QUICKIES 04/23/2012
By Tired of explaining all the different logical fallacies from memory? Then print out a copy of this handy-dandy reference guide. Then print ten more to hand out at your next secular student tabling extravaganza!
QFT: "You know when I will believe that our society values housekeeping and childcare? When men do it."
This story's been making the rounds to stand in sharp contrast to the defenders of Zimmerman, the man who gunned down Trayvon Martin and then invoked "Stand Your Ground" laws as a defense. The gist: Does "Stand Your Ground" apply to women standing their ground against abusive spouses? The outrageous incarceration of Marissa Alexander for firing a shot into the air to persaude her abusive spouse, who has admitted he had just assaulted her, to let her leave, sadly suggests it does not.
Don't miss this roundtable discussion: Melissa Harris-Perry's Being Transgender in America
ETA: Adele Wilde-Blavatsky explains why the hoodie and the hijab are not equivalent. Background: There have been several attempts to equate the hoodie worn by Trayvon Martin, the seventeen year old black boy murdered by George Zimmerman, and the hijab worn by Shaima al Awadhi, an Iraqi woman who was found murdered in her home. Although a note suggesting al Awadhi was targeted for her race or religion was found near her after the attack, other evidence has led the police away from the theory that she was targeted by a stranger because she was wearing the hijab. The comparison is also specious even if she were because, no matter what Geraldo Rivera thinks, Trayvon Martin was not targeted because of a societal prejudice against hoodies.
Gosh, I started reading that 'hijabs vs. hoodies' article quite intrigued, not knowing it would lead me to a significant feminist discussion over the article. It was originally published on The Feminist Wire, to which a response was also provided, co-signed by a number of feminists and academics. Both the original article and the response have been removed from The Feminist Wire due to 'legal action', but I'd encourage people to read the well-articulated response that's still available on another Arab-US studies website.