Hello Kitty … for the guys December 31, 2007

Hello Kitty is a trademark of the Sanrio company in Tokyo. Created in 1974, she’s become internationally popular. She is also deeply associated with a girlish culture of a very traditional sort.

Hello Kitty is pretty cute; she shows up on laptops

And on bags

And watches

Her face is a part of some pretty expensive jewelry:

Today the head of Sanrio, who developed the line, has announced that it is seeking larger markets.

“Young men these days grew up with character goods. That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty.”
Sanrio Co spokesman Kazuo Tohmatsu, announcing that Hello Kitty products for men, such as T-shirts and watches, will go on sale in Japan, other Asian countries and the U.S. next year.

In addition to the fascinating idea of marketing a product, one deeply embedded in a traditionally understood ultra-feminine context, to young men, there is the discussion of it in Japan Today. One thread in the discussion concerns questions about Western views of Asia, and who speaks for whom, but another addresses the question of whether joung Japanese men are becoming more feminine.

Though it is so easy to miss the cultural subtleties in a discussion like this, it looks as though the association with young men becoming more feminine is their being childish. Another factor that complicates understanding the discussion is that it looks as at least some Japanese are very sensitive about a Western stereotype of the Japanese as childish.

Since it is hard to tell from a  short newspaper article what is really going  on culturally in another country, let me just suggest readers have a look for themselves.  It may be a case where market forces actually work to make girls’ things more acceptable to boys.   Or  not.

Abortion rights and sex selection December 31, 2007

Sex selective abortions have been touched on a few times here already.  But we’ve never really focused on the philosophical issues they raise.  John Turri sent us an excellent article, and the suggestion that we take up these issues.  (That was a while ago, and I’m only now getting around to it– sorry!)  Here’s the thing… most feminists support abortion on demand.  But if we take that really seriously we also need to support abortion for reasons of sex selection, where that is genuinely what a woman wants.  Now, we can raise lots of worries about whether this is really an uncoerced choice (thanks for the link, Jender-Parents); and we can strongly criticise the social forces that bring about this preference if it’s a genuine one.  But when we get done with that, what do we say about the cases where it really is uncoerced?  (I would suspect that there really are such cases, by the way.  And in some circumstances I can even imagine it being a morally motivated decision.  If girls and women are treated badly enough in one’s society, mightn’t it seem deeply immoral to bring another girl into existence to be brutally mistreated?) I’m sure there must have been good things written on this topic by feminist philosophers. Does anyone know of some?  This is clearly one of those cases that shows the weakness of framing abortion just in terms of ‘choice’, but I’d like to know more about ways to approach it.  (It may also show the weaknesses of thinking just in terms of coerced/uncoerced.)

Exercise and Mental Function December 29, 2007

Feminist philosophers who feel their careers were slowed down – or at least not accelerated – in comparison to similarly talented men, might want to take steps  to prolonged their productive years.  The evidence is mounting that exercise can play a big role in preserving mental function.

 So if you are tempted to do a New Year’s reassessment of the ways you allocate time to your health, think about including more exercise. 

 There are several things  we now understand about starting and sustaining a successful exercise program.  One big one is that including friends and family can be a huge help.

However, do make sure you all have some prior understanding of direction and goals:

And most of all: Enjoy!

French Health Care: A Different Case December 28, 2007

The diary right below this one has raised a question for at least one reader about who does health care better. I don’t want to suggest there are simple answers, but it is worth having another case on hand from a different medical system. The one below is part of a post at DailyKos. Jerome a Paris is recounting his son’s treatment in Paris when it was discovered that he had a tumor in his brain.I’ve put in bold some of the passages that seem to give us a stark contrast with the experience recounted in the earlier diary.

He was first diagnosed by our pediatrician, a private sector doctor, who sent us to the (public) specialised pediatric hospital in Paris for additional exams. We did a scan and a MRI the same day, and that brought the diagnosis we know. He was hospitalised the same day, with surgery immediately scheduled for two days later. At that point, we only had to provide our social security number.Surgery – an act that the doctor that performed it (one of the world’s top specialists in his field) told us he would not have done it five years before – actually took place the next week, because emergency cases came up in the meantime. After a few days at the hospital, we went home. At that point, we had spent no money, and done little more than filling up a simple form with name and social security number.Meetings with the doctor in charge of his long term treatment, and with a specialised re-education hospital, were immediately set up, and chemiotherapy and physical therapy were scheduled for the next full year.Physical therapy included a few hours each day in a specialised hospital, with a varied team of specialists (kinesitherapy, ergotherapy, phychologist, orthophonist) and, had we needed it, schooling. As we lived not too far away, we tried to keep our son at his pre-school for half the day, and at the hospital the other half. Again, apart from filling up a few forms, we had nothing to do.My wife pretty much stopped working to take my son to the hospital every day (either for reeducation or treatment) - and was allocated a stipend by the government as caregiver, for a full year (equal to just under the minimum wage). Had we needed it, transport by ambulance would have been taken care of, free of charge for us (as it were, car commutes to the hospital could also be reimbursed).During the chemiotherapy, if he had any side effects (his immune system being weakened, any normal children’s disease basically required him to be hospitalised to be given full anti-biotic treatment), we’d call up the hospital and just come around. Either of us could spend the night with him as needed. We never spent a dime.After a year at the specialised hospital, ongoing re-education was moved to another institution specialised in home and school interventions. In practice, a full team of 5 doctors or specialists come to see him over the week, either at home or at school, to continue his treatment (such follow up, possibly less intense than at the beginning, will be needed until he reaches his adult size). Of course, they manufacture braces and other specialised equipment for him and provide it free of charge to us.Check up exams take place every 3 months, with all the appropriate exams (usually including a MRI), and we’ve never had to wait for the appointments. Again, no cost for us, no funds to be fronted.When he relapsed, our doctors considered all available options. In the end, the most promising technology was in another Paris hospital. Such technology, linked to nuclear research, exists only in 3 places in the world, one in Boston and one in Switzerland, so the French system itself was able to provide a cutting edge option. But had we needed to go to Germany, the UK or even the USA for treatment because that’s where the best hope was, the costs of that would have been covered too by French social security.…So, we did not have to spend a single cent. We got support to be available for him. He gets top notch treatment. We never had to wait for anything. And this is available to absolutely everybody in France, irrespective of your job, age or family situation. If you are badly sick or injured, you simply do not have to worry about money at any time, nor about lack of care.

A specific case illustrates the US’s failure in health care December 28, 2007

(I assume that Michael Moore’s indictment of US healthcare, Sicko, couldn’t cover many of the ways people are deprived of adquate care, and I think the case below illustrates one of  them.  But even if he did include it, the specific case again usefully makes the point.)

I received the following emessage today.  “UTMB” is the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.  It is well-know for treating indigent people; their emergency room does not ask for proof of ability to pay before one receives treatment.  But there are horrendous gaps nonetheless.

Galveston is about 45 miles from Houston, which contains what is, by some measurements, the largest medical center in the world.  Methodist Hospital, with its teak furniture, piano and fountains in the  foyer, provides treatment for some of the world’s richest people.  And yet, in its shadows…well, you’ve read Dickens…

All of you know Dave Diggins and most also know his wife, Susan. I am sorry to let you know that Susan has been diagnosed with breast cancer – she has two areas in her right breast. At this time, the physicians are talking about chemotherapy treatment in order to shrink them before they consider surgery. The radiology department at UTMB has referred Susan to oncology.

Unfortunately, Dave and Susan do not have health insurance and they would have to qualify for indigent care before they would be allowed to see oncology. Since they do not qualify, they have, at this time, been turned away. It is really hard for the mid-income people who are self-employed to make enough to afford health care and Dave just happens to fit into that group.

They have been put in contact with Sr. Joan James, who works with the Susan Cronin Breast Cancer Foundation that administers grants to people that find themselves in Dave and Susan’s position. However, as you know, obtaining grants can sometimes take longer than anticipated.  [All names of persons changed.]

Perhaps, like me, you weren’t aware that indigence is means-tested in the case of life saving health care.

Pink Vigilantes December 27, 2007

A group of poor women in India have mobilised to fight, violently where necessary, for better treatment of women and the poor, while wearing pink saris.  The article is interesting, though problematically written:

The pink sorority is not exactly a group of male-bashing feminists – they claim they have returned 11 girls who were thrown out of their homes to their spouses because “women need men to live with”.

Aside from the fact that It’s hard to be impressed by anything that uses the phrase ‘male-bashing feminists’, there isn’t enough explanation in the article to tell one what is meant by “need”– is this meant to be a fact about women’s nature, or about the way that their society is set up? These sorts of distinctions are important, and the article really isn’t very helpful for those seeking real understanding. Still, it’s interesting to know even a little bit about this. (Thanks, Jender-parents!)

Boxing Day Carnival December 26, 2007

Note: this has been updated in response to comments. 

Looking for a suitable Boxing Day activity?  (For those unfamiliar with the tradition: Boxing Day is the day after Xmas, traditionally devoted to semi-vegetative recovery from the day before.  Often devoted to watching trashy horror movies on TV.)  I’ve belatedly noted that there’s an excellent new Carnival of Feminists up at The Jaded Hippy (and we’ve even got something in it!).  You might want to spend some time surfing through it.

On Dec. 25, a completely silly video of cats singing December 25, 2007

about sleigh bells in the snow would have been great, but I gave up on finding a really good one.  In part because I discovered a video that has left me very puzzled, a state that philosophers can love.  What I’m puzzled about is:  What happened?  The background scenes seen in the video below seem to have vanished.  And of course that war is basically over, but the current crisis in the States is sadly too similar.  

British Fashion Council makes more suggestions December 24, 2007

Nothing is guaranteed to make one feel more like a heaving mound of flab and blocked pores than the images of ‘perfect’ feminine beauty bandied around by the fashion industry. Not only are models taller than average, thinner than average, and richer than average – which makes the £850 worth of ‘required’ monthly beauty treatments rather easier to afford – their already non-standard images are routinely photoshopped by magazines to make them taller, thinner, glossier-of-hair, flatter-of-stomach, and bigger-of-boob. Hope of some kind is on the horizon, however, as the British Fashion Council has just noticed that models’ photos are being regularly airbrushed, and asked everyone nicely to stop. (Quite how it has missed this practice for so long is more of a mystery.) Let’s hope someone takes some notice. Don’t hold your breath though – the BFC’s recent recommendations on not using ultra-skinny models, only employing those over the age of sixteen, and ensuring that their working environment was smoke and drug-free have not been greeted with much enthusiasm by the fashion industry.

Kara Walker’s art December 23, 2007

Presenting Negro Scenes Drawn Upon My Passage
Through the South and
Reconfigured for the Benefit of
Enlightened Audiences Wherever Such May
Be Found,
By Myself, Missus K.E.B. Walker,
Colored
January 12 – February 23, 1997

Picture and Text from The Renaissance Society, the University of Chicago.

Walker has an exhibit at the Whitney, in NYC, through Feb. 3. The art is often beautiful despite its exceptional portrayal of very ugly racist and sexist stereotypes. The picture above was intentionally chosen (at least in this context) to leave to readers the decision of whether to view some profoundly challenging work.  Thus:

Walker’s work is often said to appropriate and subvert stereotypes, but that might be a little misleading.  She herself at least at times takes her art to present stereotypes as they infect us all.  She is quoted by Newsday as saying, “I want people to respond and to be aware that if a goody-two-shoes like me can have all of this going on her head, then nobody’s safe.”

She has been very controversial; though she has been awarded a McCarthur “genius” award, she was sharply criticized by some African Americans as promulgating negative stereotypes, perhaps even to get money from bigots.  Her comments on presenting positive images of black people are again quoted by Newsday:

Walker, for her part, questioned the very notion of a positive black image: “Every image produced of ‘us’ is mediated – filtered through the grounds of years of misrepresentation, bitterness and suspicion,” she scrawled on one of the beautifully illustrated diary pages on display at the Whitney. She doesn’t think it’s possible to mold new, untainted forms. We can only deconstruct those that already exist and uncover their ongoing corruption.

She’s a feminist you might want to know more about.

Religion, Politics, Culture Shock December 23, 2007

As a transplanted American in the UK, it’s very clear to me how different these supposedly similar cultures are.  And nowhere is this more obvious than with issues of religion and politics.  I thought I’d share a bit of that with you (especially perhaps the Americans).  Back in the US, Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has been declaring, in a widely praised speech, that “freedom requires religion”.  Over here, in the country that actually does have an official state religion:

Tony Blair has reported that he never felt he could discuss his religious beliefs because he’d sound like a “nutter”.

The new leader of the 3rd party, the Liberal Democrats* has mentioned publicly that he’s an atheist.  On the BBC radio report I listened to, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Michael Portillo were interviewed. The Archbishop of Canterbury says he doesn’t think anyone should care about this.  Michael Portillo, a former Conservative Cabinet member, now sort of an elder statesman, says he thinks the only people one should worry about are the ones with really strong religious convictions. (He does worry about atheists who are intolerant of believers, but makes it clear he doesn’t take Clegg to be such.)***

 

*Yes, they’re called the “LIBERAL DEMOCRATS”! And that’s not the reason they don’t win the big elections– a key reason for that is that they’re seen as too middle class. **

**Yes, TOO MIDDLE CLASS, an inconceivability in US politics.

***Not enough culture shock yet?  How about the fact that Portillo has admitted to having had gay sex, and NOBODY REALLY CARED.

Enjoy the culture-shock!  And, just to add yet another twist, in the UK everyone seems to say “Happy Christmas” to everyone else, without any thought that it’s odd e.g. for one Jew to say this to another.  At first I thought this must mean a real assumption that everyone’s Christian.  Now it seems much more like it doesn’t occur to people that there could be such a presupposition involved in the greeting.  (Maybe kind of like atheists saying “bless you” when someone sneezes.)  So, hey, Happy Christmas!  (Nope, still doesn’t feel right to me.)

 

World March of Women December 22, 2007

In “Globalization and Political Change in the Women’s Movement: The Politics of Scale and Political Empowerment in the World March of Women” (my stress) by Dufour and Giraud in the Social Science Quarterly for Dec2007, we are told

The WMW is a transnational collective action that integrates women from grassroots organizations, labor unions, and leftist political parties in over 150 countries (approximately 6,000 groups) into a process of transnationalization of solidarities.

The article is about the European presence and tactics of the WMW.

Going on my own lack of knowledge, I could be worried that a very great deal of news about women’s important political actions world-wide are left unmentioned in the US and English press. In this particular case, the web presence of the WMW is also not much, a fairly quick look on google indicates. Still less is there much recent.

The WMW movement appears to have originated in  Quebec and there is a big Canadian site.   I did find a WMW blog from Pakistan, which also mentioned WMW protests in India over the action in Pakistan; a blog from Ecuador has a letter from the International Secretariat of the WMW, and so on. 

What I am wondering is whether it is right to suspect a general lack of knowledge among some groups of feminists about such international movements.  If so, are these  largely English-speaking feminists?  Is the language or the press creating an insularity?  Is there a kind of passive censorship, with international feminists movements being of so little interest to the media that we never read about them?

Another possibility, I suppose, given the seeming lack of web presence, is that the movement lacks some of the resources to create a more formal media presence.

 If the insularity is largely mine alone, I’m be happier about the situation!

‘Tis the season December 22, 2007

For last minute job-market panic.  If anyone would like some last minute advice, feel free to ask in the comments thread here.  We can’t make the job market a good, sane place where people are treated as well as they deserve.  But we can try to give some advice on how to cope with the way it actually is.  So do feel free to ask, and we’ll try!  My big tip for anyone on the job market:  get *away* from the damn hotel.  Spend as little time as possible hanging out with all the other incredibly stressed people who are trying to impress.   Go to a museum, go for a walk, do *anything* other than hang out at that hotel.

Proposed reform of Scotland’s rape laws December 21, 2007

It’s an easy life (relatively speaking) if you are a sex criminal in Scotland. Want to rape someone without being prosecuted as a rapist? No problem – since rape is defined as the penetration of the vagina by the penis, simply pick an alternative object, an alternative orifice, or just bugger a man. If you don’t fancy a struggle, there is an even easier way. It’s only rape in Scotland if she has explicitly refused (or her refusal is implied, e.g., if you have to bash her around beforehand). So pick some nice girl in a pub, then ply her with booze until she passes out unconscious. Unless she told you earlier that she wasn’t up for sex – and someone else heard her tell you and is willing to stand up in court and say so – you’re home and dry! (If only other crimes were treated similarly – ‘It wasn’t theft, officer! He didn’t say I couldn’t take his car!’ )

Unfortunately for sex criminals, this happy state of affairs may not continue for much longer, because legal types in Scotland have unveiled proposals for reform. The changes will make it possible to rape a man. They will also redefine ‘against someone’s will’ to mean lack of consent, rather than presence of refusal. Furthermore, they will spell out various scenarios where consent cannot be given, which include, when the person is unconscious. (If having sex with inert bodies is your thing, then you might be better off just investing in a good quality sex doll.) Also, if the reforms go through and you happen to find yourself up in court on rape charges, just claiming ’she said I could’ won’t cut it – you’ll have to explain to the court what you did to ascertain whether or not she was up for it. A small suggestion: maybe just ask politely next time you meet a lady and want to take her home to your bed.

CFP: Global Gender Justice December 20, 2007

We seem to be all about the CFPs these days!  Tis the season, I guess.  This one’s got a deadline coming up soon! 

Call for papers: Global Gender Justice Symposium

The Gender Justice Research Community at George Mason University is sponsoring a one-day Global Gender Justice symposium to be held April 17, 2008 on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University.  The keynote speaker will be Chilean poet, essayist, and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin, winner of numerous awards for both her human rights work and her literary achievements. We seek proposals for papers and creative works on any topic related to human rights and gender in a global framework, with an eye toward fostering interdisciplinary discussions of issues that might include genocidal rape as a human rights violation, the impact of war on women andchildren, women and the worldwide peace movement, gender and humanrights activism, and others.  We currently envision 15-minute presentations by individual participants, but welcome proposals forother formats, particularly when necessary for collaborative and/or creative presentations.  Further information about this symposium is available here.Send 300-word proposals and one-page curriculum vita to Dr. Tamara Harvey or English Dept.,George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., MS 3E4, Fairfax,VA  22030) by January 15, 2008. 

CFP: Multiculturalism and Feminism December 19, 2007

‘Multiculturalism and Feminism’, the 2008 International Association of Women Philosophers Conference, will be held at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul on 27-29 July 2008.The deadline for submissions has been extended to 28 December 2007.Abstracts of 3-500 words should be submitted online here, where further information about the conference and the theme are also available. Note the IAPh conference is timed to precede the 22nd World Congress ofPhilosophy, taking place in Seoul from July 30 to August 5th 2008. Further information about the World Congress can be found here.

CFP: Embodiment and Identity December 19, 2007

Embodiment and Identity: Call for papers

SWIP UK conference hosted by the Centre for Research into Embodied Subjectivity, Philosophy, and the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Hull, May 22–23 2008.

Keynote Speaker: Linda Alcoff

This conference aims to explore the role the body plays in constituting aspects of our individual and social identity. The claim that biology fixes identity has been hotly contested in recent decades, but its apparent abandonment has led to intense theoretical debate over the role of the body in constituting both individual subjectivity and categories of social identity. We will be focusing particularly on gendered, cultural and racial identity, disability and identity, and identities reached by degrees of bodily modification. In each case attention will be paid to the role of social others in constituting the meaning and recognition bestowed on bodily physiognomies. The common assumption that such categories of identity are required for social participation, political agency and constructions of subjectivity, will be subjected to critical scrutiny.

Papers are welcome on any aspect of embodiment and/or identity, (including; “raced” identities, “cultured” bodies, diasporic and transcultural identity, hybridity, disability and the body, trans-sexuality, bodily integrity, body dysmorphia, identity and recognition, materiality and the body, imaginary bodies).

Confirmed Speakers

Linda AlcoffProfessor of Philosophy, Political Science, and Women’s Studies , Syracuse University (website)

Dr. Lois McNaySomerville College, Oxford (website)

Dr Jackie ScullyNewcastle University (website)

Dr. Margrit ShildrickQueens University, Belfast (website)

Dr.Simone GiordanoManchester University (website)

Abstracts

Abstracts should be sent to Stella Gonzalez Arnal by 18 February 2008. Contributors will be informed if their abstracts are accepted by 3 March 2008.

If you wish to discuss possible proposals or other aspects of the conference you can also contact other members of the organising committee: Gill Jagger; Minae Inahara; Kathleen Lennon;  Sue Walsh.

 

And do note:  Anyone can submit papers to this conference.  Paper-giving SWIP-UK is now open to all. 

 

Another update: Halliburton rape December 18, 2007

A few days ago I mentioned the woman who was raped by Halliburton co-workers in Iraq, then imprisoned by the company without food or water for 24 hours and not allowed to phone her family.  Congress is now planning to investigate the case.  (Thanks, Jender-Parents!)

Appalling comments on rape December 18, 2007

From former Conservative cabinet member John Redwood: 

Former Tory cabinet minister John Redwood was condemned by victim support groups last night after he said the government was wrong to regard “date rape” as seriously as assaults by strangers.
Redwood said that Labour’s “doctrine of equivalence” had “led to jury scepticism about many rape claims” and added: “Young men do not want to have to take a consent form and a lawyer on a date.”

It will be very interesting to see the reaction of Redwood’s party leader, David Cameron, who has been rather more impressive on the issue. (Thanks for letting us know about this, Ross!)

“Cool last minute gifts?” December 18, 2007

Filed under:  I don’t think so.

Mmmwah. Outrageous Warhol lips make the party circuit. Fun melamine appe-teasers offer a taste of 15 minutes of fame. Embossed artist’s signature on the back. Images courtesy of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
• Pop art “Lips” by Andy Warhol serve appetizers with style
• Great for parties
• Heat-resistant
• Top-rack dishwasher-safe

I.e., these are small plates.

This product comes from cb2, which it considered a “really cool store”, my young New York friends say, though just about everything said like that is ironic.  Fortunately.