I Used to Be... A Blogger!!!

Once upon a time (long ago) I used to post regularly - daily - here on The F.U. And then I got a full-time job. A job that pays in dollars rather than hits and links. A job that has nothing to do with either writing or feminism. And this life, my blogging life, faded away - making way for the life that pays the bills.

But the need to pay the bills wasn't the only reason I stopped writing. I stopped writing because I became confused about who I was writing for, and who I should be writing to.

You see, as a blogger, I found I was mainly 'preaching to the choir' or fighting trolls. Both are fun, really, in their own ways - but they were things I was doing for myself. And right now it seems as though perhaps we should be trying to communicate, and to sway, those in our country who are still undecided about many of the issues facing our nation right now. About health care. About war. About elections, corporations, and free speech. About torture and rendition. About what is good, and what it means - or should mean - to be American.

Months have passed since my last post, and I'm no closer to an answer. How do we reach an audience that might be convinced by our arguments, and how do we change people's minds if we feel the issues we care about are being misrepresented and misunderstood? Should we all be writing op-eds for our local papers, explaining why we believe universal health care will help our nation? Should we continue to write for our blogs, in the hopes of rallying the troops? Should our language be conciliatory or a call-to-arms?

As I try to decide what's next for me, and for The Feminist Underground, these are the questions that are still unresolved. While I miss the community I had as a writer for The Feminist Underground, it feels like community is no longer enough. We need to be speaking to one another, of course, but who else should we be speaking to -and how do we reach them?

Newsflash: Immigrants Are People Too

I'm currently participating in Blogathon 2009 over at Jump off the Bridge. I'm posting every 30 minutes for 24 hours in order to raise money for READ Foundation by getting great people like you to sponsor me. I've decided to re-post some of the posts here at TheFU, but you can take a look at all of my Blogathon posts here, and sponsor me if you can to encourage me to make it all the way through.


The latest edition of The Cafe at On the Issues Online Magazine has been up for a few weeks now, and I've enjoyed reading some of these posts. One in particular had me thinking a lot, Holding the Line: Defending Feminist Values in Immigration Enforcement.

In this piece, Meghan Rhoad shares what she's learned from interviewing women in immigration detention facilities. She states:

The explosion of immigration detention has undermined two core principles of justice: deny liberty only when necessary, and treat those in custody with dignity. But in the politics of immigration, these core principles have become easily exchanged bargaining chips.

It's all downhill from there, and she lists some of the treatment these women are being put through:

• Women shackled during pregnancy.
• Breasts pumps denied to nursing mothers, resulting in fever and mastitis, and leaving them unable to continue breast-feeding.
• Critical screenings for breast and cervical cancer withheld.
• Contraception and abortion made inaccessible.
• Women humiliated and demoralized because they could not obtain sanitary pads.
• Confidentiality of medical information breached.
• Medical records lost in transfer.
• Requests for medical help ignored while dangerous conditions went untreated.

You should read the whole piece, but I want to say a couple of things.

For starters, I am one of those feminists who cringe when I hear news reports about "the women and children." You know the ones -- it's usually about war or some other horrible but supposedly necessary thing and they let you know that among the victims are countless women and children.

1) Women are not children, and lumping them together in the same sentence pisses me off.
2) All lives have value. I do not need to know that out of 100 victims, x were men, and x were women and children. All I need to know is that there were 100 victims, and my pain and sympathy is already there.

All of that said, I think it's absolutely atrocious to think about what these women are going through. Not to say that whatever the men are going through isn't bad, but seriously, what the hell?? Even women who commit dangerous crimes should not be subjected to this type of treatment. Women who have not committed dangerous crimes? Even less so.

Rhoad states:

the majority of women imprisoned in detention centers have committed no crime. They include asylum seekers, victims of trafficking, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, the elderly and the seriously ill.

Please think about that for a moment. Survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Victims of trafficking. Women who have already been through an experience traumatic enough to stay with them for the rest of their lives are now subjected to heinous treatment simply because they are trying to leave that trauma behind.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: immigrants are REAL PEOPLE. They are of flesh and blood. They are not savages. They are not aliens from outer space coming to attack us. They are you or your grandparents or great-great-grandparents. They are ME.

As legislation is introduced that directly affects the experiences of immigrants, please keep this in mind.

(Originally posted at Jump off the Bridge.)

Feminist Bloggers at NOW

I'm currently at the NOW conference in Indianapolis, learning from and engaging with other super feminists. Keep up with the coverage on Twitter with the #now09 hashtag.

Right now I'm prepping for the feminist blogging workshop I'm on the panel for. WOOT! Stop by if you're here (it's at 11:15 in the Plaza Ballroom), but don't worry if you're not because I'll be posting a recap here afterwards.

Just Passing the Message

In case you haven't noticed, there's some conversation rumbling around the feminist blogosphere.

Earlier this week on my post about the feminist label, Mandy Van Deven linked to the guest post she co-wrote with Brittany Shoot over at Professor, What If...: What if the feminist blogosphere is a form of digital colonialism? In it, they make some great points, some not-so-great points, and some great points in not-so-great ways about the hierarchy in the feminist blogosphere, the (under)representation of bloggers representing marginalized groups, the issue of tokenism, money-making, and a whole lot more. The post itself is certainly worth a read, but you should really check out some of the responses thusfar at:

Astarte's Circus,
Having Read the Fine Print,
Being Amber Rhea,
Taking Steps,
Tiny Cat Pants,
Womanist Musings,
AngryBlackBitch,
Radical Doula,
Feministe

(What? Told y'all it was a rumbling...)

Quick Hit: Loving the Fame!

For those looking for some interesting feminist blogs to read, here's a "top 100" list that managed to introduce me to some new sites. Take a look and, yes, you'll see us included in the excellent company. Yeah!

An Existential Dilemma

Today was supposed to be the day when everything returned to normal here at The Feminist Underground - we're back from travel and our visiting friends have all returned to their homes; but... I've accepted a job! No, not with these doods. Instead I'm teaching at a local college, and doing some T.A. training and supervising too.

Great news for my bank account, but I'm feeling a little melancholy. I mean... is there blogging after one's accepted a full-time job? How will I even get through all my feeds?

So, fellow bloggers with full-time jobs, I put the question to you - how do you find time to produce quality posts after hours? Is it better to cut back the number of posts or to publish shorter posts daily? Are you sneaking posts at the office or staying up late? Seriously, I've been either working from home or part-time since we started, so I'm new to the world of Bloggers With Rush Hour Commutes.

Sigh.

A Year in Review at TheFU

During my short time here at The Feminist Underground, I've been quite impressed at the sheer awesomeness of this blog. I thought a great way to look back at the year and to celebrate the blog is to highlight some of the posts that have started the most conversation here.

I based this list on the number of comments, but took out some of the posts that weren't so much a discussion as they were a question or blurb that asked for a reaction (such as the threads for the debates). I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I did!

Confessions of a Wedding Planner brought out some of the things we love and hate about the wedding industry, which can often be a ball of frustration for feminists.

Feminist Dilemma: Illegal Interview Questions is a more recent hot thread where we all learned a bit more about what the laws are and what to do when presented with the situation.

Silver Ain't So Bad made us ask ourselves what is up with our obsession with getting the gold. During such an intense Olympic season, it was interesting to take that pause.

Soul Calibur IV: The Great Titty Effect was a contribution by a guest blogger that had several people weighing in -- gamers and game virgins alike.

Men Cheating--it's apparently all our fault also brought out many varied opinions on what constitutes cheating, who's to blame, and, most importantly, what trolls think about it.

A Tale of Two Derbies was another post about sports, this time focusing on the roller derby, and we even got a celebrity commenter in on the convo!

The Lone Feminist at Girls' Night: How Should We Talk to Non-Feminist Women? had us ponder on one of the age-old questions for feminists trying to lead regular lives amongst non-feminists, with lots of links, debate, and heated opinions.

Viagra helps me get my rocks off caused an awful lot of commotion on the blog, and even though there weren't a lot of people in on the conversation, the back and forth is enough to keep you reading.


So that's 2008 in a nutshell here at TheFU. Here's to more discussion, debate, teaching and learning for the new year!

Blogging Moms and the Boogeyman

I come from an extremely conservative background. I still have a lot of friends that I care about and keep in touch with from that time in my life. Nearly every single one of them has kids, and nearly every single one of them keeps a mommy blog. They post pictures of their kids, their houses, their pets, their cars. But every now and then a wave of these blogs will go private and lock access. Why? Because they're afraid.

I haven't quite figured out what they're afraid of, and I don't think they know either. In a newspaper article I read on the subject, many women said it's "not safe" but didn't say why or how. (And yet I found blogs linking the article and saying how it convinced them it wasn't safe.) The article said: you put something out there and it's out there. True, this is the internet after all. But there seems to be this growing sense among mommy blogs that the boogeyman is out there just waiting for pictures of their kids. I have yet to find a documented case to support this fear. It also ignores the reality of these safety concerns: posting a picture of your child isn't really that different than taking your child out in public for anyone to see, statistically children are far more likely to encounter danger from people they know than from strangers, and the power of the internet gives nearly anyone the possibility to find out plenty about you whether or not you have a blog.

However, this fear of the boogeyman is getting more attention than the more common problems a blog can create. One blog I read occasionally had a bit of a meltdown. She posted about the birth of her child, which was a crazy story. It would've been no big deal except that they were already in the middle of a medical malpractice lawsuit dealing with that very issue and the lawyers found it along with the blogs of all her friends, and you can bet they'll all be considered as potential evidence. It's not just lawsuits that can lead to blogging trouble. Criticizing a child's teacher could lead to trouble at school. Writing about your job can cause trouble at your current job or your search for a future one. Blogging about parenting may open you up to a mountain of criticism. Applying to adopt or for a job or to attend a school is more and more likely to involve a blog search.

Most mommy blogs are started for the benefit of friends and family. But it's rare that people think through just what it means to start a blog. A mommy blog is no different than any other website. What you post is there for anyone to see. Your pictures can be taken and manipulated, nasty comments can be left, your content can be copied, your name can be googled. Blogging about your work, your friends, or even the school your child attends is something that should be done cautiously. But none of this is any reason to freak. The misguided notion that predators will use your blog as a tool for evil is substituting a serious consideration about how to blog. Just stop and think about what kind of blog you want to have. You should consider whether you post pictures, whether you use names, how searchable your blog is, who you link to and who links to you, the content of your posts, etc. And the same consideration should be given to networking sites like myspace or facebook.

I have no plans to make my blog private, even when I do have kids. It's certainly not a necessity. My personal rule of thumb is not to say anything on my blog that I wouldn't be comfortable saying to a room full of people I don't know, treating it like the public forum it is. There's nothing wrong with going private or staying public, but any blogger should give these matters some serious thought. If you want to know where to start, I'd suggest this BlogHer forum on privacy

Final Reminder: Carnival of Feminists

Here's your final reminder to submit a post for tomorrow's Carnival of Feminists hosted at Jump off the Bridge. I can't wait to read everyone's entries.

Here's how it works:

Pick a blog post you'd like to nominate (from your own blog, or somebody else's) and submit that post by emailing the URL of the blog post to frausally@gmail.com before October 22nd. (The submission form seems to be having issues...)

The post should be somewhat recent (within the last couple of weeks or so), and I don't have a theme or any stringent rules, BUT, because the next carnival is the last one before the election, I want to remind everyone that it is a feminist carnival. By all means, write about politics if you so choose, but keep in mind to relate it to women, women's issues, or feminism. Cool? Cool.

For more information on the Carnival of Feminists, check here.

Creating a Mosaic

A little over two years ago, I became involved with a nonprofit called The Women's Mosaic (TWM). TWM works to unite and empower women by promoting personal growth and intercultural understanding. It is their mission to create positive social change starting with women themselves, and having that stretch out locally and then globally.

What really got me was the tagline: Recognizing Our Unity; Celebrating Our Diversity. The concept is simple, but often overlooked. Just because we're different doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for unity. Why can't we use our differences to create a greater collective of voices and visions to unite and empower us?!

For seven years, they've hosted events aiming to do just that -- they've examined body image, religion and spirituality, various countries and cultures, women's role in politics, and much more. The events are the core of TWM, and I don't think I've ever left one without learning something new or meeting a woman with a fascinating story.

The latest effort, which I've helped lead, is CHICKS ROCK!, a blog that continues to work towards the mission of TWM: having women share their experiences related to diversity and personal growth. Our hope is that CHICKS ROCK! can reach a greater audience and engage people on a personal level. Maybe it sounds silly, but we really want to create a community where everyone (even men) feels welcomed and wants to work towards the same goal. Who knows, we might fail, but it's worth a try, right??

So head on over there and check it out. There's not too much there now, but in the coming weeks it'll grow, and you can be part of that process! Hopefully, TWM will affect you in the way it's affected me and you'll find yourself stronger and more culturally aware, optimistic, and positive that you were before. At the very least, you'll meet other chicks that rock. =)

Dangerous Ideas

Apparently, The Feminist Underground is considered PG-13 due to the presence of the following words:

• sex (4x)
• rape (3x)
• death (2x)
• dangerous (1x)

On seeing this rating, my first thought was that it seems fair enough... if a kid younger than 13-years-old were going to read this blog, her parents might want to discuss some of the ideas found here with her.

Then, I read the explanation of why Kittywampus received an NC-17 rating:

Supposedly I got the NC-17 "based on the presence of the following words":

* sex (7x)
* death (4x)
* shit (2x)
* abortion (1x)

Whoa... 'abortion' gets you an NC-17? We've got a real problem if we're more worried that kids might learn about abortion than we are about them reading about rape. I assumed that 'rape' might trigger a stricter rating because discussions of violence are scary and might disturb kids -hell, they disturb me.

Let's run the test again, now that we've put the word abortion on the front page, and see what we get...



This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

• rape (6x)
• abortion (4x)
• gun (1x)

Wait... gun? I didn't add the word gun! If anyone wants a fun side-project, I'd love to know how this program rates the NRA site...

Happy Birthday, Feminist Underground!

That's right - one year ago today, this site popped into being! Happy Blog-Birth Day, everyone! No, we don't want any presents,

so if you're looking for a way to celebrate, simply raise a beer in a toast to feminists everywhere sometime this evening!

How will we be celebrating? We'll be in the pub in just a few minutes, talking about the following:

1. The Anglican Church in Britain has voted "to approve the consecration of women as bishops," and the Vatican is displeased. When we speak of this, Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels will be referenced every third sentence.

2. Did the White House Manipulate Climate Documents?

3. NPR's report on how violence has impacted marriages in Iraq, and how marriage break-downs are disproportionately impacting women, is a must-hear.

4. Womanist Musings has a post up entitled "You're So Controversial" that I'm itching to discuss, and I'm also enthralled with Professor, What If's piece, "What if we gave up the 'top-model' instead of expanding it?"

5. In "Is this news?" news:
A. As it turns out, having gays in the military doesn't weaken the military in any way! (Seems like the Romans could have told us that).
B. Men have biological clocks, too! (Actually, this one will surprise my grandma.)
C. Having kids doesn't necessarily make you happier, and might stress you out!

If you leave comments about any of the above, it will be just like you're right here with us. Oh, and my second post is up over at Feministe! Yeah! (The 'it's my birthday and I'll brag if I want to' UPDATE: Jezebel linked to my second Feministe post today! - Oh, and Skepchick, too! I love Skepchick! And AlterNet and RH Reality Check!)

(photo source)

Feministe, Here I Come!

I've been trying to play it cool, but I can't take it anymore... I'm guest-blogging for the next two weeks at Feministe, ya'll! Yeah, that's right, THE Feministe! Wooo-hooo!!! I'm both honored and nervous, so I'm asking for help with ideas... what would should I write about?

If anyone happens to follow me home and wants to know what I've been blogging about since starting The Feminist Underground almost a year ago, here are five older posts on topics I'm still itching to discuss:

From whence came wench, and other slanderous slurs?
Are Single-Sex Schools Good for Girls?
Privilege and Feminism: Do Allies Exist?
Feminism is for Lovers, but Sexism Sells Papers
An Either/Or Decision: Keeping Women Out of Competitive Careers

Conversely, here five of my more popular posts:

Iron Man Review - Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers
Movie Review: Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited
Movie Review: Persepolis
NBC's The Office: Satire, Feminism, and... Sexist Stereotypes?
The Lone Feminist at Girls' Night

And from my co-bloggers, I particularly love this post from Maus on Roller Derby, and this one from Le Loup-Garou on a spectacularly heinous reality TV show.

I won't be shy about letting readers know when I put up my first post (and all subsequent posts as well), but in the meantime go read Feministe - it is uniformly fabulous.

UPDATE: OK, here goes... my first post is up at Feministe!

Sexual Assault - The Lost Cause?

I don't often find myself commenting at other blogs. For the most part, that is because I find I am at a loss for time. However, since I am on vacation this week, I have had the chance to peruse other blogs. As a result, I have been commenting on a post concerning the fact that "rape" kits are not being tested (and I put that in quotes because I have been taught to refer to them as sexual assault kits since, as an analyst, I am paid to be unbiased).

What I have found at this site is an extreme horror at the fact that there are countless sexual assault kits not being tested in the forensic science system. The reasoning often pointed to is that there is a lack of funding. I have found that this reasoning has been lambasted as basically a cop out.

I am curious as to additional thoughts on this. At the above cited post I find that I have been a relatively empty voice as far as supporting the notion of more funding. It gets lost in the outrage. I truly do understand the outrage. However, as I pointed out in one of my comments, I am one of four analysts for well over thirty counties. A simple DNA case takes two weeks to process. It simply isn't feasible to keep up with them all without more funding. The only reason we finally have our heads above the water is thanks to Department of Justice funding for outsourcing of the backlog.

So, is it apathy or a lack of funding?

UPDATE:

A recent new article concerning a man freed after post-conviction DNA testing appears at Yahoo News. This is the type of story that I don't want to get lost in the shuffle. The Innocence Project does amazing work. If it wasn't considered a conflict of interest for me, I would be a volunteer. While there is much to be done to keep on top of the insane amount of evidence submitted to a crime lab, it is heartening to know that DNA is doing its level best to convict or exonerate, even if it takes a while to right a wrong.

Look, Mom! and What to Expect from Feminist Blogging

Part I: Blushes. A writer I admire likes me back! I know, not because I sent her a 'do you like me - yes, no, maybe' note, but because she gave me an award! It looks like this:

Yeah! I have so many people to thank... This also means that I'm to give 10 awards to other emerging writers I admire, so promote your latest projects in the comments!

Part II: The blogging life. It really is nice to get noticed by someone you read, because it can be a rough, rough world out here in the feminist blogosphere. In case you're thinking of starting your own, here are the steps in creating a feminist blog:

1. Sign up. This is not as easy as you'd think. First, you have to choose a user name. Your first name is taken. Your nickname is taken. Your last name... taken. You begin to realize that you aren't as individualistic as you thought. Try alternate spellings of your first, nick, and last names - but they're all taken. Try plays on words, foreign-language equivalents of you name, names of your favorite characters from films and novels - it turns out that all your interests are trite, and you aren't as witty as you'd like to think either. Finally, in desperation, look around the room and name yourself after whatever happens to be in view - bluechair or tatteredcarpet, perhaps. It is done, set in stone - you have a blog name. You immediately think... 'You know, I don't really like my name much...' This will be your online identity... forever. Unless, of course, you decide to change it. Now, choose a URL. Plan an hour for this, because your first 50 ideas... taken.

2. Post. You will love it. You've formed words and put them into the world. In your eyes, your post is beautiful. You will wait for readers and comments. No one stops by to confirm your genius. Your beautiful post is one of billions of posts, floating unnoticed in the ether.

3. Repeat step 2, repeat step 2, repeat step 2...

4. When you begin to wonder if blogging might be a dumb hobby, go do something else for awhile, resolving to forget about the blog entirely. I recommend playing Wii. Do not delete your blog. After a couple of weeks, you'll want to write a feminist critique of Wii - for your blog.

5. Finally, someone you don't personally know will comment. You'll install Site Meter and realize that you have tens - that's right tens! - of regular readers, plus tons of people coming in through Google looking for... well, this is a PG site, folks, so I won't tell you what they're looking for... The realization that someone is reading will cause two conflicting desires- the drive to work harder and make your blog more insightful and eloquent, and the desire to sit in front of Site Meter all day, not posting, but simply watching what odd searches lead people to you, imagining their bizarre lives. (I get at least 10 hits a day from people looking for 'sexy turkey' - it took me awhile to realize that people wanted pictures of women (or men) from Turkey, not shots of poultry striking provocative poses).

6. Trolls will find you. Some will call you dumb for claiming that sexism exists. Others will use sexist language to abuse you, telling you that you must be stupid or icky because you're female. Most will do both, simultaneously. Do not be tricked into thinking you can save them from their meanness and stupidity with your rational arguments - the mark of a troll is that they don't respond to logic, they just show up to hurl vacuous insults. Every feminist blogger has to decide how to handle her own trolls, but there are a variety of tactics.

7. About this time, though, you'll realize that other, sane people are leaving really interesting comments on your posts, sending you insightful emails, and sometimes even referencing your words in their own posts. This will make you so happy. You've found a feminist community! You'll realize that blogging really is satisfying, even if it never gets you that book deal. (If anyone wants to offer me a book deal, though... I'm listening...) And maybe, just maybe, someone whose words inspire you will acknowledge you by giving you an award.

And then what will you do? Repeat step 2, repeat step 2, repeat step 2...

You'd didn't expect to now get an award every day, did you? Perhaps you should go play some Wii...

(Troll art via, hands via)

A Poem for Trolls

Trolls, This is Just to Say

I have enabled
the comment moderation
that comes
as part of Blogger

and which
you were probably
enjoying
being off

Forgive me
I was lazy
and tired
of having stupid conversations.

As for all you serious-minded readers, I hope a short wait between pressing 'publish' and seeing your comment appear won't deter you from adding your thoughts. I anticipate being able to turn off moderation again as soon as the siege on some of my favorite feminist sites has subsided, and the nasty commenters quit following us home. I will try to find time tonight or tomorrow to write a commenting policy that explains that, while we appreciate informed debate, we are not going to be a haven for bigotry. I know I'm hardly the first feminist blogger to explain this distinction. So, if you have a favorite commenting policy from the feminist blogosphere, one that eloquently explains why we won't let our site be overrun by mean-spirited idiots... leave a link in the comments! I'll be sure to give credit to those fearless troll warriors that came before whenever I incorporate their ideas.

(art via Life Under the Log)

Quick Hit: A Warning to Feminist Bloggers on Wordpress

Since many of my favorite feminist blogs are hosted by Wordpress, I thought I'd help spread the word about a new "feature" that automatically links all new articles to "possibly related posts" without the author's knowledge. As you might could guess, the computerized matching system is absolutely disastrous and essentially serves as a troll dating service, matching up trolls with their ideal targets.

Hoyden About Town explains the problem in detail, and how to fix it.

New Feminist Blog Title Needed

Our little blog's title confuses Google. Really, if someone puts "feminist" or "feminism" in a search with some other word, we only come up if the combination of those two words are used in a post - hence the large number of hits for "feminist poem." So, were you to put "feminist single-sex education" into a Google search, you wouldn't be lead to our post on this subject. Yet, since we have the word "innocence" in the title, well - I think a quarter of our traffic comes from people searching for tips on how to have "innocent sex." I kid not. (Two consenting, sober adults, guys, that's all that's needed. A good safety word can't hurt either.)

So, I am looking for a title that will have the word feminist front and center. Yes, this might increase the number of trolls we attract, but we'll deal with that later. Any good blog title ideas?