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Feminism
I Wasn’t Angry Until You Said I Was: Civility & Its Discontents
I often find myself bringing up matters with people who might have missed their problematic nature. As time passes, I have come to ration my caution and care in such matters far more selectively. It’s draining to run scenarios in my head and try to figure out the exact approach that might circumvent any sort of unpleasant feeling in the…
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Feminism
Grantland’s Apology By the Numbers
Inspiration via one of the thought-provoking piece on the matter at Aoifeschatology. If you aren’t aware of what happened this weekend, The Toast did a link round-up; check the comments for additional takes and resources. Uses of the Word “Mistake:” 15 Uses of the Word “Mistake” in Reference to Actions on the Part of Grantland Writers & Editors: 14 Uses…
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Feminism
The Trouble with Fake Dating Profiles
Note: For the purposes of this post, heterosexuality is the premise. Things on dating sites are different (i.e. often better) for women seeking women. Men seeking men are often subjected to the same things that women seeking men are subjected to, but I cannot speak for their experiences. I am an accomplished OkCupid counter-troll and I’m not private about it. As a result, every…
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Featured
Atheist Priorities in Fundraising
Consider two examples of crowdfunding projects aimed at atheists. Just before the holidays, Secular Student Alliance announced that it would be matching funds donated to the Los Angeles-based Women’s Leadership Project. As stated on its Indiegogo page, Women’s Leadership Project (WLP) fills a vacuum in a school district that has few programs that specifically address the intersection of sexism, racism, misogyny…
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Religion
To Those Defending Alleged Marks & Spencer Religious Exemptions
Edited to ensure clarity on the fact that the incident with an M&S cashier was an isolated incident rather than a reflection of M&S overall policy. As a former Muslim who has spent significant amounts of time in the Muslim-dominated parts of London, I have been following the recent Marks & Spencer kerfuffle with great interest. The short version is…
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Feminism
Hot Sauce Over Humanity: On Sriracha
Recently, the Internet has been abuzz about the possibility of a shortage of Sriracha, aka Rooster or Cock sauce. Most pieces, even from publications and blogs whose pieces I normally at least somewhat like, relegate what the residents’ complaints are to a parenthetical (literally) reference. It turns out that something truly, sincerely horrible is being glossed over by the breezy,…
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Feminism
That David Bowie Movie Was Fiction: The Labyrinth of Choice
I spent a decent portion of my teenage years watching two movies on repeat: Labyrinth, that ridiculously 1980s Jim Henson + David Bowie concoction (complete with fan theories written about at Mad Art Lab), and Fight Club. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what that says about me. What I wanted to focus on was what the…
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Feminism
Stop Asking “What Did You Expect?”
Many a non-activist has wondered what can be done at the layperson’s level to help in the quest to make the world a better place. One answer — to raise your everyday, expressed expectations — may sound like a platitude, but it isn’t. It’s not overly idealistic to believe that raising expectations can change at least the part of the world…
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