Can Porn be Feminist?

*This post contains some pretty graphic material*

This post is a response to something Feministing wrote a couple weeks back. They had interviewed feminist porn director Tristan Taormino and she had given her theories about what makes porn feminist or not feminist.

Friday's Quick Notes, Vol. 3

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My friend Asher has started a blog about movies and music. If reading rants about that kinda stuff floats your boat, take a gander.  

Feminism and Battlestar Galactica, Part Two

Here's Part One

Morality in the BSG Universe

      This show rarely makes the easy choice when it comes to tackling controversial political and moral issues. The easiest choice would just be to ignore them completely, like most of the other shows do. What is awesome about this show is that it never gives you a short answer and then expects you to understand how they got there. These topics are controversial and grey for a reason. BSG explores the avenues. Complexities and cultural attitudes do not go unaddressed.

So let me break it down:

From Whence the Blog Title

A friend mentioned that he thought my blog title was super pretentious since I don't write in French. Truth. It is a little pretentious. But it's taken from a fabulous song from the great french cartoon Asterix et Obelix that I was addicted to as a kid.

Here it is:

Feminism and Battlestar Galactica, Part One

This is a series of posts in honour of the fact that my sister and I will be watching the final three episodes Tuesday night. Now that I’ve convinced her I need to make more converts! This is one of the finest series ever to be on television. You should watch it.

      Science Fiction has traditionally been viewed as a genre that holds little to interest women. Television producers, film-makers and writers will say that women get bored of the special effects extravaganza or turned off by the pseudo-scientific technobabble (see: Neuromancer). Of course this is a crazy over-generalization. I know that many women, like me, enjoy a rollicking good explosion. There are women out there who love technology and science and would roll their eyes at the continuation of a sexist stereotype that insists that these topics do not interest women. But the fact remains – most women avoid Science Fiction as if the genre as a whole has terrifically bad body odour. Why is that? The major sci-fi roadblock to women, I think, is that it is predominantly a genre created by men for men. It has long been a bastion of sexist stereotypes and brutal misogyny. I can understand why some women are turned off by the genre as a whole. Reading lauded books like Brave New World while trying to choke down the sexism is pretty hard. So is having to watch guys slobber over Princess Leia in slave chains and a bikini. This review is directed at women (and men) who find the concept of science fiction about as appetizing as football* because of the sexism (and maybe you do not care much for space battles or technology, too).

Friday's Quick Notes Vol. 2

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I’ve been studying biology almost constantly all week trying to get up to snuff for my applications for midwifery school. In the middle of studying the Respiratory Tract I was surprise swiped by an etymology question (er...from my head). The name for an inhalation of breath is inspiration, and exhalation is expiration. Obviously, expiration later came to be associated with death as well as food ‘going off’. And this sort of makes sense. “To breathe one’s last” etc. The final breath out that signifies the end.

But what about inspiration? My friend Kate and I had fun talking about expanding with fresh ideas and getting the chemical processes together that spark new life (and ideas!).  And thus the connection between the inspiration of breath and inspirational thought.

Thoughts? Anyone actually know?

 

Vitriolic Reviews: Half the Sky

 I read this book for my feminist bookclub (which seems currently incapable of picking a time to actually sit down and discuss it). So instead I will have some thoughts about it for the invisible masses of the internet. Or something.

My initial reaction to this book was two-fold. I find it extremely useful that the authors make every effort to get readers off their bums and doing something, even tiny little somethings, to help women all over the planet. One thing this book does well: condemn the low priority assigned to developing and ensuring women's health, economic well being, and educational opportunities around the world. The amount of money that is donated towards women and young girls around the world pales in comparison to say the 1.5 BILLION dollars spent on Abstinence Until Marriage  Sex 'Education' in the United States. Immediately it makes the facts about the status of women (read: shitty, as always) worldwide and gives you immediate ways to help out.