Embryo of Philosophy

I haven't posted about Iran, mostly because I don't really know what to say. I don't have anything insightful to contribute that hasn't already been said.

Because I'm dumb, all I can offer is a selection of links cobbled from my friends list. If nothing else, I can try to make more people aware. I have to say something, because my silence is too damn loud.


A summary of current events in the rallies.

Why you should care and Why I will not let it go (and neither should you) both by one_hoopy_frood. The latter has some "what can I do to help?" links.

There's a live post going on here at ontd_political

There's a move to get Google to change their logo in order to show support.

Apparently, Saturday is going to be a global day of protest. There's information here. There's going to be one in Denver, and luckily, I am not working on Saturday. I encourage people to go. Here's a handy flier.

I've been putting off this post for too long.

On May 28th, two of the hosts of a Sacramento morning radio show called Rob, Arnie & Dawn in the Morning spent over half an hour encouraging and promoting the physical and emotional abuse of transgender and questioning children. No, seriously.

( Read more... )

Well, it feels good to get that off my chest.


EDIT: Carl's Jr/Hardee's and Verizon have also pulled their sponsorship! Yes!

EDIT AGAIN: Well's Fargo is also no longer advertising on KXRQ!

EDIT TAKE THREE: Nissan's pulling their support as well!


RETURN OF THE EDIT: AT&T and McDonald’s are gone too! That's ten big name corporations so far.

( Bush-Era Abortion Rules Face Possible Reversal )

This article actually cleared some things up for me that I didn't previously fully understand. For instance, "For decades, federal law has said that doctors and nurses can't be compelled to perform abortions. The new regulation broadens that to make clear that all health-care workers may refuse to provide information, such as a referral, to patients looking for an abortion."

And abortion isn't the only issue here. From the National Center for Transgender Equality:

( Newly Released 'Provider Conscience' Regulations and Their Affect On Transgender People )

A few people may be wondering why I'm so worried. After all, isn't Obama going to simply get rid of that despicable junk? Wasn't that the point of the first article? To you, I say that my faith in President-Elect Obama has been sorely shaken.

( A Bigot, Anti-Choice Pastor Picked for Obama's Inauguration )

After insisting that his agenda was "broad," and holding himself out as an impartial arbiter of the Forum, he declared that voting for a "Holocaust denier," (i.e., someone who is pro-choice) is a "deal-breaker" for many evangelicals.

It drives me really, really nuts when anti-choice people compare abortion to the Holocaust or genocide. For one thing, it's a sickening trivialization of the Holocaust. For another thing, it reveals that these people do not understand basic dictionary definitions. A genocide is "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group" (from dictionary.com). Fetuses are not a national, racial, political, or cultural group. Even if you believe abortion is morally wrong, it's no more genocide than it is arson.

Warren, a creationist, believes that homosexuality disproves evolution; he told CNN's Larry King in 2005, "If Darwin was right, which is survival of the fittest then homosexuality would be a recessive gene because it doesn't reproduce and you would think that over thousands of years that homosexuality would work itself out of the gene pool."

Okay, not only does he not understand dictionary definitions, he also doesn't understand genetics or evolution either. There is no one "gay gene." And recessive genes can be in your genetic makeup without being active. And evolutionary biologists have hypothesized that homosexuality is actually evolutionarily beneficial because it creates adults that are unencumbered with offspring of their own, allowing them to help with community child care.

Warren protests that he's not a homophobe

OH, OF COURSE NOT. HOW COULD ANYONE THINK THAT HE IS?

He thinks his AIDS relief efforts represent an elevated form of Christianity over those non-evangelical do-gooders whom he compares to "Marxists" because they're more interested in good works than salvation.

Because the main tenet of Marxism is... doing good works without being concerned about personal salvation?

Things that Rick Warren has absolutely no understanding of:

The Holocaust
Genocide
Genetics
Evolution
Marxism

Seriously, does this man just throw out random words to see if they stick?

After I first told my mother about this Rick Warren guy, she was skeptical. You may be too. So, I present a second article from cnn.com.

( Obama's inaugural choice sparks outrage )

"There were all kinds of threats that if [Proposition 8] did not pass, then any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn't think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships, and that would be hate speech."

...The only thing that Prop 8 was concerned with was whether or not same-sex couples would retain their legal right to marry. These claims that that right would have made speaking out against homosexuality (and god, look how it's phrased "he didn't think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships." How sweet and innocuous.) hate speech or that it would have forced kindergarten teachers to discuss homosexuality in their classes are such despicable lies that it shows just how detestable the religious right is. These people are scum. That's all there is to it.

Okay, has the world just decided that it wants to make me furious and sad? Is this some grand conspiracy? Because Jesus H. Christ on a freaking pogo stick.

Somebody makes a post at fanfic rants about an author using "gay" as an insult. Irritating right? I hate when people do that. But if that's all it was, I wouldn't be making this post.

In come the Lesbians Who Aren't Offended By Anything. Watch as they blow off valid examples of homophobia! Thrill as they say that people are "looking to be offended!" Their ability to be total assholes will astound you!

I'm in there sporadically (mostly making snarky comments), but my main confrontation with one of the people is here. It's amazing how anyone can be that ignorant, condescending, offensive, and factually wrong all at once.

On the upside, the person who originally made the "gay" comment both changed her wording and apologized. That's how to be a class act, people. However it is not nearly enough to alleviate my rage over the whole situation.

So, they're making an Avatar: The Last Airbender live action movie. Pretty cool, no? Well you might think so... until you saw the cast. They're all white. Every last one of the main characters. Yes, even Katara and Sokka

One of the great things about Avatar is that the setting isn't the same old "vaguely European" fantasy setting. It's based on Eastern cultures, and not just "the exotic Orient." The clothes, the food, the architecture is all based off of different Asian civilizations.

And the cast for the live action movie is white, when they weren't in the show.

Does everybody get why this is a problem? Does everybody understand the paucity of people of color in entertainment, especially in fantasy? And Avatar is a show that's all about people of color. This is a chance a people of color (especially children) to see people who look like them. But that's been abandoned in favor of "Oh no, white people would never see a movie featuring people who's skin is less than ivory." (And am I the only white person who finds that frankly offensive? The racism is the real issue here, but the implication that I am far too shallow and stupid to identify with characters who don't share my skin color is insulting.)

Naturally, there are people defending the casting. Privileged people will defend anything.

"Isn't talent more important than race?" The biggest problem with this is that it implies that there aren't any good POC actors available. It assumes that people of color who tried out couldn't make the cut, rather than there being racism in the audition and casting process. There are plenty of POC actors. Good ones. But instead, M. Night Shyamalan cast all white people. Plus, do you really think that any of the actors chosen are so absolutely astounding that there were no other suitable options? I mean, really?

"But I don't see Aang and Zuko as Asian." Good for you. Nice to see that the "white=default" assumption is still in place. (And by "nice," I mean "rage inducing.") But given that everything else in the Avatar world is Asian influenced, it's a rather logical to assume that the characters would look Asian. And, really, the alternative is much worse. White characters decked out in entirely Asian trappings? Can you say "cultural appropriation"? Good, I knew you could.

"It sucks, but then again, the whole movie is going to suck." Okay, bad acting and crummy action scenes or whatever? Make a movie suck. Casting characters of color as entirely white? Makes a movie racist. There is a difference in the degree of bad. (Hint: racism is worse.)

"It's not that big a deal. Why do you people care so much?" Because we don't like racism. End of story.

And my favorite, I saved it for last: "Even if the actors don't have the right skin color for Katara and Sokka, they can just wear makeup."

Yes! Yes, indeed the perfect solution! Just slather some paint on and put them in black face! And then we can tape up Aang and Zuko's eyes and make them squint a whole bunch! Hollywood used to do that all of the time! I wonder why they stopped?

BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING RACIST! I have trouble finding the words to express this. If you can't understand that yellow face is not the solution, then I'm not sure that we have any common ground.

What to do if you're pissed off by this? Well, there a letter writing campaign over at aang_aint_white. Write (...I originally typed that as "white") to Paramount studios. Write to the media. Write to Shyamalan's company. Or you could make am lj post about it. Or you could just bring up the problem when talking about the movie. It really isn't hard.

Yeah, I think that I'm done for now.

( Protections Set for Antiabortion Health Workers )

"People should not be forced to say or do things they believe are morally wrong." That sounds good doesn't it? Reasonable. Except that people also need to do their fucking jobs.

I don't like large corporations. It seems that 9 times out 10 they're evil. I consider a lot of the tactics that corporations use to be morally wrong. And yet, Blockbuster still expects me to do my job. What would happen if I refused to check people out because it violated my conscience? They'd fire me, that's what they'd do! And rightly so. Or say that I thought violent video games were a source of evil. I don't get to refuse to rent them. I have a job to do, and renting violent video games is part of it.

I'm seeing articles like this more and more, and it's beginning to drive me crazy.

Normally when I post articles, they're political in nature. World or national news, or commentary on whatever sexual sub-culture has caught a reporter's eye. Today is slightly different. Today is an article on money and finances. It's not very useful. Why am I posting it, then? Because never before has one article summed up what's so very, very wrong with American's--without even realizing it.

Middle-class reality check: The 'essential' indulgences

( Or read it here )

The premise of the article seems sound enough, at first glance, if more than a little obvious: it's the extra things we buy, that we assume we need, that tend to cause money problems for otherwise well off people. The problem is in phrase "we assume we need." The article never challenged that. The author says that Starbucks coffee and manicures aren't necessities once in the article, but the more you read, the more you realize that in her heart, she believes otherwise.

The article does present the blindingly obvious conclusion: stop buying shit that you don't need. But the tone of the article makes it clear that this "expert advice" (what kind of expert do you have to be?) isn't practical. You can't stop buying your four dollar latte, because you need it. It's like saying, "You shouldn't hit someone unless the really deserve it... but everyone deserves it." The article is also without purpose. "Too bad, so sad, but what can we do? This is just the way things are now."

The part I really hate, the part that comes close to making me physically ill, is the last part.

On a recent run to the drugstore (Band-Aids, paper towels, dental floss) Harper spied a battery-powered Hello Kitty toothbrush and brought it to me with a breathless catch in her voice that I recognized from my own.

"Mama, please!"

I took a close look at this candy-colored cartoon character, a dual-headed number that promised to clean my child's teeth in a whirling vortex of bliss. It was $7.99. Then I glanced at the much more practical, soft-bristled, sad little substitute, which had the unfortunate luck of being stocked next to its superstar cousin. It was perfectly adequate and $2.99.

Harper saw me hesitating and saw she had but one moment to make her case.

"Mama, I have to have this."

I knew exactly what she meant.

What the fuck are you teaching your child, woman!? Your daughter does not have to have some flashy toothbrush. I was under the impression that the difference between want and need was one the most important early lessons to teach a child. Then again, the line between the two is so blurred in the author's mind that I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised. But, god damn it. No wonder we live in a nation of such rising debt.

It's not as if I don't understand the desire to own, to have more. It's not as if I don't buy plenty of shit that I don't need. I'd be loathe to give up my monthly manga purchase. But I don't think my precious comic books are a necessity. I'm not so deluded, not so mind-numbingly stupid.

I talk about spending too much; I talk about how money burns a whole in my pocket. The chilling truth seems to be that I'm a model of fiscal responsibility. And it's not that I cut back on luxuries. I just bought an anime artbook that I'm having shipped from Japan. That ain't cheap. But, I wouldn't buy it if I didn't honestly think that I could afford it. I could go without fancy ebay stuff, and, yes, if I had to, I could even stop buying manga. (Let's hope that it never comes to that.) Plus, I'm careful other places. I make a serious effort to never spend more than ten bucks on a haircut. I buy my clothes at thrift and discount stores. (With the exception of t-shirts. Witty/cool t-shirts are one of the luxuries that I allow myself.) When grocery shopping, I look for sales, and never buy name brand over generic unless there's a marked difference in quality. (And I'll look at a generic brand from a different store before I do that.) And when I get things that I in no way need, I try and be reasonable about it. If I'm getting special snacks at the grocery store, I make sure that I only get what's on sale. If I'm downtown and want to buy lunch, I'm still not going to spend ten bucks on a sandwich.

None of this is particularly amazing. However, this society is so blinded by greed and entitlement, that it begins to sound practically radical.

Next time one "stuff that gets Veleda really, really fucking pissed off:" People who can't even make the most basic effort to sort their recyclables.

I imagine that a lot of people are already aware of this, but there's currently an antisemitism controversy over in the Harry Potter fandom. Check the recent entries at the lj metafandom for the full story, but it basically boils down to this: A group of HP fans started an RPG, and they had the brilliant idea to call it Kristallnacht. Yes, that Kristallnacht. You can see why this might be bad idea, right? Well, so did they. A part of their FAQ basically boils down to, "We know that this is offensive, but we don't care." Surprisingly enough, some Jewish people found that bothersome. When they mentioned this, the RPGers quickly sank to calling people "cunts." Now there are many posts expressing outrage over the whole situation, from Jews, to non-Jewish Germans, to people who are neither.

Well, today somebody made a post decrying fandom "witch hunts," and how they disapproved of "dogpiling." I had some issues with this, even besides whole "Don't be mean to the poor anti-semites!" implications. my reply was:

First off, I have to say that this is not a witch hunt. These aren't innocent people being singled out for something that they didn't do. No one is specifically seeking them out for them. The people making the angry posts are not looking to be offended, but they will speak up when they are.

These people are not just clueless. Clueless would be simply having a dumb name for their RPG. Thoughtless was saying, essentially, "We know that this is offensive, but we don't care." They went past that when they started calling people cunts and continuing to ignore the very valid point, instead complaining that mean Jews were looking to be offending and that everyone should just get over the Holocaust. That's nasty and despicable, and I see no reason why they shouldn't be called out on it. If a lot of people are making posts, then that means that a lot of people were upset. A live journal can function perfectly well as a place to rant when you're hurt or offended. Why shouldn't people use it as such just because there's a risk of hurting the feelings of people who have proven that they have no consideration for the feelings of others? Especially considering that all the anger is perfectly valid.

You know what's important? Stopping bigotry. You know what the first step is? Speaking up.

Speak the fuck up.

Oh, I see that the "dogpile" person just replied to me and was totally dismissive. Man, why do I even try using logic and sense on the internet? How often does it work?