Political Reflections of Childhood

I know I’ve been abandoning y’all,  but work is super-busy at the moment, so by the time I get home I’ve just been wanting to crash and space out. I also have a paper due Monday, but hopefully I’ll be back after that. Incidentally, a lot of this post will make little sense if you’re not familiar with Australian politics, but I’ve tried to include wiki links for context.

So, I saw Keating! The Musical this evening. To start, I was very impressed in a number of ways.  Mike McLeish (who played Paul Keating) has such amazing stage presence *fans self*, the music was great, and there was fun and hilarity.

I must admit I was rather ‘eh’ about the Alexander Downer bit, and the Gareth Evans / Cheryl Kernot bit actually rather rankled me (not least because apparently they had to go with having Kernot played by a male cast member. And honestly, the jibe about Howard’s thing about there being only ‘blokes’ on the ‘mateship’ fell exceedingly flat given the overwhelming abundance of peen involved in the show (hint: the ‘mateship’ wasn’t the only thing that only had ‘blokes’ on it).

There was a discussion over at LP a little while ago about how there was a palpable difference in the audience reactions to John Howard in the show pre and post election, and whilst I can’t really comment on that, I have to admit I found the last quarter of the show actually a bit depressing (and yes, I will admit in public that “The Light On The Hill” made me cry in the not-from-laughing way).

I couldn’t bring myself to laugh at the show’s Howard, because well, yes, he’s gone, but well fell pretty damned far and have quite a few rungs to drag ourselves back up, and honestly, my 12 year old self still feels fucking robbed. Because yes, I have a rosy view of Keating that comes from being a child whilst he was in power, but I knew enough to know that the reams of hatred directed at me at that age was in response to something he represented. And I was robbed of growing up with it. And as much as we can do now (and we have a lot to do), I can’t get that back.

And it still makes me sad, and angry, and wistful. And, in a way that may seem rather strange, I think I’m sadder about this ‘what could’ve been’ than I am about the various more personal ‘what could’ve beens’ of my childhood.

Wednesday Linkblogging 21/05/08

I’m a bit swamped at the moment. Will try to get back to substantive posts in the next week or so. In the meantime, it’s linkblogging day (In case you couldn’t tell, I’m attempting to at least get linkblogging done even when swamped).

An ethics of free speech, from the Bible to Spider-Man at Larvatus Prodeo

Mercurius addresses the ‘free speech’ canard that I think we’ve all seen, and considers the ethical implications of free speech; ie, that just because you have the right to say something doesn’t make you less of an arsehole for saying something stupid-ass

Announcing: the Down Under Feminists Carnival! Submit now. at Hoyden About Town

Lauredhel announces the own Under Feminists Carnival – for Antipodean Feminist bloggers

Feministe » The Sissy-Whupping Method

Holly discusses the ways parents can respond to gender non-conformity in their children, and shares some stories of her own.

Femmostroppo Awards for 2007: A Retrospective at Hoyden About Town

The lovely Hoydens present the 2007 FemmoStroppo Awards! There are some great posts here.

Fragile Femininity « Cheerful Megalomaniac

Ryan deals with feelings about gender presentation after coming out as FTM at work.

Homeland Security ignored Iowa officials’ pleas to postpone Postville raid until criminal investigation of plant management completed (Latina Lista)

Marisa has more write-up about the latest US ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) raids in Iowa. Apparently they brought an investigation into the company’s labour standards (including child labour) to a halt. Charming. (h/t Speak! Action Alerts from Rad

Hosting the Next Muslimahs Speak Up Carnival | The Muslimah

The Muslimah is hosting the next Muslimahs Speak Up Carnival, and has put the call out.

Journalwatch: Indigenous people with lung cancer receive less treatment, die sooner at Hoyden About Town

Lauredhel takes a look at some recent research on disparities in health care between indigenous and non-indigenous folk.

La Chola » Blog Archive » Without Bureaucracy, Beyond Inclusion: Re-centering Feminism

brownfemipower (yay! she’s back!) links important reading from Andrea Smith: Re-centering Feminism: Without Bureaucracy, Beyond Inclusion.

Lisa Bufano at Larvatus Prodeo

Kim at LP showcases some awesome dance and performance art from Lisa Bufano, a woman who had bilateral below-knee amputations and lost all her fingers as a result of toxic shock.

Shakesville: But Why Do They Hate Us? part 17327652

Chet points out more US immigration horrors. I don’t even have words.

Bonus Link: CFP Journal of Advertising

For those who don’t know, my partner is a marketing academic. He sent me an e-mail yesterday because he got a heads up on a call for papers from the Journal of Advertising. It seems they’re running a Special Issue on Advertising and its Relationship to Violence and Abuse. He thought (and I tend to agree) that it might be an opportunity to take some feminist/anti-racist/etc analysis to the advertisers from a different direction, for the academically-oriented folk among us. I’ll excerpt below.

Call for Submissions The Journal of Advertising
Special Issue
Advertising and its Connection to Violence and Abuse

Special Issue Editors
Nora J. Rifon, Michigan State University
Marla Royne, University of Memphis
Les Carlson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Manuscripts are solicited for a special issue of The Journal of Advertising devoted to the connection of advertising-related media on violence and abuse. Authors may submit empirical or theoretical papers, including literature reviews that offer strong theoretical frameworks for research programs, content analyses, surveys, and experiments.

Violence is defined by the World Health Organization as, “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.” The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has identified violence to and abuse of children and youth as a tragic and preventable global public health problem. Child abuse, suicide, sexual abuse, youth violence, and related psychological disorders of self-abuse, are on the rise.

While much attention has been focused on violence in the general media with respect to mostly entertainment content, few researchers have actively studied issues related to commercial media content – ADVERTISING — and the role it may play in fostering violence by and abuse of children and adults in its many active and passive forms. Several recent phenomena suggest that it is time for researchers to focus on this topic.

The examples mentioned later in the CFP (at the link above) make me suspect they’re playing to the ‘we must ban everything that’s not suitable for children’ crowd, but I think giving the editors a different view might be an interesting exercise.

The closing date for submissions is 31 March 2009, so there’s a fair lead time there.

Stephen (wearing his Designated Sidekick hat) has more, as well as an offer to assist as second or third author if anyone feels that collaboration from someone inside the discipline is something they’d like.

Wednesday Linkblogging 14/05/08 (Slightly Late!)

Okay, so it’s Thursday. Whatevs. It’s still Wednesday in most of the world, and that counts for something, right?

Anyway, links! It’s a rather close-to-home bout of linkblogging this week; including the Special Budget Bonus Round.

A Womyn’s Ecdysis: Feminist Mothering

Sudy takes Mother’s Day as a time to reflect on what Mothering is to her.

Civil Partnerships Bill Passes at 3am « Cheerful Megalomaniac

Ryan covers the passing of the amended (after threats from the Federal Government to overturn it) Civil Partnerships Bill here in the ACT

Crikey – Rudd harder than Howard on asylum seekers

I think the header is a bit harsh, but the point that’s made in the bulk about Ministerial Discretion and the lack of culture change in the Immigration Dept. is definitely worthwhile. The story about one of the women rejected is heartbreaking

Feministe » Israel at 60

Jill reflects on the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel – and about how others are reflecting on it.

Follow up on NSW RSPCA Campaign: In which the NSW RSPCA continues to see Violated Women as a means to an end at Hoyden About Town

Guest-blogger at Hoyden, Su, points out that the RSPCA is willing to do what many animal-rights groups seem to – dehumanise women to get their point across.

Here They Come!: the 37th edition of the Disability Blog Carnival « cripchick’s weblog

cripchick hosts the 37th disability blog carnival, which has some awesome stuff.

He’ll never be an old man Jock… at Larvatus Prodeo

In sad news, James “Jock/Tokin Blackman” Paull of TISM has died of lung cancer. LP’ers reflect.

JSTOR: Signs, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Spring, 1999 ), pp. 677-696

On Medicine Women and White Shame-Ans – Laura E Donaldson discusses the appropriation of Native culture as a form of ‘pop culture feminism. hattip to delux_vivens on LJ – (JSTOR access required)

More complacent denigration at Hoyden About Town

tigtog rebuts David Burchell in his column that appears to act as though the notion that indigenous communities are stricken by poverty is some new thing that the right thought up.

Papal apology? at Larvatus Prodeo

Amidst recent discussions that the Pope will issue an apology to victims of sexual abuse by clergy when he visits Australia later this year, Mark contemplates whether the apologies and related actions actually get to the heart of problem.

The Hand Mirror: victims

stargazer questions the tiring use of the whole ‘victim mentality’ schtick.

Budget Bonus Round!

As an added bonus, it was Federal Budget week here in Oz, the first once since the Rudd Labor Government took office after eleventy years of Howard Liberal (it means conservative in Australia now – kind of like conservative seems to mean folk who hate my very personhood) Government, so here’s a buncha links on that:

crazybrave > liveblogging the budget returns

Zoe has some hilarious crystal-ball liveblogging the night before the Budget.

Liveblogging Budget 2008 at Larvatus Prodeo

Mark liveblogs the Budget at the generally accepted time one liveblogs. It’s good, though I must admit I find Zoe’s version more entertaining.

Budget Politics, 2008 style at Larvatus Prodeo

More budget commentary at LP.

Opposition Budget Politics, 2008 style at Larvatus Prodeo

And more, covering the Opposition’s response. Apparently they were having kittens about the idea that a Labor budget might not be a conservative dream-budget. Who’da thunk?

Weekend Lounging: Dance Edition

So, it was my birthday around the end of last month, and as part of my gift, my partner $tephen took me to see Inuk2; Meryl Tankard‘s new work for the Sydney Dance Company.

It’s not a work for the sort of person that needs a coherent narrative from their dance. It took me a little to get used to the fragmentation, and I’m rather fond of less-than-coherent narrative.

Of course, it was rather distracting when $tephen kept pointing out that it seemed like a dance interpretation of the DC Universe. Of course, now I really do want someone to do a dance interpretation of the DCU, because that would be awesome.

Silliness aside, I’ve been fond of SDC for quite some time, and it’s nice to be able to see them again. It seems this year’s been a bit of a scramble for them, what with the death of Graeme Murphy’s chosen successor for artistic director, and it’ll be interesting to see the other works for this year.

Sadly, youtube is severely lacking in video of SDC. I’m also thinking of heading out to see Bangarra next time they’re in Canberra; I saw them once quite a few years ago, and haven’t managed to see them again since.

Anyone have good modern/contemporary dance recommendations? Or what are your favorites from the past? Anything you’d love to see, dance-wise?

Feminism Friday: Utopian Visions and Feminist Theory

So, this might be an odd post to come up on a blog that’s at least partly a space for talking about how I want the world to be. But I started tossing this idea around a little over a year ago (and much of this post is mined from a locked post over on LJ from around then, in case stuff looks familiar to some folks), and I’m still mulling it over.

You see, in my undergraduate degree, I did a subject entitled ‘Feminism and Ethics’, which I actually quite enjoyed, lest this post lead you to believe otherwise. My lecturer (Who we’ll call C) was rather tops and I enjoyed her classes, and well, I’m currently doing a Masters in Professional and Applied Ethics, so that should tell you something.

However, shortly into aforementioned subject, C made the claim that any feminist theory requires a clear, measurable vision of what a society with gender equality or without sexism would look like. Her stated intention was to makes us think about what we believed that vision to be (or, for those in the class who believed sexism of over, of which there were a few, on what basis they could declare that vision presently realised). And initially, I sort of did, but then I kind of stopped, and realised that I found the very notion of ‘measurable feminist utopia’ as a requirement for feminist theory rather strange.

Wednesday Linkblogging 07/05/08

So, I’m rather fond of linkblogging. It’s one of the things I did manage to do quite a lot of when I was spending much of my blogging time on LiveJournal. So, here at (Liminal) Spaces, Wednesday shall henceforth be known as linkblogging day.

A Womyn’s Ecdysis: Accepting Kyriarchy, Not Apologies

Sudy explains Kyriarchy, and explains why she uses it instead of Patriarchy, because it is much better at explaining intersecting oppressions.

A Womyn’s Ecdysis: Surveying the Damage: Part I

Sudy examines the fall-out after the recent blowups of the feminist blogosphere, and talks about the kind of feminism she demands. It’s a lot like the feminism I demand, and I think it’s certainly worth striving for.

BFP’s Final Post

BFP provides some context to her departure of the blogosphere in the midst of the appropriation and racist-feminism debacle. A powerful and insightful piece.

Critical Whiteness Studies and Being a White Ally | b o r d e r l a n d s e-journal

Nado Aveling has some interesting things to say about being a white ally in an educational role

Feminist Reading Tools for Recognizing and Countering Racism « WOC PhD

ProfBW has recs on some great starting points for intersectionality with feminism, particularly oriented to race.

How it Works « Shapely Prose

I fangirl Kate Harding like no one’s business. Here, she has an awesome description of just how fat-hatred applied to women works.

Iron Man: Pepper Potts | the Hathor Legacy

Patrick at Hathor finds Pepper Potts to be a refreshing change for female characters in superhero movies, and touches on some of the things I loved about Pepper, despite my general disfavourable disposition towards Gwyneth Paltrow as an actress.

Labour Day march in Brisbane » The Bartlett Diaries

Andrew Bartlett discusses Stolen Indigenous Wages in Queensland, and muses on the impact of the union affiliation with the ALP on workers’ rights.

Racism and the FA movement

There are reasons why people of color aren’t flocking to the fat acceptance movement, and they’re probably not the reasons you’re thinking of.

Sexual Ambiguities: Feminism For Freaks Cfp

Call for Papers for an Anthology for the feminism of margins

Shakesville: The Line is Drawn Here

Guest post by Sarah in Chicago, drawing the line on anti-gay bigotry. I must admit I share her skepticism that speech must be entirely unrestricted, acknowledging the potential weaknesses of that position.

Taking Steps: I, colonist

little light is eloquent as ever in a thought-provoking discussion of how we should think about gentrification and our own complicity in it.

The Boys’ Club at Larvatus Prodeo

Anna discusses the ongoing saga of the WA Liberal (conservative) Party. Their latest trick is to retain a serial sexual harasser as Party Leader, acknowledging that their in such dire straits that he’s their best option. That says much about the WA Libera

The Hand Mirror: SEX SELLS – BUT WHAT’S FOR SALE?

Anna at The Hand Mirror is concerned about the use of a female science graduate’s achievement in a beauty pageant on a NZ university website as a form of advertising. In the comments, someone raises a good point about how you balance this concern with a p

The decline of parenting skills at Hoyden About Town

tigtog discusses the declining knowledge people have about child development and some of the possible reasons, and has some suggestions about community-based parenting. Even in my adamant child-free-ness, I think there are some great ideas.

brown_betty: LiveJournal and autonomy

brown_betty has an interesting idea linking lj’s social-networking structure to bodily autonomy as a way of explaining the demographic skew towards female users.

hari_mirchi :: Boundaries

hari_machi spells out the racial aspects of invading another person’s body, or why grabbing at a black woman’s hair is different to grabbing at red curls or long blonde hair.

vassilissa: Woke Up Disabled

vassilissa starts a conversation about disability in fandom space, with a focus on fic.

On Ally Work and ‘Passing’

This started out as being for The Angry Black Woman’s Carnival of Allies, but now I’m not so sure it fits with the intent of the Carnival. But it’s here either way.

So, I was reading belladame’s post for the carnival, about the perhaps limited utility of the word ally, and the notion that allies are ‘being PC to get cookies’, which is definitely a good read, but it actually got me thinking in a somewhat different direction, because of some of the most frustrating contexts in which I’ve heard it.

There’s been a lot said about ‘passing’, about the benefits and the costs, and about how it’s tied up with privilege. Now, I’m an asian/white woman with a white father/asian mother, and, as I grew out of childhood, an appearance that generally means you have to squint, or know what you’re looking for, to know that I’m not white. And there’s a lot of stuff I’m still working through that ties into all of that. But it does mean that, in certain respects, my ability to pass in certain contexts changes how my ‘being an ally’ for other PoC is perceived.

An Introduction

Your humble host attempts to look arty and such.

This has been a long time coming; I’ve been flitting in and around for a while now, and I’ve finally decided to really stick my feet in the water and start kicking. So hi to the people who’ve seen me in the comments elsewhere; hi to the people who have no idea who I am; and hi to everyone who doesn’t fit those categories.

I’ve been reluctant to start this blog for a while, because I hadn’t really worked out what I wanted it to be. But then, as I kept thinking about it, I became less sure. Because I’m not sure what I want to do, or achieve, or accomplish. I guess, really, I’ve been wanting a space to talk about how I think and feel about and deal with the way the world is, and how I think it should be, and how I find spaces and places and times to make links between the two, and look hopefully across those links and bridges and see some way of navigating across them. So I guess that’s part of what this blog will be.

So who am I, anyway? Well, I’m me. Which is a very simple and complex answer, all at once. I’m not fond of categories, because they all bleed into each other and become kind of useless, for me. And I’ve posted at various times and other places about various aspects of myself, and I might dig up some of those old posts and re-post them here, as time goes on.

The thumbnail version of me is this:

I’m an asian/white australian, queer, poly, cisgendered, fat, able-bodied, woman of colour. I am feminist, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, body-positive, and conscious of the ongoing contradictions and tensions between all of that.

So there’s your introduction. Here’s hoping I come up with actual useful content, soon.