on PolicyMic
Mia Pskowski Burning Man: the best week of parking in San Francisco.
Mia Pskowski My mistake, sorry for not clarifying per year in the article!
Mia Pskowski Medicine/medical advancement focuses on curing a particular disease or ailment for an individual, but public health is about providing a public good - in terms of a healthy environment, available medicine, etc. In the article here it talks about it being more of a preventative type of work than medicine, but even though an AIDS drug in itself would not fall into a "preventative" category I do see use it as relevant here in this context b/c providing HIV treatment for positive people is necessary to prevent transmission and protect the general public health. It's a medical victory that this drug was created, but it's not a public health victory unless it is widely distributed and actually has a measurable, positive impact on the AIDS epidem
Mia Pskowski Hi Jeff - You're right that many consider the same, but I do see an important difference (though of course the two are very closely tied). This is a good article that talks about the differences (specifically in spending in this case) between medicine and public health. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1001784
Mia Pskowski To me the whole idea of "blanket consent" tells me that there are people and men like George Galloway in this world who still view women as property. The whole concept behind property ownership is that once you own a piece of property, it is yours to do with as you wish - that first act of buying or acquiring it (i.e. marriage or original consent in this case) is all that is needed to do in order to use this object in any way that you want or desire. Only someone who still thought of women as property instead of as human beings could apply the same principles to sex and relationships; it really is unreal to imagine that mentality still exists today.
Mia Pskowski She was absolutely adorable before she ever got surgery.
Mia Pskowski That's how my mom met my stepfather as well!
Mia Pskowski You are definitely right that it's a different experience for men than women. Most women I know that use it will usually only go out with people they proactively message because otherwise it's a load of emails, as you say, from creepers who just want to get laid and this turns a lot of them off from it. Though, of course, this isn't too far off the mark from real life, where creepy people bother women all the time too...
Mia Pskowski Thanks, Sal. And I think your observation is a very salient one. There are definitely times that pro-choice advocates talk about abortions in a flippant nature that makes a lot of people uncomfortable; if it's clear that most Americans are morally uncomfortable with the act of an abortion, arguing that it's just "not a person yet" isn't going to sway many people, and will in fact just make many uncomfortable.
Mia Pskowski True, but it's not just about Roe v. Wade. If getting an abortion becomes so difficult or unattainable through smaller state laws that require waiting periods, notifications, etc. etc. (and that's IF a clinic that offers abortions is immediately available for a woman), then the same goal is still achieved without losing a valuable campaign tool.
Mia Pskowski I also can't understand ending a pregnancy due solely to gender. And I remember reading that gender-based abortions are a pretty big problem in China with the 1 child policy and families not wanting to have girls. I think the idea behind pro-choice activists defending that, however, is just the idea that the a right to choice is a right to choice no matter what. I can't imagine gender-based abortions are/would be very prevalent in this country regardless.
Mia Pskowski You are definitely right about the polling - if you click on the link to the Gallup poll there are all kinds of were on who they polled - the sample size was 1,024 people, and it says interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones (with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking). Poll results are certainly always questionable, but interesting data regardless, I think.
Mia Pskowski Well said, Jeff!
Mia Pskowski This is great. #8 was/is the hardest for me - though I didn't move back with my parents, the uncertainty of jobs, where I wanted/could afford to live, what kind of jobs I really wanted to be doing or not, etc. was a constant struggle and source of unhappiness for me. Just looking straight out into the vast open space of absolutely no set plans is so new and terrifying after a life of set schooling. However, I constantly try to remind myself that the fact that I *have* all these opportunities that I can't decide among and that I have the freedom to move where I want, etc. is such a huge privilege and something I would never give up for a completely set and certain path. And #2 is spot on, and #10 is my favorite.
Mia Pskowski And that's not even to mention the other ways that women are affected by recessions that men predominately arent, like increases in violence against women. A report by the National Institute of Justice, an agency of the Department of Justice, found several years ago that when unemployment rates go up among men so does violence against women. Just also something important to think about.
Mia Pskowski Wasn't trying to suggest that men haven't also suffered a lot in terms of employment from the recession, but statistics have shown that those hit hardest were single mothers and women of color. Women lost more jobs than men in sectors like finance, leisure and hospitality, and IT. Men of course lost more in construction and manufacturing because the vast majority of workers in those fields are exclusively men, but as I also mention, in the recovery women are lagging far behind men in employment gains.
Mia Pskowski Definitely a fair point, Jeff. I'm sure this cover sold Time plenty of copies, but how many thoroughly read and considered the content of the article? I think you're right that those who were put off by it probably didn't bother.
Mia Pskowski While it's true that the media distorts perceptions for all areas of the world, I think this disproportionately affects Africa. There are plenty of stories on China, India, and many Latin American countries that may be skewed, but many that also talk about their economic success, cultural changes, and and overall just address myriad topics that paint a more multi-dimensional picture of the country. With Africa, all you get is war, war, famine, war, famine...repeat. And there's a lot more to the story of the countries in Africa than that.
Mia Pskowski Very touching, Susan. Thanks for sharing!
Mia Pskowski Thanks, James, and it's definitely true that availability of internet in cafes, restaurants, etc. is a huge advantage that we enjoy here. If thinking about this from a global perspective, though, this is definitely in general an America/first world-only advantage.
Mia Pskowski I looked a bit up on this and there are some interesting articles like this one (http://on.mash.to/pLyR6p) that show more Americans have a smartphone than hold a bachelor's degree (yikes). And here it says that by 2015 the majority of Americans will own a smart phone or tablet (http://cnet.co/ozHOUF). However, though certainly an advantage, I still don't think that smartphone access equates to regular internet access with a laptop/desktop computer, especially for educational resources like online courses or instructional videos. People could have access to a smartphone but still lack solid computer literacy skills as well.
Mia Pskowski Very true - mobile technology has been a great resource in this way. At the same time, smart phones and tablets still do not provide the same kind of resources that laptops and wireless internet do, especially when it comes to things like online courses and education.
Mia Pskowski to pave the way for more women to make this choice to run. As Lawless/Fox write about, women are less likely to be asked or encouraged to run for office (by party leadership, friends, coworkers, etc) as men are (detailed in their “No One Ever Asked” section). Traditional family dynamics still play a role, women seem to have a greater aversion to campaigning, etc. Organizations like Emerge California, which exists in order to train and recruit more women to run for office, are absolutely necessary in today’s political climate, and more trainings and mentorship programs like this are needed before we can expect women to just sit up one morning and decide they want to run for office.
Mia Pskowski Though it has certainly been shown that your thesis is correct (Lawless and Fox's study from several years ago is certainly the best: http://bit.ly/xTdfZW), I think it’s too simplistic to then turn and just say "hey women. go run for office." Of course more women should run for office. But there are still other factors at work that we need to address as a society. Miss Representation’s documentary talks about how at a young age, an equal number of girls and boys want to be president, but when you ask them the same question in high school, there is a huge divergence. Women and men are clearly still being raised in an environment that changes young women’s perceptions of themselves and their abilities. And therefore we need to actively work
Mia Pskowski yes! well said!
on PolicyMic
Mia Pskowski Burning Man: the best week of parking in San Francisco.
Mia Pskowski My mistake, sorry for not clarifying per year in the article!
Mia Pskowski Medicine/medical advancement focuses on curing a particular disease or ailment for an individual, but public health is about providing a public good - in terms of a healthy environment, available medicine, etc. In the article here it talks about it being more of a preventative type of work than medicine, but even though an AIDS drug in itself would not fall into a "preventative" category I do see use it as relevant here in this context b/c providing HIV treatment for positive people is necessary to prevent transmission and protect the general public health. It's a medical victory that this drug was created, but it's not a public health victory unless it is widely distributed and actually has a measurable, positive impact on the AIDS epidem
Mia Pskowski Hi Jeff - You're right that many consider the same, but I do see an important difference (though of course the two are very closely tied). This is a good article that talks about the differences (specifically in spending in this case) between medicine and public health. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1001784
Mia Pskowski To me the whole idea of "blanket consent" tells me that there are people and men like George Galloway in this world who still view women as property. The whole concept behind property ownership is that once you own a piece of property, it is yours to do with as you wish - that first act of buying or acquiring it (i.e. marriage or original consent in this case) is all that is needed to do in order to use this object in any way that you want or desire. Only someone who still thought of women as property instead of as human beings could apply the same principles to sex and relationships; it really is unreal to imagine that mentality still exists today.
Mia Pskowski She was absolutely adorable before she ever got surgery.
Mia Pskowski That's how my mom met my stepfather as well!
Mia Pskowski You are definitely right that it's a different experience for men than women. Most women I know that use it will usually only go out with people they proactively message because otherwise it's a load of emails, as you say, from creepers who just want to get laid and this turns a lot of them off from it. Though, of course, this isn't too far off the mark from real life, where creepy people bother women all the time too...
Mia Pskowski Thanks, Sal. And I think your observation is a very salient one. There are definitely times that pro-choice advocates talk about abortions in a flippant nature that makes a lot of people uncomfortable; if it's clear that most Americans are morally uncomfortable with the act of an abortion, arguing that it's just "not a person yet" isn't going to sway many people, and will in fact just make many uncomfortable.
Mia Pskowski True, but it's not just about Roe v. Wade. If getting an abortion becomes so difficult or unattainable through smaller state laws that require waiting periods, notifications, etc. etc. (and that's IF a clinic that offers abortions is immediately available for a woman), then the same goal is still achieved without losing a valuable campaign tool.
Mia Pskowski I also can't understand ending a pregnancy due solely to gender. And I remember reading that gender-based abortions are a pretty big problem in China with the 1 child policy and families not wanting to have girls. I think the idea behind pro-choice activists defending that, however, is just the idea that the a right to choice is a right to choice no matter what. I can't imagine gender-based abortions are/would be very prevalent in this country regardless.
Mia Pskowski You are definitely right about the polling - if you click on the link to the Gallup poll there are all kinds of were on who they polled - the sample size was 1,024 people, and it says interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones (with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking). Poll results are certainly always questionable, but interesting data regardless, I think.
Mia Pskowski Well said, Jeff!
Mia Pskowski This is great. #8 was/is the hardest for me - though I didn't move back with my parents, the uncertainty of jobs, where I wanted/could afford to live, what kind of jobs I really wanted to be doing or not, etc. was a constant struggle and source of unhappiness for me. Just looking straight out into the vast open space of absolutely no set plans is so new and terrifying after a life of set schooling. However, I constantly try to remind myself that the fact that I *have* all these opportunities that I can't decide among and that I have the freedom to move where I want, etc. is such a huge privilege and something I would never give up for a completely set and certain path. And #2 is spot on, and #10 is my favorite.
Mia Pskowski And that's not even to mention the other ways that women are affected by recessions that men predominately arent, like increases in violence against women. A report by the National Institute of Justice, an agency of the Department of Justice, found several years ago that when unemployment rates go up among men so does violence against women. Just also something important to think about.
Mia Pskowski Wasn't trying to suggest that men haven't also suffered a lot in terms of employment from the recession, but statistics have shown that those hit hardest were single mothers and women of color. Women lost more jobs than men in sectors like finance, leisure and hospitality, and IT. Men of course lost more in construction and manufacturing because the vast majority of workers in those fields are exclusively men, but as I also mention, in the recovery women are lagging far behind men in employment gains.
Mia Pskowski Definitely a fair point, Jeff. I'm sure this cover sold Time plenty of copies, but how many thoroughly read and considered the content of the article? I think you're right that those who were put off by it probably didn't bother.
Mia Pskowski While it's true that the media distorts perceptions for all areas of the world, I think this disproportionately affects Africa. There are plenty of stories on China, India, and many Latin American countries that may be skewed, but many that also talk about their economic success, cultural changes, and and overall just address myriad topics that paint a more multi-dimensional picture of the country. With Africa, all you get is war, war, famine, war, famine...repeat. And there's a lot more to the story of the countries in Africa than that.
Mia Pskowski Very touching, Susan. Thanks for sharing!
Mia Pskowski Thanks, James, and it's definitely true that availability of internet in cafes, restaurants, etc. is a huge advantage that we enjoy here. If thinking about this from a global perspective, though, this is definitely in general an America/first world-only advantage.
Mia Pskowski I looked a bit up on this and there are some interesting articles like this one (http://on.mash.to/pLyR6p) that show more Americans have a smartphone than hold a bachelor's degree (yikes). And here it says that by 2015 the majority of Americans will own a smart phone or tablet (http://cnet.co/ozHOUF). However, though certainly an advantage, I still don't think that smartphone access equates to regular internet access with a laptop/desktop computer, especially for educational resources like online courses or instructional videos. People could have access to a smartphone but still lack solid computer literacy skills as well.
Mia Pskowski Very true - mobile technology has been a great resource in this way. At the same time, smart phones and tablets still do not provide the same kind of resources that laptops and wireless internet do, especially when it comes to things like online courses and education.
Mia Pskowski to pave the way for more women to make this choice to run. As Lawless/Fox write about, women are less likely to be asked or encouraged to run for office (by party leadership, friends, coworkers, etc) as men are (detailed in their “No One Ever Asked” section). Traditional family dynamics still play a role, women seem to have a greater aversion to campaigning, etc. Organizations like Emerge California, which exists in order to train and recruit more women to run for office, are absolutely necessary in today’s political climate, and more trainings and mentorship programs like this are needed before we can expect women to just sit up one morning and decide they want to run for office.
Mia Pskowski Though it has certainly been shown that your thesis is correct (Lawless and Fox's study from several years ago is certainly the best: http://bit.ly/xTdfZW), I think it’s too simplistic to then turn and just say "hey women. go run for office." Of course more women should run for office. But there are still other factors at work that we need to address as a society. Miss Representation’s documentary talks about how at a young age, an equal number of girls and boys want to be president, but when you ask them the same question in high school, there is a huge divergence. Women and men are clearly still being raised in an environment that changes young women’s perceptions of themselves and their abilities. And therefore we need to actively work
Mia Pskowski yes! well said!