stavvers

Things I read this week that I found interesting

Is it Sunday already? It’s Sunday, isn’t it. Guess what? I read some things, and I found them interesting and now I’m sharing them because perhaps you’ll find them interesting too.

On Pins and Needles: Stylist Turns Ancient Hairdo Debate on Its Head (WSJ)- Read the story of a hairdresser who succeeded where archaeologists failed, and then watch her videos so you can recreate ancient hairstyles.

An open letter to Turn off the red light. (everyday whorephobia)- Challenging a very dangerous meme. I have signed this letter in agreement.

Dear Parent: About THAT kid… (Miss Night’s Marbles)- Moving article from a teacher who clearly cares about her children.

Kim Kardashian: The Butt of an Old Racial Joke (Blue Telusma)- Examining the context of Kim Kardashian’s photoshoot.

Gabrielle Union’s response to Leaked Nude Photos (Gabrielle Union)- A very powerful piece about when 4Chan stole images.

The Case Of Pansexuality 101 And The Sea Of Biphobia And Gender Erasure. (Consider The Tea Cosy)- Challenging biphobia from the pansexual community.

A-Z of dealing with and recognising abuse. (It Is I Who Will It)- A very useful, go-to resource.

How we tried to prevent incidents at a hacker camp, why we expected not to succeed, and how we failed. (DrCable)- A reflective post on safer spaces policy, what worked, and what didn’t. These are the sort of challenges we can build from.

American Horror Story’s Mat Fraser won’t star in your “inspiration porn” (AV Club)- A disabled actor talks representation.

Why I Stood Up To A Sexual Predator “Pick-Up Artist” and How We Took Him Down (Jennifer Li)- Excellent activism.

On misogyny in the gay community (Nicole Froio)- A personal account of something a lot of women may recognise.

How did the first world war actually end? (Paul Mason)- A history lesson in workers’ struggle.

GamerGate’s Perception of Women (Katherine Cross)- A series of tweets hitting the nail on the head.

And finally, look! It’s a little otter having its playtime! And it’s making little squeaky baby otter noises. And playing. And if this doesn’t make you happy, you have a heart of stone.

Sheffield United need to listen up: rape is not acceptable

Content note: this post discusses rape and rape apologism

At the time of writing, Sheffield United are still refusing to make a definitive statement on whether they will re-sign the rapist Ched Evans to the club. This decision is looking more bizarre by the day, as a scramble to disassociate from the enterprise begins. It started with patron Charlie Webster, and then two others followed. Shirt sponsors soon joined, and now Jessica Ennis-Hill, who has a stand named after her at Bramall Lane, wants her name removed if the rapist is re-signed. It seems bizarre, therefore, that United haven’t come out and distanced themselves to a different country than Evans.

There is likely a certain level of cynicism, at least among some of those pulling away from Sheffield United: a fear of negative publicity for their brand rather than a genuine commitment to ending rape culture. No business wants to be known as “that rape company” upon their logo being proudly displayed on the shirt of a convicted rapist. However, some seem to be putting across good messages, like Charlie Webster, who explained:

There can be no doubt that Evans is influencing a young generation of men who are still developing their opinions on how to treat women. They develop these opinions and morals based on the role models they see around them, the role models that we give them. I cannot publicly support a club that presents a convicted rapist as a role model.

These young men are standing by their hero, showing him unwavering solidarity and support, without actually understanding or really thinking about what Evans has done. But we are the ones who set Evans up an influencer. We are the ones presenting a convicted rapist a role model to our young people. Is that ok?

This is the crux of the matter. Every second United delay sending a clear message that they have no intention of re-signing Evans allows yet more young men think that they can rape someone, and, on the very unlikely chance they get caught, it will present little more than a small blip in an otherwise glamorous career.

Given that on the current landscape, signing a convicted rapist makes terrible business sense, one can only assume that this is exactly the game Sheffield United are playing. It’s becoming abundantly clear that this is what they want, to nurture the next generation of young rapists into comfortable , well-paid lives.

A common myth among rape apologists is that an accusation of rape can ruin a man’s life. Nowhere is this shown more obviously to be false than when we look to Ched Evans. This man is a convicted rapist, and his club have bent over backwards to accommodate him, against the forces of general business acumen. Evans still enjoys an army of loyal defenders of rape, willing to trumpet that even though he was convicted of rape it wasn’t really rape. I do not think this whole affair has taught Ched Evans nothing. It’s taught him and the men that he influences that yes, you really can get away with it.

Fortunately, there are enough people out there who don’t want this to happen, and can see these ramifications as clear as day. Our voices are growing louder, and it looks as though this time, it might just be winnable. Surely Sheffield United must know by now that if they don’t kick that convicted rapist soon, they’ll go down with him?

If they haven’t realised it by now, I’ll gladly watch them burn.

Things I read this week that I found interesting

Welp. Here we are again. You know the drill.

The Backlash Against White Supremacy (Sam Ambreen)- Sam walks us through the current state of play.

An Open Letter To People Calling For “Neutrality” (Quinnspiracy)- Zoe Quinn points out what ‘neutrality’ means in the ongoing GG fiasco.

Why criminalising gender abortions is sinister and wrong (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- This should be required reading.

On Lena Dunham and Consent (Melissa McEwan)- An excellent and nuanced read.

Work Programme adviser: ‘Almost every day one of my clients mentioned feeling suicidal’ (Melissa Viney)- The horrible situation going on in the Work Programme, particularly for disabled people, exposed.

Women of Colour and Media: Stereotypes, Controlling Images and Structural Violence (Gradient Lair)- Short, digestible read naming the problem.

And finally, cat pictures. Fuckloads of fucking cat pictures.

On Lena Dunham

Content note: this post discusses child sexual abuse and quotes an account from the perspective of an abuser

Over the last few days, a right wing news site published something readers of Lena Dunham’s book “Not That Kind Of Girl” with better politics probably should have noticed: in her essays, Dunham describes some incidents which could potentially amount to her sexually abusing her baby sister. This includes bribing the child in order to gain some sort of gratification:

“three pieces of candy if I could kiss her on the lips for five seconds . . . anything a sexual predator might do to woo a small suburban girl I was trying.”

Inspecting her genitals in a way which goes beyond general child curiosity (and I question whether a one year old baby has the manual dexterity to perform this “prank”; it’s possible that maybe by “vagina” Dunham means “vulva” here):

“One day, as I sat in our driveway in Long Island playing with blocks and buckets, my curiosity got the best of me. Grace was sitting up, babbling and smiling, and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina. She didn’t resist and when I saw what was inside I shrieked.

My mother came running. “Mama, Mama! Grace has something in there!”

My mother didn’t bother asking why I had opened Grace’s vagina. This was within the spectrum of things I did. She just got on her knees and looked for herself. It quickly became apparent that Grace had stuffed six or seven pebbles in there. My mother removed them patiently while Grace cackled, thrilled that her prank had been a success.”

Dunham also describes masturbating in bed beside the child, who would have been pre-pubescent if Dunham was 17 years old at the time. From Dunham’s own words, incidents like this were ongoing and took place over years.

It is important to note that these quotes were not fabricated by some shadowy right wing conspiracy, but, rather, came from Lena Dunham herself. On some level, Dunham must have known the behaviour was inappropriate, since she herself compared it to a sexual predator.

Defenders of Dunham–and Dunham herself–have rejected claims that these behaviours were in any way abusing, using a two-pronged method. First, they are focusing on the source of the first media outlet to pick up on how concerning the behaviour Dunham confessed to was. They behave as though this is merely a right-wing issue, and these are the only people criticising Dunham, when in fact the vast majority of what I have seen has come from feminists, women, survivors. All these complaints are being erased, swept under the rug to form a narrative that it’s only bad people who have a problem with what Dunham said. That is categorically untrue.

Second, and more worryingly, Dunham’s defenders are trivialising this as something which is merely normal, healthy, childish exploration of bodies, and a normal, healthy way for children to interact with one another. Again, this is not true. Child-on-child sexual abuse exists, and some of what Dunham said, particularly pertaining to the bribery on a much younger child,can be described in this way. Ultimately, there is only one person who can say with any certainty whether she perceived this behaviour as abusive or not, and it is Grace Dunham herself–who, if she sees it this way, is a survivor of child-on-child sexual abuse. I do not expect her to come out against her famous sister, in front of worldwide media and out herself as a survivor: she seems to be a private person who objects to being a character in her sister’s soap operas (Grace once said “Without getting into specifics, most of our fights have revolved around my feeling like Lena took her approach to her own personal life and made my personal life her property.”)

However, it is very important that the abusive nature of this behaviour is not erased. While Grace Dunham may not see herself as a victim, a lot of people who have had similar experiences do. When Dunham’s defenders categorically state that it is impossible for this to be abuse, it is a slap in the face for survivors of child sexual abuse and child-on-child sexual abuse across the world. They will see it, and they will feel completely invalidated when they are already engaged in a daily struggle for recognition and acceptance of their own histories. Survivors’ stories will resemble this one, and they see it as abuse. The defences coming out for Dunham could very easily harm survivors, and lead to further pain and possibly even deaths.

It is therefore crucial that we do not deny that behaviours like this can ever be abusive. It is essential that throughout this storm we support survivors and do not act as though this is all a normal part of development. If any survivors have been negatively affected by what’s going on in the media over the last few days, here are some resources that might help you.

White feminism has a nasty history of rallying around abusers, and this needs to stop immediately. It’s so important that we listen to survivors and put their needs first.

Tomorrow, MPs will restrict your abortion rights

Tomorrow, MPs are voting on a bill to ban sex-selective abortion, and it looks very likely to go through. After all, this bill has certain mass appeal. Isn’t it terrible that baby girls are aborted? Isn’t it a feminist issue to stop that?

Of course it is, but not by whacking further restrictions on reproductive freedom. What we need to do is value girls. What we need to do is overturn patriarchy. What we need to do is a whole lot of fucking work, and it’s much easier for liberals to side with the womb-bothering creeps and restrict access to abortion.

The thing about abortion rights is we don’t need to agree with the choice being made. All we need to do is ensure that abortions happen safely, and this can only happen if the law allows it. Nobody should need to give a reason beyond “I don’t want to be pregnant any more, and I understand what this procedure entails”.

MPs are doing the exact opposite of this. They are playing on our racism to make it acceptable to restrict abortion rights for certain reasons.

If you have a little time today, try writing to or phoning your MP. Be loud about this in public, explain why you don’t agree with this invasive bill. Share links explaining why it is a bad idea. Make a lot of noise, because it’s our right to govern our own bodies freely that’s at stake here.

Things I read this week that I found interesting

I read things. I find them interesting. I hope you do too.

Against Carceral Feminism (Victoria Law)- Excellent long read on the state and violence against women.

The Connecting Threads (truthout)- Comic series illustrating links between the garment industry and the rescue industry.

Why thousands of satisfied racists are sharing that viral catcalling video (Lindy West)- On that video and why it’s popular among racists.

The claims against Jian Ghomeshi show we still need to talk about sexual consent (Kitty Stryker)- One of the best comment pieces on this whole sorry mess.

do you know about jian (Nothing In Winnipeg)- On dealing with predators.

Ending Gender Assignment at Birth Would Liberate all People (Daniel Borgen)- A compelling case for a very radical demand.

Learning difficulties, signing on for JSA and hoping for a merciful jobcentre adviser (Kate Belgrave)- A heartbreaking look at the current state of affairs.

(The long awaited) Polyamory and Activism theory (Angry For A Reason)- This is old, but still very, very relevant as the problems are ongoing.

Gender Neutral/Queer Titles (Gender Queeries)- Not sure how to address someone gender-neutrally? Here’s a handy guide.

Supporting Someone Through An Abortion (Because I’m A Woman)- A guide to actually being helpful.

Putting feet on the ground (kojothelibsoc)- On powerful solidarity with friends and families of victims of police violence.

Xbox Live Demands (Julia Lepetit)- How I want it to go down when men ask to be made a sandwich.

London’s Housing Boom (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- Reni summarises the housing situation in London.

And finally, shhh. This little hummingbird is asleep and omg the snoring.

I do not consent to #SamaritansRadar

Content note: this post makes reference to mental ill health and suicide

This is a note to everyone who follows me on Twitter, as well as anyone who might be thinking about installing the #SamaritansRadar app, as well as the Samaritans themselves. I do not consent to you using it. Please don’t install it. And if you want to use it, please unfollow me.

I understand the ethos behind the app, and I think ultimately it’s a good one. It’s just been executed absolutely horribly. What the app does is allow people to monitor you, without your consent, to receive a notification if you tweet certain keywords which might flag up you’re low. This sounds all right in theory, until you realise that not everyone is going to be operating from a position of good faith, not everybody will be keeping an eye on you because they care about you and want you to be all right. Trolling is rife. Trolls like telling suicidal people to kill themselves, and like to attack people at their weakest. What the Samaritans Radar app does is make this far, far easier. No longer do they need to take the time and effort to timeline-stalk, to scroll through every one of your tweets to find an opportunity to pounce. The Samaritans have unwittingly automated the process, giving a handy notification when one of their victims is down.

What I’ve always loved about the Samaritans is they are 100% there for people in times of need. When you’re in the position where you just have to talk to somebody, they’re always there, at the end of the phone, ready to talk to you. It is centred on the person who needs them, and on that person’s terms. The Radar app is quite the opposite of this. This is sad, because it could so easily work the other way around. Why not set it on the person’s terms? If somebody feels like they need others to keep an eye out for them, let them install an app which will notify others–perhaps selected trusted contacts–that they might need a kind word, a reminder that they’re loved and appreciated and they’re a good person.

As I said, I understand the ethos. Sometimes we find it hard to ask for help, and when you’re in crisis you might feel alone. But others monitoring you without your consent isn’t the way forward. I’ve included links at the bottom of this post which explain, from all angles, why this app is a very bad thing.

But please, please, if you use the app, don’t monitor me. I do not consent. I’d like to see the app pulled, and I will donate money to the Samaritans if they do so, because I believe in the work they do, and I also believe there are better solutions to this problem that they could put the money towards. At the moment, I can’t in good conscience give money towards funding an app which I believe to be fundamentally flawed and could further abuse of mentally ill people. I truly hope the Samaritans do what they do best, and listen.

Things I read this fortnight that I found interesting

Oh yes, it’s that time of the week again. Here’s some things I read this fortnight that I found interesting.

Dale Farm: an eviction anniversary (Ellen Yianni)- Ellen reflects on the ethnic cleansing at Dale Farm.

8 Heartbreaking Cases Where Land Was Stolen From Black Americans Through Racism, Violence and Murder (A Moore)- Upsetting piece, but it’s history that should be known.

“London – a migrant’s guide” (North London SolFed)- A really useful pamphlet, please share and signal boost.

How To Avoid Wearing A Racist Halloween Costume: A Simple Guide For White People (Mikki Kendall)- I have high expectations of my readers, so I’m sure none of you would do this, but send this to your racist mates anyway.

Fictional Characters Whose Lives Would Have Been Vastly Improved By An Abortion (Mallory Ortberg)- Tongue in cheek, but makes the point well.

The Problem With Ched Evans Returning To Football (Jude Wanga)- Jude says important shit that shouldn’t need saying.

IT HAPPENED TO ME: I’ve Been Forced Out Of My Home And Am Living In Constant Fear Because Of Relentless Death Threats From Gamergate (Brianna Wu)- A horrid personal account of what those horrible misogynists are really about.

No Thanks, Cupid: “Can overweight people still be sexy?” (That Pesky Feminist)- Excellent deconstruction of so-called preferred body types.

Sometimes, I Just Don’t Have Time for Individual Fights (s. e. smith)- On disengaging.

5 Practical Ways To Help Someone With Depression (bisociations)- A very useful guide.

Dear Sex Ed Textbook (Robot Hugs)- Comic on the state of sex education for people with vaginas, vulvas and uteruses.

A racial fetish (Confessions of a drag queen)- On white beauty standards and how race is fetishised.

Nude portraits (Utah Photojournalist)- Really sweet collection of portraits where the photographer is nude, but the subject is clothed.

As a special treat, I have three And Finally items for you to enjoy, so you’ll probably find something you like. Here’s an amazing guide to the internet from the 90s. Here’s a splendid Nicolas Cage sofa. And last but not least, the best pumpkin ever carved.

Easy targets.

Content note: this post discusses abusive relationships and mental health problems

Recently, I have come to understand that I am an easy target for abusers; that there are some thinks about me that make me ripe for victimisation at the hands of some shitty people. Really, it boils down to two things which are kind of about me.

Firstly, I’m an easy person to not believe. I don’t follow the generally-accepted survivor script. I just don’t fit the bill. I’m aware I’m not exactly likeable–obnoxious, rude, loud, petty, spiteful, downright fucking appalling company at my worst–but that’s the tip of the iceberg. I react to trauma in a way which isn’t exactly obvious to a lot of people. I lost the ability to find words. I minimise what happened. I act like I’m fine. It’s how I cope. I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to make it a think, I’d rather pretend it was nothing at all. I’m the first to defend my own abusers, because I want to act like it’s no biggie. And also, because of my other issue.

The other thing is, I have a tendency to think the worst of myself. I am riddled with self-doubt and self-hatred pretty much constantly. This makes me very vulnerable to gaslighting. I have found myself thinking I am a perpetrator in some situations, where in fact I have later processed to understand I was the victim. Basically, I think I’m a monster, so it takes very little work to convince me of that. I kind of believe the phrase “psycho bitch” was invented entirely for me. Therefore, anything that happens to me, I think I probably deserved it, or I instigated it somehow and I’m just getting what’s coming. Also, I scare myself. For a very long time, I was scared to even instigate sex, because I thought I would probably be being coercive if I articulated what I wanted. I still sometimes find it difficult to play an active role in sex because a part of me is convinced that what I want is something nobody else would want to share with me.

On an intellectual level I know that none of this is true, that these feelings are all symptomatic of the fact I am a depressive who has been through some shit. I know I’m better than I think I am, and I know I didn’t deserve any of it, and I know it’s just the mental talking. But nonetheless, even with this knowledge, I feel it. And on top of that, I feel guilt that I’m an easy target, that I somehow let this happen to myself, over and over and over again. I think I’m fundamentally broken, that what is “me” is tarnished, and I’ll never do human correctly again. Despite all the evidence, I feel this and it won’t go away. I look at my current relationships–functional, long-term, and happy–and even then I wonder when it will all go wrong.

Last night, I tweeted about all this. Something surprised me: that other people felt this way. I’d never even imagined that, thinking myself singularly fucked-up. So I suppose this post is for all the other easy targets out there, because I can dispense advice far easier than I can take it.

It’s not your fault, it’s theirs.

You’re not the one who’s in the wrong, they are. Your self-critical nature helps you be a better person, but it’s easy to play on.

That’s not your fault, it’s theirs.

You don’t have to speak out, seek accountability, out yourself as a survivor. We lack the nuance to check in, to find out what’s going on with you, to give you the opportunity to speak out.

That’s not you fault, it’s theirs.

You feel guilty, crazy, terrible, unarticulable badfeels.

That’s not your fault, it’s theirs.

Perhaps if we tell ourselves this often enough, it’ll sink in.

#NoBraDay: Oh ffs.

Today, the trending topics on Twitter inform me, is #NoBraDay, a day where women are encouraged not to wear a bra because… breast cancer awareness, or something. You can probably feel me rolling my eyes through the page.

I’ve tried to discern where this meme came from. It doesn’t appear to have originated with any actual breast cancer charities or campaigns. All I can find is that some dude invented it in 2011. And even that article manages to conflate it with an actual breast cancer awareness project, Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day, which falls on the 15th and is marked by breast cancer survivors talking about their experiences and their decisions about reconstruction after mastectomy.

In short, this “awareness day” is full of shit. Everyone enthused by it is just banging on about “setting their tatas free”, and it smacks of how Page 3 in the Sun now runs a “Check ’em Tuesday”, where, by the medium of a topless woman, we are encouraged to check our boobs (I am not sure the Sun got the target audience of this message quite right).

This is a quite common thread in breast cancer campaigns, the line which goes “boobs are great, make sure they stay great, yay boobs”, and it’s a crass one. It’s a classic patriarchal line, the notion that our bodies and our tits are there as sex objects, and nothing more. Forget about health, the message is that breasts are cute and sexy.

So today, do whatever the fuck you like with your norks, as I hope you always do. Go braless, wear a bra, bind them, get surgery… whatever the fuck you want. They’re your boobs, and what you do with them isn’t going to kill someone from cancer.