Saturday, October 15, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
A Quick and Dirty Guide to What The Protests Are All About
Keep handy next time some fuckwad says "They should get a job!"
Also handy, a little know your enemy from Sociological Images
Also handy, a little know your enemy from Sociological Images
President Fuck You Says He'll Do Right By the Ladies
And veto the Let Women Die Bill
What's this? Could it be that Mr. Strong-Supporter-Of Women's-Rights is actually about to show himself to be a strong supporter of women's rights? Is President Fuck You about to spend some political capital to show us girlies that we are worth more than an nonviable fetus? I may have to take back everything mean I've said about him. I may have to volunteer for the campaign and throw my tiny dollars into the re-election fund.
Oh wait, re-election. A bill that won't pass the Dems in the Senate. No political capital required. Empty words from the douchenoodle who made it illegal for insurance coverage to cover abortion unless you by a special, separate policy. This is just more hopey words from the King of Opportunism who just realized that without women, 60% of the Democratic party stays home, doesn't vote. Doesn't work the phone banks. Doesn't blow up the fucking balloons. Doesn't poor his fucking coffee.
For some of us (who still have a uterus and will either have to get sterilized or buy extra insurance) this is not enough. Too little, too late.
What's this? Could it be that Mr. Strong-Supporter-Of Women's-Rights is actually about to show himself to be a strong supporter of women's rights? Is President Fuck You about to spend some political capital to show us girlies that we are worth more than an nonviable fetus? I may have to take back everything mean I've said about him. I may have to volunteer for the campaign and throw my tiny dollars into the re-election fund.
Oh wait, re-election. A bill that won't pass the Dems in the Senate. No political capital required. Empty words from the douchenoodle who made it illegal for insurance coverage to cover abortion unless you by a special, separate policy. This is just more hopey words from the King of Opportunism who just realized that without women, 60% of the Democratic party stays home, doesn't vote. Doesn't work the phone banks. Doesn't blow up the fucking balloons. Doesn't poor his fucking coffee.
For some of us (who still have a uterus and will either have to get sterilized or buy extra insurance) this is not enough. Too little, too late.
First the cities, then the states, but never the country
So Harrisburg, PA is bankrupt.
And Jefferson County, Al is probably next
While Topeka, KS has decided that prosecuting domestic violence is just too darn expensive, so it's not illegal to beat your wife there anymore! Sweet.
I'm not even gonna place bets on which state will be the first to declare bankruptcy, but every damn state is cutting services to the 99% left and right.
But the country, the county will be just fine. Really. The country can't go bankrupt. The country can't actually go bankrupt, despite what all the talking heads and political yahoos try to say. Why, because modern monetary theory, that's why.
And Jefferson County, Al is probably next
While Topeka, KS has decided that prosecuting domestic violence is just too darn expensive, so it's not illegal to beat your wife there anymore! Sweet.
I'm not even gonna place bets on which state will be the first to declare bankruptcy, but every damn state is cutting services to the 99% left and right.
But the country, the county will be just fine. Really. The country can't go bankrupt. The country can't actually go bankrupt, despite what all the talking heads and political yahoos try to say. Why, because modern monetary theory, that's why.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
This is why charity is not the fucking answer
And not to piss on the Occupy Seattle folks, okay maybe a little, but they are mostly newly poor while long term poor folks have it much worse.
Housing is a human right. Full stop. When we leave it to charity to fix the sucking black hole that is our lack of a safety net, then we end up with people camping in front of the Gates Foundation and being ignored.
The Gates Foundation has done good work, there are 100,000 fewer AIDS cases in Africa because of that work, and according to the Gates Foundation there are 1400 affordable homes for local families because of their donations. But it ain't enough and it can never be enough. The only reason the Gates Foundation has all that money to give is because of fucked up tax policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
Housing is a human right. Full stop. When we leave it to charity to fix the sucking black hole that is our lack of a safety net, then we end up with people camping in front of the Gates Foundation and being ignored.
The Gates Foundation has done good work, there are 100,000 fewer AIDS cases in Africa because of that work, and according to the Gates Foundation there are 1400 affordable homes for local families because of their donations. But it ain't enough and it can never be enough. The only reason the Gates Foundation has all that money to give is because of fucked up tax policies that benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
Since We Are All About 90's Nostaligia Now
Oh holy shit how did I not know this story before now! Damn I love Kathleen Hanna!
Video is prolly NSFW
ETA I just realized that she uses a soooooooo not cool word (lame) for things that are so not cool. Apologies.
Video is prolly NSFW
ETA I just realized that she uses a soooooooo not cool word (lame) for things that are so not cool. Apologies.
Need Some Pep in Your Day! Try Bitchery!
Bitchery helps release my tension as I read yet another call for cash from the Major Political Party and it's henchmen. Instead of balling my fists and threatening damage to electronic device (DON'T Kill The Messenger!!!!!!)I sharpen my wit and and send a pithy reply email. For example,
Dear Move On:
Kindly FUCK OFF you asstastic shitstains!
Bitchery is best practiced when faced with a white hot rage, though cold calculated rage is good too. Try it and you'll see, bitchery makes the everyday abomination that is the current state of affairs, well let's be honest. It doesn't make it tolerable, but it does make it, for one tiny second, seem like hitting the sweet spot.
You'll all have to forgive the evening blthering. It's when I take the pills that make me functional during the day. But at night I am dizzy and blurry eyed and thoughts don't turn words don't turn into posts as easily as they used to.
Dear Move On:
Kindly FUCK OFF you asstastic shitstains!
Bitchery is best practiced when faced with a white hot rage, though cold calculated rage is good too. Try it and you'll see, bitchery makes the everyday abomination that is the current state of affairs, well let's be honest. It doesn't make it tolerable, but it does make it, for one tiny second, seem like hitting the sweet spot.
You'll all have to forgive the evening blthering. It's when I take the pills that make me functional during the day. But at night I am dizzy and blurry eyed and thoughts don't turn words don't turn into posts as easily as they used to.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Inappropriate Conversations With Children
The kid hands me some frozen pizza that he has cooked for dinner.
Me "Thanks pumpkin pie!"
Me "Oh this is disgusting. The mushrooms are slimy. Have I been making you eat this shit?"
Kid "Yes"
Me "Oh you can totally fire me as your mother for that".
Me "Thanks pumpkin pie!"
Me "Oh this is disgusting. The mushrooms are slimy. Have I been making you eat this shit?"
Kid "Yes"
Me "Oh you can totally fire me as your mother for that".
I have to stop reading
the We Are the 99 Percent tumblr. It's making me cry. It is breaking my heart.
And while my eyes are all misty, I also notice how often people with miserable circumstances declare how lucky they are that it's not worse. I know I've done that. And I do feel lucky. I have a job, with benefits. Sure, it's going to cost almost half my income to use those benefits, but I have them. I have a home. I haven't had a home for a long time, so this feels pretty damn lucky to me.
But I've noticed that you never ever hear the 1% talk about luck, though lucky they most certainly are. Lucky they got pushed out of the right woman, married to the right man, who was pushed out of the right woman, ad nauseum. Lucky they had family money or family connections. Lucky lucky lucky. But that word will never cross their lips. Their tongues are incapable of acknowledging what is so blatant to the rest of us. The didn't get where they are alone, they got their luck from our backs, from our labor, from our pockets. Lucky lucky lucky.
I should end this before I go off on a violent tear about eating the rich. But they should be devoured by the ravenous masses. We are the ravenous masses. Get a fork.
(Note to self- pick one image per post and roll with it. But since I missed out on that this time, Get a Lucky Fork. )
And while my eyes are all misty, I also notice how often people with miserable circumstances declare how lucky they are that it's not worse. I know I've done that. And I do feel lucky. I have a job, with benefits. Sure, it's going to cost almost half my income to use those benefits, but I have them. I have a home. I haven't had a home for a long time, so this feels pretty damn lucky to me.
But I've noticed that you never ever hear the 1% talk about luck, though lucky they most certainly are. Lucky they got pushed out of the right woman, married to the right man, who was pushed out of the right woman, ad nauseum. Lucky they had family money or family connections. Lucky lucky lucky. But that word will never cross their lips. Their tongues are incapable of acknowledging what is so blatant to the rest of us. The didn't get where they are alone, they got their luck from our backs, from our labor, from our pockets. Lucky lucky lucky.
I should end this before I go off on a violent tear about eating the rich. But they should be devoured by the ravenous masses. We are the ravenous masses. Get a fork.
(Note to self- pick one image per post and roll with it. But since I missed out on that this time, Get a Lucky Fork. )
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Well Duh. This is what institutionalized racism looks like
Black kids more likely to be suspended than white kids. And black kids with disabilities more likely to be suspended than white kids with disabilities.
When the Kid was still in public middle school, the administration was falling over themselves apologizing because they didn't have a special study skills class for the AP (advanced placement) kids and Kid had to be put in a study kills (i/e special ed) class with the other kids. The black and brown neighborhood kids. I didn't give a flying fuck what color the kids in his class were. I cared that none of them, Kid included, were actually getting help with study skills. They were warehoused and ignored. Kid, at the tender age of 12, could see the shittiness of the whole setup. He got that when he went to math or science or English (his AP classes) all the kids were white or Asian. But when he went to study skills, he was the only white kid in the bunch.
I've said before, and I'll say again, that when you have an educational system that sets black and brown kids up to fail, that punishes them more harshly for the same infractions committed by white kids, and that gives them less of an education, then of course education is going to be seen as less valuable to those communities. Why would you torture a kid by pushing for success in a system that is programed to fail them, to harm them? No responsible parent would do that.
They call the high school that Kid was supposed to attend "The Slave Ship", white kids in AP classes on top, brown kids in regular classes on bottom. I couldn't subject the kid to that shit. And Kid is white but poor. How much worse would it be for him if he was black and poor?
When the Kid was still in public middle school, the administration was falling over themselves apologizing because they didn't have a special study skills class for the AP (advanced placement) kids and Kid had to be put in a study kills (i/e special ed) class with the other kids. The black and brown neighborhood kids. I didn't give a flying fuck what color the kids in his class were. I cared that none of them, Kid included, were actually getting help with study skills. They were warehoused and ignored. Kid, at the tender age of 12, could see the shittiness of the whole setup. He got that when he went to math or science or English (his AP classes) all the kids were white or Asian. But when he went to study skills, he was the only white kid in the bunch.
I've said before, and I'll say again, that when you have an educational system that sets black and brown kids up to fail, that punishes them more harshly for the same infractions committed by white kids, and that gives them less of an education, then of course education is going to be seen as less valuable to those communities. Why would you torture a kid by pushing for success in a system that is programed to fail them, to harm them? No responsible parent would do that.
They call the high school that Kid was supposed to attend "The Slave Ship", white kids in AP classes on top, brown kids in regular classes on bottom. I couldn't subject the kid to that shit. And Kid is white but poor. How much worse would it be for him if he was black and poor?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)