Lloyd Bentsen, whose name is nowhere near as famous as his words, deserves some posthumous snaps. I was talking about this little exchange last week (or so) with punkishgrin and realized it needs to be in my blog.



Dude, that smoked the shit out of the male Palin (or is Palin Quayle in drag? Prolly so). Too bad it still couldn't save the Dukakis/Bentsen ticket.

Saw this on Feministing and seeing the comments, I was given an excellent reminder of why I follow Feministing by Twitter and not by actually visiting the comment area. Ew.

I think I adore this little group. Beats the hell out of Miley Cyrus and the rest of the "tween" nonsense.

Courtesy of Feministing:

Not. Okay.

*Strong trigger warning*



I'm sorry, but how the fuck could a game titled, "Hit the Bitch" be anti-violent?

Apparently the game was created by a Danish anti-violence organization, and allows the user to use either their mouse or hand (through the webcam) to hit this woman virtually enough times to the point where she is so bloody and bruised that the screen tells the person they're a "100% Idiot" and gives some information about intimate partner violence. I don't really care what words you throw out after the game is over - the main message is the game and that message is straight up glorifying violence against women. Jill has more.

If you think this campaign is more damaging that it is advocating, email the organization that created the game and tell them so.
Posted by Vanessa - November 17, 2009, at 01:59PM | in Violence Against Women

Anyone like to join me in a collective "WHAT THE FUCK"?

Got the best e-mail from my brother this morning:

At the army base where I work, one of the guys I wait for the bus with and I were talking. He's a Sargent Major, the highest enlisted rank in the military, usually meaning 15 years or so of service and rigorous training. The awards on his uniform indicate he's served in a war zone and been in close combat. I mentioned I was from "just south of Baltimore", and the decorated combat veteran responded:

"Baltimore? That's kind of a rough place isn't it?"

Forget this 'city that reads' shit. Baltimore's motto oughta be "The city that even makes guys with chunks of fundie shrapnel in their ass nervous".


Baltimore, you're home to me...

Remember when children's television was good for something other than pushing merchandise?
Thanks for helping me learn to read, Sesame Street.
Here's the bit that terrified me to tears as a child, much to my parents' vast amusement and enjoyment.





Also, props to Bert and Ernie for being gay before it was even allowed. Duh, I knew that at age three.

More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a Goodwill find from my father.



( You Have to See It To Believe It )

This article was linked by Feministing in the "What We Missed" section. This article appeared on Sociological Images:

“The Killer Inside Me” Promo (NSFW! And Major Trigger Warning!)
by gwen, 11-09-09 12:27pm

Cate M. emailed us about the promo for the movie “The Killer Inside Me,” saying,

The level of violence is at NSFW levels and quite possibly one of the most ‘trigger warning’ vids I’ve ever seen used to promote a non-horror film.

We get a lot of submissions about sexualized violence toward women, so I thought, “well, ok, we’ll see.” And then I watched it, and at 1:15 in had to pause because I was already horrified. Here’s the whole 5:42 promo. It’s Not At All Safe for Work, and you won’t want to watch it if scenes of sexualized brutality toward women would be a trigger for you. And also, I guess, Spoiler Alert, if that’s your main concern.

UPDATE: The promo keeps being taken down; here’s a link that works for now, but I don’t know for how long.



Clearly, Casey Affleck’s character is a sadistic asshole (the cigar on the guy’s hand), but in the promo, at least, the graphic, sexualized violence is reserved for women…who also appear to like it, at least for a while. Jessica Alba gives in to him, and apparently starts a relationship with him, after he pulls her pants down and whips her. Perhaps that’s because she’s a prostitute; of course she’d like a dominant man who plays rough, right?

The thing is, you could make this movie and tell the same story without actually showing all the violence in such a graphic way. Movies imply things all the time. It’s a choice to show this type of violence toward women as a form of entertainment…and to show the women liking it.

See our posts on increases in violence toward women on primetime TV, sexualized violence on TV crime procedurals, and the movie “DeadGirl.”
______________________

My take? I like plenty of movies that are violent. But it's all about context, of course. And if, as the article points out, this indeed isn't a horror film... that's a lot of violent imagery and gore for a trailer. And the trailer bugs the fuck out of me since (among other reasons) it's splicing images of women being brutalized with the same women having what appears to be consensual sex with their attacker. Author Inga Muscio has written about the sexualization of rape in mainstream cinema (rape isn't disgusting and vile, it's just bad and kinda hot) and this seems to be an almost tailor-made example.

Singer Helen Kane, "The Boop-Oop-A-Doop Girl" girl of the '2os and '3os:




Betty Boop, whom creator Max Fleischer was taken to court by Kane over, whom Kane insisted was a "deliberate caricature" that produced "unfair competition" that exploited her personality and image. Max Fleischer and Paramount won the lawsuit.



Sheer balls, fellas, sheer balls.

And yes, I'm OF COURSE aware that Betty Boop was also based on another Paramount star, she who needs only be called "The IT Girl". But of the two, it's clear who bears the stronger resemblance.

ADDENDUM: Despite hearing Clara Bow both sing and speak, I've still wedded Helen Kane's and Mae Questel(the voice of the original Betty Boop)'s voice to her.

For all the GLBT and GLBT-supports on my f-list, if I may alert you to a fabulous post of GLBT icons. I know many of you have been looking for some and these are, well, fabulous (and genuinely GLBT). I'm still deciding on which to steal.

A happy and safe holiday to all who celebrate!

For the unawares, here is some information courtesy of About Dot Com. This holiday isn't just Halloween, it's also Hallows, and Samhain (and knowing we Pagans, a good dozen other names).

( Read more )

Our well-worn (at least from 1985) family VHS tape of the various Disney Halloween specials is one of my favorite things to watch ever, and especially around this time of year. Unsurprisingly, many of the specials are on YouTube, including 1987's fabulous "DTV" (guess what it's supposed to be a Disney take on). Whenever I hear any of the other songs on the special (you can watch the whole thing!) I think of this.

This has "Thriller" by Michael Jackson (2:00), "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr (6:40)

( The rest of the special! )


It's funny, but as an adult I think I love "Dreamtime" the best where as a kid, I was kinda "Meh." I blame the Pagan elements (Artemis and Her bow, Thor's hammer, Zeus, Mickey's "astral body" aspects at both the beginning and the end)
So well done, all of it.

More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a library request.



( The Famous Black Aggie, Vengeful Slaves, a Murdered Roommate, and More )

More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a library request.



( Bedding Through Hollywood, Fun With Crossbows, the Cartoonists' Bella Lugosi )

If I can't find the Cat Power version of "Space Oddity", the terrorists will have won. I've thought this for some time (but have only been smart enough to look for the commercial on YouTube recently).

I FAIL at updating things (as you've noticed) but over a month ago, the wonderful and supportive anais_rhys gave me five words for the Five Words Meme.
Here they be!

( Turn Down Lights (Where Applicable) )

Spotted and snapped by La Goddesse Rouge™, frozendoll:



Just think of the marketing possibilities! And the demographics!

• Elderly women

• Fundie Christians and their dead-eyed spawn

• Punishment for wayward teens

• Elderly women

• Finally, a place to buy a ladies special occasion suit!

• Shopping at a business that borrows thine olde English

• The place for the discriminating cult leader to dress his wives

• Ironic hipster wear (the bags imprinted with the name and description could net big bucks on eBay)

• Elderly women

• Gift ideas for your inlaw that made that passive-aggressive comment that one time about how provocatively you dress

• The perfect place to find a sassy array of "clavicle only" cocktail dresses

• Elderly women

More of the Fifty Books Challenge! My father gave this to me as he shares my interest in social justice and he knows I have an interest in etymology and cultural anthropology.

( All Behind the Cut Since the Title is an Offensive Word )

From Think Process:

Franken Wins Bipartisan Support For Legislation Reining In KBR’s Treatment Of Rape( You Cannot Be Serious... )
____________________

There went the last lingering thread of respect I had for John McCain, who has daughters, as do, I'm sure, at least some of the other senators. On the upswing, it gives me unexpected respect for Al Franken. To see the faces of the senators WHO ACTUALLY VOTED AGAINST A RAPE AMENDMENT, here they are:

More of the Fifty Books Challenge! This was a library request.



( Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Museum of Modern Art? )