#it’s very tasteless and insensitive to do this (repeatedly) but I get it. I just hope this opens their eyes on why it’s harmful/insensitive | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thebluelemontree · 3 years

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Whats your thoughts on GRRM accused of bein transphobic, racist and sexist at HUGO awards? Do you think TWOW will have the same criticism? And do you thnk GRRM is rewriting/delaying TWOW to try to please those criticism?

It was not a good look at all, to put it mildly, but not surprising that a cis white male in his 70s (who has his own share of problematic AF depictions in ASOIAF) was waxing nostalgic about the sci/fi fantasy community he fell in love with as a teenager while seeming to be totally oblivious to how his favs of yore didn’t leave such great memories for other people. Real harm was/is done to real authors and their careers and the fans who felt either unrepresented or represented horribly in fiction by racist and sexist gatekeeping. The people in the audience have had to work very long and hard to drag sci/fi and fantasy into a more diverse and inclusive future. A good deal of them were probably fans of GRRM too. The focus was on the future and celebrating work that reflects the changing values. Now here’s this old dude repeatedly steering the conversation back to the good ol’ days of crusty conservative white men that the crowd is trying to leave dead and buried in the past. I can see why people were pissed, especially about not bothering to learn to pronounce names properly (in prerecorded segments no less), which is disrespectful in its thoughtlessness and making a tasteless joke about genitals and gender. It reeked of privilege and no one rightly gives a damn if it wasn’t intentional.*Sigh* I do believe though that as long as someone isn’t dead, they can always learn, grow, and change; however, that is a decision on their part.

Do I think TWOW will have the same criticism? Most likely yes, at least in some specific areas. Pretty much the same as any other book in the series. I don’t think he can totally fix what’s already published, but he does have space to at least improve on some things. For example, he could take the opportunity to flesh out some Dothraki characters into recognizably distinct individuals. He could tone down the instances of hypersexuality associated with the Dornish, especially with a POV like Arianne. Even Dany’s POV gets obviously male-gazy at times when that really doesn’t happen with her Westerosi female counterparts. He could name and give some more backstory and personality to dead female characters of historical prominence. One area that I think he already has shown more improvement in is emphasizing positive aspects of female friendships. I think GRRM has fallen short of his own progressive ideals on many occasions; however, he’s still a guy who has written thoughtfully and accurately about the experience of being othered, of being discriminated against, of being traumatized, of institutional violence and systemic injustice, of being disabled, of being oppressed and harmed by patriarchal gender roles, etc etc. People still find his characters very relatable and helpful to read for many different reasons. I don’t think he could write like that if he were totally indifferent and insensitive at his core, but we can’t know until TWOW comes out if he has given consideration to some of the criticism and just how much he was willing to grow and change as a writer. With that being said, GRRM is not interested in scrubbing his work clean of all or most problematic content LOL. His attitude has thus far been pretty unapologetic about most things people complain about. I wouldn’t hold my breath for any sweeping changes.

And do you thnk GRRM is rewriting/delaying TWOW to try to please those criticism?

No, that’s definitely not what is delaying TWOW. This is a really ambitious epic series with all the intricate moving parts of a Swiss watch that is heading into its final act. He says he’s been pretty happy with the progress and momentum he’s gained lately. It’s probably now more about finishing the remaining chapters and tightening the prose up as much as possible so it can be physically bound into a single book.

#grrm criticism #Anonymous

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gaiatheorist · 6 years

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Food, again.

I’m in one of my precarious states in terms of Mental Health, or Emotional Well-being, or Warm and Fuzzies, or whatever we’re supposed to be calling it this week. I’ve been driving this clapped out bus of a carcass long enough to recognise the warning signs of an impending crash, to be fair, it’s not surprising at all that I’ve ‘lasted’ this long, it’s me, isn’t it? (The counsellor is supposed to be exiting me today, after more-than-double the number of sessions he’s meant to allocate. At the last session, he dropped in “A lot of people wouldn’t have come through what you have.”, and I had to bite back “I’m not ‘through’ it, I’m ‘in’ it.”, and respond “Resilient and tenacious, aren’t I?”, which reminds me of Creepy Carpet Tile Man telling me “You’re like a social experiment, to see how far a person can be pushed, and still remain functional.”.) Without self-diagnosing too much, I’m dealing with a set of external circumstances that aren’t particularly pleasant, and I’m too bastard stubborn to just give up, and live under my duvet. This ‘Nervous Breakdown’ is dragging its arse like a dog with worms.

I can’t ‘fix’ myself any more than I already have, I have plateaued at ‘superficially functional’, a fair approximation of an adult-human, albeit one who has brain injuries. Not that anyone would know, unless I told them. I’m ‘surviving not thriving’, and, while I do still have enthusiasm for some things, they’re quite a narrow range of ‘things’. “Get a hobby”, “Join a group.” “Go out for a walk somewhere nice.”, aye, those suggestions are helpfully trotted out by people who don’t have brain injuries, they don’t mean to be insensitive, they’re just suggesting what they think they’re supposed to. ‘Normal’ situations, to everyone else are profoundly debilitating to me, and explaining that, repeatedly, is exhausting. (Yes, I could get some little cards made up, with “I’m not being ‘off’ with you, I have brain injuries.”, and a list of my common symptoms, but I fear that people would either start asking me even more questions, or, worse still, start talking to me in the loud voice, with the small words. I’m difficult. Appearing ‘normal’, with brain injuries, is difficult.)

I do have brain injuries, and fluctuating Mental Health, what I also have, in a Liam Neeson voice, if you please, is ‘a very particular set of skills.’ Apart from being able to sneak up on people, which is fun, and being able to cross-reference, and apply pre-existing knowledge at a speed that freaks people out, I have an uncanny ability to ‘get underneath things.’ (You at the back, stop laughing, I don’t mean hiding underneath other people’s desks.) I used to flippantly describe that ‘particular skill’ as “I can get where water can’t.”, and, begging for gin on Fakebook aside, it’s the reason I’m not dead. Hyperbole? I don’t think so. The Universal Credit unemployment benefit I’m on, while my PIP disability Tribunal comes through, doesn’t cover my outgoings. It never did, I used my own money to make up the difference at first, and I’m just about to run out of ‘Trust Fund’ payments from my Employment Union, I won’t be coy, it’s a ‘hardship grant’, and, when that runs out, I will start to accumulate significant arrears. (Did you know that utility companies can apply for deductions to be made directly from benefits? I didn’t, until last month, when the water board took a breakdown of my income/outgoings, and noted that, paying my rent, and keeping my phone and internet on, for work-search, and emergencies, what with me being single-and-disabled, left me £40 per month for food. “Instead of £38 per month, you could pay £7.70 per week, would that be OK?” Would £10 per month for food be OK, let me think about that one?)

I’m effectively ‘shoplifting, but only from large chains’, here. (I’m not ACTUALLY shoplifting, stand down. Some people will be shoplifting, I’ve seen one hell of a spike in ‘security’ vacancies over the last year or so.) Utility companies are corporations, while it’s not ideal for me to go into arrears, they have back-up funding, I don’t. Last month was the first month of arrears, well, technically THIS month is the first month of arrears, when you stop your direct debit, the companies automatically bill you for the payments until the end of the tax-year, asking for money for services you haven’t used yet, which is why I didn’t cancel the utility bills until now. See “Getting where water can’t.”, hopefully I’ll have sorted out the disability benefit before my utility providers can sort the paperwork to take me to County Court, if not, I can evidence to the judge that you can’t pay £749 out, when you only have £662 coming in, and use the StepChange debt advice service templates to offer a ‘temporary payment arrangement’ of £1 per month. Delightful, isn’t it?

All of that is background noise, but it is impacting on my Mental Health, my ‘work coach’ is going to refer me to the DWP ‘Work Psychologist’ at our next session, my money is them telling me I would be in better emotional health if I was working. I know that. This vile predicament I’m in now isn’t a ‘lifestyle choice’, it’s me trying to fight my way through the unfit-for-purpose UK disability benefit system. I’m exceptionally high-functioning on some levels, but not at full-time capacity, I need to work part-time, to compensate for my deficits, but I can’t afford to work part-time on minimum wage. If I’m compelled into full-time work, there is the potential for my known-disability to place myself or others at risk of harm. The bit of DWP that deals with PIP doesn’t communicate with the bit of DWP that deals with UC, my work-coach is really sweet, but, if ‘the system’ kicks in, I could be compelled to apply for jobs that I know I’d be unsafe doing. What a mess. I don’t know how many times I’ll be able to evidence that a job is unsuitable before incurring ‘sanctions.’ (Reason for referral to UC psychologist: UC.)

Background noise aside, I know I’m heading for one of my periodic ‘dips’ in emotional well-being, the symptoms are stacking up. I’m laughing at myself, because my ‘solution’ is very much one of the symptoms as well. To get a little bit personal, without boring you with all of the details, my sleep-pattern is wrecked, I have no energy, very little enthusiasm for most things, lots of “Don’t want to.” days, and a noted increase in urges to self-harm. I’m not standing on the motorway bridge, I never will be, but, yet again, I need to catch myself on this slide before I hit the bottom. (I genuinely CANNOT hit the bottom, as much as that niggly little voice in the back of my head whispers that being sectioned under the Mental Health Act would trigger appropriate support. I don’t believe that it would, I think it would trigger a short stay on D-ward, where I’d be medicated into the same state-of-compliance as the other patients. I’ve visited D-ward a few times, the staff are stretched beyond capacity to cope, I’m not planning to add to their burden.)

The symptom/solution? A ‘project’. Yes, I know, I bang on all the time about the ex and his ridiculous ‘projects’, I can’t use my shed, because it’s full of his project-crap, and the spare ‘bedroom’ (That you wouldn’t be able to fit a bed in and open the door, I’m probably bedroom taxed on a large cupboard, there.) is also full of crap that he’d bought and then bored of. As is about 3/4 of the loft, oh, and there are two canoes and a ‘spare’ door for his 4wd in the back garden, it’s like living in Steptoe’s yard. My Dad visited me this week, he does ‘projects’ as well, and, while I usually just think ‘knob-head’, and move on, having a different stinky-man sitting in my house, telling me about a greenhouse he was building, and how one of his Facebook posts had “more than 200 likes!” (It was a two-line comment, starting a heated debate about he US president, and it had typos that made me twitchy, I’m not selling myself back to my father as admin, though.)

Dad banged on for about 300 years about tomatoes. In fairness to him, he doesn’t know I’m allergic to raw tomatoes, and, if I want to keep open the prospect of eventual inheritance, I’m probably going to have to accept occasional carrier-bags of surplus tomatoes. (Nasty side-thought there, not my half-sister on my Dad’s side, and her ponies, and multiple trips overseas, but the fact that my half-sister on my Mum’s side was given their old house when they inherited my Step-father’s maternal home. Oh, and my brother’s extortionate wedding in Greece. I cut off my nose to spite my face in terms of family, I’m gritting my teeth gradually increasing contact, but it looks like I’m smiling.) I will accept the surplus tomatoes, albeit not as enthusiastically as I accepted the birthday gin. What I’m doing here is what I always do, I’m advance-planning for a summer-glut of tomatoes, after almost two years of not having horrible tasteless-mushy ‘Moneymaker’ tomatoes from the Father-in-law occupying fridge space. I’m advance-planning sauces that can be frozen, and chutneys that can be preserved, because eating raw tomatoes makes me really ill.

I subconsciously started preparing for the likely fruit/veg glut from my Dad yesterday, with my first venture into pickling. ‘Back of the salad drawer pickle’, because one of the peppers had a soft spot on it, and I’d already meal-planned how to make one pot of soup last me all week, without sacrificing a pepper. (Must remember to give the kid the better of the two griddle pans I have. griddle-seared peppers are great.) The ‘project’ isn’t pickling, or soup, or pickle-soup. (Terms and conditions apply, we’ll see if I fall far enough into the rabbit hole to start making pickle-soup.) The ‘project’, inspired by a Twitter conversation at daft o’clock this morning, insomniac Twitter has some fantastic brains in it, and mine, is ‘Nowt thrown out.’ (I’m a Yorkshire lass, I’m allowed to say ‘nowt’ instead of ‘nothing’, for comedic effect.) When I prepare meals for the kid and I, there are always ‘leftovers’. That’s not actually sloppy portion-control, it’s deliberate now, with the combination of a very low income, and a disability. “Cook once, eat twice.” is now the accepted normal in this house, because the additional effort I need to put in to remain safe whilst preparing food is a drain on my already-diminished resources. ‘Leftovers’ mean that there’s always something immediately available, or something that can quickly be re-purposed. That can be as simple as the kid and his friend having leftover (home-made, from scratch, get me) pizza for breakfast the day after I’ve made it, or more involved, like that time the ‘leftover’ pizza sauce appeared in four different meals. (There’s a side-rant bubbling up about a recent internet issue about the packaging-plastic on pre-prepared vegetables, the insinuation being that EVERYONE who buys pre-chopped food must just be lazy. No, some of us are disabled, the bags of pre-chopped vegetables in my freezer are thumb-savers, as well as life-savers sometimes.)

As I plate up meals for the kid and I, I’m already planning what to do with the remnants. (Admittedly, I don’t think I’ll repeat the ‘Everything left from the fake-away bunged on one tray, with the last of the pizza sauce, and some more cheese’ experiment, that was a Thursday, I don’t usually cook on a Thursday, so I hadn’t ‘planned’ it as such, it was just that there was food ‘left’, and I can’t afford to throw it away.) When the kid isn’t here, I’m even more frugal in my exertions with ‘preparing and cooking’, if anyone from the PIP-end of DWP is reading this. Actually, if anyone from the UC-end of DWP is reading it, that’s probably relevant, too. Hello, DWP, I’ve had the same pot of soup for every meal this week, you can make that work by only eating once a day, my hair is falling out, my fingernails are splitting, my skin is dull and flaky, I’m hardly ‘polished for job interviews’ right now, because I’m probably malnourished. That’s very ‘me’, I have a hell of a lot of food in the house, but I’m rationing it, because I don’t know how long it will have to last. Welcome to 2018, the siege-mentality chapter.

Everyone is ‘feeling the pinch’, and there are no indications that the current trajectory of domestic affairs in the UK will improve any time soon. Food costs are increasing, the cost of everything is increasing, but very few people have an income that is increasing in proportion. There are various incentives on-going in the UK to reduce wastage, but that’s not going to have much of an impact immediately. People in general are used to having a wide range of food readily available, and throwing away far too much of it. (The ex was a swine for it, he’d throw out things that had “Gone bad.” despite not actually having checked whether they were still OK. It became evident, over a period of years, that he had no sense of smell, there’s nothing quite like trying to work, and having someone shove a carton of milk under your nose. I married a gibbon, who once fished a packet of Quorn slices out of the kitchen bin and ate them. Yes, they were sealed, but I’d binned them because they were a month past the use-by date.) That’s what some people won’t understand at first, that ‘best before’ might as well say ‘buy more.’

Retailers might be paying lip-service to the whole ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’ idea, but they’re not going to kill the golden goose of ‘best before’ any time soon. Some people don’t know how to ascertain whether food is spoiled, so that little date on the packaging is taken as the expiry date, then edible food is thrown in the bin, and replaced by more food that might well follow it. There is information out there about ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates, but the big supermarkets aren’t really shouting it from the rooftops, the Co-op IS trialling a scheme of a 10p “Don’t be a binner, have it for dinner!” selection of ‘expired’ canned and dried goods, but the scheme is limited to 125 stores in the east of England. The cynic in me wonders how prominently displayed the reduced goods will be, before the Co-op declares the scheme is closing due to poor take-up.

I was browsing ‘recipes for leftovers’ yesterday, no particular reason, as I didn’t have any leftovers to use up. I’m not counting the last portion of soup in the slow cooker as leftovers, that’s meal-planning. The results of my internet search made me angry. Everything makes me angry, and, on reflection, looking at the recipe sections on the websites of major supermarkets was the wrong place to start. (I’d started there because I couldn’t risk the sudden pop-up of video-adverts on independent sites, it’s a brain damage thing.) Supermarkets don’t *really* want you to use up leftovers, what they want people to do is keep buying more than they can use, and throwing it away on the mystical ‘best before’ date, then replacing the thrown-away product with an identical one. Oh, and that thing that’s on 3-for-2, and one of those ‘New!’ things in the display near the checkout. The supermarket recipes-for-leftovers were deliberately complicated, and, in most cases, required ingredients that people might not have ‘in the house.’ Wahey, I have a portion of ‘whatever’ in the freezer, I’ll have a look for ideas of what I could whip it into. Oh, wait, I don’t have any saffron (I do.) or any fresh rosemary (there’s some in the freezer, I need to clean the bits of rosemary out of EVERY bloody freezer drawer.), better pop back out to *Insert supermarket here* to pick some up, ooh, a 3-for-2 on something I didn’t go in for, what a bargain. (It’s only a bargain if you wanted 3, and you can use them...)

This is where the ‘Poor people eat rubbish’ comments happen, and where I feel compelled to shout “No, we don’t!” I am living well below the poverty line, my UC is something like 1/3 of the national ‘average’ income. ‘Poor people just order take-away!’ ‘Poor people cannot cook from scratch!’ ‘Poor people think chickens lay cheese!’, OK, I exaggerated on that one a bit, but it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s the outsiders-looking-in thing again, yeah, you can’t see much if you look in here, because my massive telly is in the way of the window. “Don’t buy pre-packed, it’s lazy, it’s cheaper to buy from a farmer’s market!” One of my hands doesn’t work, and the farmer’s market is on once a month, in a town a £4 return bus journey away, do you really think I can carry a month’s worth of vegetables home on a bus? “Don’t buy from convenience shops, it’s more expensive, use one of the discount supermarkets!” Again, I live in a village that’s relatively remote, not as cut-off as some, but the £4 return bus fare for a ‘big’ shop at Aldi, or even the £2.50 back home if I manage to walk there are pounds no longer in my pocket for food. “Don’t use the ‘big’ supermarkets, it’s better to buy from small, independent retailers!” Mate, have you SEEN my High Street? We have a Tesco, more charity shops than I can count, some nail-bars, some take-aways, and about four billion hairdressers. There’s a butcher, I’ll just subsist on hooves and tripe, to ease my civic conscience, shall I?

Until you’ve made one slow-cooker of soup last all week, don’t get judgemental at me for using 28p own-brand dried mixed herbs, instead of hand-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Don’t tell me that I’ll ‘ruin’ a dish by using sunflower oil instead of extra virgin olive oil, or that own-brand and budget-range foods are ‘cheap and nasty’. More than that, don’t assume that, because my weekly food allowance is roughly £10, I must be living on £1 ready meals, and white cider.

My ‘project’, to distract myself from my ‘emotional well-being issues’ is something I dabbled with the idea of a while ago, but never got around to doing. I’m going to set up another blog somewhere, on the theme of ‘Nowt thrown out.’ When I speak to Approved Food about my kidnapped sausages (Better just not to ask about that.), I might ask about linking up, for ad-revenue as store credit. People who have always had plenty of food are going to need to reduce wastage, as costs increase. People who have ‘never’ cooked are going to have to learn. People scraping by on next-to-nothing might appreciate tips on how to make f*ck-all go a little bit further. I’ll feel like I’m doing something useful, and it’ll keep me out of trouble. Possibly.

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nicemango-feed · 7 years

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Qasim Rashid's Tasteless Independent Piece about Sex Abuse

I was appalled to see this article on Twitter the other day. I don't even have the words to express how tacky and distasteful this is. As the far-right rises in the West, I find myself more interested in pushing back against that (since it's more of an urgent issue impacting our day to day existence here).....than constantly criticizing Islam in a climate where Muslims are singled out, generalized and targeted. Nuanced and legitimate criticisms are lost anyway nowadays, to fear-mongering about Mooz-lums raping their way across the globe to secretly instill Shariah. But then there comes a situation where you just have to rebut something as stupid and insensitive as the article above...with all you've got. Hopefully, my rebuttal won't get lost with ignorant takes like: "Islam is worse than Nazism" or "90% of Muslims are ticking time-bombs"... ..so here goes: With all the overuse and false accusations of "Regressive Left" floating around atheist twitter, its hard for an actual left-leaning person to recall a time when this term had meaning and referred to an actual problem. Well, this article is a great reminder on how the left can utterly fail in the way it deals with the topic of Islam. I can't believe such an article was approved and put out by such a well known publication. What were they thinking? Who is making these decisions? I mean...they may come from the perspective that they're doing this to offset the increasing anti-muslim bigotry, to normalize Muslims in a political climate where they become dehumanized more and more each day....but they can't seem to comprehend that defending Muslims can be separated from championing Islam. Before seeing this one, I came across quite a few tasteless takes regarding the awful Weinstein scandal. It seemed everywhere I looked someone was hijacking it to further their own agenda. A few standard "Oh you think Weinstein is bad, but what about Islam...that's way worse!!" type takes from ex-muslims that I've become used to seeing....and cringing at. Oh you think the alt right/white nationalism/nazism is bad? What about ISLAM - it's way worse!!" It seems, that some are incapable of discussing anything other than that one topic (which makes it all the more off-putting for me). There's a time and a place....there's a way to acknowledge multiple problems without minimizing the suffering of Weinstein's victims. This isn't to say, of course that when the conversation is turned towards sexual abuse that we cannot also bring up other forms that people often let slide.... especially when religion gets a pass on everything. I saw some Saudi feminists bring up some important points about how migrant domestic workers are assaulted on an everyday basis in Saudi society by privileged Saudi men...who get away with it. But they didn't do the, "Oh you think Weinstein is bad? Well Saudi men can be WAY worse" thing....where they bring the other topic to light only by minimizing the harm that Weinstein did. That is the difference.....one that many 'but what about Islam' types don't understand. "Yes we have similar problems too which we need to discuss" is a whole lot different from "Oh, Pfft, this? It's nothing compared to the cause *I've* dedicated *my* life to. And you know what, no one's perfect we're all likely to fall into that trap accidentally sometimes... but the ones who have a distinct repeated pattern of constantly being unable to address any issue without the added, "but what about Islam/The left" have become incredibly unhelpful voices. ...Speaking of unhelpful and cringeworthy voices though..I have to say Qasim Rashid, the author of the Independent piece is one of the worst I've encountered on this issue. The 'but what about Islam' takes are bad, but fuck....using a sex scandal to spread religious propaganda, to *proselytize*.... is a whole new level of scummy. Not only is it scummy but he goes about it in the most dishonest way. Yes we should absolutely encourage liberal, progressive interpretations of Islam. I find it incredibly unhelpful when people hold every liberal muslim to an 'ISIS purity test', that basically no one passes...and therefore the only 'real' muslims are the extremists. That is not a good approach. But, when it comes to more progressive interpretations of religion there are those who acknowledge the plurality and plausibility of multiple interpretations. They admit that some verses are just not ok by today's values. People like Qasim however will argue that everyone else has it wrong... they've misinterpreted and HE somehow has the correct interpretation. They cherry pick without acknowledging they are cherry picking, unlike more honest reformists who openly say that cherry picking is the path forward. Like all the Abrahamic religions, obviously...Islam too is full of contradictory crap er...stuff. So naturally you can pick a bunch of things that sound alright, or you can pick a bunch of things that sound barbaric. But if you really want to look at the whole picture you can't ignore either...both anti-muslims and apologists for scripture like to ignore the aspect convenient to their narrative and push the other. "Islam is PURE EVIL" or "Islam is PERFECT and PEACEFUL and FEMINIST" .... there are some pretty vile, murderous, misogynistic, hateful things in there...certainly some of that is 'evil'....but there are some alright bits that are cherry picked by modern progressive muslims, which makes most of them peaceful. 'Perfect', it certainly is not...'feminist'...nope. Be wary of anyone claiming either of those. I mean its absurd on the face of it...morals from centuries ago are simply not going to work today. If you try to claim they are *perfect* for today, then you're endorsing or twisting some pretty awful shit. Anyway.... *Cracks knuckles* Lets get into it....this fuckin' article. What a crock of shit. "My advocacy is informed not just by the law, but by strategies detailed in Islamic teachings and Prophet Muhammad’s example to pre-empt sexual abuse." Almost spit my beverage all over my keyboard...thanks for that Qasim. Would Mo's example pre-empt sexual abuse here?

From Sahih Bukhari

Slavery too....if defined by scripture is permissible in Islam....and slaves were to accept that owners are allowed to sleep with them at will. As stated in Quran 33:50

Obviously this is not a practice any decent Muslim would endorse today, but if you want to go by Mo's example...then it's worth mentioning. It would be one thing to make some excuse about it being a different time....and the example not measuring up by today's values... but if you are going to literally say a sex slave owner's values are what can prevent sexual abuse....I'm going to have a thing or two to say. Yes such slavery predates Islam, and so continued under Islam...I am not a fan of people using archaic texts to define an entire diverse group by today. So no this is not for you far-righters who paint all muslims as pedophilic rapists. What about this strategy detailed in the Quran, 4:34

Does making men in charge, commanding women to be obedient, and giving permission to 'strike them' also pre-empt sexual abuse?

***

I have to say I cringe a little while I'm picking out these verses to debunk this idiotic article, because I'm all too used to seeing how anti-muslims use these to dehumanize and generalize Muslims who may not even be aware of such verses. I know many like myself were taught curated versions of scripture. Religion is full of this kind of nonsense.... slavery, stoning babies, virgins...killing people who disobey...fathers ok-ing rape of their daughters for a few $$. Islam is certainly not alone in this, so think twice before painting Muslims with a broad brush. I cannot say that enough, especially in the Trumpian era.

***

"Let’s start by understanding two facts. First, a woman’s attire, alcohol intake, marital status, and education level do not contribute to sexual abuse – abusive men do. Second, sexual abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Every level of society – social norms, media, and Government – is complicit in promoting the rape culture that perpetuates sexual abuse." "Social norms demonise a woman for speaking out, victim-blaming her by asking what she was wearing, whether she gave signals inviting abuse, or asking why she didn’t speak up sooner." Very good Qasim...I'm glad you pointed out that a woman's attire doesn't matter. But the Quran (24:31) seems to disagree,

Here it tells believing women not to flaunt their assets, and even wrap a portion of their headscarves/outer garments over their chests. Clearly a woman's attire mattered to Allah, and therefore Mo quite a bit. (24:60) only postmenstrual woman are allowed to cast out their 'outer garments' even then being careful not to display any 'adornment':

So Qasim, when you talk about social norms demonizing a woman, victim-blaming her by asking her what she was wearing....perhaps look honestly at the things you yourself recommended to 'pre-empt' sexual abuse. Laughable really. Don't even get me started on the punishments Islam prescribes someone for adultery...so I'm pretty sure marital status matters too. You're right when you say every level of society can be complicit in promoting a culture that perpetuates abuse....but you conveniently miss out religion - old value systems that simply didn't classify abuse in the same way we do now. If you want to be a women's advocate, how about not preaching a misogynistic religion to them while they open up about their painful abuse experiences. "state laws only punish the actor once the act is completed, they don’t prevent the act in the first place. This scenario plays out repeatedly worldwide, whether we’re discussing “revenge porn”, gender based violence, or sexual harassment in the workplace.

This is where Islamic teachings and Prophet Muhammad’s example provide a solution that no state truly can. "

What the fuck, dude. What are you even trying to say here? While you're right that banning cat calling won't work, and that it isn't preventative... what's your solution? Islam and Mohammed? Are you for fucking real right now? Are you saying that being fearful of some god that would burn you for eternity and that following in the footsteps of a prophet who's example isn't known for his fair treatment of women, who owned slaves...and consummated with a child is what will prevent sex abuse better than modern man-made law?! Right because religious people NEVER sexually abuse anyone....if only they had had access to the teachings if Islam and the example of Mo. It's embarrassing really, to even debunk this.

Read story here

"Yes, Islam implores accountability to the creator, but rather than preach empty dogmatic theories, Islam instead prescribes a proven secular model." What are you even on about? Accountability to the creator? How old are you... how well has that worked to prevent religious people from sexually abusing people or committing any crimes? Secular model? What? "Thus, the Quran 4:2 first establishes men and women as equal beings. Chapter 4:20 then forbids men from forcing a woman to act against her will, thereby ensuring women maintain autonomy and self-determination. " Now, just because theres some contradictory more benign seeming stuff in there... doesn't mean you can ignore the wife beating verse (4:34), where aside from the 'strike them' nastiness...it literally says this: "Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other" Or how about the women are your farmland... plough them however you like (just don't do anal tut tut) verse (2:223)?

I mean, I hate to put on my "let me point out all the awful verses in the Quran/Hadith" hat right now, because I know the alt/far-right loves that stuff and uses it to stir hatred for whole groups which include people like me and my family. But in the face of this tasteless absurdity, I cannot remain silent. I can only hope I put enough "I dislike anti-muslims" caveats in here that it prevents them from latching on to this particular piece. I'm not alone in feeling that my criticism of Islam is sort of stifled at the moment because it's too easily hijacked by bigots, anyone with a shred of decency is feeling that right now.

Anyway, back to this unfckingbelievably ridiculous piece. I honestly can't wrap my head around how awful it is..and what kind of person you'd have to be to write something like this, especially in the midst of a high profile hollywood sex scandal. "Here..... stop fussing about this sex scandal...and listen to all the good things about MY religion, one that has a bad reputation for it's treatment of women" ....Oh ok @ssh*le. -___- Aaand it gets a whole lot worse than I imagined. Qasim actually links to a previous even more nauseating piece he did about THE WIFE BEATING VERSE FFS, where it's a bunch of the most pathetic and weak twisted apologetics for 4:34, and it's actually titled: "The Islamic Solution to *stop* Domestic Violence" [emphasis mine] I can't....I have to take a break.....I walk away from the computer, pour a drink, take a breath. Alright, I'm back...What was I saying? Oh yeah... His fucking *solution* is the verse that says men are in charge of women and you can strike them. THAT, to him is pre-empting domestic violence.. because by making men in charge it gives them some responsibilities and shit. He's thrilled it doesn't go straight to beating....this is a good thing apparently....An 'anger management strategy' - what the actual fuck is wrong with this guy and how is he allowed to pump this shit out in mainstream liberal publications like Huffpo and Independent?? And I quote, from the Huffpo piece, "Pre-emptive deterrence is the key. And this precisely is the wisdom behind verse 4:34 to decrease and stop violence against women. The verse in its totality describes a process of restraint, anger management and reformation." 'Wisdom' he says...About an infantilizing, abusive verse that clearly doesn't hold women in high regard. Just because it doesn't jump straight to the beating, it's a process of restraint. Fucking hell. "Employed effectively, these two steps help reconcile the vast majority of domestic disputes. Should the first two steps fail, however, the Quran allows — never commands — men to consider the third step, translated as “to chastise them.” Look, it *allows* --- it doesn't *command* you to 'chastise' your wife. (since the beating isn't compulsory...that makes it totally ok) Firstly Qasim, slick replacement of strike with 'chastise'. Secondly, obviously this is only for the rarest of times...for when the first two infantilizing and humiliating methods don't work on her (that totally excuses the fact that u can resort to ..you know... beating her) If the first two steps don't sort out your domestic dispute, it's because you didn't employ these perfect strategies 'effectively'.... Of course then his article delves into semantic bullshit about how the word for strike isn't actually that. Nothing I haven't heard before...but I haven't come across anyone with the audacity to argue they are progressive *and* suggest the wife beating verse as a goddamn *solution* to domestic violence. There are many Muslims who genuinely acknowledge that this verse is not palatable today....Qasim is not one of them. He would rather twist it to say it means the opposite of what it says in mainstream interpretations of the Quran. He'd rather appear dishonest in front of anyone who knows anything about Islam. This doesn't help Muslims, or their reputation...quite the opposite in fact. So I sincerely don't understand why left leaning publications put out stuff like this. All this does is breathe fire into anti-muslim movements. It energizes them, gives them something to rally around.

***

Sorry I went off into a rabbit hole there for a bit, so enough about the horrid Huffpo piece, and back on to the horrid Independent one....where were we... "And when it comes to the Islamic concept of Hijab, it is men who are first commanded to never gawk at women, and instead guard their private parts and chastity, regardless of how women choose to dress – pre-empting sexual abuse." I just love how he selectively points to the male requirements for modesty, saying that it tells men to lower their gaze... but he completely skips over the modesty requirements for women. You know, what hijab is literally KNOWN for? Slut-shaming women into covering head to toe and holding them responsible for provoking lust....no mention of the double standards about what men are required to do vs women. Of course men are commanded first because the whole Quran refers only to men directly (with a couple of exceptions)...when it refers to women it is in third person or via men..."tell your women/wives" type stuff. The Quran isn't some great feminist book, it puts men first because it only talks to *them* directly. "Accordingly, the Prophet Muhammad by example demonstrated that the burden of modesty, respect, and combating abuse of women rests on men. Indeed, men must take the lead in stopping such sexual abuse." Oh COME ON, the guy who married a six year old and had slaves? I really hate to sound like a broken record here... but Qasim is being one, so I need to keep repeating the obvious. "After all, while the Quran obliges women to dress modestly as a covenant with God, Islam prescribes no punishment whatsoever for women who choose to dress otherwise." Oh yeah totally, it's just an afterthought that the Quran obliges women to dress modestly...nothing to do with placing the blame on them for enticing men. Oh and the Quran doesn't describe the details of Salaat/prayer either....so I guess that must not be Islamic either. Here's a verse specifically commanding the wives of the prophet to stay home and not display themselves if they want to be 'purified' (funny thing is, this is one of like 2 or so verses that directly address women, and it's to tell them to not put themselves on display! Imagine that.)

O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.

And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.

And 33:59 spells it out clearly, women of the believers....cover yourselves so you aren't abused.

Just because the book hasn't specifically prescribed a beating in *this* situation... (I mean... a lot could be covered under 'disobedient wives') - doesn't mean that the general climate of "stay at home, do not put yourselves on display... or else you won't be pure" crap isn't pressuring women with the threat of hellfire.

"women in Islam rise to the rank of legal scholars, warriors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists while lovingly embracing identities as mothers and housewives.

Weinstein is a symptom of the greater disease of arrogance, unaccountability, societal apathy, and from men who knew of the abuse but did nothing. Islam and Prophet Muhammad provide a practical solution."

Oh ffs, a man who ok-ed wife beating and keeping them at home, married a child and thought women could be owned as slaves does NOT provide a practical solution to sexual abuse. You're an embarrassment Qasim.

So shameless...

"Together, we can employ a proven Islamic model that will stop this madness, and re-invoke gender equity today in America, and the world."

Who is he preaching to? How did the Independent let this happen, this is like a lecture you'd hear at Islamic Sunday School....does no one understand that this kind of horrific dishonesty, easily debunked....does nothing to help muslims.

It's a real shame this man gets a platform like this. I'll say again, who approved this and what were they thinking? Who is the audience they hoped to reach with "together lets employ an Islamic model to stop sexual abuse"? This is some bullshit 'religious right' propaganda....get it together Independent.

I'm all out of facepalms. I think that's all I got for today.

***

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viralhottopics · 7 years

Text

7 Famous White Feminists Im So Over

The Urban Dictionary

White Feminism is nowa popular term owing to the abundance of white celebs taking advantage of the movement to further their own interestand career, usually without extending female solidarity or tackling relevant social issues such as trans-womens rights, Hollywoods whitewashing, invisibility of the disabled, police brutality, cultural appropriation, or institutional racism.

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While this type of feminism raises a certain level of awareness to SOME feminist issues, it is harmful in that it paints a negative picture of the overall movement and thusgives dumb, ignorant boys an excuse to create sexist memes so they can call anyone who gets offended as Do not misunderstand me, I do not blame White Feminism as the sole reason why people, especially on the internet, immediately reject the importance and essence of feminism (sad online gnomes who are super bored with their lives and are desperate to be edgy should be held accountable for their own short-sightedness). My point is I would be very unglad if young women were led to believe by their idols that womens rights, solidarity, and empowerment are purely about #squadgoals, #actlikeaman, and #fuckdiets.

Rebecca Vorick, Feminism 101: What Is White Feminism?

Whether as individuals or celebrities, I dont hate the women that I will listbelow, but I do loathe their rejection of intersectional feminism, their habit of whining towards critics, and their collective willfulinabilityto acknowledge andlearn from their white privileged ways.

So here I present to you the role models for White Feminism and why they hella suck:

The Holy Trinity

1. Amy Schumer

Meghan Demaria

The first time I discovered Amy was from her movie after it got rave reviews from critics despite her character being obnoxiousas hell. Hollywood was abuzz with this funny, feminist, body-positive woman. Then I came across this article on her racist antics specifically about her controversial video parody of Beyoncs pro-black . I googled more and found out shes said a ton of racially insensitive things such as that time she joked Mexican men are rapists;or when she was bummed because no lesbians hit on her at a lesbian bar (was she thinking or what?); or when she implied men of color cat-call women more than white men do.

– If your career is built at the expense of minorities whom you mock and dehumanize, then your comedy is probably lazy, gross, and stale tbh. To quote Nathan Robinson but Amys jokes, as the Guardian explains,

If people pointout repeatedly you are racist and you can only respond along the lines of MAYBE you should self-reflectand make an effort to see WHY youre constantly criticized for your tasteless words instead of issuing another hollow Amys PR apologies, like many forced White Feminist apologies, count for nothing until she stops making feebleminded jokes that cater exclusively to a white American audience. Contrary to what Amy has claimed, she doesnt take responsibility for her words and doesnt use criticism against her in order to evolve as an artist and person. Instead she firmly stands her ground, proceeds to produce the same tired material, and shouts

TLDR, Amy, making and being slightly chubby does not a feminist make. No volume of laughter can drown out the fact youre a racist.

2. Lena Dunham

Lena, Lena, Lena. Oh, god, where do I begin?

Rebecca Carroll

If White Feminism were a video game, Lena Dunham would be that aggravating, seemingly unbeatable self-entitled boss villain at the end of the game that suddenly comes alive after you defeat it, cackling at you as it escapes into Video Game Part 2. Without her, the other mini-bosses might not have been enabled. She is the head of the White Feminist hydra whose foot-in-the-mouth diseasereaches far and wide.

"White Feminism" BINGO card. I have experienced ALL of these. Ugh. (From feministbingocards on Tumblr) http://pic.twitter.com/rUo4JubVeO

— Trudy (@thetrudz) February 6, 2015

Which brings me to why shes tied with Amy and why she is THE poster child for White Feminism (I only placed Amy first because I personally find her more unbearable). Because Lena, Amy, and friends are praised as feminist heroines, they and their careers get away virtually unscathed ifthey carelessly make racist, homophobic, or transphobic remarks. While Amy is guilty of proudly creating insipid humor, Lenas affronts are more unsettling.

Shes incredibly narcissistic as shown when she ranted (as in seriously, as in not a joke) about being offended by a black man not flirting with her and when she confessed shed never had an abortion but wished she had one (gurl, there are other ways to drawawareness on an issue without making it about yourself); her tv show supposedly represents feminism but only casts white girls and downplays sexual assault;she repeatedly objectifies black male bodies;she stated unbelievably ignorant gibberish about India and penned a sexist essay on Japan;she tweeted a racist joke about Asians; her view towards Rihannas abusive relationshipis perplexing; she doesnt acknowledge her success was heavily influenced by her wealthy familys connections; and she may have outed her sister to their parents without consent.

Theres also the questionable incident with said sister that Lena wrote of in her book I mean kids do weird crap and girls should be allowed to discover and explore their bodies and do naive stuff, but IDK what to sayabout this one so Ill just quote this anonymous comment on Jezebels article:

And this one by redditor scdi:

Plus this one by Victoria Brownworth:

While Im all for women being shameless in their self-love, theres nothing really new or groundbreaking with Lenas capitalist-centric feminism. Her work has indisputably raisedthe spotlight on important womens issues such as abortion and sexual autonomy, but is that enough given the harm shes done to feminism, to people of color, to LGBTQ+? She invites women to support her and her show because girl power, but hasnt bothered to address intersectionality and diversity, much less internalize any negative comments towards her regarding the above-mentioned stunts.

Lena Dunhams feminism is tone deaf. Theres nothing empowering about a classist, rich, privileged white girl who, like her counterpart Amy, contributes nothing profound or of actual substance for womens issues and is averse to improving her advocacy. I just I cant anymore. Lena, please ssssh.

If youre like me and youre done with Lena DONEham, check out some of the silly things shes saidhere.

3. Taylor Swift

My problematic fave! Who knew she was trouble when she walked in? T-Swizzles damsel-in-distress feminism may not be as toxic as Lena Dunhams, but its still clear as dishwater.

Taylor primarily rose as a status symbol for geeky shy girls, but even then people were already dissing Americas sweetheart. Somewhere along the way it became uncool to hate on Tay-Tay (whether legitimately or not), especially after Kanye stole her moment during the 2009 VMA.

Alas, regardless how polished and sweet your public persona is, if theres dirtunder all that sugar itll inevitably seep through bit by bit.Besides,any person who learns his/her feminism from Lena Dunham should not be trusted.

Ill sayTaylor is a hypocrite. Once upon a time she asserted she was not a feminist until one day she realized feminism is prettyradand helps her brandas an artist(plus it can be handy to dismiss your critics as). Of course its perfectly fine to change your opinion as you mature and learn from your initially confused view of feminism, but weve yet to see Taylor own up her missteps and strive for change.

She built an empire by portraying an angelic female whose biggest enemy is the sexualother female who steals her mans attention, and she exemplified this when she shit on Camille Belles career because Camille dated Taylors ex. She called her clique of BFFs to film a music video to drag Katy Perry after a feud. She accused Nicki Minaj of thereby overshadowingNickis discussion on her legitimate struggles as a black female artist and yet its Taylors character thats being assassinated? K.

Additionally, Taylor seems to be unaware of her privilege as a white woman; she culturally appropriates POC and uses them as props in her videos; her #squad is not inclusive; and her latest drama with Kanye contributes to the stereotypeof the angry black man vsthe innocent, faultless white woman. She also contendsthat if you are female and you do not support her, then there is aspecial place in hellfor you. Her self-serving feminism needs work because her white privilege is showing (and probably stressing out her PR team) and her constantly being marketed as a modern feminist despite her problematic-ness may detrimentally impact her young, impressionable fans.

For more examples of Taylor Swifts misguided feminism, I compiled a page of quotes on Quote Catalog which you can view by clicking here.

Honorable Mentions

4. Tina Fey

Jamie Peck

Tina, while undoubtedly very talented and funny, has stated in a 2009 Vanity Fair interview that (after her husband visited a strip club) she disapproves of strippers because “we need to be better than that”.Meanwhile she has no qualms about slamming sex workers as the punch line to her jokes. Self-worth does not equate to modesty, Tina!

Besides these, shewas complicit in a cast members terminationfrombecausethe actresswas not conventionally attractive. Then there was that episode from her other show that bordered on racist and the other one that parodied a famous doctors appearance which may or may not haveaddedto the doctors depression.

Ill sum this up with a post from blacklamb:

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5. Jennifer Lawrence

Ugh.

I wouldnt have included J. Law here but thenshe wrote that patronizing open letter about the US Presidential elections expressing that loving your neighbors was the answer to ending racial violence.

While were here, Ill point out she says a lot of dumb shitbelievingshes being quirky (like that time she roasted a foreign reporter for using his phones translator) when shes actually being an asshole. Recently she alsodesecrated and destroyed a sacred Hawaiian relic by scratching her butt on it because, again, she thought it was funny even after guides specifically asked herNOT to touch said relics. Ha. Ha. Ha. I guess?

Hopefully Hollywood realizes feminism isnt mainly about women eating pizzaandnot being a size zero.

6. Miley Cyrus

White Feminism, whats good?

Like every other proper White Feminist, Miley Cyrus uses the movement for her own agenda, exploits people of color, and remains mum on important topics such as Black Lives Matter. She is kind of an expert in perpetuating misogynoir and appropriating black culture. Like shes so good at profiting from black people and reformulating black culture into her own style (then whitesplaining about it) that Nicki Minaj called her out on the 2015 VMA stage.

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Thankfully, Mileys antics seems to have simmered down recently. Lets hope other White Feministstake heed.

7. Meryl Streep / Caitlyn Jenner / Tilda Swinton

This last one was confusing. Thereare just too many White Feminists to choose from! So I mergedthree instead.

Remember that time Meryl Streep erased black peoples struggles by saying or when Caitlyn Jenner (as important as her visibility is) transitioned butdenied that same right forother trans-people?; or when Tilda Swinton broke my GOT-fan-girl heart by playing the asian-friend card with Margaret Choto make herself feel better about accepting a role as a whitewashed character?

Hollywood is flocking with White Feminists who range from annoying to problematic to downright toxic. As much as Western Media tries to shove them down my throat as exceptional feminist figures, they do not successfully represent my generation, my gender or genders issues, or my feminism.

Alternatives?

If you want some examples of non-White Feminists, see: Zendaya, Angela Davis, Ariana Grande, Laverne Cox, Mia Mingus, bell hooks, Malala Yousafzai, Matt McGorry (yes, males can be good feminists, too),Amandla Stenberg, Carrie Fisher, etc.

Some of you may complain but pleaseread the sources. I encourage everyone, especially dissenters, to first click the links above if you have questions regarding the incidents, people, or statements written. The thought pieces/web pages the links lead to will likely be able to address your queries and offer more context and in-depth analysis regarding specific issues.

We need to become responsible for actively educating ourselves rather thanjeering should a feminist raise a concern. On the other hand, although its easy to call out White Feminists and leave it at that, this by itself will not help advance the feminist movement or strengthen solidarity. So if you spot a White Feminist, do not just call them out – call them in, too. Encourageothers to practiceintersectionalityand inclusiveness just in case they have not been schooled on the broader philosophies of feminism.

Last notes: critiquing White Feminist celebs does not diminish whatever kindnessthese ladies have done for othersor commendable work theyve accomplished in their fields or in charities (such as Meryls inspirational Golden Globes speech or Taylors altruism for her fans). You can simultaneously be a good celebrity and generous person, and still be a White Feminist.

Iacknowledge the celebrities mentioned may have already offered apologies or addressed certain matters.Thats fine– everybodys activism is messy or imperfect, and it is understandable that a public figures learning process can be more challenging. As long as one isvisibly trying to make an effort to do better it should be okay. Unfortunately most of the people I mentioned dont seem to care much.

Having well-meaning intentions that falter in execution is simply not good enough anymore.

http://ift.tt/2jHFUJP