God Hatez Fagz, LOL!!!

I had some confusing feelings as I read this article about a recent visit to Iowa by Fred Phelps' crew, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. When I first heard about Fred Phelps and his church, my first reaction was to feel angry and frustrated at the huge amount of hate that they bring everywhere they go. I went to a counter-protest in high school, and was all "wtf?" like everyone else. It's been a few years since then, and my feelings about this group actually become less and less ambivalent the more I hear about them. I think that as I thought more about their message and philosophy it became clear just how extreme they are. They really don't represent the views of any substantial political base, and no one actually believes what they preach except themselves. Seen in this light, they become completely harmless. Kinda cute, actually. They stand on street corners and howl like a bunch of monkeys or lunatics, and that's exactly how people perceive them. They simply don't feel dangerous to me; inconsequential.*

Abigail Phelps, the daughter of Fred Phelps, told the Ames Tribune, "You want to know how I feel about those people over there? My heart is overflowing with glee. I’m so thankful that the lord brought them out to see these words. It’s their only hope." Left me tickled. She just wants to give us hope! What a sweetheart.

So for the past few years I've been following the actions of Westboro Baptist as a form of entertainment. Like a traveling wingnut circus--a kaleidoscope of colorful signs and spectacular performance that will leave you and your whole family breathless! Most people take for granted that they're completely serious, but I'm not entirely convinced that a group like The Yes Men isn't behind these shenanigans.

*I realize that for the families of those who have had funerals ruined by WBC picketers, their actions may not seem inconsequential, but in terms of influencing American values and policy, they really hold no sway. Also, it is clear that they are doing severe psychological damage to the children who are born into this community. It seems that after having been taught such extreme faith and values, there is little or no chance that these children will be able to lead normal lives.

Double Standard?

I love that this headline is accompanied by both a highly sexual American Apparel ad and a startlingly ugly photo of Dov Charney. Now if only I could shut my mouth and stop buying their clothes....

Thanks, New York Times

Wtf kind of headline is this?

On Pat Buchanan's Sore Bum

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I hear that Rachel Maddow has made a routine out of ripping apart Pat Buchanan's batshit (patshit?) arguments these days, but this is particularly noteworthy. Last week Pat went on The Rachel Maddow Show and let loose some truly racist (and completely insane) drivel about how America was built 100% by white people, and about how Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is an "affirmative action nominee." This didn't sit well with Rachel, evidently, and she devoted a segment of her show last Monday to setting a few facts straight. I love that she doesn't stoop to the level of actually arguing with Buchanan--she doesn't even have to argue with him. She just has to state a few facts to completely invalidate everything he said.

GIMME MORE: What I Ate for Dinner Tonight

Yum. 15 grams of protein per serving!! Unfortunately, a little pricey and not very many calories but the protein and flava definitely are worth it.

GIMME MORE: Those Darlins

I went to see Tennesee trio Those Darlins last night at the Vaudeville Mews and it was the best show I've seen in a while. I'm kind of smitten, in fact. I was a little worried when I got to the Mews and I was the only person there, and then I found out they were pushing the show back 2 hours to see if more people would show up. I think this put the band in a crappy mood because when they first got on stage they didn't seem too happy about being in Des Moines.* This didn't last long, though, because once everyone had had a few beers people started moving up to the front, dancin' sexual and taking their shirts off. This is the kind of behavior that makes a good audience, and the band definitely responded. They played for about an hour, and by the end it was clear that they were enjoying themselves, which is something I love to see at shows. I won't try to describe what they sound like, because the only thing I hate more than talking about music is trying to write about it. Check out their MySpace to hear some songs.

I talked to band member Jessi (the ghey one?) for a few minutes after the show, who was not only super friendly but also had an adorable southern accent. She said that we were a much better audience than they had at their previous show in Omaha--probably because Omaha is for loserz.

They'll be touring the South and Midwest July through September, and you should definitely check them out if you get the chance. Also, Darlins, if you're out there? Maybe you could play a show in Northampton sometime this fall?


*There's no better way to ruin a show than to act like you don't want to be there.

ACCESS DENIED: Hipster Bashing

I really, really hate this blog.

Not only has the whole hipster bashing thing gotten old, but this blog is chock-full of racism, homophobia, misogyny, and fat-phobia. A picture of one or more black persons is inevitably accompanied by a mention of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., or gangs. Asians? Insert broken English. Men touching? "No homo." Androgyny? Dude looks like a lady.

I also find it interesting that the author of this blog remains anonymous. I have a feeling that it's because he (judging by the frequency of homophobic comments I'm going to assume the author is a sexually confused, self-identified heterosexual male) isn't actually all that different from the people he is bashing. And he's bitter that all these fucking hipsters are coming out of the woodwork to rub in his face uncool he is.

This leads me to wonder, how did the author come to develop such deep hatred for "the hipster"? I have a few theories.

(1) Once or twice, back in 2002 someone wearing (choose one: skinny jeans/oversized glasses/sweater vest/iPod earbuds) gave him the cold shoulder at a Belle & Sebastian concert.

(2) He got turned down for a date by a girl with a septum piercing.

(3) He listened to Cat Power and wore oversized glasses way before they were cool, and now all these fucking hipsters are prancing around like they are on the cutting edge.

GRLZ N BOIZ

HELLO GENDER BINARY


Calvin Harris - "The Girls"*



Dragonette - "The Boys"

*Note: you really should watch the actual video for this song, but for some reason embedding was disabled by youtube. Watch it here.

Why can't we be friends?

Feministing has picked up a couple new bloggers recently, and among them is the brilliant Jos Truitt. I am rrreal excited about this--I saw Jos speak about transfeminism at Hampshire College's Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference this spring, and took away a whole new way of looking at gender identity, feminism and equality. She posted a piece on Feministing Community about TransFeminism, which is basically a summary of what she said at the panel I went to.

She states that feminism has a long history of excluding transwomen, and questions why this is. She bases her piece on the assumption that "in patriarchal cultures the oppression of women through exclusion, marginalization, and violence is oppression of people who have failed to be men." In other words, women are not oppressed because they are women, but because they are not men. She continues, pointing out that transwomen and ciswomen have a lot in common in terms of goals: ending patriarchy, freedom of gender expression for all, an end to violence against women (and everyone who has failed to be a man). All of this basically goes to say that because transwomen and ciswomen are both hurt by patriarchy in very similar ways, there is no reason that they can't work together towards common goals. She concludes:

The transgender community experiences a sort of oppression that fits very well into the analysis of patriarchy that is foundational to feminism. Feminism, stripped of transphobic ideas that are antithetical to the philosophy and goals of feminist politics, has a lot to offer the trans community. And the trans community has a lot to offer feminists. We can bring an understanding of the gender binary that calls for the dismantling of a system generally viewed as natural, fundamental, and unquestionable, a system that is an essential tool of the patriarchy that feminism exists to oppose. But in order to do so we have to stop targeting each other, start listening to each other, and unite on the issues we share.

This argument goes a long way towards helping understand gender oppression and inequality in general. This re-thinking and re-defining of what patriarchy is and how it works really leaves no justification for exclusion of transwomen in the feminist movement. Under this analysis, exclusion of transwomen is simply divisive and harmful to the movement.

UPDATE: Check out Jos's latest post, on hate crimes legislation. It is characteristically brilliant.

One reason I'm glad I don't live in the UK

I hate the word snog. Eugh.

Geighborhood <3

One of my favorite things to look at in Des Moines is this little patch of overgrown grasses sandwiched between MLK, Cottage Grove and the Interstate. It was really, REALLY pretty a couple weeks ago but the city apparently decided to mow it. I'm not sure why I like it so much; maybe it's just nice to see varying colors and textures in an urban landscape as opposed to perfectly manicured green lawns.

BONUS: Click the image to see what 2.0 megapixel free box camera quality looks like!

What.

I think I'm gonna pass out.

Amy Millan, Feist and Emily Haines all on the same stage for a free Broken Social Scene show at Toronto's Harbourfront. I think that this has only happened a few times in history. It's like a rare alignment of the planets that no one can predict.

I saw Broken Social Scene on the 4th at 80/35, where Amy Millan covered the female vocals. I was expecting her, but with Broken Social Scene you never really know exactly who you're paying to see. Coincidentally I had a conversation with someone before the show about how Feist would never play shows with BSS again because she'd gotten too big, and since Metric just released an album, Emily Haines would be too busy touring to play shows with them. False.

Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw did an acoustic version of "Gimme Sympathy" off their new album Fantasies, and Kevin Drew and Feist did a couple acoustic duets, including "I Feel It All."

Post-racial America

What she said.

For a less gut-wrenching take on the rampant racism and misogyny surrounding Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, check out this clip from The Colbert Report:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Neutral Man's Burden
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

I love this clip for two reasons:

(1) It takes Sotomayor's opponents' argument to its logical conclusion to expose how completely ridiculous it is. Everyone's life experiences influence their decisions--as Colbert points out, it's our past experiences that tell us not to touch a hot stove. But when it comes to making decisions for the highest court in the U.S., it's only white males who can be considered "objective" or "neutral." Sotomayor as a woman of color is "other" and is therefore incapable of making objective judgments by this standard.

(2) They juxtapose footage of Alito talking about how his life experiences influence the decisions that he makes on the court, especially in cases of discrimination. But it's never called into question for him, because he is the Neutral White Man.

Quick Happy

[See Photo]

Yup.

When you're makin' crafts, you're spicin' up the world.

When I'm feeling a little low, or like I have way too much time on my hands (which is most of the time), I like to do something that makes me feel productive. My favorite way to feel productive without actually being productive or making any kind of difference in mine or anyone else's lives is craftin'.

This song totally legitimizes my whole life. I used to think that I was just making pink glittery unicorn postcards for the sake of making pink glittery unicorn postcards. But Leslie Hall has taught me, with the authority of gold lamé pants, that when I'm makin' crafts, I'm spicin' up the world. Really, really inspiring.

Work thru the pain.

Jimmy Carter: total babe.

Even though Jimmy Carter began and ended his presidency a decade before I was born and I don't actually know anything about what he did as president, I've always kind of admired him. Seems like a nice guy I guess.

Well, I've always thought I was a pretty good judge of character, and it turns out I'm right.

Jimmy Carter is leaving the Southern Baptist Church, of which he has been a member for sixty years, because of its misogynistic teachings.

Jimmy Carter, will you be my boyfriend?

If Tara Donovan had a blog, I would read it every day.

Also, I had a dream about her last night.

If we've spoken in the past month or so, I've probably mentioned Tara Donovan's exhibition at the Des Moines Art Center.

Now I might be a little bit faggy, but I'm definitely no art fag. What I love about this exhibition is that anyone can enjoy it, and get it. You don't need a degree in art history. You don't have to crane your neck to read the little tag on the wall that explains the obscure context of some abstract painting that looks like, for all you can tell, a blank canvas.

Donovan takes familiar, mass-produced consumer products (styrofoam cups, plastic straws, buttons) and turns them into massive, organic-looking structures. Styrofoam cups become a cloud, plastic straws become a wall of fog, buttons become a stalagmite or coral reef.

If you live in the Des Moines area, or if you ever get the chance to see Donovan's work in the flesh, do it. Zeriously, just do it. I've been twice, and look how successful I am.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that Donovan's work is at both the main gallery on Grand and at the Downtown gallery at 8th and Walnut. There is amazing stuff at both galleries, so be sure to visit both.

I got a blog/I gotta blog

Not sure how this is gonna work yet but I have come to realize, through a long process of intense introspection, fraught with self-doubt and influenced by external criticism, that I do in fact have interesting thoughts. Like, A LOT of them. Way, way too many interesting thoughts to go unpublished, to never see the light of the everlasting internetz.

No more.

To be realistic, though, I'm probably just going to post a bunch of links to things I think people should look at, and write a sentence or two about how said things make me feel. Because although I have, like, A LOT of brilliant thoughts, it's a lot of work to put said thoughts into words and post them on a blog no one reads.

Also it won't hurt to keep my brain sharp during the summer when I'm not in school. Not that this brain needs any sharpening or anything.