Why Have Kids? Preview

Jessica Valenti's Why Have Kids? was released earlier this week.  I eagerly await to read this book though I am not quite sure when I will manage to find time amid university deadlines.  However, I did find a snazzy little video preview of the main questions and premises within Valenti's latest work.  Check it out below. 

You can view the video at YouTube by clicking here (Jessica Valenti, 2012).

What do you think?

Why Men Love Bitches

Argov's Why Men Love Bitches is one of those non-fiction, self-help-y books that circles of female friends often pass around.  I remember my friend recommended it to me years ago. If I must guess it was around early 2007 when she burst into my workplace claiming that I had to read this book... it was just that good.  And, with  a title like its own, I clearly remember the first day it was introduced to me.

But, what was all the fuss about?

Argov claims that women all-too-often become dependent and much too obliging to the men they date.  Argov suggests that men will have fun with the gals who are that way... but they won't keep them.  Who do men fall in love with?  Bitches.  Not the girl who gives everything up, but the girl who stands her ground, is independent, and has respect for her body and mind.

Yes Means Yes!

Jessica Valenti and Jaclyn Friedman's collection of essays in Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power & A World Without Rape is an engaging, fast-paced exploration of sexual assault in contemporary North America.  The work contains twenty-seven essays written by various authors which seek to understand issues central to sexual assault such as consent, virginity, the media, stereotypes, race, and sexual orientation.  Yes Means Yes! echoes the personal tales of many different lifestyles.

Chaucer Fuss - The Pardoner's Tale

"The Pardoner's Tale" departs from previous themes explored in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales through examining the extent men will go for riches and notoriety.

I remember reading this story in an English Literature class. It was the one and only segment of The Canterbury Tales that my class tackled. Perhaps the instructor wanted to teach us the downfalls of greediness and thinking only of ourselves... or perhaps she wanted to avoid the sticky issue of gender that is so often brought up in Chaucer's work.

Chaucer Fuss - The Franklin's Tale

It seems that all of my comments on The Canterbury Tales revolve around the status of medieval women. "The Franklin's Tale" is no exception.

"The Franklin's Tale" is my least-liked story from The Canterbury Tales. Within these pages, Chaucer tells the tale of countless women in history. He seems to suggest that women should be free.... but then proposes that wholesome women will commit suicide rather than be defiled by men.

A Real-Time Post

Hello all!

Most of you will be aware that I'm currently stationed in England. I have been posting updates (written before departure) over the last few weeks. But, I have yet to create a real-time post. A post that I have written while in foreign territory. Today's my first 'do nothing' day, and what better way to spend it than re-entering the blogging world.

So, how is the Land of E treating me?

Shout-Out

The other day K brought to my attention a new ad gracing the local city buses. The ad was very simple - a yellow background and white text. The ad was for survivors of sexual abuse.

But, here's the kicker that has led me to my keyboard --- the ad was for the BC Society For Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse.

When K told me of the ad I immediately searched for the website. I wanted to know more. It's not that I haven't heard of male sexual abuse - university courses on gender, family, and sexuality have amply exposed me to the issue. What was new, was that I was seeing and hearing about this issue out in the open... in our contemporary society... outside of the classroom.

So many people are silent (or snicker and raise eyebrows) when male sexual abuse is voiced as a concern. A raped man? I can't even recall a media story on this issue... or a novel, for that matter. A man with a black eye? "Oh, he surely got that in bar fight," we all assume. It is refreshing that these presumptions are beginning to be challenged in our society... and in large part due to third wave feminism.

Some of you may know that I am a self-declared feminist. Feminism, and particularly Jessica Valenti's work, brought me out of a bout of self-destructive behaviour a few years ago. Feminism addresses tough gender issues such as sexual reproduction rights, eating disorders, and male sexual abuse.

So, here's my Shout-Out:
Thank you, third wave feminism, for bringing awareness to male sexual abuse. And, thank you for empowering people to be themselves without excuse.

Free Sakineh

The first book I reviewed for CTR was Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir by Marina Nemat (you can read it here). Nemat's work is extremely powerful and has made a lasting impression on me. Sadly, experiences like to Nemat's continue on today. So when I heard an advertisement on the radio tonight requesting support for an Iranian woman wrongly imprisoned in Tehran I felt compelled to write out a quick note.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is being tried for adultery and faces stoning. This 5 August 2010 Sakineh's lawyer was arrested... sometime this upcoming week it is presumed she will be executed.

For those who are interested, please visit http://freesakineh.org/ to read through all of the information, view links to news articles throughout the globe, and perhaps sign a petition. I feel it pertinent that we continue to spread Sakineh's story.

Thank you.

Animal Farm

I have always heard people referencing George Orwell's Animal Farm. My high school teachers mentioned it in passing, my university English professor cited it as an excellent example of British satire, and my History professors' have recalled it as an adequate metaphor for the Russian Revolution. Yet somehow, after 18 years in BC's education system, I had never read this critical work. A few days ago I set out to do just that.

I reckoned that in one Friday evening I'd be able to read Orwell's work of a mere 90 pages, write a review, and move onto something with less barn animals and more humans. However, Orwell makes 90 pages last an eternity. It has been three days and I've only just finished reading.

I must admit that I agree with my professors - this book is most definitely a well thought out satire and an interesting portrayal of the Russian Revolution. Throughout his work Orwell suggests that Socialism is premised on good intentions and a Utopian vision of equality. Orwell also portrays the downfall of the revolution - the fact that once the animals (proletariat) work to remove the humans (bourgeois) they ineffectively create a new bourgeois class of animal leaders. Lenin and Stalin both make appearances as pigs leading the revolution. Orwell illustrates the manipulation of the government, preferential treatment of certain animals, purges, and show trials.

As a History major I found Orwell's work boring and predictable. Maybe it is because I knew how the revolution would pan out or the story's mono-dimensional characters and lack of dialogue... but, for one reason or another, the story felt flat.

Orwell's work also exudes 1940s gender dynamics. Though this isn't a surprise (especially for the time era) I did find it interesting and note worthy that gender came up in a barnyard story. While the males were portrayed as sturdy workers, leaders of the revolution, or seeking to destroy the newly created society, females were illustrated worrying about not having enough food and fashionable clothing. Orwell escalates this theme by having one of the mare's flee the farm in order to receive attention and grooming from humans.

While I was reading Animal Farm I began to wonder if it is possible to remove proletariat and bourgeois class dynamics. Can there be a classless society? Is equality between all people a societal goal that can be reached?

Of course the answer is no. There is no possibility of ever removing the tension between the bourgeois and proletariat. There is no possibility of living in a completely equitable society for people of all ethnicities, physical abilities, sexual orientations, ages, classes, genders, and sexes. Inequality would continue to exist even if we were to wake up in the morning and miraculously find ourselves in an equitable society. I believe equality cannot be reached as people have internalized their cultural histories of oppression and subordination, which in turn become reflected in one's self-identity.

Instead of searching for equality I believe that people should recognize diversity. For if Animal Farm has taught me anything, it is that whitewashing everyone as equal denies individuality and creates opportunities for further exploitation. Recognition and acceptance of differences are integral steps towards a harmonious society.