Schmaltz on wry

"Next cab off the rank was the restaurateur in Brisbane who designed the Liberal fund-raiser menu..."

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:40:16 +1000

“

Next cab off the rank was the restaurateur in Brisbane who designed the Liberal fund-raiser menu offering Julia Gillard-themed quail with the hilarious remarks about breasts, thighs and red box.

Gillard, whose sole point of identification with Holger Osieck may be that she knows an open goal when she sees one, was quick to issue a prime ministerial ”I told you so”, which immediately unleashed a horde of gumshoe detectives seeking to establish that the PM’s office had either invented the whole thing or planted the story after her sexism speech in order to corroborate her point.

By the end of the week, there were some who felt that the offence to the men who attended the dinner and were the subjects of the Prime Minister’s outrage was somehow greater than the original offence to the Prime Minister herself.

Which is right about the point at which, I think, Australian politics might have officially disappeared up its own fundament.

Imagine if we had a black prime minister, and the menu concerned had made some hilarious joking reference to, I don’t know, Coon cheese or something. Would anyone be hunkering down over the chain of events and working out whether the whole thing had been massaged for political advantage?

”

- A little more respect, a little less Latin, right?

"Tumblr also faces other challenges, notably content rights and pornography. Karp is sanguine. “Porn..."

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:20:42 +1000

“Tumblr also faces other challenges, notably content rights and pornography. Karp is sanguine. “Porn used to  be about 10 per cent of all our traffic, now it’s around three to five per cent,” he says. “I’m not into moderating this stuff. Tumblr’s an excellent platform for porn, which I personally don’t have any moral opposition to.””

- Tumblr’s David Karp interviewed on GQ

Wonder how Tumblr’s attitude to porn will change now with Yahoo involved.

Photo

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:27:07 +1000

learningtolovemyself: SERIOUS SIGNAL BOOST (steubenville rape...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:22:51 +1000

learningtolovemyself:

SERIOUS SIGNAL BOOST (steubenville rape trial, westboro church, etc)

“Anonymous” hacker who outted the students of the Steubenville Rape Trials. He is now being punished for bringing the young girl justice. The FBI showed up to his house with assault rifles and made him and his family get on the ground and took possession of his computer and is now pressing charges. THEY’RE PRESSING CHARGES BECAUSE HE ‘HACKED’ an account to save a girls life. Also involved in Westboro church hacking.

Please help out as you can. You can find this all over google with interviews with Anderson Cooper and Roseanne Barr and others such as:

http://gawker.com/the-fbi-raided-steubenville-anonymous-guys-house-here-511634071

The facebook like support page has a lot more information and how you can help:

https://www.facebook.com/realkyanonymous

And web address:

http://www.whistleblowerdefenseleague.com/

Facing indictment from the Federal Government for relation to the hacking and hacktivism of http://www.rollredroll.com/ during the rape case in Steubenville, Ohio. Exposing the corrupt and paying the price.

Donations accepted:

https://www.wepay.com/donations/2104382285

IF NOTHING ELSE PLEASE REBLOG SO WE CAN SIGNAL BOOST THE FUCK OUT OF THIS

What happens when a sports team still considers a disabled person, a person

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:40:36 +1000

What happens when a sports team still considers a disabled person, a person

Why Does Tonto Have That Bird On His Head?

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:24:30 +1000

Why Does Tonto Have That Bird On His Head?:

Casual racism in The Lone Ranger.

Reblog if you think the next disney prince should be GAY.

Wed, 29 May 2013 23:08:42 +1000

powerhull:

kansasprincess97:

oh-hi-hoe:

sleepingwithsharma:

4 million and counting

5 million

This should get to 10 million, come on people.

Always reblog when it comes up on my dash.

12 million! Disney can’t say no!

14 million ! whohoo!

If this get’s to 50 million notes, I will talk to Disney and totally fuck them up with this.

How to argue against feminism ... and lose.

Wed, 29 May 2013 21:48:17 +1000

bon-bon:

dudes who equate feminism with equality with being allowed to punch ladies are so fucking scary. like, how badly do you want to punch girls, dude? how is that the first and most important part of equality for you?! WHY DO YOU WANT TO HIT LADIES SO BAD?! how often are you thinking about this?! i am terrified.

theodd1sout: if any of your friends aren’t understanding your...

Wed, 29 May 2013 09:20:16 +1000

theodd1sout:

if any of your friends aren’t understanding your ‘introvert-ivness’ just show them this.

The WWW, in 1997. 2 TB of content, 44 digital tapes, and 4...

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:16:20 +1000

The WWW, in 1997. 2 TB of content, 44 digital tapes, and 4 CRT monitors. Epic.

(via A Snapshot of Cyberspace (November 1998) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin)

this-is-life-i-live: genuine-discord: If you can’t reblog...

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:38:48 +1000

this-is-life-i-live:

genuine-discord:

If you can’t reblog this, you don’t deserve to be on tumblr.

I feel like the above GIF is an accurate description of who we are and what we do here.

Tumblr is my second family. God bless all you beautiful people x

actually Tumblr is my first family, those ppl who live in the same house as me are the second

Interestingly, this is what my research participants say about the Internet of 1999. We love you, Internet!

Best. Baby. Onesie. Ever. (via A Modest Proposal Babygro)

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:20:29 +1000

Best. Baby. Onesie. Ever.

(via A Modest Proposal Babygro)

German Court Finds Google's Autocorrect is Libellous

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:41:00 +1000

German Court Finds Google's Autocorrect is Libellous:

A German court has decided that Google’s autocorrect should be a representation of what is ‘true’, rather than what people are doing with its software. It’s an interesting approach - if I were Google I’d be fighting this tooth and nail rather than suddenly be responsible for enforcing “The Truth”. Enforcing “The Strange Things People Do Online” is both easier and more interesting.

"And it’s often easier to blame the technology that tethers them than work out the dynamics of agency..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:03:12 +1000

“And it’s often easier to blame the technology that tethers them than work out the dynamics of agency that are at work. What’s at stake isn’t just that work is invading people’s personal lives or that certain types of labor are undervalued. It’s also that the notion of fun or social is increasingly narrated through the frame of work and productivity, advancement and professional investment.”

- danah boyd | apophenia » How would you define work in a networked world?

This, so very much this. There’s a lot of work to do, unpicking labor, fun, capital, value, and of course, exploitation.

signifierofmalepower: My picks from #safetytipsforladies on...

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:47:25 +1000

signifierofmalepower:

My picks from #safetytipsforladies on Twitter.

cravenclaw: hybridic: dammit gabriel

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:55:46 +1000

cravenclaw:

hybridic:

dammit gabriel

alexisagirl: kaitrokowski: “Steve Carell, Jon Stewart and...

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:54:14 +1000

alexisagirl:

kaitrokowski:

“Steve Carell, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: How men would look if they had to pose in ads the way women are expected to.”

Bring on equality, I could get used to this.

lightspeedsound: manybodies: lightspeedsound: lunapics: thesh...

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:38:14 +1000

lightspeedsound:

manybodies:

lightspeedsound:

lunapics:

theshells:

I can’t stop laughing at Harry running the fuck away, the boy who lived ladies and gentlemen.

….You realize, of course, that Hermione Granger lit a teacher on fire when she was eleven, and kept a person alive in a jar for a year when she was fourteen, and studies dark and forbidden magics for kicks, and is one of the brightest and strongest witches of her era. If she came at me, even wandless, I would aparate to Neptune to get away from her.

Hermione Granger also:

punched Draco Malfoy in the nose for being an idiot

purposefully performed a confundus charm on whatshsface WHILE HE WAS FLYING just so Ron would win (omfg that is so fucking dangerous)

literally pulled a fucking Bourne Identity on her parents and managed to set them up in fucking Australia (jesus christ she literally made it so that she NEVER EXISTED wtf that’s so fucking 007)

Convinced the Ministry of Magic to give her an incredibly dangerous and volatile device that allowed her to ALTER TIMELINES COMPLETELY (just because she was so smart, literally, that is the reason, her “potential”)

Has enough basic survival skills and badass magic to literally disappear to the middle of nowhere and flourish AND figure out Voldemort’s plot with Harry

Hermione also figures out not only what Voldemort’s plan is, but generally how to beat it, WAY BEFORE VOLDEMORT EVER DOES. Why? because she is just that much smarter and better at magic than everybody else

in conclusion: Voldemort wishes he could be as awesome as Hermione, that’s why he wants to kill her so bad.

Can we rehave this series with hermione as the protagonist.

Hermione Granger and “That Time I Used the Power of Research and Deductive Reasoning to Make Sure Harry Didn’t Die”

Hermione Granger and “That time I figured shit out and literally ended up petrified for the cause and it took my friends weeks to figure out that I had the research on me”

Hermione Granger and “That Time I Was a Time Lord”

Hermione Granger and “That Time I Realized I was Hot and Smart and Saved Harry’s Ass with Research. Again. All the Time. Really, He Would Have Died Without Me.”

Hermione Granger and “That time Harry was too emo to actually do shit so I did shit in his name because I am the power behind the throne clearly also PS fought evil deatheaters and won”

Hermione Granger and “That Time I told Harry about the Dangers of Copying off Somebody’s else’s work that wasn’t mine and OH LOOK I WAS RIGHT”

Hermione Granger and “That Time I let Harry Decide Where to Go and What To do and we ended up wandering the forests of dean for like 5 months before saving his ass at Hogwarts”

carry-on-my-wayward-butt: geeky-jez: grahamburglar: andwhenthe...

Sat, 04 May 2013 19:34:42 +1000

carry-on-my-wayward-butt:

geeky-jez:

grahamburglar:

andwhentheskywasopened:

aldora89:

fozmeadows:

karnythia:

nickminichino:

karnythia:

nickminichino:

karnythia:

Reporter: So, why do you write these strong female characters?
Joss Whedon: Because you’re still asking me that question.

The question should be “Why do you write seemingly strong women and then punish them for that strength?” I see a lot of characters in this set who got shit on by Joss not to mention at least one actress he fired for the crime of getting pregnant.

A friend of mine likes to challenge “Joss Whedon, Feminist” acolytes to name a female character on Buffy who doesn’t die or go crazy.

I feel like this game could be expanded to find lead female characters who don’t die, go crazy, or lose a loved one in a gruesome way as part of their suffering. Bonus points if they get to the end without anyone threatening to rape them or trying to rape them. There has to be at least one right?

If we include those, we may as well be playing bingo. Joss Whedon’s female characters’ punishments: collect them all!

Who gets mind wiped? Who gets beaten? Who watches everything she ever loved burn? It’s a game for all ages! Bonus points for the ones who die without ever having gotten to live!

I might have feelings about Kendra. A lot of them.

Goddamit, and now I feel compelled to do an actual tally of his original female characters, albeit offhand and from memory. So:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy - two deaths, one rape threat, one attempted rape, two sexual assaults, one dead parent.

Willow - one rape threat, two breaks with sanity, one dead girlfriend.

Cordelia - damselled about a billion times, one attempted forced marriage.

Anya - one rape threat, dead.

Tara - dead.

Kendra - dead.

Faith - multiple breaks with sanity.

Ms Calender - dead.

Joyce - dead.

Dawn - one attempted forced marriage, one dead parent.

Darla - dead.

Drusilla - multiple breaks with sanity.

[I don’t know enough about angel, I cut this part]
Firefly

Kaylee - one rape threat.

River - multiple breaks with sanity.

Zoe - one dead husband.

Inara - one threat of sexual assault.
[I don’t know enough about doll house, I cut this part]

I should probably leave this hornet’s nest alone. But I’m pissed off right now, because today I learned people think Joss Whedon is sexist for putting his female characters through the wringer.

As if a fundamental part of the hero’s journey isn’t suffering, having loved ones die, or dying themselves. As if he doesn’t do that to EVERYONE he writes. Here are some of his male characters’ trials, in the same form as above (and this is just the stuff I remember off the top of my head):

Giles - one dead lover/dear friend, brutally tortured at least once

Xander - one threat of sexual assault, implied childhood abuse, at least one break with reality (that made him leave Anya at the altar), one dead lover, loses an eye

Spike - sexually assaulted by his mother, attempted forced marriage (the same spell that got Buffy), brutally tortured, at least one break with sanity, one death

Riley - turned into a meat puppet by ~~Frankensoldier~~ Adam

Angel - tortured in hell, at least one death, lots of other stuff I don’t remember because Angel bores me

Wash - brutally tortured, dead

Mal - brutally tortured

Book - dead

And what do I see when I look at the female characters listed above?

Buffy - survives the series with a hopeful heart, comes up with a plan to break an explicitly patriarchal tradition, saves the world a lot, allowed to be flawed and messy and still strong

Willow - survives the series, finds love again after the death of her soulmate, grows from an awkward high school girl to a junkie to the most powerful witch in history

Dawn - survives the series, grows from an annoying little sister to a competent young woman

Faith - survives the series, seemingly a “bad girl” stereotype who actually has depth and a compelling misled-by-evil-(and-love) —> redemption arc

Cordelia - seemingly a “shallow girl” stereotype who actually has depth and comes through when her friends need her despite being out of her element

Anya - a former monster who switches sides, finds and loses love but consciously steps away from deadly coping mechanisms, can run a store better than Giles, illuminates humanity in compelling ways

Tara - shy and unassuming, wise and compassionate and forgiving. She can’t beat up monsters, but that’s okay, she’s still part of the team.

For fuck’s sake. It’s supernatural genre television, not tiptoeing through fields of daisies. People will die. People will be threatened. Sometimes it will happen as a plot device. If you write a lot of female characters (I saw something earlier like the percentage of women in primetime shows is like 17%, which Whedon obviously blows out of the water), a lot of them are going to have horrible things happen to them.

But what Whedon does that’s so different from most is he writes female characters as people. He doesn’t portray stereotypical femininity and strength as mutually exclusive. He shows that physical strength isn’t the only “real” strength they can have. He gives them diverse personalities and shows how they’re all powerful and weak in their own way. He lets them grow and evolve organically. He lets them be compelling villains. He lets them be sympathetic victims. He lets them be fearless warriors for good. Sometimes all three. He lets them make horrible mistakes and successfully atone for them. He shows them suffering for plot-related reasons, doesn’t shy away from the after-effects (versus, say, Deanna Troi in TNG - so much of the stuff that happened to her was gratuitous) and shows them getting back up.

Also, don’t you dare pretend Joyce’s death can be reduced to part of some anti-feminist pattern (for three separate characters, no less. And the fact that Buffy even had a parent in the first place is unusual for the hero archetype). That kind of thing actually happens in the real world, it was handled with incredible sensitivity and realism, and watching Buffy and Dawn go through the grieving process is something many people relate to intensely. It’s fantastic writing. It’s good conflict. It’s good television.

If anyone is writing off Joss’ female characters, it’s you. It’s the people who act like these characters are little more than a list of tragic and biased casualties, and fuck everything else they accomplish.

^*slow claps it out*

Oh my God.

Thank you. I have been told a million times that Joss is anti-feminist and every time I’ve tried to argue against that but I haven’t been able to do it this magnificently.

Thank you. I have heard the argument that he is anti-feminist because his female characters go through hell….

They do know this is a Joss Whedon project we’re talking about, right? 90% of the time, EVERYONE is going through absolute emotional hell, no matter what their gender.

And that includes the audience.

A great way to show that your characters are strong is by testing that strength through trials. In stories that are surrounded by death and suffering, why would the main characters be immune?

THIS POST MAKES ME HAPPY IN EVERY SINGLE WAY

"parents do not own their children’s consent, they are merely entrusted with it"

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:59:58 +1000

“parents do not own their children’s consent, they are merely entrusted with it”

- technosociology | our tools, ourselves

I only just discovered that Zeynep Tufecki has a blog. I now cannot tear my eyes away.