February 24, 2008 at 8:29 am (sexism, violence against women)
Tags: feminism, male feminism, sexism, violence against women
“Sexist humor is not simply benign amusement. It [allows men] to feel comfortable with behavioral expressions of sexism without the fear of disapproval of their peers.”
- Western Carolina University psychology professor Thomas E. Ford, summarizing his recent research findings.
I’m watching Saturday Night Live right now, back from the writer’s strike, hosted by Tina Fey, who I’m a huge fan of. In her opening monologue, Steve Martin comes out and, in the role of coach helping her host for the first time, slaps her in the face multiple times. Funny??? Hellz to the no!!!
A few seasons ago, when Tina was still on the show, she and Jimmy Falon had a running gag in the news segment where he would punch her in the face. I always used to cringe at that bit and wondered how someone so smart and with it could not get the “this isn’t funny” factor. And I’m not a prude, I watch raunchy comedians all the time and laugh at stuff that’s insensitive or stereotypical but funny – material by Dave Chapelle, Paul Mooney, Lisa Lampanelli, and others. But rape and violence against women just isn’t funny, and the desensitization that goes on when people are exposed to sexist humor (see my last post) is especially dangerous when that “comedy” involves violence against women.
Come on Tina, get it together! Thank you.
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February 20, 2008 at 5:22 am (feminism, sexism, violence against women)
Tags: feminism, media images of women, sexism
I recently started using StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com), a community based web recommendation engine, and it’s completely genius – I love it. After downloading a toolbar to your browser, you can click the “Stumble” button which takes you to a random web page based on your interests. You can then give that page a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to vote, and highly rated pages get moved up in the rotation, ensuring good stuff gets sent your way.
One of the interests I indicated was “humor.” In just a week or two I’ve already come upon some horribly sexist crap, which isn’t the world’s hugest surprise, but it is sad.
In a study done by the LiveScience.com staff, they found that after exposure to sexist humor, participants were less likely to donate to women’s organizations, and more likely to approve of funding cuts for women’s groups. This was the case even more so than when they were exposed to sexist statements.
“We believe this shows that humorous disparagement creates the perception of a shared standard of tolerance of discrimination that may guide behavior when people believe others feel the same way.”
Like porn, in the age of the internet there’s nothing you can do to make this material go away, so you have to develop educational / activist strategies to get counter messaging out there.
Read the full article here.
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February 18, 2008 at 6:18 am (Resources, Tools, feminism)
I am WAY psyched by this web tool. You can make a ton of different signs, badges, etc. Fun! http://www.says-it.com
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February 18, 2008 at 5:59 am (feminism)
Tags: feminism, girl power, media images of women
I’ve been researching sexism in ads (doesn’t take a lot of work to find samples, sadly) and learning about some groups that are
fighting back and trying to get more positive images out there. One such group is About-Face, and you can check out their web site here.
Their mission statement: “About-Face’s mission is to equip women and girls with tools to understand and resist harmful media messages that affect self-esteem and body image.”
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February 11, 2008 at 5:39 am (Resources, feminism, male violence, violence against women)
My Strength is a project of the California Department of Health Services and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers and prevention programs founded in 1980.
From the MyStrength.org mission statement:
“Our vision is a world free from sexual violence. To help make this vision a reality, we’re initiating ‘The MyStrength Campaign’ to enlist to young men to take action to stop rape. “
Find out more about the group at the MyStrength.org web site or their My Space page. They have downloads of rape education flyers and postcards and other stuff worth checking out.
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February 10, 2008 at 9:37 pm (feminism)
Tags: feminism, girl power, girls rights, male feminism
As I get this blog up and running, I’m doing a bit of mixing of new info and stuff I’ve compiled over time. Here’s a list from the group “girls inc.” – “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.” Check out their website here.
The Girls’ Bill of Rights
- Girls have the right to be themselves and resist gender stereotypes
- Girls have the right to express themselves with originality and enthusiasm
- Girls have the right to prepare for interesting work and economic independence
- Girls have the right to have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world
- Girls have the right to accept and appreciate their bodies.
- Girls have the right to take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success.
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February 5, 2008 at 6:57 am (feminism, male feminism, male violence, sexism, violence against women)
Tags: feminism, male feminism, mexico, sexism, violence against women
There’s been so much sad news coming out of Mexico in terms of violence against women over the past decade, it’s refreshing to hear anything positive! Check out the article by AP writer E. Eduardo Castillo here.
“MEXICO CITY – Mexico has created a new federal position to prosecute violence against women and human exploitation, as rights groups urge the government to do more to investigate the killings of women, especially along the U.S. border.”
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February 3, 2008 at 9:39 pm (feminism, male violence, violence against women)
Tags: feminism, Gender quotes, myths, rape, sexism, violence against women
Here’s another list, this one from the organization “A Call to Men”. You can find out about this group here.
From their site: “Our mission is to galvanize a national movement of men committed to ending violence against women. We would welcome your assistance in helping to find resources and ways to visit your community.”
1. Acknowledge and understand how sexism, male dominance and male privilege lay the foundation for all forms of violence against women.
2. Examine and challenge our individual sexism and the role that we play in supporting men who are abusive.
3. Recognize and stop colluding with other men by getting out of our socially defined roles, and take a stance to end violence against women.
4. Remember that our silence is affirming. When we choose not to speak out against men’s violence, we are supporting it.
5. Educate and re-educate our sons and other young men about our responsibility in ending men’s violence against women.
6.“Break out of the man box”- Challenge traditional images of manhood that stop us from actively taking a stand to end violence against women.
7. Accept and own our responsibility that violence against women will not end until men become part of the solution to end it. We must take an active role in creating a cultural and social shift that no longer tolerates violence against women.
8. Stop supporting the notion that men’s violence against women is due to mental illness, lack of anger management skills, chemical dependency, stress, etc… Violence against women is rooted in the historic oppression of women and the outgrowth of the socialization of men.
9. Take responsibility for creating appropriate and effective ways to develop systems to educate and hold men accountable.
10. Create systems of accountability to women in your community. Violence against women will end only when we take direction from those who understand it most, women.
Copyright © 2004, ACT Men Inc. All rights reserved.
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“Sexist humor is not simply benign amusement. It [allows men] to feel comfortable with behavioral expressions of sexism without the fear of disapproval of their peers.”
