Archive for 2015
January 4, 2015
IN THE SNOW DRIVING POST THE OTHER DAY, some commenters recommended these Flex-Trax as a substitute for chains. Haven’t tried them, but they look a lot easier to use. Alas, Amazon doesn’t seem to carry them, unless I’m somehow missing something.
IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO HAVE HIM KILLED, AND IN MOST COUNTRIES THAT’S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN: How Sharpton gets paid to not cry ‘racism’ at corporations.
So I guess his loathsome existence is, in a way, proof of just how civilized we are.
IT’S COME TO THIS: ‘Vaginal Knitting’ Is Here To Make Everyone Afraid Of Performance Art Once Again (NSFW). “This curious form of performance art comes to us courtesy of feminist artist Casey Jenkins, a self-professed ‘craftivist’ who is knitting using wool placed — you guessed it — inside her vagina.”
I’M SURE THIS IS A FALSE-FLAG DIVIDE-AND-CONQUER OPERATION SET UP BY KURT SCHLICHTER OR ONE OF HIS MINIONS: Black Anti-Police Protesters Invade White Folks’ Sunday Brunch In Blue Cities.
BRITAIN: The British People Must Now Take Control of the Establishment Paedophile Scandal.
There’s a big difference between sex with an underage, but sexually mature, teen and true pedophilia. But if the latter appeals to politicians, I suspect it’s because the methodology bears such a close relationship to that employed in dealing with the electorate.
ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY: Is 2015 The Year History Rebels Against Progressivism?
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GALLUP: Government is the Country’s Biggest Problem, Say Americans. When you have the worst political class in American history, the government that it controls is bound to be a problem.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: How To Find A Feminist Boyfriend. “If you’re a woman who wants a man to grab you and kiss you because that’s what sweeps you off your feet, realistically, a feminist man is not going to do that. . . . He’s going to ask for permission.”
For a WaPo piece, the comments are surprisingly negative. And note this one:
HuffPost/YouGov poll (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/16/feminism-… , 23% of females call themselves feminist while only 16% of men consider themselves feminist. Straight off 1/3 of woman feminists will not be able to find a guy feminist, the number is obviously much lower if you proceed to cross examine the guy over the term. While on the other hand, 42% of men view the term feminist negatively and will move on to a more suitable partner as fast as possible.
Math is patriarchal. As for the commenters who think the piece is brilliant satire . . . well, if it’s satire, it’s certainly brilliant, in that it’s indistinguishable from non-satirical writing on the subject, these days.
Plus, this comment:
“Feminist daters — male or female, gay or straight — aren’t constrained by gender roles.”
This article suggests otherwise since is prescribes a series of behaviors that are either acceptable or unacceptable, all of which align to gender roles.
The article has no sense of “couples should do whatever makes sense for the couple regardless of gender stereotypes.” Instead, it’s “couples should always consult this NEW list of gender roles when making decisions.”
Yes, so much feminist writing consists of “gender roles are bad,” followed by “men must” and “women should. . . ”
Related: “Something so garbled and dispiriting about it all. Nice caricatures though.”
PAULA BOLYARD: There’s a Gun In My House: And I’m strangely OK with it. I certainly wouldn’t be. I mean, “a” gun? What happened to the others?
A LOOK AT 2015’s Space Missions. It’s nice, but avoids the important feminist question of what the space scientists will be wearing.
THE OBVIOUS REGULATORY SOLUTION INVOLVES LETTERS OF MARQUE AND REPRISAL: FBI Waking Up To The Fact That Companies With Itchy Trigger Fingers Want To Hack Back Hacking Attacks.
Here’s something I wrote a while back.
NANOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE: New software reveals more molecular machine structures.
BRYAN CAPLAN: Advice for Shy Male Nerds.
Plus, a followup: Shy Male Nerds and the Bubble Strategy: Reply to Scott Alexander.
A couple of points: First, if feminists are mean to you, you can — as Caplan suggests — simply shun them. They are a minority (and not an especially big one) among women, and there’s no particular reason you should have to interact with them if you don’t want to — and why would you want to, if they’re mean to you? That’s less true in academic settings, of course, but even there the noisy mean ones are not a majority, as opposed to fellow-travelers who will mouth the right formulas but who don’t really care. And if they still attack you in your place of work or school, make a sex-discrimination complaint. There’s all sorts of actionable sexism out there in the academic and corporate worlds from activists who — unlike their colleagues on the right — have never learned to self-censor or guard their communications. It’s a target-rich environment. HR plaintiffs’ lawyers are figuring that out even as we speak.
Plus, from the comments to Caplan’s first post:
What must be understood here is that young female campus feminism is a social climbing strategy – it is a way for women who from middle-class backgrounds with low future income potential to pose as upper-middle class.
Thus, attacking of the SMN is merely bullying to increase social status.
Ask yourself, why is it the SMN that is attacked, and not black men, Texas ranchers, rich white men, etc who are attacked?
The reason the SMN is attacked is because:
1: The SMN is S, and thus weak and socially isolated.
2: The SMN is M, and thus a socially-approved target
3: The SMN is N, and thus gravitates towards academia and blue states, and thus cannot escape.
Further, just as in any case of bullying, every time the SMN shows weakness or acquiescence, the bullying is going to get worse.
And this is why university reinforcement of this kind of bullying is a Title IX violation, which the plaintiffs’ attorneys are, as I say, starting to figure out.
21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Why I Date Married Men.
I VIEW THIS AS A HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT: Rep. Gohmert (R-TX) Announces He Will Challenge Boehner for Speaker. Boehner hasn’t impressed me.
IN THE MAIL: From Sharon Lee, Carousel Seas.
Plus, today only: ProForm 440R Rower, $239.99 (70% off).
TAXPROF ROUNDUP: The IRS Scandal, Day 605.
ROGER SIMON: Egypt’s al-Sisi Makes Extraordinary Speech on Islam.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made an extraordinary speech on New Year’s Day to Cairo’s Al-Azhar and the Awqaf Ministry calling for a long overdue virtual ecclesiastical revolution in Islam. This is something no Western leader has the had the courage to do, certainly not Barack Obama, despite his Muslim education.
Accusing the umma (world Islamic population) of encouraging the hostility of the entire world, al-Sisi’s speech is so dramatic and essentially revolutionary it brings to mind Khrushchev’s famous speech exposing Stalin. Many have called for a reformation of Islam, but for the leader of the largest Arab nation to do so has world-changing implications.
And about time.
LENA DUNHAM’S CHILDHOOD, EXPLAINED: Book excerpt: Ex-‘SNL’ writer takes aim at proud NYC parents:
When the nurses handed me my son, I couldn’t believe how perfect he was. Ben was so robust, nearly 50 inches tall, including horns and tail. Even the doula was impressed.
“My God,” she said. “My holy God in heaven.”
Alan and I knew instantly that our child was exceptional. He was just so adorable, with his pentagram birthmark and little, grasping claws. His red eyes gleamed with intelligence. When the doctors came in with all their charts, they just confirmed what we already knew. Our child was “one of a kind” and “unlike any creature born of man.”
Alan and I were ecstatic — but also a little bit nervous. Raising a gifted child is a huge responsibility. And we were determined not to squander Ben’s talents. We vowed then and there that we would do all we could to ensure he achieved his full potential.
The first step was getting him into the right preschool. We figured it would be a breeze, given Ben’s obvious star quality. But, to our great surprise, he struggled with the interview requirement. At Trevor Day, a teacher asked him how old he was. Instead of saying “three,” he gored open her stomach and then pinned her to the ceiling with his mind. We were able to get him an interview at Trinity, thanks to a family connection. But when Ben saw the crucifix in the lobby, his eyes turned black and the walls wept blood. Why was Ben behaving this way? There was only one logical explanation: attention deficit disorder. We took him to a specialist on Park Avenue, and within five minutes our son had his first prescription for Ritalin.
Heh.
RICHARD FERNANDEZ: The Future Of Collective Punishment. UVA President Teresa Sullivan was unavailable for comment.