Reverend Jane Spahr, Imam Daayiee Abdullah, and Rabbi Daniel Burg will address issues of gender, gender exclusivity, and equal marriage within Protestant, Muslim, and Jewish religious traditions, respectively. All are religious leaders who have courageously challenged gender prejudice and discrimination within their religious communities.
Some pictures from Harm Reduction Coalition and VOCAL-NY’s demo at the Russian Consulate in New York today. This demo was part of a series of protests taking place around the globe in honor of World AIDS Day to protest against the brutal and inhumane treatment of people who use drugs in Russia today.
The flowers and white slippers were left to symbolize the tens of thousands of people who die every year in Russia as a result of AIDS- and drug-related causes.
For background info, and info on the other protests around the world, check out the Russian Embassy Protest blog.
Today, Dec 1, is World AIDS Day.
And even though there have been some terrible setbacks for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research this year (funding cuts; the news that the contraceptive injection most commonly used in Africa actually increases one’s susceptibility to infection; the pope…
CLASS is Just Another Political Word
In a conversation with Diane Rehm on November 22, 2011 (see the transcript HERE), former Congressman Robert Walker of PA, commented that “there are people who think for their political purposes that dividing this country into classes is, in fact, to their advantage.”
He was responding to Norman Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, who had acknowledged that “while it’s true that those at the very top have paid a higher proportion of the taxes, their incomes have gone up much, much more, and the level of inequality has been much sharper than we’ve ever seen in this society over the last five or 10 years.”
In short, Congressman Walker was suggesting that the “class warfare” that we see happening in the country is nothing more than a political ploy, and an “extremely disturbing” one at that.
To counteract those unhelpful groups that try to use the divisive drivel of class inequality to their advantage, Mr. Walker suggests a nice, simple, flatter tax structure taxing consumption rather than income. This would even things out and make sure that everyone gives their fair contribution to the social welfare of this country. But most of all, it would allow the United States to better compete in the global economy (because, really, the goal of everyone in the nation should be to lead the world in the global economy).
God forbid we drop behind the competition—THEN what would happen?!! We might not be able to dictate from where and by whom we acquire all of the cheapest products on earth to sell at Wal-Mart at low low prices. We might not be able to buy up thousands of acres of land in less “competitive” nations and force their citizens to work in the factories of multi-billion dollar global enterprises that have annual revenues higher than most nations’ GDPs but that treat human labor like any other cog in global capitalist machine—making it as cheap and replaceable as possible while keeping the consumers’ eyes strategically averted.
We might not be able to pretend anymore that we are the most powerful force on earth, that we are impenetrable, that we never make mistakes, and that all other countries in the world should try to be like us.
We might not be able to proclaim that people in our country are free while we systematically silence the voices of millions of citizens who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, who do not make a wage they can live on, who suffer the most health problems but who most often lack health care, and from whom our society finds excuses to strip away dignity and human rights based on appearance, language, ability, physiology, gender, sexual preference… you get the idea.
A nice, flat consumption tax. That would make us forget all this discussion on class. That would make us see how unhelpful it really is to try to divide our nation by income level. Really, underneath it all, we are all equal. There is no class divide. There are only people who work hard and people who don’t, people who take advantage of opportunities, and people who let them slip away. We all have the same choices in life, right?
Yes, Mr. Walker, it may be extremely unhelpful for your political agenda to acknowledge that class warfare may in fact be more than just talk. It is also unhelpful to admit (just to name a few) that some women (even married ones!) get pregnant as a result of rape, that this continent contained a wealth of people, philosophies, languages, and technologies before we “discovered” and “conquered” it, that we consistently grant immunity to powerful white men in our society and that mothers whose children are victimized are told to “go home and forget about it”.
It is terribly unhelpful to see that building the globalized economy as currently envisioned (in which the US must be “competitive” (READ: the leader), remember?) only makes the wealthy get wealthier. It does not lead to the elimination of poverty. Wealth does not share itself. Power does not share itself. Poverty does not necessarily go away when GDP goes up.
I think you may want to reconsider your philosophy, Mr. Walker. The only way we are going to get people to stop talking about class warfare is if we confront class difference. This would require us to re-imagine an America and a world that is not based on the individual accumulation of wealth but on the collective experience of social well-being. This would require us to recognize the structures by which we divide society into those who are worthy of recognition, support, and benefits and those who are not. This would require new definitions of “fair” and new definitions of “freedom.”
Are you up to the task, Mr. Walker? Or are you going to keep pretending that the people protesting in America’s towns and cities, and in cities all over the world, are nothing more than ungrateful, unhelpful political power-mongers who don’t understand where the true greatness of America lies?
Krista Nickerson, ITROW Graduate Assistant
Miss Representation Recap - A Great Start to the Conversation!
First, I want to thank everyone who was able to attend our screening and panel discussion of Miss Representation, everyone who lent their support to help get the word out and encourage people to come, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make sure this event was a success!! Our interest and hard work paid off, and we filled Chesapeake 3 to the brim - over 160 seats!
This event kicked off a discussion among audience members that touched on many important connections between the topics in the film and students’ life experiences. Students mentioned the difficulty of being a (young) female leader in traditionally masculine industries such as radio and fishing, and the frustrations of dealing with racism and sexism when trying to voice opinions in public. Students also talked about issues of gender-based and sexual violence, about the importance of speaking out, and about the lack of discussion on the problematic construction of masculinity implied in mainstream media and stereotypes. One student suggested an “old fashioned boycott,” and I would happily invite him to help us organize one!!
Overall, audience participants seemed enthusiastic about tackling these issues and about finding ways to continue the discussion beyond our gathering.
At the bottom of this post you will find links to the groups, organizations, and projects mentioned by panel speakers. We invite you to comment, suggest your own idea or share a story about your reaction or thoughts on the film. We have begun an email list of people who signed in at the event, and if you would like to be added to the list to find out about further activities, please contact Krista Nickerson through the Towson student directory.
Our panelists were:
Kristen Schada (INFORM), a graduate student in the Women’s and Gender Studies Dept and a Residential Life member working with the students in Tower A.
Chelsea Genser (HEAL), a student in the Electronic Media and Film Dept, a member of Body Image Peer Educators, and the General Manager of XTSR, TU’s Internet radio station.
Taya Graham (BUILD), a graduate student in the Women’s and Gender Studies Dept and active in YANA and other organizations providing services to Baltimore women.
Helen Osun (LEAD), a student in Business Administration and International Business and an alumna of the intensive leadership program, LeaderShape.
Krista Nickerson (CREATE), a graduate student in the Women’s and Gender Studies Dept and a Graduate Assistant for the Institute for Teaching and Research on Women (ITROW).
Moderating the event was Kathryn King, a graduate student in the Women’s and Gender Studies Dept and a Graduate Assistant for ITROW.
Examples of (big) Alternative Media (besides YouTube):
AdBusters http://www.adbusters.org/
Current TV http://current.com/
The Daily Show http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Alternative Media Outlets that you might not have heard/thought of:
Digital Sisterhood http://digitalsisterhood.wordpress.com/about/
Free Press - reform media, transform democracy. http://www.freepress.net/
(Also see their Ownership Chart of the “Big Six media conglomerates http://www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/main)
SoundCloud (share your sounds!) http://soundcloud.com/
An inspiring story of women’s radio activism in West Africa and a pirate radio broadcaster in the U.S.: http://technicolortreetribe.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/on-radio-womens-voices-and-hip-hop-activism-in-west-africa/
Media, Sex, Money, and the (Dis)Empowerment of American Women
Miss Representation - A Film and Discussion
When: Monday, November 14, 2011 - 3:30pm - 5:30pm
What: A screening of the film, Miss Representation, followed by a discussion
Where: Chesapeake 3 in the University Union (UU304)
In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, what is the collective message that we receive about a woman’s worth? Where does a woman’s power lie, in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, or in her capacity as a leader?
The United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3% of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating behaviors.
See the film. Get the facts. Join the conversation.
Screening of the new documentary Miss Representation (clickHERE for the official trailer), followed by an action-oriented panel discussion.
Monday, November 14, 2011, 3:30-5:30 in Chesapeake 3 in the University Union (UU304)
Sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Department and the Institute for Teaching and Research on Women (ITROW) at Towson University
