Feminism

Stage managed freedom parties

Feminism, War on Iraq
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Body and Soul
notes something very creepy about the recent “celebrations” in Iraq:

One of the things that struck me watching the crowds tearing down the statues of Saddam Hussein was that I
didn’t see any women. Another thing that struck me was that no one commented on this — as if streets
without women were entirely normal. Pardon my stereotypically feminist response, but to me a world wiped
clean of women is a little disturbing. It seems to say, “Here is the future of Iraq. And people of your
gender aren’t in it.” I don’t want to be a party-pooper, but it seems that about 65% of Iraq didn’t get its
invitation to the party.

I hope that’s not the future of Iraq.

It’s not just what it says about Iraq that makes me uncomfortable. I don’t like what it tells me about my
own country either. At some point in my life, I’d like to live in a country where people looked at a place
devoid of women and noticed that there was something strange about that, and where I didn’t feel like I was
committing a faux pas by bringing it up. I’d like at least one talking head to stop and comment, “Did
anyone notice there are no women? Doesn’t that seem eerie?”

Where were the women? To me, that was the first sign that there was more chaos than joy. If it’s a party,
women will be there. But if women are staying away, I thought, maybe they are reading it as a far more
dangerous and threatening situation than what the American press was suggesting. Maybe the women of Iraq
know something that Wolf Blitzer doesn’t. The lawlessness that followed tells me that if that was their
reading, Iraqi women are pretty smart, in a way that potential victims have to be if they’re going to
survive.

Top Stories Thursday 28 Nov

Feminism, US politics, War on Terror
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The Sideshow on the alleged differences between men and women:

It’s rubbish, of course. Despite all appearances, I would argue that women are at least as interested in sex as men are, it’s just that we’re less convinced that we’re going to get it from any old roll in the hay. Intercourse as an activity is pretty much defined in terms of what the guy does – he has to be aroused (hard) while the woman can be cold and still do it. He finishes and then it’s over. It doesn’t really have much to do with whether we’re in the mood, let alone whether we have an orgasm. It’s just physical reality: that particular act can satisfy a man without engaging a woman’s eroticism at all. But we love to be aroused and we can have orgasms that are absolutely as consuming and powerful as any man’s, and we even fall asleep afterwards all relaxed and happy. We’re interested in the thing that does that to us, but it’s hardly a foregone conclusion that intercourse is that thing. But “relationship” isn’t necessarily that thing, either. Because in our society we define “sex” as “intercourse” (yes, we still do) and we think intercourse is supposed to be That Thing, we can pretend that only men are really prioritizing sex. But women, trust me, will put up with a lot for good sex. We just don’t always realize that it is sex that’s making us be so crazy. So we think we’re “more mature” because we are looking at something that is bigger and more important than sex, while men are just focused on what we regard as shallow and trivial and “merely physical”. (And we’re wrong about that part, too.)


The Sideshow cannot believe it:

And then I read, also via Atrios, that of all people Henry Bloody Kissinger, America’s biggest war criminal, has been appointed to head the 9/11 investigation. (Hey, isn’t September 11th a big day in Kissinger’s history, too?) Even I can’t believe some of the stuff that comes out of this administration. The only reason they haven’t got all of their convicted criminals and unindicted co-conspirators in this administration is because some are too busy doing talk radio or, in Nixon’s case, in Hell, to join them.


Atrios has the report of the Kissinger Commision on
11-9 already:

Report of the Kissinger Commission

Muslims attacked us because they are bad and they hate our freedom. Our noble intelligence agencies did the best they could. Our recommendation is that we should curtail our freedoms, so that they won’t hate us so much anymore.

Love,

Henry