this from the man who once screamed at me followed by a week long silent treatment because I didn't verify to his friends that he had a 9" dick. And somehow *I* am the one with a penis issue.
If he so much as ever listened to me about feminism, about my beliefs, about what I've learned in my women's studies classes, I KNOW that he wouldn't say ridiculous things like that but to ask uninformed people to shut up spewing their own beliefs and simply listen for a minute seems far too much to ask.
If you're a feminist reading this, how many of these presuppositions have been applied to you?
1. You hate men
2. You want better treatment than men/want to keep men down
3. You're a lesbian
4. You don't wear a bra/don't shave your armpits/etc
That list could continue but this is straight off the top of my head. People think things about feminists without even bothering to learn. If this wasn't the case, then why would the first exercise in countless women's studies 101 classes be to rattle off a list of things any rational person would think (people deserve equal pay for equal work, people should be treated the same for health care, etc) and then tell the students that if they believe it then, oh *GASP*, you're a feminist!
Why else would the word 'feminist' be so poison? Why is it that when you ask an average girl of teenage age range (usually most common in this group) if they are feminist, they'll deny it even holding the beliefs of feminism? Why else would we hear this phrase that makes feminists shudder to this day: "I'm not a feminist but..."?
Something needs to be done about the feminist reputation. Women (and MEN) should be proud to stand together and fix the inequities we fight against, and to unite under the label of feminist. The facts need to be straightened, the damage done by the patriarchy reversed, and the cause renewed.
I believe the only way to this goal is through education. I try to talk to people and straighten out their misconceptions about feminism. I may end up teaching women's studies one day (education and money willing) and I will make it a point to show people that it's not a compilation of all the bad stereotypes they've heard, but rather a legitimate cause focused on the simple idea that women are people too and deserve the same consideration.
This isn't much of a conclusion but again, I'm new at this serious type of blog so please forgive. Meanwhile, go out and spread the good word. Correct people who call you a "feminazi" (make sure to point out that it was coined by that drug addled hate mongerer Limbaugh). We can make small changes in our own social circles and backyards and the ripples will fan out eventually.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Welcome to Me
This is my serious blog. Well, mostly, hardly anything I do is completely serious.
I think it'll take me a while to get up to the caliber of posts I'm wanting to make. My willpower is notoriously bad.
I think it'll take me a while to get up to the caliber of posts I'm wanting to make. My willpower is notoriously bad.
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