Below are the most recent 3 friends' journal entries.

Sunday, December 27th, 2009
feminist [ futurebird ]	6:48p	These problems are not the same. There are not enough movies that speak effectively to the experiences of women. That is movies made with a female perspective. Many moves reinforce sexist ideas regardless if they are made primarily for women or for men. There are not enough women who direct major movies. There are not enough movies where the main character is female. There are also not enough movies where half, or more of the cast are female. These four problems are related, but not the same. Acting like they are all the same problem pigeonholes women who write and direct films. It also suggests that movies with female main characters cannot draw male audiences and tells male writers and directors that they are not responsible or able to change the type of work that they create so it draws female audience. It suggests that if a movie is written by a woman, or if it draws a large female auidence it canot be sexist. None of this is really true. Yes, having more women working in the industry at all levels would do a lot to address the imbalance, but not because women would write in direct movies for women, or becuase women would "naturally" make movies that are not sexist-- it's more about what will get funding, what will be approved and promoted. Having women play a role in the decision making process could get more movies with good female characters to the screen. I think that this same idea could apply to movies about black people, or movies about LGBT people... what do you think? In some of the communities here in livejournal I have read some bright ideas about how having diversity in fiction isn't just a matter of ushering in minority or women writers and expecting them to fix everything. (Anyone remember what post I'm talking about?) The fact that minority and women writers can't find work is an issue of job discrimination. It's not the same as the problem with the lack of diversity in the content. That's a reflection of cultural problems that relate to who's story is perceived to be important. A story written by a woman who grew up in a sexist culture will probably still have a sexist perspective if she has never thought very much about sexism. But, the fact that she is closed out of a job market is still a problem. (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 18th, 2009
feminist [ 0xmahliax0 ]	8:47a	PWDs or disabled people? PWDs vs. disabled people: It’s well know in this community that the preferred way of speaking of people’s certain identities is “people of/with…” instead of “ –ed people”. When it comes to my own use, the term I have used to describe PWDs (the term I will be using generally here because, well, it is faster to type) has gone through a couple evolutions. The term I first used in my life, both before and after I became disabled, was “disabled people”. After I had spent some time in this community, however, I began to see the logic and value in using the term “PWDs” instead. The thinking goes that when you use “person with a disability” you are putting “person” first, which is a signal that the person you are speaking of is human, is a person, and the disability comes second because it is not the primary identity. I have recently been reading this book for a research project, however, and the author has an interesting view on these terms that has just about changed my mind. The book is Geographies of Disability, by Brendan Gleeson. Like most disability scholars he has the view that disability is a social construction, which is what I talked about in my last post in this community. Because of this, he believes that the term “PWDs” erroneously attributes the disability to the person: a person with a disability. “Disabled people”, he feels, acknowledges the fact that people with impairments are disabled by the world they encounter. They are not inherently un-able to participate in life, they are simply un-able to participate in a world that does not account for different bodies and minds. Another reason that the term “disabled people” is preferable, he writes, is because “PWDs” seems like a token gesture. It is a bit of political correctness that really doesn’t do much to change the world PWDs live in. On the other hand, the term “’disabled people’”, he says, “serves a political purpose by foregrounding the oppression…that bears down on impaired people.” I found this a fascinating argument, and I may find myself using “disabled people” more in the future, perhaps interspersed with “PWDs”. I can see the value, and the drawbacks, of using both. So, which term are you supposed to use now? I can’t answer that, sorry! I myself don’t have a solid opinion on it (anymore). I just wanted to put a different spin on things to get people thinking about the terms we use for cultural identities, how important they really are, and what we expect to accomplish by using them when describing ourselves or others. Or maybe I just wanted to mess with you a little :). (32 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
feminist [ bloodmoonrising ]	8:47a	From feministing: Livejournal to Enforce Binary Oppression Livejournal to Enforce Binary Oppression "For those of you who may not be aware, LiveJournal , a community blogging and social networking website, is preparing to release a new code update which will force users to register a binary gender: male or female. Users will not be able to opt out of selection, as this step in the registration process is mandatory -- a step that is not only invasive to a user's privacy, but also advocates for the erasure and disavowal of all transgendered, intersexual, and/or genderqueer people. What troubles me about this move is that LJ has always had a good dialogue and good rapport with the trans and genderqueer communities in the past." "The systematic oppression and erasure of transpeople, genderqueer, and intersexual individuals is a feminist issue that calls for immediate action. The next code push will most likely occur as early as this Thursday or next , at which point, users will be forced to select a binary gender. Please spread the word and raise awareness about this issue. If you are not a LiveJournal user, please send emails of your disapproval to Anjelika, the general manager of US operations: anjelika@livejournalinc.com." [edit]Edit 12/15 1017 EDT: As mentioned in the responses many people have received, the code has now been rolled back and will not be pushed with the next codepush. Sorry about that, I had no idea there had been as much of a response to this when I was shown the information. Thanks to those who commented for prompting me to double check. Current Music: The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Bring Our Curses Home | Powered by Last.fm (9 Comments |Comment on this)