Will another peace deal in Mindinao lead to... a more peaceful Mindinao?
The Ukraine is on fire.
Can Ethiopia make growing global demand for teff work for its farmers?
This very long but interesting and important piece on gay-male misogyny touched on some very resonant points. The fashion industry is not the most important of them, but it's one of the more... intersecting, if you will (there are areas where homophobia and misogyny intersect--for example: hate crimes, sexual violence, and the restrictions that either can impose on the target group) and there's what is a bizarre objectification of women that's almost unique to gay men (not all of them, of course). Even though it's not sexual objectification, it's still objectification (just as reducing a woman to an incubator is non-sexual objectification, reducing a woman to a fashion plate--even an asexual one--is objectification). Why do (many) gay men--apologies to the Michael Kors of this world; it's the Karl Lagersfelds that I'm talking about--see women as hangers for their artistic creations? In case you're thinking "first world problem!" it's that mentality that enabled Isaac Mizrahi to sexually assault Scarlett Johannson on camera without it occurring to him that there was a person attached to that breast. It's a microcosm of the bigger issue of objectification, and if you have any doubt that it's endemic and real, check out the stories on Everyday Sexism. And if you're tempted to dismiss them as " boys will be boys" and women need to get over it, keep in mind that that's not how women work. That's not the answer; the answer is a sociocultural shift where the tone shifts and women are routinely referred to as human, i.e., not objects.
Renewable energy can and should be a common-sense, nonpartisan issue.
The Ukraine is on fire.
Can Ethiopia make growing global demand for teff work for its farmers?
This very long but interesting and important piece on gay-male misogyny touched on some very resonant points. The fashion industry is not the most important of them, but it's one of the more... intersecting, if you will (there are areas where homophobia and misogyny intersect--for example: hate crimes, sexual violence, and the restrictions that either can impose on the target group) and there's what is a bizarre objectification of women that's almost unique to gay men (not all of them, of course). Even though it's not sexual objectification, it's still objectification (just as reducing a woman to an incubator is non-sexual objectification, reducing a woman to a fashion plate--even an asexual one--is objectification). Why do (many) gay men--apologies to the Michael Kors of this world; it's the Karl Lagersfelds that I'm talking about--see women as hangers for their artistic creations? In case you're thinking "first world problem!" it's that mentality that enabled Isaac Mizrahi to sexually assault Scarlett Johannson on camera without it occurring to him that there was a person attached to that breast. It's a microcosm of the bigger issue of objectification, and if you have any doubt that it's endemic and real, check out the stories on Everyday Sexism. And if you're tempted to dismiss them as " boys will be boys" and women need to get over it, keep in mind that that's not how women work. That's not the answer; the answer is a sociocultural shift where the tone shifts and women are routinely referred to as human, i.e., not objects.
Renewable energy can and should be a common-sense, nonpartisan issue.
In case you were confused, black holes are still a thing (but event horizons may not be).
I see some truth and a lot of interesting points in the Tiger Mom's op-ed, thought some of her conclusions inspire skepticism. In terms of conversation starters, there are these ideas of "what is good enough?" and "what is worth aspiring to?" Or, conversely, "when is it time to keep pushing yourself and when is it time to recover?" That's addressed in the context of physical fitness here, and I see both sides in that post as well: there is virtue in health, achievement, and challenging oneself. Isn't it good to grow and thrive? And even though I'd argue that it's better to grow and thrive on your own terms and based on your own priorities, there seems to be such a thing as healthy competition and inspiration.
So when is keeping up with the Joneses a recipe for disaster (sorry, still no sympathy for the McDonnells; cue Janis Joplin's "Mercedez Benz") and when is keeping up with the overacheivers in your ethnic group a healthy source of motivation? I'd say it's when the thing you're striving for is meaningful (education) rather than superficial (a rolex).
By the way, as Carolyn points out in the virtue in health post, run the f* away from people who deal by disengaging.
It's okay to be direct with chatty seatmates.
So when is keeping up with the Joneses a recipe for disaster (sorry, still no sympathy for the McDonnells; cue Janis Joplin's "Mercedez Benz") and when is keeping up with the overacheivers in your ethnic group a healthy source of motivation? I'd say it's when the thing you're striving for is meaningful (education) rather than superficial (a rolex).
By the way, as Carolyn points out in the virtue in health post, run the f* away from people who deal by disengaging.
It's okay to be direct with chatty seatmates.
Classic literature would look very different had the publishers been out for click bait.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment