Mike Huckabee, card carrying misogynist, says that wives should submit to their husbands. He says that women should do this because the Bible says to do so.

Well, the Bible also says to kill people from other faiths (Deuteronomy, Chap 17:2-3, 5). So, is Huckabee going to kill everyone who isn’t a Christian too?

Is he going to just pick and choose what he wants to see as “truth” from the Bible?

Popularity: 100% [?]

While I cannot stand Ann Coulter for her insanely terrible politics, I think it is egregious that Maxim would point out all of her figure flaws over pointing out how she’s racist, misogynistic, anti-progressive, or how she has an absolute hatred of all people who are not just like her (Republican, Christian, white, heterosexual). In pointing out all of her figure flaws, it has done a terrible disservice to women. Maxim is really saying that they have no respect at all for women and that they have nothing to say that is relevant. That is really pathetic.

Fortunately, Maxim has a small and dwindling audience. Therefore, we will probably not have to hear what they have to say for much longer.

Walmart even removed the magazine from all stores in 2003 in response to customer complaints.

Popularity: 22% [?]

According to a study published in Springer by Laurie Rudman and Julie Phelan, feminism and romance are not incompatible. Furthermore, feminism may also

improve the quality of heterosexual relationships. The study showed that negative feminist stereotypes, that tend to stigmatize feminists as being unattractive and not sexually appealing, are not supported.

ScienceDaily originally reported on this story.

Popularity: 15% [?]

On Brian’s blog and around the house, we have been discussing Freud, feminism, politics, and Hawaiian Psychology - a normal day for us.

At any rate, I am rather interested in the concept of Hawaiian Psychology. Indigenous cultures, specifically Hawaiian culture, often have very interesting and unique ways of looking at problems or ways of living that western culture has too often chosen to ignore. A book on Hawaiian psychology actually exists - Ka Lama Kukui Hawaiian Psychology: An Introduction by William C. Rezentes. The book is primarily for psychologists that are treating Native Hawaiian patients but I think it would be interesting for laymen. I have heard of people (even the courts) performing Ho‘oponopono in order to resolve problems between families, groups, or even inner struggles.

We have also been discussing Freud’s extremely misogynist case study of Dora. I find it disturbing that Freud’s conclusion was that women like to be sexually assaulted by men. He also asserts that Dora really wanted the sexual assault and even further that she should have submitted to it. Freud also seems to assert some kind of empiricism of his method but it is almost as though he never realizes that the entire scenario that he has “derived” are wholly constructed and based on entirely questionable interpolations. Given the history of Dora - her father was having an affair with a family friend, the older [than Dora] husband of the cheating wife comes on to her and sexually assaults her on several occasions, her father becomes distant to her and uses her as a pawn in his sexual games, the cheating wife betrays her trust, her father and creepy husband of cheating wife deny that Dora has been approached by creepy husband, her mother does not really do anything to help her, she’s a Jew living in Germany during a very bad period, and she was subjected to ice-water therapy and shock therapy. If this was not all bad enough, she was sent to Freud who also added insult to injury by telling her that she wanted to kiss him too and asserted that all of the above things were her fault. I do not think that I have to point out any additional reasons why she was not a happy person…

Does anyone have any thoughts on the case study of Dora?

Popularity: 16% [?]

This list was created by B. Deutsch and is largely based on the work by Wellesley College Professor Peggy McIntosh on how people are taught to view racism, misogyny, etc only by acts of cruelty and meanness rather than viewing invisible systems that give dominance to one group over another.

The Male Privilege Checklist

1. My odds of being hired for a job, when competing against female applicants, are probably skewed in my favor. The more prestigious the job, the larger the odds are skewed.
2. I can be confident that my co-workers won’t think I got my job because of my sex - even though that might be true.
3. If I am never promoted, it’s not because of my sex.
4. If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.
5. The odds of my encountering sexual harassment on the job are so low as to be negligible.
6. If I do the same task as a woman, and if the measurement is at all subjective, chances are people will think I did a better job.
7. If I’m a teen or adult, and if I can stay out of prison, my odds of being raped are so low as to be negligible.
8. I am not taught to fear walking alone after dark in average public spaces.
9. If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.
10. If I have children but do not provide primary care for them, my masculinity will not be called into question.
11. If I have children and provide primary care for them, I’ll be praised for extraordinary parenting if I’m even marginally competent.
12. If I have children and pursue a career, no one will think I’m selfish for not staying at home.
13. If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.
14. Chances are my elected representatives are mostly people of my own sex. The more prestigious and powerful the elected position, the more likely this is to be true.
15. I can be somewhat sure that if I ask to see “the person in charge,” I will face a person of my own sex. The higher-up in the organization the person is, the surer I can be.
16. As a child, chances are I was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than my sisters.
17. As a child, I could choose from an almost infinite variety of children’s media featuring positive, active, non-stereotyped heroes of my own sex. I never had to look for it; male heroes were the default.
18. As a child, chances are I got more teacher attention than girls who raised their hands just as often.
19. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether or not it has sexist overtones.
20. I can turn on the television or glance at the front page of the newspaper and see people of my own sex widely represented, every day, without exception.
21. If I’m careless with my financial affairs it won’t be attributed to my sex.
22. If I’m careless with my driving it won’t be attributed to my sex.
23. I can speak in public to a large group without putting my sex on trial.
24. If I have sex with a lot of people, it won’t make me an object of contempt or derision.
25. There are value-neutral clothing choices available to me; it is possible for me to choose clothing that doesn’t send any particular message to the world.
26. My wardrobe and grooming are relatively cheap and consume little time.
27. If I buy a new car, chances are I’ll be offered a better price than a woman buying the same car.
28. If I’m not conventionally attractive, the disadvantages are relatively small and easy to ignore.
29. I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.
30. I can ask for legal protection from violence that happens mostly to men without being seen as a selfish special interest, since that kind of violence is called “crime” and is a general social concern. (Violence that happens mostly to women is usually called “domestic violence” or “acquaintance rape,” and is seen as a special interest issue.)
31. I can be confident that the ordinary language of day-to-day existence will always include my sex. “All men are created equal…,” mailman, chairman, freshman, he.
32. My ability to make important decisions and my capability in general will never be questioned depending on what time of the month it is.
33. I will never be expected to change my name upon marriage or questioned if i don’t change my name.
34. The decision to hire me will never be based on assumptions about whether or not I might choose to have a family sometime soon.
35. Every major religion in the world is led primarily by people of my own sex. Even God, in most major religions, is usually pictured as being male.
36. Most major religions argue that I should be the head of my household, while my wife and children should be subservient to me.
37. If I have a wife or girlfriend, chances are we’ll divide up household chores so that she does most of the labor, and in particular the most repetitive and unrewarding tasks.
38. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, chances are she’ll do most of the childrearing, and in particular the most dirty, repetitive and unrewarding parts of childrearing.
39. If I have children with a wife or girlfriend, and it turns out that one of us needs to make career sacrifices to raise the kids, chances are we’ll both assume the career sacrificed should be hers.
40. Magazines, billboards, television, movies, pornography, and virtually all of media is filled with images of scantily-clad women intended to appeal to me sexually. Such images of men exist, but are much rarer.
41. I am not expected to spend my entire life 20-40 pounds underweight.
42. If I am heterosexual, it’s incredibly unlikely that I’ll ever be beaten up by a spouse or lover.
43. I have the privilege of being unaware of my male privilege.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Since Brian and I have both joined mySpace, Facebook, et al in order to promote our blogs, I have found an increasingly disturbing trend among young women.

The trends I have come across seem to involve young women who glorify getting married as their greatest accomplishment in life. This is not only sad but also extremely degrading. Is this some kind of resurgence of 1950s behavior where the only goal in life for women is to get married and make babies? I also do not understand women who think it is an accomplishment to flaunt the fact that they have taken heir husband’s last name. So what? I could walk into a courthouse and change my name to Wonder Woman tomorrow, if that is what I wanted. I get that they wish to be identified as their husband’s property, but why is that an accomplishment? I doubt many, if any, husbands walk around saying they are Mr. *insert wife’s last name*’s property. Are these women so lacking in their own personality and self-confidence that they have to assume the persona of their husband so they can live through them? I know I get SO sick of hearing friends and family call me by Brian’s last name when I have made it more than clear that I am not his property and we do not have the same last name. It is insulting and rude to call someone by a name other than his or her own name. If your name is Sally Richards and I continually call you Sally Sims then you would probably be offended if you knew that I knew your name was Sally Richards. No? It belays a complete lack of respect for the individual.

In addition, what is all the importance placed on having an engagement ring? Nothing says love like starting your lives together with $30K in engagement ring debt. That is real love. Right. Moreover, why don’t men get engagement rings? They should get them if women are going to get them and women should go into $30K in debt to pay for it. It is absurd to expect a man to shell out thousands of dollars on some pointless piece of jewelry that is supposed to represent your love. Get a grip on reality.

Interestingly enough, by posting this, which is no doubt controversial to many, I am opening myself up to being called horrible things like a feminist. Gasp, the horror, the horror…

Popularity: 11% [?]

CNN had an article about Warren Jeffs Trial that is currently taking place. Jeffs is a religious [Mormon] nut who forced young girls to marry men which usually resulted in rape and ill treatment as part of his non-consensual polyamorous lifestyle. I do not think the issue of his character is really in contest in the court of public opinion. I think it is also egregious that a woman would actually represent him [as his lawyer] and defend the acts of forcible marriage perpetrated on children, rape, and polyamorous relationships that were not consensual and caused women to be mentally and physically harmed. Jeff and his lawyer must be good friends with Dawn Eden, queen of the misogynists.

The entry of polygamy into Mormonism is well documented in Fanny Stenhouse’s autobiography, The Tyranny of Mormonism as well as in Kimball Young’s, Isn’t One Wife Enough. They did not allow polyandry but saw fit to allow polygamy since it “fulfilled the Grand Design.” Even according to Mormon beliefs they were supposed to allow the first wife to choose whether a polygamous marriage would take place. If she refused then by doctrine it was not to occur. Fanny Stenhouse sheds light on this practice saying that “If the first wife refused, there were other ways she could be coerced into acceptance, including her own death.” Fabulous religion, really.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Yesterday, while we were in Kona I bought a book called “The Sexual Politics of Meat” by Carol J. Adams.  She has a very interesting viewpoint on vegetarianism and feminism.  She basically thinks that one theory cannot exist without the other (successfully).  She was the winner of the Continuum Women’s Studies Award for this book.  I have only read a small portion of the book thus far but some of her arguments seem a bit far-fetched to me.  I hardly think using the book “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott and referring to the father character justifies her argument.  Namely, that the father was a vegetarian and did not wish to enslave animals to do work so he made the family move to a communal farm to do work but he did not quite have the desire to actually do manual labor so he left the women to do the work - in a sense enslaving them.  However, this is fiction!  I can see her point about feminism and vegetarianism going hand in hand in many ways.  Vegetarianism is inherently anti-patriarchal because of associations with men/meat/hunters and women/vegetables/gatherers.  However, I think these notions are absurd for society today.

I doubt every feminist cares about animals and I doubt that every animal rights activist cares about feminism and most would not see the other group as being vital to their cause.  This is really the same issue with First Wave Feminism and the abolitionist movement.  Initially, it was a fine pairing until it all went sour out of anger and jealousy.  Will the same thing not occur if animals are “liberated” while so many women are not?  I suppose a bigger question to ask is who should be liberated first:  women or animals?  And what is animal liberation?  Does that mean everyone is vegan and bears run through our living room and the family dog is set free?

Just random thoughts on random topics…

Popularity: 8% [?]

I have my period. I also have a very understanding husband that listens and contributes to discussions about the menses and even encourages writing about it. He does not think it is dirty, disgusting, unmentionable, or “my problem.” He even gets me books from the library because I seem to read a plethora of menstrual related reading material during my period.

It is interesting that I talk to my husband and not my mother or a close female friend about menstruating. I do not have any female friends and my mother tends to think that menstruation is awful, gross, necessary, and “the curse.” I was never told that it was special to have my period only that I could “look forward” to it for many decades to come. Women seem to have rather horrifying attitudes towards their own bodies and what they do. Menstruating is completely normal and healthy. This is not a bad thing and it is most certainly not unclean or disgusting.

I am currently writing a paper (encouraged by Brian) about the effects of the patriarchy on the menarche and the subsequent effects on the whole menstrual process all the way through menopause. It may end up as three different papers…we shall see.

Popularity: 5% [?]

I have been reading an interesting book called, “Who Stole Feminism?” by Christina Hoff Sommers. It is interesting because she claims to promote gender equality rather than gender inequality and female superiority. Sadly, it seems as though the women’s movement has taken a more disturbing turn in the last forty years since Second Wave Feminism began…

Popularity: 9% [?]