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May

28

Remains of the Day, 5/28/08


1. From Mother Jones:

We want the lowdown on student activism, past and present. Been arrested and regret it? Would your school win the prize for silliest student protest? Was student activism way better when you were in school? Is your cause unique?

Help us put together our best student activism roundup yet. It’s our 15th annual! Answer a few quick questions and you could win some cool prizes.

Go take their survey if you’re a student (doesn’t indicate college or high school).

2. Fantastic post by What Tami Said about Michelle Obama and that horrific, now-removed Daily Kos graphic and post which I mentioned a couple of days ago but that few mainstream feminists (men or women) have written about. Tami appropriately asks why not.

Here you have Michelle Obama, bound, submissive and strangely sexualized in a backless, clinging red dress intersected with themes of racial violence. Black female bloggers raised a ruckus, but many of our allies have been noticeably silent, and if possible, the groups that have been most vocal about sexism against Hillary Clinton have been worse than silent on this and other incidents of sexism aimed at the presumptive Democratic nominee’s wife.

Michelle Obama seems not to inspire the fealty among mainstream women that Hillary Clinton does. Over at the blog Hillary is 44, which has very vocal about suspected sexism directed at the first viable female candidate for president, a screed was recently posted entitled “God damn Michelle Obama.”

…

Mainstream feminists have been extremely vocal about the gender bias that has dogged Hillary Clinton since she appeared on the national stage. They rightly realized that sexism against the former First Lady and current Senator is just an example of the way society views ALL women. So, why are so many women standing silent, and worse, abetting the demonization of another woman of substance?

3. Also great post by Digby, on feeling like we’ve gone backwards in the abuses we allow others to hand out:

There are times lately when I feel as if I’m back in 2003. I’m being told that up is down and black is white and that what i’m seeing just isn’t real. It’s actually much more disorienting than it was then because this time it’s coming from the left side of the dial.

…

You know, I hear a lot about the need for change in our politics — that we need to turn the page and inject the system with some new blood. And I hear a lot of it from allegedly liberal pundits like Hertzberg and Matthews who, without irony, tell tales of their earlier flights on Carter’s Airforce One and recount their adventures in the Reagan years and the crazed politics of the 90s. And it never occurs to anybody that it’s the liberal punditocrisy that’s stale and tired and most in need of changing.

If we are now believing that Chris Matthews is a “net plus” for American politics, then the reality based community has followed the Bush administration straight down the rabbit hole.

…

Bullying people without power just doesn’t impress me much, especially when you have people on the show every day who actually have some and you kiss their asses with gusto. Sorry, not impressed.

I understand precisely what she’s describing.

4. Blogs Return to the Block:

Anthony Fossececa is back at Blue Ohioan with a great post in favor of Hillary Clinton. That post also serves as a reminder as to how you can tell I am not a Hillary or Obama supporter. I’ve never written anything even remotely close to anything like that post. And I won’t be doing so until a Democratic nominee is finalized.

Daniella of American Pink Collar is also back (it looks wonderful!)

And the AFL-CIO of Ohio has a blog here.

5. Fess up now because I’m on the trail. How many of you have played Sexy Politics:

What is this?
SexyPolitics was built to find a cool way to engage you with politics. With these quizzes, compare your brain to the world and test your political knowledge. How sexy are you?

And why is this sexy?
As you get yourself informed about politics, a beautiful model of your choosing will coach you through the process. Get questions right and the model will reward you with removed pieces of clothing. Make an Impact

Nope. No sexism problem in this country. Hattip Feministing.com.

6 . Thank you a hundred times to the author of the blog Logophile (not sure if you want your name out there or not!) for the link to the Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership.

7. Susan T. Zelman resigns as Superintendent of Ohio schools. The buzz had been heard for a long time.

8. Speaking of which, Chancellor of Higher Education Eric Fingerhut will be speaking on Friday at Stark State College in the morning (see here for details) and then will be at the City Club of Cleveland for the Friday lunch speaker series.

9. Democracy of America is providing scholarships to people who want to attend Netroots Nation – a Daily Kos event fka Yearly Kos.

10. The Plain Dealer asserted that 20% of employers violate the Family and Medical Leave Act but, like a good blog should, the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog checked up on the PD and received conflicting information.

11. (late addition) Pho with an interview of the judge for whom the new Ohio AG clerked. Thanks, Scott.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:37 pm May 28th, 2008 in Blogging, Ohio, Politics, Remains of the Day 

Comments

2 Responses to “Remains of the Day, 5/28/08”

  1. 1 Lynda O\'Neal on May 29th, 2008 9:21 am

    wOW. Lots to think about here. Leave it to Mother Jones….My college campus was voted “America’s Most Apathetic Campus” in 1967. The sum total that I recall was some unpleasant grafitti on the ROTC building. Way too much football and party life. My true awakening came after I left, married a naval officer and moved to San Francisco. Most interesting time to live in that area. Got to hear Huey Newton’s speech in Oakland, Timothy Leary and Big Brother and the Holding Company. As for Micelle Obama, I interpret the infamous Kos posting as more racial than anti-feminist. How many pictures of Hillary have you seen as a swooning maiden awaiting rescue from the Klan (or anyone else for that matter)? The symbology of her red dress could be construed any number of ways from the color of Pentecost/martyrdom downward. As for Chris Mathews, I stopped watching him in february. Keith also. They went from being edgy and fun to closer to abusive, and that isn’t fun to watch. Hopefully when this all ends and MSNBC goes back to being a general cable news station they will go back to being themselves.

  2. 2 scryberwitch on May 29th, 2008 2:20 pm

    Hi WLST,
    I’m the author of the blog “Logophile,” and my name is DeLani Bartlette. Thanks so much for the link love and for being respectful of privacy issues! As you can see, I don’t mind having my name out there.
    Love right back atcha,
    DeLani

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