helen of troy does countertop dancing

"Why has it been difficult for feminists to imagine violence as a viable strategy for political..."

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:09:49 -0500

“Why has it been difficult for feminists to imagine violence as a viable strategy for political transformation? Why, despite a documented history of women’s violent struggle, have women tended to disavow their capacity for violence? Part of the answer can be found in the representational habit of positing resistance as the logical negation of the thing being resisted. In the case of violence, this means that - since men wield violence against women in an effort to maintain relations of domination - the use of violence by women would only serve to strengthen the logic of domination itself. Rachel Neumann confirms this tendency when she describes the feelings that some anti-globalization activists had with respect to the Black Bloc riot. In her account, protester violence seems to reiterate existing power imbalances. “Property destruction,” she notes, “has often been linked with larger uses of violence […] Because of the way that men in particular are taught to repress and vent their anger, it often comes out as an exaggerated representation of masculinity, reproducing instead of contradicting the existing power structure.”

According to this logic, by using violence to smash the violent system, activists end by reinforcing the system itself. Here, violence is construed as a logical quantity, a sign that can only be negated by siding with its representational antithesis. But Neumann’s formulation says more about the state of our current political impoverishment (where everything is subsumed within the representational sphere) than it does about violence itself. And while it can be easily transposed into the field of representation, violence itself is not merely a representational act. Its political effects can’t be measured on a balance sheet of stable significations. By abstracting violence from its social context, by distilling it into a representational essence and disconnecting it from the world of lived experience, activists run the risk of foreclosing the possibility of even contemplating the political use of violence.”

- Black Bloc, White Riot: Anti-Globalization and the Genealogy of Dissent (via combat—wombat)

If you had asked me 2 years ago how I felt about “violence” (and/or destruction) as a tactic, I would have made some quip about violence being the status quo and how everyone needs to be less violent, especially “men.” But I thought about how I was often punished for violently lashing back at other kids who spoke a word against me in grade school, whereas men in my family would beat women like it was a standard procedure. I resented it a lot, and eventually had taken to the idea that I might as well denounce all violence in order to deal with that resentment. But one can only sit with such resentment for so long, before fantasizing about, even realizing some kind of retribution or destruction of that which strengthens resentment. Deep in my heart I’d love for a world in which everyone to be “less violent,” but I no longer believe in that world, like I no longer believe male-socialized people have a monopoly on “violence” or destruction.

(via thatsucia)

eatyourpaisley: I remember when I thought people in their 20’s were adults. Now all of my...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:07:44 -0500

eatyourpaisley:

I remember when I thought people in their 20’s were adults. Now all of my friends are in their 20’s and everybody is just kind of fumbling around bumping into each other, trying to figure out where the free food is……

so that’s pretty much what I’m expecting to experience for the next like 10 years.

this is pretty accurate

Photo

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:56:34 -0500

loladelphia: The old sign for Pagano’s Steaks and Hoagies on...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:27:23 -0500

loladelphia:

The old sign for Pagano’s Steaks and Hoagies on Ogontz Avenue.

They have the best cheesesteaks in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of North Philly in my opinion!

esmeweatherwax: “People are much less likely to be convicted of murdering a prostitute than of any...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:26:27 -0500

esmeweatherwax:

“People are much less likely to be convicted of murdering a prostitute than of any other murder. The conviction rate of 75% for murder drops to 26% when it comes to killings of women in prostitution.”

-Raymond, K., Brothels and safe red light areas are the only way forward, in The Observer. December 17 2006.

(via gynocraticgrrl)

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Sun, 09 Dec 2012 09:08:30 -0500

"Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land but..."

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:38:29 -0500

““Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land but from our minds as well.”
― Frantz Fanon”

- The Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon (via mo-ohtaenahkohe)

tranqualizer: “solidarity is weapon”

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:37:07 -0500

tranqualizer:

“solidarity is weapon”

"I hate how the phrase ‘have some self respect’ is used to shame women who are comfortable with their..."

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:36:23 -0500

“I hate how the phrase ‘have some self respect’ is used to shame women who are comfortable with their sex lives. ‘Have some self respect’? I do respect myself, that’s why I wanna have a fucking orgasm tonight, thank you very much.”

- Unknown (via grrrowling)

kari-shma: by: Lisa Congdon

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:35:06 -0500

kari-shma:

by: Lisa Congdon

yoisthisracist: cousinitt asked: Saw that out of my car window...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 01:32:36 -0500

yoisthisracist:

cousinitt asked: Saw that out of my car window a few days ago. As you can see when looking closer, it originally said “KD’S DONUTS”. But then someone decided to improve the sign!

:D

Docks and Marinas: esmeweatherwax: “The average prison sentence for men who kill their...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:40:50 -0500

Docks and Marinas: esmeweatherwax: “The average prison sentence for men who kill their...:

esmeweatherwax:

“The average prison sentence for men who kill their intimate partners is 2 to 6 years. Women who kill their partners are sentenced, on average, to 15 years. A pair of Maryland cases vividly illustrates this inequality in sentencing. In one case, a judge in Baltimore…

feministryangosling: The Feminist Ryan Gosling Book is a great...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:40:20 -0500

feministryangosling:

The Feminist Ryan Gosling Book is a great gift idea: Indiebound • Barnes and Noble • Amazon.co.uk • Amazon.com

feministryangosling: The Feminist Ryan Gosling Book is a great...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:40:15 -0500

feministryangosling:

The Feminist Ryan Gosling Book is a great gift idea: Indiebound • Barnes and Noble • Amazon.co.uk • Amazon.com

get free or die tryin'.: The Gringa, The Chola, and The Dilemma

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:36:03 -0500

get free or die tryin'.: The Gringa, The Chola, and The Dilemma:

theestrogenproject:

“In the American context, in which racial and economic boundaries (past and present) govern mechanisms of cultural exchange, appropriation has been largely one-sided and has been synonymous with exploitation.”

—Kiyan Williams

What happens when a gringa…

"When a woman is denied the abortion she wants, she is statistically more likely to wind up..."

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:35:43 -0500

“When a woman is denied the abortion she wants, she is statistically more likely to wind up unemployed, on public assistance, and below the poverty line.”

- What happens to women denied abortions? This is the first scientific study to find out. (via brute-reason)

"When a woman is denied the abortion she wants, she is statistically more likely to wind up..."

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:35:41 -0500

Whenever a boy comes, you should always have something baking.

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:33:59 -0500

Whenever a boy comes, you should always have something baking.

aseaofquotes: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:29:25 -0500

aseaofquotes:

Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

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Fri, 07 Dec 2012 07:29:20 -0500