How to talk about female Olympians without being a regressive creep – a handy guide 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

…And it’s not that I think the authors of the aforementioned gaffes are vicious, deliberate misogynists. It’s more that they were raised in a culture – as we all were – that has almost no idea how to process competent women (see also: America’s current presidential election). You can feel a faint confusion pulsing behind every word. A girl … doing things!?

….DON’T spend more time discussing female athletes’ makeup, hairdos, very small shorts, hijabs, bitchy resting faces, voice pitch, thigh circumference, marital status and age than you spend analysing the incredible feats of strength and skill they have honed over a lifetime of superhuman discipline and restraint.

DON’T refer to women in terms of men they know, are related to, work with or have sex with. Women are fully-formed, autonomous people who do things. We are not pets or gadgets or sex-baubles.

Of course, there is plenty of smart, nuanced, neutral Olympics coverage out there too, and live TV is hard, and people make mistakes. But the way we talk about women – particularly women at the top of their fields, women whose power and prowess is undeniable – has a tangible impact on the way we treat female colleagues, female job interviewees and female presidents. This is not an accident. It is the system working as designed.

Athletes are athletes. If you care about sports, write about sports. If you care about gender equality, write about sports.

How to talk about female Olympians without being a regressive creep – a handy guide | Lindy West | Opinion | The Guardian

“We are not pets or gadgets or sex-baubles.” Ha, classic!

Erdogan visits Russia after coup attempt stirs tensions with the West 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Europe,, Middle East,Leave a comment

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in St. Petersburg Tuesday, a step toward mending ties ruptured last year when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near Syria’s border.

Judy Woodruff discusses the turmoil in Turkey with Kemal Kirişci of the Brookings Institution and Henri Barkey of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

…”A telling moment in St. Petersburg: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin welcomed Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan”

Erdogan visits Russia after coup attempt stirs tensions with the West | PBS NewsHour

hmmmm

GOP senator Susan Collins: Why I cannot support Trump 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

(The writer, a Republican, represents Maine in the Senate.)

I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country.

…I have become increasingly dismayed by his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize. But it was his attacks directed at people who could not respond on an equal footing — either because they do not share his power or stature or because professional responsibility precluded them from engaging at such a level — that revealed Mr. Trump as unworthy of being our president.

…My conclusion about Mr. Trump’s unsuitability for office is based on his disregard for the precept of treating others with respect, an idea that should transcend politics. Instead, he opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities.

…I revere the history of my party, most particularly the value it has always placed on the worth and dignity of the individual, and I will continue to work across the country for Republican candidates. It is because of Mr. Trump’s inability and unwillingness to honor that legacy that I am unable to support his candidacy.

GOP senator Susan Collins: Why I cannot support Trump – The Washington Post

Hmmmm

Why the hell are people like W. Kamau Bell picking on Phelps????! 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Race,Leave a comment

Bell urges the much-honored Phelps to step aside and let a U.S. fencer who symbolizes the nation’s diversity to have the honor of carrying the flag

W. Kamau Bell: A noble gesture for Michael Phelps? – CNN.com

I love the Olympics. I love how they (and the American Teams competing at them) are becoming more and more diverse. I love how it brings people from cultures all around the world together to meet on the same playing field. I love the mystique of the PAX Olympiad. I love watching young people do their absolute best for medals, glory, or simply the love of sport. I love all of it.

Except this narrative.

I think the story of the fencer in hijab is great and it highlights a road towards a more inclusive society and world.

However, the Olympics – at their best – are not about politics and they certainly aren’t about religion or race. They’re not about commenting on racial or socio-economic strife in one’s homeland either. The Olympics are about sport.

This is the Olympics! Not some partisan, let’s-divide-everybody -up-into-categories-instead-of-seeing-them-all-as-athletes bullshit!!!

Michael Phelps is the most decorated American athlete at these games. He should be the one leading the team in. Not a first timer who isn’t going to medal.

Fuck that noise, fuck taking the flag away from Phelps.

Ibtihaj Muhammad’s message of tolerance looms larger than Olympic fencing loss 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,, Religion,Leave a comment

Muhammad’s presence on the U.S. Olympic team gave her a megaphone, and she has used it wisely to promote sports and tolerance.

“A lot of people don’t believe that Muslim women have voices, or that we participate in sports,” Muhammad said. “I want to challenge the misconceptions not only outside the Muslim community, but also within the Muslim community. … I want to show girls it is important to be involved in sports and to lead an active lifestyle.”

Cheering on Muhammad in the stands were about 10 family members, including her parents and most of her siblings. Said her father, Eugene Muhammad, as the competition progressed: “She’s already gold to me. This is a grand achievement. … Believe me, the ovation inside my heart – it lights me up like a bulb.”

Her older brother, Qareeb Muhammad, led “USA! USA!” cheers from the front row of the stands during both of his sister’s matches. “She is African-American, Muslim and female, and when people have told her she can’t, all her life she has told them she can,” she said. “I’m so proud of my sister. She’s my hero.”

…“I just want people to know that Muslims are conservatives and liberals,” Muhammad said. “There are women who cover (their hair) and women who don’t. There are African-American Muslims, white Muslims, Arab Muslims – there are so many different types.”

One of those Muslims competed for the U.S. in the Olympics Monday. And although she lost well before the medal round, Muhammad did her country proud.

Ibtihaj Muhammad’s message of tolerance looms larger than Olympic fencing loss | The Charlotte Observer

What a lovely story.

(I know, I know.. Corruption.. doping….Money…Bad things happening in the country’s hosting the games… That said!) I love the Olympics.

Questions arise over think-tank donors – POLITICO

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

“Think tanks, which position themselves as ‘universities without students,’ have power in government policy debates because they are seen as researchers independent of moneyed interests. But in the chase for funds, think tanks are pushing agendas important to corporate donors, at times blurring the line between researchers and lobbyists. And they are doing so while reaping the benefits of their tax-exempt status, sometimes without disclosing their connections to corporate interests.”

Questions arise over think-tank donors – POLITICO

hmmmm

Local execs on Duterte drug list: Shocked, confused, families in tears 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Southern Central Asia,Leave a comment

Shocked, dumbfounded, hurt. In so many words, local government officials and other individuals in the Visayas named by President Duterte as among those involved in illegal drugs denied the allegations and sought an investigation of the “unfortunate” and “disconcerting” charges to clear their names.

Local execs on Duterte drug list: Shocked, confused, families in tears | Inquirer News

hmmmm

Garrison Keillor: God help us. We’re in trouble down here.

On By peanutgallerynhIn Media and Culture,Leave a comment

We made our mistakes back in the 20th century, Lord knows, but we never nominated a man for president who brags about not reading. Calvin Coolidge had his limits. Warren G. Harding spent more time on his hair than strictly necessary. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a piece of work. But all of them read books. When I envision a Trump Presidential Library, I see enormous chandeliers and gold carpet and a thousand slot machines. God help us. I mean it. We’re in trouble down here.

Garrison Keillor: God help us. We’re in trouble down here. – The Washington Post

sigh…