on PolicyMic
Justine Gonzalez Clearly you don't see the merit to single-sex education. I do and I disagree that "times have changed" so drastically that there is no point/ reason to have such an institution. You and I can agree to disagree on this point.
Justine Gonzalez Yes, I'm also currently reading This Is How You Lose Her. Amazingly sad and beautiful. I've been a long time fan of his!
Justine Gonzalez TEAM JUNOT DIAZ!!!!
Justine Gonzalez obama won 71% of the latino vote!!!!
Justine Gonzalez let me specify (bc it seems I can't edit comments--boo). I meant to say that saying being black has nothing to do with it comes off as ignorant bc I believe it has a lot to do with how her win is being interpreted.
Justine Gonzalez That's ignorant. Her race doesn't have to do with her successes; those are a tribute to your reasons. But her win is significant in the context of a society in which systematic racism is alive and well (such as the USA's).
Justine Gonzalez How about NBC's stupid comment about how America loves a crying gymnast (specifically referring to the female gymnasts) -____- fml
Justine Gonzalez I don't think that the commercial was racist. Horrible timing, definitely but I personally didn't connect it at all. What did upset me was the 10 seconds of commentary before that clip above. (Whatever commentator dude's name is) said "the barriers have long since been down but sometimes there can be an imaginary barrier based on how one might see oneself..." I found this to be the more offensive and ignorant comment. It's so obvious that the media is completely ignorant of how systematic racism works. This comment is not only placing the blame/responsibility on the individual but ignores the very much real, though (at times) INVISIBLE barriers that people of color face in professional sports that are historically and primarily white.
Justine Gonzalez Thanks James. It's true. It's as if it is a warzone and that contributes to the power dynamic between the cops and the community members. Cops are afraid to be in these communities and/or are on power rides and are quick to use violence and aggression; individuals are afraid of cops so they don't report crimes and deal with problems in their own, sometimes violent ways. It's a horrible cycle that unfortunately has long roots in NYC.
Justine Gonzalez You're exactly right. What makes it even worse is that individuals in these communities don't have the same sense of entitlement that other, more wealthy individuals have. They don't always know their rights or how to navigate institutions of authority thus these same institutions constantly violate their rights.
Justine Gonzalez If you consider something with a 1% success rate, effective then you and I have VERY different definitions of effective. There is a lot of crime in these communities but, like I've stated, reinforcing a BAD policy is not necessarily making the situation any better. and in terms of you statement that only people in those communities have a right to an opinion is BS. That's like saying only Jews can have an opinion on Hitler. Granted my opinion is much more extreme but it gets the point across. You don't need to be directly affected by this policy to recognize that it's a violation of human and civil rights to be considered and treated as a criminal because you live in an impoverished community.
Justine Gonzalez If by epic you mean horrible, I completely agree. -___-
Justine Gonzalez Exactly!
Justine Gonzalez PORTISHEAD!!!!! so0o0 good!
Justine Gonzalez Great article!!! Thanks for writing it.
Justine Gonzalez Terrifying and awesome at the same time!
Justine Gonzalez Oh my god. How irresponsible of her! -___- come on... It's obvious this only got as much attention as it has because she's a woman. How dare she have a good time? This obviously means she's no longer qualified.
Justine Gonzalez I definitely agree that the media is too harsh on female politicians, Republican or Democratic. I saw an episode of The View where the hosts where tearing Hilary Clinton apart because of something she wore to a conference. Really?! That would never happen if she were a man. Fairly, liberals AND conservatives are overly critical on their counterparts -- they both take quotes out of context and try to paint the other negatively. That's just the unfortunate nature of American politics.
Justine Gonzalez overly critical of female politicians because I believe our government will benefit from more diverse leadership but it is extremely discouraging when I see women who seem so inferior to their male counterparts and purposefully play-up the soft, little girl image like Sarah Palin does with her extremely informal way of speaking. This is not to say that women should be purposefully formal and tough either. I guess overall, I'm just disillusioned with most of the female representatives we have. I don't think it's too much to expect more from women as a woman.
Justine Gonzalez I don't believe that liberal rhetoric is responsible for the various uninformed and ignorant comments made by both of these women. A simple google search is sufficient to find various stupid quotes made by Palin and Bachmann. http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/sarahpalin/a/palin-top-10.htm and http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/republicans/a/michele-bachmann-quotes.htm. Granted, neither site is super reputable and liberally biased but I don't find the issue worth my time to find sources that would be more convincing to you. Overall, neither women have good reputations or credibility which is necessary for politicians. I don't like their style or the images they portray, prob mostly bc I disagree with their platforms too. I try not to be..
Justine Gonzalez To quote the article by Cole: "Let us begin our activism right here: with the money-driven villainy at the heart of American foreign policy. To do this would be to give up the illusion that the sentimental need to "make a difference" trumps all other considerations. What innocent heroes don't always understand is that they play a useful role for people who have much more cynical motives. The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage...but we must do such things only with awareness of what else is involved. If we are going to interfere in the lives of others, a little due diligence is a minimum requirement."
Justine Gonzalez I also side with Mr. Cole on his critique which is insightful and fair. I understood his msg as, not only must activists understand the complexity of the issues the work against/twrds, they need to reflect on their own intentions, their own lives and privileges, and their own culture before they can productively help others. That was the whole point to the focus on sentimentalism. This is not a defeating challenge, it shouldn't discourage activists into thinking that it's too difficult -- if as a result they do feel that way it's probably because they don't have the chops or right intentions. It's not only about consulting with the people they are helping, it's about actively picking up their projects and not assuming you know what's best.
Justine Gonzalez On a less critical note: i agree that diversity amongst women and their life choices should be welcomed and encouraged. I have no problem with the video, despite my opinions on the armed forces, and you're right that it's excessive to criticize. But I would argue that you, or at least what I gather about you from your articles, are a feminist. You may not agree with the connotations that come with the label (I don't either. I believe feminism has a history of racism and classism) but like some1 said below, your articles advocate for your right to voice your opinion as a woman and ultimately gender equality. I believe that major problem with WR advocates is the tendency to differentiate themselves from one another-smthing you are also doing
Justine Gonzalez Ha! You think Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann are strong political leaders?!! They are jokes and set a bad precedent for women in politics.
Justine Gonzalez You should have perhaps focused your article on the debate around contraceptive and women's rights and then compared that to other countries. By generalizing it just as "the war on women" you're not only minimalizing your own main argument, you're also leaving room for a lot of not-so-relevant criticism. I agree with the majority of the comments below; your comparison minimize and trivializes American women's struggles. And your comment: "if women would stop attacking each other" makes me believe that you have a problem with the feminist mvmt; perhaps you should have written on that instead. I would say that your grouping of all feminists into one extremist category is just as detrimental to women's rights as our lack of global perspective.
on PolicyMic
Justine Gonzalez Clearly you don't see the merit to single-sex education. I do and I disagree that "times have changed" so drastically that there is no point/ reason to have such an institution. You and I can agree to disagree on this point.
Justine Gonzalez Yes, I'm also currently reading This Is How You Lose Her. Amazingly sad and beautiful. I've been a long time fan of his!
Justine Gonzalez TEAM JUNOT DIAZ!!!!
Justine Gonzalez obama won 71% of the latino vote!!!!
Justine Gonzalez let me specify (bc it seems I can't edit comments--boo). I meant to say that saying being black has nothing to do with it comes off as ignorant bc I believe it has a lot to do with how her win is being interpreted.
Justine Gonzalez That's ignorant. Her race doesn't have to do with her successes; those are a tribute to your reasons. But her win is significant in the context of a society in which systematic racism is alive and well (such as the USA's).
Justine Gonzalez How about NBC's stupid comment about how America loves a crying gymnast (specifically referring to the female gymnasts) -____- fml
Justine Gonzalez I don't think that the commercial was racist. Horrible timing, definitely but I personally didn't connect it at all. What did upset me was the 10 seconds of commentary before that clip above. (Whatever commentator dude's name is) said "the barriers have long since been down but sometimes there can be an imaginary barrier based on how one might see oneself..." I found this to be the more offensive and ignorant comment. It's so obvious that the media is completely ignorant of how systematic racism works. This comment is not only placing the blame/responsibility on the individual but ignores the very much real, though (at times) INVISIBLE barriers that people of color face in professional sports that are historically and primarily white.
Justine Gonzalez Thanks James. It's true. It's as if it is a warzone and that contributes to the power dynamic between the cops and the community members. Cops are afraid to be in these communities and/or are on power rides and are quick to use violence and aggression; individuals are afraid of cops so they don't report crimes and deal with problems in their own, sometimes violent ways. It's a horrible cycle that unfortunately has long roots in NYC.
Justine Gonzalez You're exactly right. What makes it even worse is that individuals in these communities don't have the same sense of entitlement that other, more wealthy individuals have. They don't always know their rights or how to navigate institutions of authority thus these same institutions constantly violate their rights.
Justine Gonzalez If you consider something with a 1% success rate, effective then you and I have VERY different definitions of effective. There is a lot of crime in these communities but, like I've stated, reinforcing a BAD policy is not necessarily making the situation any better. and in terms of you statement that only people in those communities have a right to an opinion is BS. That's like saying only Jews can have an opinion on Hitler. Granted my opinion is much more extreme but it gets the point across. You don't need to be directly affected by this policy to recognize that it's a violation of human and civil rights to be considered and treated as a criminal because you live in an impoverished community.
Justine Gonzalez If by epic you mean horrible, I completely agree. -___-
Justine Gonzalez Exactly!
Justine Gonzalez PORTISHEAD!!!!! so0o0 good!
Justine Gonzalez Great article!!! Thanks for writing it.
Justine Gonzalez Terrifying and awesome at the same time!
Justine Gonzalez Oh my god. How irresponsible of her! -___- come on... It's obvious this only got as much attention as it has because she's a woman. How dare she have a good time? This obviously means she's no longer qualified.
Justine Gonzalez I definitely agree that the media is too harsh on female politicians, Republican or Democratic. I saw an episode of The View where the hosts where tearing Hilary Clinton apart because of something she wore to a conference. Really?! That would never happen if she were a man. Fairly, liberals AND conservatives are overly critical on their counterparts -- they both take quotes out of context and try to paint the other negatively. That's just the unfortunate nature of American politics.
Justine Gonzalez overly critical of female politicians because I believe our government will benefit from more diverse leadership but it is extremely discouraging when I see women who seem so inferior to their male counterparts and purposefully play-up the soft, little girl image like Sarah Palin does with her extremely informal way of speaking. This is not to say that women should be purposefully formal and tough either. I guess overall, I'm just disillusioned with most of the female representatives we have. I don't think it's too much to expect more from women as a woman.
Justine Gonzalez I don't believe that liberal rhetoric is responsible for the various uninformed and ignorant comments made by both of these women. A simple google search is sufficient to find various stupid quotes made by Palin and Bachmann. http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/sarahpalin/a/palin-top-10.htm and http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/republicans/a/michele-bachmann-quotes.htm. Granted, neither site is super reputable and liberally biased but I don't find the issue worth my time to find sources that would be more convincing to you. Overall, neither women have good reputations or credibility which is necessary for politicians. I don't like their style or the images they portray, prob mostly bc I disagree with their platforms too. I try not to be..
Justine Gonzalez To quote the article by Cole: "Let us begin our activism right here: with the money-driven villainy at the heart of American foreign policy. To do this would be to give up the illusion that the sentimental need to "make a difference" trumps all other considerations. What innocent heroes don't always understand is that they play a useful role for people who have much more cynical motives. The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage...but we must do such things only with awareness of what else is involved. If we are going to interfere in the lives of others, a little due diligence is a minimum requirement."
Justine Gonzalez I also side with Mr. Cole on his critique which is insightful and fair. I understood his msg as, not only must activists understand the complexity of the issues the work against/twrds, they need to reflect on their own intentions, their own lives and privileges, and their own culture before they can productively help others. That was the whole point to the focus on sentimentalism. This is not a defeating challenge, it shouldn't discourage activists into thinking that it's too difficult -- if as a result they do feel that way it's probably because they don't have the chops or right intentions. It's not only about consulting with the people they are helping, it's about actively picking up their projects and not assuming you know what's best.
Justine Gonzalez On a less critical note: i agree that diversity amongst women and their life choices should be welcomed and encouraged. I have no problem with the video, despite my opinions on the armed forces, and you're right that it's excessive to criticize. But I would argue that you, or at least what I gather about you from your articles, are a feminist. You may not agree with the connotations that come with the label (I don't either. I believe feminism has a history of racism and classism) but like some1 said below, your articles advocate for your right to voice your opinion as a woman and ultimately gender equality. I believe that major problem with WR advocates is the tendency to differentiate themselves from one another-smthing you are also doing
Justine Gonzalez Ha! You think Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann are strong political leaders?!! They are jokes and set a bad precedent for women in politics.
Justine Gonzalez You should have perhaps focused your article on the debate around contraceptive and women's rights and then compared that to other countries. By generalizing it just as "the war on women" you're not only minimalizing your own main argument, you're also leaving room for a lot of not-so-relevant criticism. I agree with the majority of the comments below; your comparison minimize and trivializes American women's struggles. And your comment: "if women would stop attacking each other" makes me believe that you have a problem with the feminist mvmt; perhaps you should have written on that instead. I would say that your grouping of all feminists into one extremist category is just as detrimental to women's rights as our lack of global perspective.