Egyptian government on last legs, says ElBaradei
Published: 28 Jan 2011
Source: The Guardian
Tags: Africa, Egypt, democracy, riots, censorship, diplomacy, violence, protests, elections
Can the U.S. get on the right side in Egypt?
Published: 28 Jan 2011
Source: Washington Post
Tags
2011-01-28
Trans vs. HRC
This post doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the content of the class itself, but I do feel it's kind of relevent.
Recently a link to a page for the Human Rights Campaign appeared on the "recommended pages" section of my Facebook, indicating that over a sixth of my friends have "Liked" them. A few names were displayed, and my immediate response was to balk at the sight of a trans-person's name next to that little thumbs-up symbol.
Why is this?
Let me start off by saying I actually don't know much about the HRC. I have their increasingly ubiquitous bumper sticker (the dark blue square with the yellow equal sign [=] on it) on my laptop, but I don't like it being there, and it would seem my aversion to associating with the HRC has become almost "instinctive." Something unconscious bothers me about seeing a trans person (but not non-trans folks) associating positively with HRC. But whyyyy???
I don't know if it's something you can be expected to be aware of if you're not inside the trans community. Basically this is something which is pretty common and a sensibility which is beginning to be passed from older (by which I mean "been in the community longer") trans folk and new ones without much explanation. Young trannies like myself find in ourselves an unexplained anger with and distrust of HRC.
This blog post does a pretty good job, in my opinion, of explaining the history behind the strife between HRC and the broader transgender community. Their agendas have included blatant trans-exclusion (most notably in their backing of a version of ENDA in 2007 which specifically excluded addressing gender identity and trans issues, "to get it passed quicker") and individual members have exhibited unrepentant transphobia.
(Note: The blog author employs the term "Macchiavelian", a word I previously did not have a concept of until this past class!)
The truth is, I'm actually not very familiar with all this history, and the vast majority of it is "before my time" even though it all affects me today. What I'm saying is I don't necessarily carry that baggage; nevertheless, I have inherited a prejudice against HRC from my fellow transfolk.
It reminds me of the Jewish story about the roast [link] [link] and inevitably results in the fallacious argumentum ad antiquitatem. Trans people I believe are inherently called to question and problematize any ingrained concept, whether it be "you are a girl therefor you must love/wear pink" or "you are a transgender therefor you must hate the HRC."
Now, from my personal experience, the HRC has actually pissed me off concerning trans rights quite a few times, and the reason I don't like that their sticker is permanently affixed to my computer is because while I may not be totally against them, I don't want to be perceived as supporting them until I really do.
Nevertheless they are prominent and do a lot of good stuff, so I will leave their link up on this journal page for the time being.
Recently a link to a page for the Human Rights Campaign appeared on the "recommended pages" section of my Facebook, indicating that over a sixth of my friends have "Liked" them. A few names were displayed, and my immediate response was to balk at the sight of a trans-person's name next to that little thumbs-up symbol.
Why is this?
Let me start off by saying I actually don't know much about the HRC. I have their increasingly ubiquitous bumper sticker (the dark blue square with the yellow equal sign [=] on it) on my laptop, but I don't like it being there, and it would seem my aversion to associating with the HRC has become almost "instinctive." Something unconscious bothers me about seeing a trans person (but not non-trans folks) associating positively with HRC. But whyyyy???
I don't know if it's something you can be expected to be aware of if you're not inside the trans community. Basically this is something which is pretty common and a sensibility which is beginning to be passed from older (by which I mean "been in the community longer") trans folk and new ones without much explanation. Young trannies like myself find in ourselves an unexplained anger with and distrust of HRC.
This blog post does a pretty good job, in my opinion, of explaining the history behind the strife between HRC and the broader transgender community. Their agendas have included blatant trans-exclusion (most notably in their backing of a version of ENDA in 2007 which specifically excluded addressing gender identity and trans issues, "to get it passed quicker") and individual members have exhibited unrepentant transphobia.
(Note: The blog author employs the term "Macchiavelian", a word I previously did not have a concept of until this past class!)
The truth is, I'm actually not very familiar with all this history, and the vast majority of it is "before my time" even though it all affects me today. What I'm saying is I don't necessarily carry that baggage; nevertheless, I have inherited a prejudice against HRC from my fellow transfolk.
It reminds me of the Jewish story about the roast [link] [link] and inevitably results in the fallacious argumentum ad antiquitatem. Trans people I believe are inherently called to question and problematize any ingrained concept, whether it be "you are a girl therefor you must love/wear pink" or "you are a transgender therefor you must hate the HRC."
Now, from my personal experience, the HRC has actually pissed me off concerning trans rights quite a few times, and the reason I don't like that their sticker is permanently affixed to my computer is because while I may not be totally against them, I don't want to be perceived as supporting them until I really do.
Nevertheless they are prominent and do a lot of good stuff, so I will leave their link up on this journal page for the time being.
2011-01-27
Articles [6]
Super Bowl week gives Dallas chance to enforce panhandling ordinance; fines up to $500
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: Dallas News
Tags: Dallas, local, homeless
Sources: DPD to Crack Down on Panhandlers
Published : 25 Jan 2011
Sources: Fox [myFOXdfw.com]
Tags:
Ugandan Who Spoke Up for Gays Is Beaten to Death
Published: 27 Jan 2011
Source: The New York Times
Tags: LGBT, violence, Africa, Uganda, murder
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: Dallas News
Tags: Dallas, local, homeless
Sources: DPD to Crack Down on Panhandlers
Published : 25 Jan 2011
Sources: Fox [myFOXdfw.com]
Tags:
Ugandan Who Spoke Up for Gays Is Beaten to Death
Published: 27 Jan 2011
Source: The New York Times
Tags: LGBT, violence, Africa, Uganda, murder
Film: Closet Land
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
I picked up this film simply because it was the first one the library aid pulled off the shelf.
My first response is just to say that I really hate indie films and seeing this one has done nothing to change that view. Call me old fashioned and narrow minded but I like my films to have a plot of some kind, and generally end in sort of resolution or conclusion. I get it, I just don't like it.
I also found the film to be incredibly predictable. I don't know, somehow I just knew that Alan Rickman's character was going to do this good cop-bad cop thing the whole time. Somehow I knew there was going to be a "medical torture" style scene. And it was glaringly obvious that, even though the core of the film (arguably) was about torture and coersion, there would be an element of repressed trauma from sexual abuse. The second the "Close Land" was animated, I knew, ah, the little girl is the author, the closet has to do with sexuality, and since this is clearly a film about abuses she was obviously sexually abused, probably raped, almost certainly as a child. The only thing I wasn't certain of was whether the closet was a literal or figurative place - turned out to be both.
Granted the ending was surprising, I didn't think she would make it out (I suppose we could debate whether or not she really did).
Also, Rickman's character is deliberately left inconclusive. I would like to extrapolate on the symbolism there, because there are a number of positions you can put him in. Does he represent government? Is he really a single person pretending to be in different roles, or is Rickman actually meant to be portraying different characters? Was he her assailant when she was a child, or is he just preying on that memory as part of her torture? What is his goal/are his goals?
I think that Rickman's "character" is a single entity with all the conflicting facets he portrays carried within; as such, I think he represents not simply government, but entire nations. The fact that he is both his own torturer and victim, that he both takes sadistic enjoyment in torturing his victim and is harrowed about what he does, all go to show how complicated the relationship between the dominated and the dominating is. If, for example, a government turns to exploitation, torture and intimidation, the governing body itself suffers from the paranoia of surveillance and the guilt of the perpetrator. When people allow their governing bodies power over their very selves, they become complicit in their own suffering.
sex, drugs, nakedness, faking it, frigid whore, psychological torture, interrogation, unwarranted arrest, propoganda, children, sexual abuse
When you abuse people enough they won't scream anymore.
When you subject a person to too much pain they become unable to see the pain of others.
Children are powerless. The powerless become children. Easy victims.
What power do lies have? What power is there to be found in lieing or misrepresentation? In refusing to lie? Can we lie to ourselves about what's happening to us? Can we lie to ourselves about what we are doign to others?
What is your closet? What are you escaping from? Who is the friendly rooster? Who is Mother? Who is the cat with green wings? What is your lie?
I picked up this film simply because it was the first one the library aid pulled off the shelf.
My first response is just to say that I really hate indie films and seeing this one has done nothing to change that view. Call me old fashioned and narrow minded but I like my films to have a plot of some kind, and generally end in sort of resolution or conclusion. I get it, I just don't like it.
I also found the film to be incredibly predictable. I don't know, somehow I just knew that Alan Rickman's character was going to do this good cop-bad cop thing the whole time. Somehow I knew there was going to be a "medical torture" style scene. And it was glaringly obvious that, even though the core of the film (arguably) was about torture and coersion, there would be an element of repressed trauma from sexual abuse. The second the "Close Land" was animated, I knew, ah, the little girl is the author, the closet has to do with sexuality, and since this is clearly a film about abuses she was obviously sexually abused, probably raped, almost certainly as a child. The only thing I wasn't certain of was whether the closet was a literal or figurative place - turned out to be both.
Granted the ending was surprising, I didn't think she would make it out (I suppose we could debate whether or not she really did).
Also, Rickman's character is deliberately left inconclusive. I would like to extrapolate on the symbolism there, because there are a number of positions you can put him in. Does he represent government? Is he really a single person pretending to be in different roles, or is Rickman actually meant to be portraying different characters? Was he her assailant when she was a child, or is he just preying on that memory as part of her torture? What is his goal/are his goals?
I think that Rickman's "character" is a single entity with all the conflicting facets he portrays carried within; as such, I think he represents not simply government, but entire nations. The fact that he is both his own torturer and victim, that he both takes sadistic enjoyment in torturing his victim and is harrowed about what he does, all go to show how complicated the relationship between the dominated and the dominating is. If, for example, a government turns to exploitation, torture and intimidation, the governing body itself suffers from the paranoia of surveillance and the guilt of the perpetrator. When people allow their governing bodies power over their very selves, they become complicit in their own suffering.
sex, drugs, nakedness, faking it, frigid whore, psychological torture, interrogation, unwarranted arrest, propoganda, children, sexual abuse
When you abuse people enough they won't scream anymore.
When you subject a person to too much pain they become unable to see the pain of others.
Children are powerless. The powerless become children. Easy victims.
What power do lies have? What power is there to be found in lieing or misrepresentation? In refusing to lie? Can we lie to ourselves about what's happening to us? Can we lie to ourselves about what we are doign to others?
What is your closet? What are you escaping from? Who is the friendly rooster? Who is Mother? Who is the cat with green wings? What is your lie?
Art Project
I've started working on my Art Project. I won't say what it is just yet, except to state what would probably be obvious to anyone who knows me even a little, that it has to do with gender. Also, it is mainly papier mache. I haven't played with papier mache since I was in preschool I think, so it was a lot of fun tonight to tear newspaper into strips and dip them in the paste. It's going to require several layers so I'm going to have to work on it a little at a time, which is why I'm starting now.
I really hope my concept comes through the piece... Halperin indicated that he doesn't know how to grade an interpretive dance or musical piece, so everyone must basically do a visual art project. I don't see how he can "grade" anything that's technically "art." It's this kind of insecurity that throws me off.
I really hope my concept comes through the piece... Halperin indicated that he doesn't know how to grade an interpretive dance or musical piece, so everyone must basically do a visual art project. I don't see how he can "grade" anything that's technically "art." It's this kind of insecurity that throws me off.
2011-01-26
Articles [5]
'Black widow' carrying bag triggered Moscow blast?
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: The Times of India
Tags: Russia, Moscow, terrorism, suicide, bombing, Black Widow, public transportation, gender, public transportation
Locals upset by foreigners in RDP homes
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: Independent Online South Africa
Tags: Africa, South Africa, xenophobia
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: The Times of India
Tags: Russia, Moscow, terrorism, suicide, bombing, Black Widow, public transportation, gender, public transportation
Locals upset by foreigners in RDP homes
Published: 26 Jan 2011
Source: Independent Online South Africa
Tags: Africa, South Africa, xenophobia
2011-01-25
Articles [4]
Somali refugees storm United Nations office in South Africa
Published: 25 Jan 2011
Source: All Headline News
Tags: Africa, South Africa, refugees, UN, riot, immigration,
Published: 25 Jan 2011
Source: All Headline News
Tags: Africa, South Africa, refugees, UN, riot, immigration,
2011-01-23
Film: Why We Fight
Reflections and Notes:
No one can talk about "9/11" or "the war in Iraq" without touting some agenda; the emotions surrounding these and similar issues run too deep for anyone to speak of them without some bias. This is what I am thinking as the film begins to play, and I'm actually forced to stop watching and consider for a second what message I'm likely about to receive, from what source or sources, and what their angle might be.
This actually led me to a long consideration (which is still ongoing) as to what the "agenda" of the Human Rights program is. I'm sort of faced with a question: is there a way to "fail" the Human Rights minor from a personal developmental standpoint? ie. If one does all the work, jumps through all the hoops, watches all the films, does all the readings, writes papers and fulfills assignments and gets all the right grades, and say, still comes out adhering to the opinion that the death penalty is a good delivery of justice, or that women's suffrage is a bad idea (probably two very radical examples, but there you are...) has that student "failed" I wonder?
Or, for a more personal take, I am pro-military. I can't be anything but, really. I grew up in a military household; my father is an officer, and many of my ancestors have been in the military, not to mention a huge portion of the most influential people in my life and many of my current friends are veterans or currently serving. Consequently, I will not tolerate people who arbitrarily blast the military, who cut down and devalue soldiers and who criticize military decisions without any sort of understanding of how that culture works. (I hate the Westborough Baptist Church as much for their anti-soldier rhetoric as for their homophobic shit.) Furthermore, on some levels, I support "war." That's a broad statement that requires a lot of unpacking, but I guess what I'm really saying is I cannot just be across the board "anti-war." Yet it seems to me that in some ways that's kind of the goal of this program - to get you so familiar with the horrors of war you could never live with yourself if you so much as indicated a bit of approval for a militaristic action.
[will finish this post later, the original notes are a bit disjointed]
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