[zina lf-ro#2] Feminism “made in China”

[english version here]

Am o prietena care s-a intors acum vreo 3 saptamani din Noua Zeelanda. Impreuna cu tone de povesti si fotografii minunate ale padurilor, muntilor si vailor, ea mi-a adus o mica revista feminista: MUSE – “o zina din Wellington, care incearca sa acorde spatiu vocilor tinerelor feministe din Aotearoa (denumirea Maori pentru Noua Zeelanda)”. Sa o citesc a fost pentru mine o experienta aproape mistica, pentru ca parea atat de strain si exotic sa stiu ca aceasta mica fanzina venea dintr-o tara atat de indepartata, despre care nu stiam nimic. Asa ca ma bucuram sa am o experienta directa cu anumite subiecte, pe care le mentionam in mod obisnuit doar ca pe fapte teoretice generale (precum „restul lumii” sau „Asia”) si despre care nu prea aveam cunostinte. Realizez din ce in ce mai bine cat de centrata pe valorile europene am crescut. Realizez cum lipsa mea de prejudecati inca vocifereaza sfios de sub o patura groasa de egocentrism, importanta proprie si auto-indulgenta, devenita deja „intrinseca” civilizatiei noastre occidentale. Eforturile exprimate de articolele scrise de catre femei in MUSE nu sunt de cealalta parte a planetei doar din punct de vedere geografic, dar si foarte departe de problemele cu care ne luptam noi aici. Si mi-am dat seama ca lupta mea pentru egalitate si dreptate poate deveni, fara ca eu sa intentionez asta si fara sa-mi dau seama, un dusman al luptei pentru egalitate si dreptate a altor femei, aflate in zone straine si indepartate. Precum efectul fluturelui… cauzat in special de lipsa de informare asupra acestor experiente, culturi si viziuni politice “exotice”. Unul dintre articole vorbeste despre cum experientele femeilor asiatice in spatii feministe au fost adeseori concentrate in intregime pe analiza de gen si a raportului femei-barbati, si cum de multe ori ele simteau ca “dinamica dintre femeile albe si cele de culoare este de cele mai multe ori lasata deoparte”. De asemenea, se spune ca “inca si mai putin discutat este impactul pe care drepturile femeilor albe liberale l-au avut [si probabil inca il mai au] asupra femeilor de culoare”.
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dealing with trolls

some useful texts and links regarding trolls and how best to deal with them:

“Searching for Safety Online: Managing ‘Trolling’ in a Feminist Forum”
A common phenomenon in online discussion groups is the individual who baits and provokes other group members, often with the result of drawing them into fruitless argument and diverting attention from the stated purposes of the group. This study documents a case in which the members of a vulnerable online community—a feminist web-based discussion forum—are targeted by a “troller” attempting to disrupt their discussion space. We analyze the strategies that make the troller successful and the targeted group largely ineffectual in responding to his attack, as a means to understand how such behavior might be minimized and managed in general. The analysis further suggests that feminist and other non-mainstream online forums are especially vulnerable, in that they must balance inclusive ideals against the need for protection and safety, a tension that can be exploited by disruptive elements to generate intragroup conflict. …

“How To Keep Hostile Jerks From Taking Over Your Online Community”
Angry people looking for fights will inevitably try to poison successful Internet communities. Columnist Cory Doctorow looks at ways to remove the poison without killing the discussion too. …

“The Nature of the Troll”
… The truth is, whatever you say to a troll, he is not going to believe you, or admit that he does. He is not going to be convinced, because he has come to your blog especially to piss you off, to divert your energies from your struggles and goals. Trolls existed before the internet. They attacked brave feminists everywhere they spoke up; told feminists that women didn’t need feminism, that they were unnatural women, that they were going to hell, they beat them, they ridiculed them and they went to amazing lengths to shut them up. And why? Because they were afraid, and because, inside they knew that what feminists were talking about was real, that should feminism spread, their male privileges and constructed perverted pleasures would be destroyed. Every time a troll comes a-ranting, whether he polishes his argument with pseudo-intellectual gloss or simply calls you a whoredykebitchprude, he is afraid. And so he should be. …

“Know Thine Enemy – Species of Troll” and “Species of Troll II – More varieties spotted”

for some more discussion of anti-feminist trolling: “Dear Patriarch Kind Sir: I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but mightn’t you remove your jackboot from my throat at your earliest convenience?”

see also:
Disemvoweling
Bork bork bork!-ing

Women and ICTs at the European Feminist Forum – Invitation

forward widely, get involved!

INVITATION:

Since the end of last year a process has started to prepare the first European Feminist Forum (EFF), planned for 13-15 June 2008.

The EFF secretariat had called last year to start ‘Affinity Groups’ on different subjects to prepare the Forum, and so a group was started focussing on women and tech, ICT, New Media – called ‘agitate’ (Affinity Group InformaTion And new TEchnologies).

We are now looking for and inviting more women and women’s groups to join us in this process.

The general aim of the group is to increase visibility of women in IT, with a focus on FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open Source Software) and new media.

From our application to co-ordinate this topic for the EFF:

===

Our affinity group will discuss, analyse, raise awareness and get active around issues of women and new media and information and communication technologies (ICTs). The percentage of women who are actively interested in these issues is extremely small, due to different reasons. The roots can be found in education, gender roles, homogeneous and exclusive male structures in existing gender-mixed groups and networks (most of them in fact not mixed but instead almost all-male).

We want to build a stronger network to

* give visibility to our actions,
* carry on the debate about why it seems to be just ‘natural’ that women and computers don’t go together well and what the real reasons are,
* develop more activities with a clear feminist focus (wonderful recent example: Take back the tech),
* share experiences and empower each other and others
* help make access to new media easier for feminist activists
* interrogate and address the ways in which both gender and race are factors that prevent people from having full and equal access to virtual and tech spaces
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[zina lf-ro#2] Despre stereotipuri cu Guerilla Girls

Stereotipurile feminine sunt asemeni tic-tac-ului pe care il auzi zilnic de cateva zeci de ani al unui ceas de perete: te obisnuiesti atat de mult cu ele incat uiti ca exista, dar devin suparatoare cand le constientizezi. Sunt atat de bine imprimate in mentalitate si, pe deasupra, nu fac parte din nici un cod al vreunui limbaj corect politic incat e extrem de greu de scapat de ele. Cand trebuie sa descrii o persoana de sex feminin, vei folosi aproape inevitabil unul dintre ele. Am intalnit chiar si feministe “cu experienta” care le folosesc cu nonsalanta. Sigur, se poate spune ca exista si stereotipuri masculine, cine nu a auzit de “baiatul mamei”, “himbos” sau ca “toti barbatii sunt porci”? Dar turul stereotipurilor care urmaresc femeile “din leagan in mormant” pe care ni-l propun Guerilla Girls in Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers te fac – asa cum spune si coperta – “sa razi, sa te enervezi sau poate chiar sa te razgandesti”.
Guerilla Girls pornesc de la ideea de diferenta intre stereotipuri si arhetipuri si atrag atentia ca, despre oricare dintre ele ar fi vorba, fie pozitive sau negative, canoanele pe care le presupun sunt rareori alegerea proprie a unei femei.
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[zina lf-ro#2] Femeia in Orientul Mijlociu

-Intre dorinta de emancipare si conservatorism-

De ce un astfel de subiect? Din necesitate… In ultima perioada de timp, Orientul Mijlociu a constituit un subiect de discutie extrem de abordat si mai ales controversat, insa ce ma nemultumeste cel mai mult este faptul ca problema conditiei si viziunii femeii in acest areal este inexistenta si astfel am simtit nevoia sa ma documentez ceva mai mult despre ceea ce multa lume nu vrea sa vada si auda.
Primul lucru si probabil cel mai important in cultura islamica este religia: citind putin despre inceputurile islamismului am gasit un lucru ce mi-a atras atentia, si anume ca femeia avea mai multa libertate atunci decat astazi, surprinzator, nu-i asa? De ce s-a ajuns in situatia de astazi? Sa stea oare raspunsul in scrierea alegorica a Coranului, care are un inalt grad de subiectivism? Eu inclin sa cred ca da, de-a lungul timpului s-au facut tot felul de interpretari asupra lui, iar factorii sociali si economici nu au facut decat sa stirbeasca din libertatea femeii.
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more normalized bigoted violence

Lesbians sentenced for self-defense
All-white jury convicts Black women

By Imani Henry
New York
Published Jun 21, 2007 2:58 AM

On June 14, four African-American women—Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20) and Renata Hill (24)—received sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to 11 years in prison. None of them had previous criminal records. Two of them are parents of small children.

Their crime? Defending themselves from a physical attack by a man who held them down and choked them, ripped hair from their scalps, spat on them, and threatened to sexually assault them—all because they are lesbians.

The mere fact that any victim of a bigoted attack would be arrested, jailed and then convicted for self-defense is an outrage. But the length of prison time given further demonstrates the highly political nature of this case and just how racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-youth and anti-worker the so-called U.S. justice system truly is.

The description of the events, reported below, is based on written statements by a community organization (FIERCE) that has made a call to action to defend the four women, verbal accounts from court observers and evidence from a surveillance camera.

The attack

On Aug. 16, 2006, seven young, African-American, lesbian-identified friends were walking in the West Village. The Village is a historic center for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) communities, and is seen as a safe haven for working-class LGBT youth, especially youth of color.
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si doua subiecte (si) locale

  • “Poluarea excesiva scurteaza viata bucurestenilor”

    Traim mai putin, din cauza defrisarilor! Speranta de viata a bucurestenilor este cu patru ani mai mica decat in restul tarii. … Un studiu european arata ca romancele traiesc cel mai putin, in timp ce barbatii lor traiesc ceva mai mult decat lituanienii si estonienii.

    vezi si:
    o initiativa a locuitorilor din Drumul Taberei
    Trees for Cities – Bucharest, Romania (Bucharest, the capital of Romania with a population of 2.5 million people, has sadly become one of the most polluted cities in Europe. Ever increasing traffic, industrial activity, poor waste disposal and above all a dramatic loss of trees and green space have all contributed to the high levels of pollution. Over the last decade there has been a staggering 50% loss in the amount of green space in the city, which has fallen from 35 million square metres in 1989 to only 17 million square metres in 2001. In addition much of the green belt around the city has been cleared to make way for new housing and this in turn has fuelled the air pollution problem as dust from the Romanian Plain can now enter the city more easily.”)
    articol cu date despre speranta de viata pentru romani/romance printre alte statistici

  • “Europa ataca sexismul din publicitate” (28 iunie 2007)

    Parlamentarii europeni atrag atentia asupra discursului sexist din publicitate. Imaginea femeilor este cea mai afectata, mai ales in reclamele cu target masculin. …

    niste pareri si critici de pe lista de discutii lf-ro:
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from the global feminist newswire

Egypt Moves to Ban Female Genital Mutilation (6/29/2007)
Egypt’s health ministry announced yesterday that it would close a legal loophole allowing female genital mutilation (FGM), days after a 12-year-old girl died from the procedure…

UNFPA Briefing on New Report Focuses on Urbanization (6/28/2007)
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released its annual report on the State of World Population at a briefing this week at the National Press Club…

Setback for Saudi Business Women (6/28/2007)
Under new segregation rules, female bankers in Saudi Arabia are being separated from their male counterparts and supervisors…

New Anti-Rape Law in Thailand (6/25/2007)
The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand approved a new law last week that criminalizes marital rape…

Colombia to Pass Law Giving Rights to Same-Sex Couples (6/18/2007)
With backing from President Alvaro Uribe, a Colombian bill giving same-sex couples rights to health insurance, inheritance, and social security that recently passed by a 62-43 vote in Congress is likely to become law…

Fatal Shooting Outside Afghan Girls’ School (6/14/2007)
Two gunmen killed two girls and wounded six others, including a teacher, outside a girls’ school in Logar Province, Afghanistan on Tuesday…

Over 100 Women Activists Arrested in Zimbabwe (6/13/2007)
More than 100 members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested June 11 in Filabusi, Zimbabwe during a peaceful demonstration to launch the Peoples’ Charter, which includes demands for social rights and liberties…

Kuwaiti Women Barred from Working at Night (6/13/2007)
The Kuwaiti Parliament unanimously passed a law earlier this week to restrict women’s rights by restricting the hours that women are allowed to work…

Ministers in UK Government Draft New Anti-Discrimination Legislation (6/12/2007)
The United Kingdom government published today a consultation document that included proposals for a Single Equality Bill that will cover England, Wales, and Scotland…

Mozambique Considers Lifting Abortion Ban to Protect Women’s Lives (6/11/2007)
In order to improve the health and safety of women, policymakers in Mozambique have announced that they will consider lifting the country’s ban on abortion…

Afghan Radio Owner and Reporter Killed (6/6/2007)
Zakia Zaki, the owner and manager of Peace Radio and a headmaster of a girls’ school in Parwan province, was shot dead inside her home early this morning…

Report Links Discrimination Against Women and HIV Infection Rates (5/31/2007)
Physicians for Human Rights released a report on Friday demonstrating that discriminatory views against women contribute to the spread of HIV…

Mexican Supreme Court Will Consider New Abortion Law (5/31/2007)
The Mexican Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will hear a case filed by the National Human Right’s Commission (NHRC) and the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether Mexico City’s law allowing abortion in the first three months of pregnancy is constitutional…

Women’s Rights Activist Suspended from Afghan Parliament (5/22/2007)
Women’s rights activist and lawmaker Malalai Joya, a 29-year-old from the Farah province, was suspended from the Afghan Parliament yesterday after she described the Parliament as a barn full of animals…

and more…

some anti-violence history

from Rethinking Rape – A Site for Resistance and Activism:
(Laws and Definitions)

History of Rape Laws in the US:

In the mid-seventeenth century, Sir Matthew Hale introduced the idea of “a woman scorned” into English common law. The myth of the woman who is rejected by a man and then seeks revenge by falsely accusing him of rape remains prevalent in society even today. The creation of the myth of this vindictive woman serves to exonerate perpetrators of rape and in essence, perpetuate the notion that real rape is a rare offense that occurs between strangers. Until the 1970’s in America, jurors in rape cases were read Hale’s warning that although rape is a horrific crime “it is an accusation easy to be made, hard to be proved, but harder to be defended by the party accused, though innocent” (Reeves Sanday, 1996). Until only recently in our nation’s history, women in the United States were subject to male violence and had little to no recourse or any means of achieving justice.

The women’s movement of the 1960’s spawned the anti-rape movement which incited change in the legal arena and was the first time that acquaintance rape was identified and studied. Rape crisis centers, Take Back the Night marches, Speak Outs, feminist organizations, and published research accounts challenged the public’s ideologies regarding the definitions as well as the prevalence of the act of rape.

Rape law reform was an important aspect of the anti-rape movement. At this time, many traditional ideas and commonly held notions about rape were challenged; such as, the idea that the degree of a woman’s resistance was the deciding factor as to whether a rape occurred. Since the 70’s, resistance has become a less important determining factor in the law and the issue of verbal consent has become increasingly significant. The link between rape and alcohol, as well as other sedating substances, has only recently come into the anti-rape discourse and laws. Even today, the idea that a man could rape his wife is considered impossible to many in our society; in fact, marital rape remains noticeably absent from many state’s rape laws.

For a more thorough account of the evolution of rape laws in America check out Peggy Reeves Sanday’s amazing book: A Woman Scorned: Acquaintance Rape on Trial (1996)

OTHER HISTORIES:

More from the history of the movement, its impact on laws, policies and public views and attitudes, its successes and failures:
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[zina lf-ro#2] “Reimaginarea justitiei sociale de jos in sus: Includerea experientelor femeilor rome”

Pentru note de subsol, referinte si intregul text al lucrarii:
– http://projects.essex.ac.uk/EHRR/archive/pdf/51.pdf –
Alexandra Oprea, “Re-invisioning Social Justice from the Ground Up: Including the Experiences of Romani Women“

[Lucrarea se concentreaza pe excluderea femeilor rome din discursurile feministe si anti-rasiste dominante (in mainstream) in Europa. Aceasta excludere este atribuita intersectionalitatii si politicilor de identitate problematice. Autoarea discuta invizibilitatea femeilor rome perpetuata de programe si rapoarte ale organizatiilor ne-guvernamentale (ONG-uri) si explica absenta femeilor rome din discursuri rome si feministe, privirea ne-critica asupra culturii rome si vulnerabilitatea femeilor rome din Romania la violenta domestica. Textul pune accentul pe faptul ca analiza problemelor sociale trebuie facuta de jos in sus, luand in considerare experientele celor care intampina greutati multiple, cum ar fi femeile rome sarace. In concluzie, lucrarea discuta importanta recunoasterii privilegiilor ca fundatie a unor discursuri si a unei cercetari atotcuprinzatoare.]

Femeile rome neglijate de politicile anti-rasiste, politicile feministe si ONG-uri locale si internationale
Dinamicile care tin de rasa, clasa economica si gen plaseaza femeile rome intr-o pozitie precara, a carei consecinta sunt de multe ori casatoria timpurie, lipsa de acces la munca decenta, la servicii de sanatate si la educatie precum si o vulnerabilitate mai mare la violenta domestica. Date statistice dezagregate, o unealta esentiala pentru a adresa acest tip de subordonare structurala, s-au dovedit a fi greu de colectionat in cazul femeilor rome. Deoarece astfel de date sunt adeseori colectionate pe criteriul rasa sau pe criteriul gen, ele nu reflecta cu exactitate situatia femeilor rome. Excluziunea ubicua produsa de rasism, sexism si saracie inseamna de multe ori un acces redus la sfera politica pentru femeile rome. In afara de barierele de rasa, clasa si gen care le impiedica pe femeile rome de la a deveni activiste, odata ce au inceput sa-si implementeze propriile idealuri activiste anti-patriarhale, constructia problematica a politicilor de gen si rasa, in Europa si in alte zone, face ca, in cel mai bun caz, munca lor sa fie relegata la periferie. Cand femeile rome reusesc sa treaca peste aceste obstacole si sa participe in ONG-uri, ele descopera ca problemelor lor nu li se acorda aceeasi importanta ca problemelor “mainstream” ce ii privesc pe romi. Munca efectuata de femei rome pentru a combate tripla marginalizare nu este considerata a face parte din “politici rome”. De asemenea, nu i se acorda respect ca politica de gen, din moment ce priveste romnia [femei rome], care sunt considerate “tigani” si nu femei. Practic vorbind, discursurile feministe din Europa ignora existenta femeilor rome si altor femei minoritare atunci cand propovaduiesc doctrinele de “imputernicire” de gen. Cei doi termeni, “roma” si “femei”, au fost construiti in asa fel incat nu sunt considerati a avea intersectii.
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