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Sarah Palin Was A Token….and is now a what? « .Elise.Anne..

Can a woman be successful in politics without prostituting her image? Hillary receives a lot of negative response to her supposedly unfeminine image, but she does not have nearly as many sexually doctored photos circling on the internet, have people voting for her because of her sex appeal, or have people passing her off as a ditz or bimbo. Sarah was marketed as the polar opposite. She receives a lot of negative attention for her stylish feminine image in the form of critiques and sexism, but she doesn’t have nearly as many people call her b-tch, butch, power-hungry, man-eating, man-controlling, etc. The goal is to not sell out in either way. To be able to be “feminine” and respected as a woman, not a sexual plaything, and not as only as good as her designer label or complimenting accessories. To also be practical (duh!) in appearance and image, and respected as a woman, not as a b-tch, assumed lesbian, or man eater.

You should read more of Elise’s post when you get the chance the entire post is pretty awesome. I think when you are a minority in a majority context the question of selling out will arise in some form or other. Irv Cross, was the first African-American sportscaster on national television, and for a while served as the Athletic Director at Macalester College. I had the privilege of hearing him speak at a Macalester Christian Fellowship meeting where he shared the story of how in his first season on tv, the producers had wanted him to dress with his shirt open down to his chest, and wearing a large gold chain (he also tells this story here).  They wanted him to be the sex symbol, to be an African American stereotype. They wanted him to sell out. Cross refused, it wasn’t who he was.

It’s hard being the first of your kind, whether that kind is female, African American, queer, Korean, etc. There’s always the pressure to either sell out by becoming a caricature, or to sell out by suppressing that part of your identity that is different. To not be a sell out is, like Cross, to know who you are, and what are the things that make you who you are. To not be a sell out also means to understand the world around you, and the boxes that the world wants to put you in. To not sell out means to know your boundaries and your margins long before they are tested, so that when the time comes it is easy for you to say “This far, but no further.”

On the large scale of things, I’ve been fine, but I’ve also been at a point in life where I am considering the directions of my life and making concrete decisions. That naturally involves considering this blog and what’s it’s purpose. I suspect (though I make no promises) that my next post will be talking about some of that, and why I’m not sure the title of the blog is appropriate any more. In the meantime, I’d like to hear what you think of the issue of selling out. It’s a complicated question that has more facets than I’ve included above. I’d love to hear some comments.

Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.

I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.
Losing my religion for equality | theage.com.au.

via:Eugene Cho

A little bit of old news, but I wanted to point people to this Jimmy Carter’s article outlining his decision to leave the Southern Baptist Convention. I’m not a part of the Southern Baptist Convention in large part because of this very reason, so I support/endorse his decision. You should check out the article, it’s very well written, and it also contains this gem.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy – and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.

The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

I haven’t heard about this group at all, but it intrigues me, so I’ll be looking into, and checking out what they do. Only, after I finish this paper.

Blog@Newsarama » Blog Archive » What NOT To Do At SDCC.

So while being distracted from writing my paper I go check out Newsarama. San Diego Comicon is happening right now and it’s honestly the biggest comic-related event of the year. So I’m dismayed (as is the Blog@Newsarama team) that EA has basically decided to run the contest above.

Yeah, basically they want you to sexually objectify women at the con so that you can win the opportunity to sexually objectify two more women.

Here I was ready to roll my eyes at the comic industry once again, when I go luck at the twitter search for #lust. The hashtag is almost completely taken over by comic book fans protesting/decrying this competition.

I know there’s a hard working feminist community in Comicdom, and I’m not sure I’d call this a victory yet, but it’s definitely a heck of a fight.

Oracle: Former Batgirl, Genius Hacker, Strike Team leader, known for her brains.

4thletter! » Blog Archive » Sexy is good, right? Sexy sells, right?.

After I’ve seen enough of photos, covers, posters, and promotional materials like these, lines about how ’being tough AND sexy’ is admirable and how ‘beauty and sexiness are assets’ fall flat.  Beauty isn’t an asset.  Beauty is a requirement. Because, I guess, if she’s not sexy, why bother dealing with her?  There’s no reason to listen to the words coming out of an unattractive woman’s mouth.  There’s no reason to be interested in the adventures of a woman unless the word ‘erotic’ is slipped in there, however subtly.

Hey folks, I’m still travelling, but wanted to post this link. Anyone who’s reading this knows I’m a comic book fan, but if there’s one thing I hate about the comic book industry, it’s this. Sadly, as Esther Inglis-Arkell points out. The phenomenon is not just linked to comics, but the entire entertainment industry, and even into politics (which sort of counts as an entertainment industry nowadays). Anyway, take a read, tell me what you think.

Sigh. Things like this make me furious

For now I’m just going to link to some sites

For a recap of what was going on and a good summary of why I’m mad read The Trouble with Jade
excerpt:

Jade Raymond makes video games. And she’s a beautiful woman. That’s a recap of most of the problem, right there. That’s basically all she did to deserve the pornographic comics about her that surfaced on the net last week. I work in video games as well, and although my company is less testosterone-fueled than most, I can still tell you that it’s far from the most welcoming industry for women. It’s not just the usual double binds that plague successful women; this is the industry where major games still feature collectible porn cards for bedding as many women as possible. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

And a response by the artist.
excerpt:

Q: What is a “moralfag”?
A: A moralfag is a person who’s principals are so far wedged up their own backside that they believe that any any remotely derogatory commentary made on anyone else is unnaceptable, unfounded, sexist, racist and, possibly, EVIL.

All I’m going to say, is that if you participate in perpetuating an unsubstantiated, but yet widely held view that attractive women are stupid, and you draw a pornographic comic that sexualizes the person even further, as well as portrays the person as being an idiot (despite the lack of evidence pointing in this direction and evidence to the contrary), then you are being sexist. It’s your choice whether you want to be ok with it or not, but let’s be clear on what it is.