On In Praise of SlutWalk
@IBentMyWookie Are you seriously suggesting that nobody has ever tried to make someone feel like shit for their sexual practices or the way they look? Is it nice there in Happy Rainbow Land? It sounds like it must be, perhaps I will join you there.
I will admit I felt a little uneasy about defending Katy Perry, but at base, doing things that go along with the status quo because you happen to find them pleasurable is not Bad For Women, and I stand by that. It's not a feminist act either, of course. It's neutral. The woman in question may or may not be a feminist. But to police a woman's behavior and say she can't do something she finds pleasurable because it's somehow Bad For Women, now THAT is not neutral. It's counterproductive to our goals. Who gets to decide what behavior is appropriate and what isn't? This type of thinking is incredibly subjective and based more in emotion than logic.
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On In Praise of SlutWalk
@IBentMyWookie We will stop saying it when people stop doing it.
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On The Night Blogger Blogs Alone
I've heard similar complaints from bartenders and people who work in nightlife, but at least they get to work with others. Everyone looks down on you for your failure to keep traditional "grownup" hours, when the truth is you work just as much as they do if not more, with the only difference being that the hours you're free to do things/communicate with people are utterly inconvenient for you. Never feel bad for being a night owl!
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On Why The Ads For Christmas Engagement Rings Make Me Uncomfortable
I don't have any personal experience with this, as marriage is a long way off for me, but my oldest friend (since 4th grade) just got engaged, with a ring and everything, and she and her fiance seemed to sidestep all the negative associations I/we have around the concept. She's an uber-smart scientist currently finishing up her phd at Yale, and has never been the type to get excited about girly stuff like weddings. Her fiance is, likewise, an uber-smart and logical mathematician. They've been together for over six years and it's been sort of understood for a while that they're going to get married and start a family together eventually, and both of their families are fairly traditional so they need to have a wedding. But it was still nice for him to give her a ring, because it's nice when people you love do nice things for you, and she is excited to put on a nice dress and marry him, and they're both looking forward to saying their vows, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is, "getting proposed to" can be exciting without being hysterical like in the commercials. Even if you've been discussing future plans for a while.
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On Patrick Stump, "Spotlight"
Further evidence of his robothood. It's not hard to get a new body when you are made of metal, right?
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On Patrick Stump, "Spotlight"
Something about the timbre of his voice really bothers me. Like, I have a feeling it comes out of his throat sounding all auto-tuned and overproduced. Gives me the creeps! Maybe he's secretly a robot?
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On Das Racist: "We're Not Racist, We Love White People: Ford Trucks, Apple Pies, Bald Eagles"
Let me guess: you're white.
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On Das Racist: "We're Not Racist, We Love White People: Ford Trucks, Apple Pies, Bald Eagles"
White music writers who grew up middle or upper class (i.e. most of them) are notoriously squeamish about discussing racial issues because a) it'd force them to acknowledge their own privilege and b) they don't feel qualified to do so. They (we?) don't get called out often enough for this failing, so I'm glad you did it here. Awesome post.
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On Yeah Yeah Yeahs Get the Last Laugh at Their 10th Anniversary Show
This is not a parody, this kid is fucking sincere and honest and makes me remember what it's like to really care about music. I don't think he's necessarily judging the Yeah Yeah Yeahs one way or another for selling out, he's just reporting on the facts of the situation and letting you decide (or not) for yourself. And the "sent via Blackberry" thing is not really a joke, though it might read as funny to some, he writes all his stuff on his Blackberry because he doesn't have a computer.
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On In Praise of SlutWalk
@IBentMyWookie Just because some people cry racism inappropriately doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To suggest otherwise would be absolutely absurd. So too with slut-shaming. And I'm gonna go ahead and ignore that condescending use of "adorable."