This video is one of 2011′s viral videos, with 56,605,183+ views. Go figure. Maybe human beings find cat icons irresistible?
Warning: the video is three and a half minutes of mind-numbing noise and nothing about it is worth that time.
About the APA: “Whose names did you hear?” December 31, 2011
And if you didn’t go to the APA, you might think about recent conferences, department discussions, books, etc.
The title comes from that of a post on What is it like to be a Women in Philosophy. The author remarks:
It seems that when male philosophers propose theories, even very implausible ones, they are given weight in the way that women doing the same simply are not. In my field for example, I have proposed something like a theory of X. Now there are male philosophers who are also working on problems related to X, whose names one hears constantly, who regularly appear on lists of plenary speakers at meeting related to X, whose names then get attached to theories, which people then write about etc. But I can only think of one woman whose ideas are discussed in the literature. And this is not a small field…
Male philosophers seem to enter “the discussion,” if not the canon; women philosophers rarely do.
There is a similar post a little more recent than this one, A Powerful, Subtle Way to Exclude Women.
Each post points to a possibly very wide-spread practice. In fact, I would say it definitely is one. If so, it is one of those injustices that those who experience may see much more clearly than those who benefit from it do. Mitigating its effects is also part of the motivation of the gendered conference campaign (see the pages above).
So what did you hear at the APA or elsewhere recently? Is the practice widespread? Do uou think it is unjust? Damaging? And is it part of what leads women to leave the field? After all, if it is widespread, it also carries information about who is not likely to succeed in the field. On realizing what happens to women’s work, one might well think that succeeding in the field should not matter in one’s life.
Here we go again: Should toys be gendered? December 31, 2011
In the NY Times, Peggy Orenstein asks, “Should the World of Toys Be Gender-Free?”After at least one non-sequitur:
Hamleys, which is London’s 251-year-old version of F.A.O. Schwarz, recently dismantled its pink “girls” and blue “boys” sections in favor of a gender-neutral store with red-and-white signage. Rather than floors dedicated to Barbie dolls and action figures, merchandise is now organized by types (Soft Toys) and interests (Outdoor).
That free-to-be gesture was offset by Lego, whose Friends collection, aimed at girls, will hit stores this month with the goal of becoming a holiday must-have by the fall. … the line features new, pastel-colored, blocks that allow a budding Kardashian, among other things, to build herself a cafe or a beauty salon. ….
So who has it right? Should gender be systematically expunged from playthings? Or is Lego merely being realistic, earnestly meeting girls halfway in an attempt to stoke their interest in engineering?
And at least one citation of very questionable science as fact (see our post here):
Toy choice among young children is the Big Kahuna of sex differences, one of the largest across the life span. It transcends not only culture but species: in two separate studies of primates, in 2002 and 2008, researchers found that males gravitated toward stereotypically masculine toys (like cars and balls) while females went ape for dolls.
She makes some interesting points:
Preschoolers may be the self-appointed chiefs of the gender police, eager to enforce and embrace the most rigid views… [And]Traditionally, toys were intended to communicate parental values and expectations, to train children for their future adult roles. Today’s boys and girls will eventually be one another’s professional peers, employers, employees, romantic partners, co-parents. How can they develop skills for such collaborations from toys that increasingly emphasize, reinforce, or even create, gender differences? What do girls learn about who they should be from Lego kits with beauty parlors or the flood of “girl friendly” science kits that run the gamut from “beauty spa lab” to “perfume factory”?
So: children’s adherence to certain types of toys may be a product of policing done by children, presumably children keen on adult approval, and the traditional gendered toys can be seen as tools for training children for traditional roles, which is of questionable benefit.
Colorlines’ Year in Review December 31, 2011
From Colorlines, a look at the year of racial (in)justice in the U.S (mostly).
From
Good place for critical race theory and postcolonial studies? December 31, 2011
Query from a reader:
I am a regular reader of this blog, and I’d like to appeal to my fellow readers for some advice.
I am currently finishing my dissertation, and I have my mind set on preparing a new project at the intersection of political philosophy, critical race theory and postcolonial studies. The latter two fields are quite new to me, and I am thinking it might be a good idea for me to consider a research stay abroad at an institution which has faculty who are specialized in these fields. I am thinking of the US/Canada, but I would welcome any other suggestions (my impression is that in continental Europe these fields are fairly underdeveloped, but I might just be very ill-informed).
It would be great if these places would have a vibrant feminist community as well :) (I am trained in philosophy and women’s studies)
I am hoping that my fellow readers might come up with some names of institutions/scholars that would be a good place to go (and that might be interested in a visiting scholar)
How can one improve one’s letters of recommendation? December 30, 2011
Query from a reader:
A good friend of mine who is not in a search committee but knows someone who is in a search committee told me my letters of recommendation are short and meaningless, and that this was the main reason why I wasn’t shortlisted (she has a good cv, but with such letters, there must be something fishy). How do I go about asking my referees in a tactful way to make a longer letter? What is supposed to be in a good letter of recommendation? How do I find new letter writers? (I will obviously still ask my thesis advisor, and he is kindly disposed towards me.)
Women of the year December 30, 2011
Looking for some role models? Well, the BBC’s got them for you:
All in all, more than half of the BBC’s “Faces of the Year: Women” are rape victims, princesses and thereabouts, or bears.
Thanks, L!
Groningen University reprimanded for appointing female professors December 29, 2011
Groningen University (RUG) has a pretty good policy to improve the gender balance with full professors, which is generally embarassingly poor in the Netherlands.
However, the Committee for Equal Treatment received complaints from the Groningen student union that RUG has been discriminating men with the appointment of 12 full professors in 2010 and 2011. RUG created the posts especially for women assistant professors and men weren’t allowed to compete. This is against the law. The reason the student union filed the complaint is that, although they appreciate the efforts of RUG to improve the gender balance, more should be done about structural measures to improve the position of women professors instead, like making it easier to work part time.
The 12 women professors in question will not be required to relinquish their positions.
So technically, the reprimand was for discrimination, not for appointing women professors, but some reports in the media originally seemed to indicate that, hence this headline.
APA: (some) top picks. December 27, 2011
Not to denigrate others, but the first especially is why I wish I could go.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28th GROUP SESSION V – 5:15 – 7:15 P.M. GV – 13. Society for Women in Philosophy 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Topic: Distinguished Woman Philosopher Award: Jennifer Saul Chair: Sally Haslanger (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Speakers: Kathryn J. Norlock (Trent University) David Braun (University at Buffalo-State University of New York) Laura Beeby (University of Sheffield-United Kingdom) Nellie Wieland (California State University-Long Beach) Commentator: Jennifer Saul (University of Sheffield-United Kingdom) (Reception to Follow)
FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 30th GROUP SESSION XII – 11:15 A.M.-1:15 P.M. GXII – 3. Society for Women in Philosophy 11:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Topic: Motherhood & Philosophy Chair: Maeve O’Donovan (Notre Dame of Maryland University) Speakers: Megan R. Dowdell (University of California-San Francisco) “The Respect for the Human Dignity of Black Motherhood” Sarah LaChance Adams (University of Wisconsin-Superior) “Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers and What a Good Mother Would Do” Shelley Park (University of Central Florida) “Mothering Queerly, Queering Motherhood: An Exploration of Polymaternal Families” Mike Jostedt (Southern Illinois University-Carbondale) “Jane Addams’ Evolving Concept of Motherhood”
A part of the citation for Jennifer Saul:
Professor Saul is one of the founders of and co-bloggers for Feminist Philosophers, a trans-continental forum that highlights gender-bias in the academy. The Feminist Philosophers blog has become an example of a collective feminist work that has led to other initiatives aimed at campaigning against sexism and gender bias such as the Gendered Conference Campaign, which aims to tackle under representation of female philosophers at academic events world-wide.
The blog has been immensely important to me and surely many others. Thank you, Jenny
Domestic Violence Amongst The Elderly December 26, 2011
Often not treated as a police matter, and tragically not getting the attention it needs. Although a horrendous case is causing a re-think. For more, go here.
(Thanks, Mr Jender.)
Too late! Advice on ‘how to argue with right wing relatives’ December 25, 2011
From Salon. And I do hope the delicious advice is too late. It’s just the sort of thing that convinces relatives one is more obnoxious than previously thought; for example:
Food nazi Michelle Obama is forcing children to eat vegetables even though she herself is fat and enjoys hamburgers.
“Have you ever noticed that pretty much everyone with a creepy fixation on the first lady’s fitness is a fat old white guy?”
Barack Obama disrespected the U.K. by sending it the White House bust of Winston Churchill.
Sure, the “correct” answer is that presidents change the decor when they move into the White House, but I’d just say, “Winston Churchill was a raging racist drunk asshole,” because he was.
Barack Obama’s Christmas card is anti-Christmas.
Sarah Palin insinuated that the Obamas’ Christmas card — which features wrapped presents, poinsettias, garland and bows — is part of his secret Muslim plot to destroy Christmas, because the card featured Bo the dog rather than “family, faith and freedom.” I’m not sure what you say to this, actually, because at this point you’re dealing with a lunatic, but if there are Christmas cards from loved ones nearby, maybe go check and see how many of them explicitly feature “family, faith and freedom.”
Adjuncts’ student loans December 25, 2011
I think philosophy students are often advised not to consider graduate school unless they are offered some sort of financial support. If so, perhaps those now in adjunct positions in our profession are not very often in the sort of situation described below. But some are; it would be good for us to make more public just what’s going on.
John Smith (a pseudonym, as are all below) is an adjunct professor at a Southern University and owes $125,000 total for his three degrees: BA, MA, and PHD in anthropology.
“I’ve been able to get them on a reduced payment from the $1700 per month that I was supposed to pay to $151 a month based on my low income,” he told me. “I am being paid an adjunct wage of $3000 per class. ‘There just isn’t any money to pay you more than this.’ I am told. At four classes per semester that comes to $24,000 per year. At this rate, I am saddled with debt that I will never pay off. I can’t qualify for a home, or additional credit card. Haven’t tried to get a new vehicle, but I’ve driven my truck for 14 years.”
“I knew academia would be tough, but who would have guessed that I would be making less than my 20 year-old nephew with a GED who services the interior of commercial aircraft and makes $32,000 per year? I’m completely beside myself. I’ve taken another job as a research assistant to make ends meet, but it inhibits my ability to research and write my own work. Of course, with no publications and no time to write, I’m not a very good candidate for other positions elsewhere. It’s a catch 22 that has me very, very distressed. Quite honestly, I feel totally exploited, which is ironic since I teach about the exploitative nature of globalization and the neoliberal model. I feel like an idiot for thinking that I could get a living wage as an anthropologist.”
Part of the problem is the 7% interest rate students are charged for loans. Another part of the problem is that people end up with unsecured loans that vastly outstrip what would go on in any other sensible loan situation. I couldn’t just go to a bank and walk out with a hundred thousand dollars, but a young relative of mine with no back-up resources got that sum over his school career to see him through grad design school in NYC.
Facing an extremely tough employment situation with a sky high debt at high interest rates and a terrible employment situation is a possibility that now has personal implications. And I have had adjunct stints, though in more comfortable circumstances. But it took a recent article in Counterpunch for me to realize how bad things can be within our profession.
Please add any details or observations that can help fill out the picture.
Rutgers Climate Webpages December 23, 2011
Rutgers has done a really lovely job with a series of web pages on climate issues in the department, including informational resources on things like implicit bias.
Men discuss blogging at the APA December 22, 2011
No comment:
From Philosophical Training to Professional Blogging: A Conversation with David Roberts (Grist), Andrew Sullivan (The Daily Beast), and Matthew Yglesias (Slate)
Special event at the Eastern APA
Thursday, December 29, 1:30 – 3:30pm
Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC
Room location available at APA registration desk.Please Join the APA Committee on Public Philosophy and the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University for a special event on blogging and philosophy.
Books for an American Spring December 22, 2011
Salon has had a lovely idea. Ask independent book shops to recommend “books for an American Spring”, and ask people to order from these shops in order to keep them alive. Check it out!!
For the first time, women share the first kiss at a navy homecoming. December 21, 2011
“It’s a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings — one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. Today, for the first time [according to the Navy], the happily reunited couple was gay.”
Here’s the full story.
Thanks @amelapay for sharing!
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