Pleased

I'm exhausted, today, so I haven't mentally sorted and poked at the events of the past few days of #mooreandme to the point where I can form thoughts into words. Fortunately, some bloggerly sorts do not slack like I do.

This post, How #MooreandMe Worked, is a great breakdown of how and why this particular protest worked. It's not a blog I'd read before this, but I'm definitely a fan now.

Which reminds me. You know, one of my favorite things about this whole event? I have happened upon tweeters, bloggers, writers, and other all-around good people that I likely never would have encountered otherwise. My world expanded and became cozier all over the course of a week. I feel less alone.

Also, Sady Doyle. Lovely and inspiring and exactly right.

There's so much more, of course. But if you don't read any other links today, read those.

Thank you all.

This is How it Works

Kate Harding posted this poignant description of What Happens When You Accuse a Famous Man of Rape. What's really depressing is that he doesn't have to be famous. If he has friends and/or family and/or a job and/or any community at all, the accuser can be fairly certain they will all support her rapist by denouncing her. She can also be fairly sure that if the story gets out, many of her own friends and family will be uncomfortable with the whole sordid mess that accompanies such things and will either avoid or actively armchair all the things she did wrong to have merited such an event and the infamy attending it. I've seen it too many times.

It is surprising that anyone ever comes forward. And considering the abysmal conviction rate, I have to conclude that rape culture is still trumping justice, equality and human dignity.

So when (general) you participate in any element of rape culture (rape jokes; immediate distrust of victim's story; deconstructing elements of a rape such as what she was wearing, what time she was out, what she was doing, etc.) you are making the world safe for rapists. That's what all the twitter #mooreandme ruckus is about and why I hope everyone involved is willing to keep at it. It's not about whether or not Assange is guilty. I hope he gets just treatment, whatever accusations may cross his path, at any and every point in his life. But Michael Moore's spreading of false information and publicly mocking the accusations and the accusers is another huge, unneeded step in making the world comfier for rapists everywhere and even worse for the women they rape.

A Link Worthy...

... of its own shout out.

From smartersex.org, a list of Date Rape Facts and Myths.

More Good Links from #mooreandme

Dr. Kathleen Young blogs on the problem with the paradigm of expecting women to bear the responsibility for defensively avoiding rape, rather than placing the responsibility on every individual to not be a rapist.

Sady Doyle of Tiger Beatdown posts a timeline of events and quotes to keep everyone in the loop on what's gone down with the #mooreandme protest and why so many people are involving themselves in the protest.

#mooreandme

So, I had a (very abbreviated) discussion with @WikiLeakTweets on Twitter today. It was rather anticlimactic.

One thing that stood out to me though, was WLT stating that zie did not propagate rape culture. Being the optimistic, hopeful sort (which is probably why I get so depressed when faced with the horrors people are capable of), I'm inclined to believe that the person on the other end of my argument truly believes what zie stated. I think that most people are very much in the dark about how our social systems support the rape and abuse of women (i.e. rape culture) and how they contribute to that.

So, for those interested in learning more, the link in the previous post is a great one. Here are some more:

Rape Culture FAQ by Melissa McEwan on a site full of great info.
Harriet J over at Fugitivus has a great breakdown of aspects of this.
And an always great one over at the sorely-missed Shapely Prose.

Anyway,my twitter profile links to my blog, so I thought it might be good to make it as easy as possible to learn more.

Oh, hello there!

I just finished my last final of the semester, so what do I do? Come home sit down, and... Ooh! Look! Internet!!! Oh my old friend, how I've missed you.

What haven't I missed? Rape apologia. So. Michael Moore sucks.

But there are some great writers taking up the cause of re-educating people stunted by rape culture. Here's one: My Milk Spilt.

Meanwhile, those of you who tweet, go make use of the #mooreandme hashtag to add your voice.

Culmination

I just double-checked the CD to make sure everything burned properly. It did. So I put the CD into its jewel case and the case atop the pile that represents a whole lotta pride. Fear of the work it entailed to create this stack of paper almost overcame me. I almost dropped out of the history class because I was so scared of this project. And here it is, now, completed. Ready to submit, tonight, when I present my final project to my professor and my class.

For my History of Women in the American West class, I had to do an oral history interview, transcribe it, and pull it all together in a way that the county archives can hold it and use it. Finding someone to interview, coming up with questions and actually doing a face-to-face interview was one of the more difficult things I've done.

I'm so outrageously relieved. And proud.