A Crash Course in Feminism Mk. II (or, why everyone should be a feminist)

[Rissan4ever]

It could lead to another Iran-Iraq War. That would be bad. On the other hand, allowing the maniacs who run ISIS (Al-Quaeda condemned them as too extreme!) to stay in power would be bad, too. It's gonna suck either way.

[eldargal]

If you kill a person, you’re a murderer. If you steal, no one would hesitate to call you a thief. But in America, when you force yourself on someone sexually, some people will jump through flaming hoops not to call you a rapist.

As reported by Al Jazeera America, colleges across the country are replacing the word “rape” in their sexual assault policies with “non-consensual sex” because schools don’t want label students “rapists

[URL="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/24/rape-game-of-thrones"]When you call a rape anything but rape, you are just making excuses for rapists[/URL]

[Mr Mystery]

It could lead to another Iran-Iraq War. That would be bad. On the other hand, allowing the maniacs who run ISIS (Al-Quaeda condemned them as too extreme!) to stay in power would be bad, too. It's gonna suck either way.

Dunno. Iran and Iraq may work together against Isis. Neither are exactly fond of those lunatics.

[eldargal]

ISIS are Sunni-Wahhabist and Iran is Shi'ite so no love lost there.

Also some kudos to Hasbro for abandoning gendered terminology in their corporate thingamies:

At Botcon the same sort of presentation had 'boys' instead of 'kids' and were called out on it by the audience and they listened and changed it. It might not seem like much but breaking down the barrier that says 'these are boys toys which will thus be marketed at boys' is important.

[Psychosplodge]

probably most appropriate here[URL="http://saturdaychores.tumblr.com/"] link[/URL]

[eldargal]

Nice.

Also, the greastest picture in the history of ever:

[CoffeeGrunt]

@Iraq situation

As horrible as the rumours are, currently they are still rumours with a few flaws in the messages going round. This could very well be an outrageous act on women, or it could be as legit as those Lotus Seed Pod "boob larvae" photos that people chainmailed around my Facebook for a while. (Which were a really bad Photoshop everyone seemed to fall for instantly.) Can only hope these turn out to be rumours, but the situation in general in Iraq seems to imply that charging into a country, shooting those in charge then hanging the leader before leaving does not a stable country make. Who'd've thought it?

as far as what you can do, that has been covered many times. it involves standing up to friends/co-workers etc. about making rape jokes, sexually harassing people, verbally harassing people. standing up for equal rights, giving fair pay if that is in your power, treating everybody equally. you say you wouldn't befriend a person who sexually assaults women, but you might have done and not known it. See Gotthammer's stats about people who think it is ok to commit rape in certain situations, or do not realise it is rape. perpetrators of abuse crimes are usually well known to the victim, the victim likes and trusts them, it happens anyway.

So...noting I don't already do? For example, I've started to stop going to my FLGS due to the manager, as his personality is entirely rape jokes and misogyny, (but he makes rape jokes towards men as well which I think he considers a balancing factor.) While I'm able to tolerate small amounts of that sort of thing, I've repeatedly told him that I don't find it funny, especially when repeated, and I don't think it's something he should be saying, if even only because it would drive customers back out the door. So far it's falling on deaf ears, so I'm mostly boycotting the place now.

As far as my workplace, 80% or so of the workforce is female and most of the management structure above me is, so I assume they manage wages fairly as it would be in their interests to, after all. Haven't seen any misogyny here as well, as you can imagine. That said, I'm very lucky to be working here after previous jobs I've done, which were much lower paid and not with the best of colleagues.

[Psychosplodge]

When I linked it it was being reported as fact of an issued fatwa?(is that the right word) not rumours.

[Wolfshade]

Yet, out of this the Kurds have got a stable region and this invasion will probably pave the way for a seperate Kurdistan.

[eldargal]

Which could end up at war with Turkey potentially.