In his recent piece "The Color of His Presidency," Jonathan Chait examines how both sides of the political aisle have used and abused conversations around race - particularly related to our black President - to manipulate public thought about progressive legislation. I disagree with a lot of the piece, namely Chait's implied premise that any conversation around race has led us backwards rather than forwards, and agree with some of it, like how overusing "the race card" (can we get rid of this expression?) undermines liberal arguments for equality. But one aspect of the piece stuck with me as being especially ignorant. 

Near the end of his argument, Chait calls upon the conversation around anti-semitism as a point of comparison for the conversation around racism. First of all, such comparisons are essentially useless if your framework for understanding oppression is intersectional and sees each human's experience of oppression as individual. But even I understand that's a high bar for mainstream journalism. Chait in his own words, emphasis mine: 

Seriously, watch it. It's fucking great.

Thanks to the Schomburg Center for putting on - and filming - this great event.

Body shaming for female-bodied folks comes in so many forms that it can be hard to keep up. What's currently being idealized as the perfect feminine form? Big hips? Little waist? Pear shape? As an ED survivor and body positive feminist, I opt not to draw comfort or confidence from the fact that some of my features may or may not conform to a beauty standard projected onto my body by capitalist white supremacist patriarchy. But that doesn't mean I'm immune to the internet. 

This piece was originally published in Bluestockings Magazine in collaboration with Kristy Choi.

And just like that, we have transitioned into the post-Macklemore phase of the “post-racial era”. Most of us are way over talking about The Grammys, but racism has a way of remaining utterly relevant. Hegemonic, actually.  As one face of white pseudo-allyship falls, ten more emerge or reemerge with characteristic “good intentions” and often egregiously offensive results.

You may think that Macklemore’s post-Grammy apology to Kendrick Lamar was the poorest display of white allyship of the new year. Unfortunately, his antics were just one event in a series of gaffes that display a sad trend in white media’s attempts at appeasing LGBTQ/POC communities. Need some evidence? Here’s a quick run-down from the last two months:

So much good in here. Joan Morgan's When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost and Brittany Cooper (et al.)'s Crunk Feminist Collective are must-reads. Check out this awesome keynote from the Hip Hop Literacies Conference at Ohio State University.

Finding/making peace is hard. This helps.

TW: Mentions of sexual assault, rape.

I was a few days behind on the news this Monday due to a blissfully computer-free weekend. (The sun! It was magical!) While catching up, I came across this piece by Erika Anderson for the New York Times, which addresses the author's experience of sexual assault in Crown Heights. Anderson details how a hooded man approached her from behind and grabbed her between the legs before disappearing back into the crowd. Anderson reported the assault and, surprisingly, had a drama-free interaction with an NYPD officer regarding the incident. (He did ask her what she was wearing at the time of the attack, but my standards for the NYPD are so dirt low that I'll chalk that question up to the system rather than this particular officer's sexism).

Anderson's article is laced with the sort of wide-eyed fear that I've often heard from friends first moving to New York. Especially for women, the city can be overwhelming. The absence of simple camaraderie with fellow pedestrians, daily newspaper headlines blaring crime statistics, and intangible evidence that law enforcement will actually keep you safe can make for quite a sense of isolation. And damn, sometimes folks are right. Your fear is validated. Scary things happen here.

But I struggled while reading Anderson's piece, for a couple of reasons. First, let's look at the way she discusses her sexual assault.

In case you haven't heard, once in a while fancy magazines use Photoshop to change the appearance of celebrities and models in their pages. It only happens every so often, like once every few decades, but when it does, the media loves to talk about it. Especially women's media. Especially Jezebel.

I'm really tired of the incessant conversation around Photoshop. First of all, we keep writing like we just discovered the damn thing. Those articles usually fall into one of a few tropes: "OMG Julie Whatsherface Airbrushed on Cover of Vogue!"; "Suspicious Shrinking: Look What Elle Did to SuchandSuch's Waist!"; "Airbrush Accident: You Won't Believe What Happened To This Model's Face!" 

Then there's the pushback. Amidst brawling for the best before-and-after Photoshop gif, a 'brave' magazine or company will step up and refuse to airbrush. Sometimes it's a one-time thing, or a publicity campaign, and usually those entities are trying to get us women to buy more of something. And those efforts are celebrated.

I call bullshit on this whole practice. Haven't we reached the point where the vast majority of media consumers understand that some amount of altering goes into pictures of models and celebrities? Obviously consumption of those unrealistic and incredibly white portraits of beauty is unhealthy for our whole society. But the answer isn't to keep beating Photoshop over the head. The answer is to fundamentally change the expectations of how women who are models and celebrities are supposed to look.

Just because things happen to women - even important women - every day, doesn't mean all those things are necessarily feminist or generally good for women. Word? Like, I personally don't consider the following events, all featured in some 'feminist/woman moments of 2013' listicle, particularly feminist. 

1) Jennifer Lawrence tripping on a stair. 

2) "Bro-Choice"

Traveling sucks. Or at least, the airport part (usually) sucks. I can handle the constant low-level anxiety, stripping for security, and a gripping fear of flying which causes me to come to terms with my own mortality on every take-off and turbulent bump. What really gets annoying about traveling is constant sexual harassment from TSA agents.

I feel for TSA agents, honestly, because I know I would be TERRIBLE at that job. Their capacity to maintain even a facade of sanity is impressive, let alone the rare one who's kind and, somehow, cheery. Literally every single person they talk to every day does not want to see them. What a life. But hey, they're committed to our safety! No hazardous materials plz! Thx TSA!

In sincerity though, I try not to be an asshat to TSA agents or really anyone working in an airport or airplane. It can be a hard fucking job. I sat next to an off-duty flight attendant on my way home from Chicago yesterday who told me he'd been based out of the Chicago airport for 8 years and has never been outside of the airport into actual Chicago. Think about how much time you've spent in an airport hating the fact that you're in an airport. Now multiply that by eight years. (He didn't seem too upset about it though. He lives in Portland, ME, so I understand.)

Anyway, back to my point. TSA agents are rightfully cranky sometimes but they do important work and we should respect them. Which, as someone who goes out of my way to always be at least cordial if not downright friendly to service workers, puts me in a complicated position when I get harassed every time I walk through security.*