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Feminist Friday: A Festival of Bad Ideas

Worry not, you fantastic feminists. There is a lot of stupid to get through, but as always, we will burst through it and end with what is awesome.

This week in horrible

The Internet spent much of the week trying to figure out what the hell is up with noted batterer Chris Brown‘s new tattoo. Apparently no one mentioned to him that getting a neck tattoo that looks like a battered woman’s face might not be awesome. I guess Chris Brown’s handlers dislike him too.

Brown’s camp has since released a statement that the design is actually meant to be a Dia de los Muertos sugar skull. And if it happens to remind everyone that Brown is an awful, awful person, well, maybe it’s just a little bit of karma.

Then again, there are still people who think battering is a punchline. Yeesh.

This week in stupid

Arrrrrggh. A judge in Arizona told a woman who had been assaulted by a police officer that the whole thing would never have happened if the victim hadn’t been hanging around in a bar. Seriously. ThinkProgress reports that the (grammar-challenged) justice said “If you wouldn’t have been there that night, none of this would have happened to you.”

To be clear, the assailant walked up behind the victim and put his hand under her skirt. The judge was saying that the victim should have protected herself by never being in a bar.

The most amazing and awful part? The victim-blamer extraordinaire is Judge Jacqueline Hatch, a woman, who thus really ought to know better.

Speaking of women who ought to know better, hey, liberals, it’s not cool to throw demeaning crap at conservative women even when we really disagree with them. I am no fan of professional rageball Michelle Malkin, but dismissing her opinions by saying she “needs to get laid” is really missing the point of being an openminded nonsexist non-jerk. So please cut it out, Tamara Holder. Being a librul analyst on Fox News has to be stressful, but taking the high road needs to be part of the deal. Invest in some crockery or bric-a-brac to smash after the show or something.

And one more woman who surprised me this week: Mika Brzezinski, what the hell were you thinking?! It’s one thing to grit your teeth, put up with being constantly interrupted, and play sour-faced schoolmarm to the sad middle-aged “bad boys” on Morning Joe, because hey, a job is a job, and apparently you’ve made your peace with working with smug, rude men who act like jerks to you every day. But letting go of all your journalistic credibility for one photo is just baffling.

Next up: Jaw, meet floor.

Never. Even. Thought about it. Why do I have a feeling there’s a lot of that going around?

Here’s a link to the full Al Jazeera piece.

And over on The Maddow Blog, Laura Conaway featured California Congressional candidate Doug LaMalfa (R), who tried to slide the roundly debunked nonsensical claim that abortion causes cancer into his campaign. LaMalfa has since sent out a correction, thanks to the media actually doing its job.

Remember how we talked last week about a new model for what people expect of first ladies? Ohio’s Governor John Kasich is a little more old-school.

Oh, and Mitt Romney was only recently made aware that people in the LGBT community have families.

This week in things to think about

The Talk did an entire show without makeup or hair products on Monday.

My friend Joy pointed the way to this excellent essay in The Weekly Sift called “The Distress of the Privileged.” It argues compassion for the Rick Santorums of the world without suggesting that we have to give up, you know, full equality and respect as human beings and stuff.

Jessica Bennett and Jesse Ellison at The Daily Beast talked to Lynne Povich about The Good Girls Revolt, her book about the sex-discrimination lawsuit that changed Newsweek — and much of the American writing world.

The Huffington Post ran a disheartening story on the harsher judgment and penalties black women leaders face in the business world. An interesting side effect is that black women seem to be bucking an unfair system by starting more businesses of their own.

I loved this article on “The Great Geek Sexism Debate” over on io9.

I haven’t yet read Hanna Rosin‘s The End of Men and the Rise of Women, though a hell of a lot of feminists seem to be reading it. The excellent Maria Bustillos did a thorough job of taking it apart (and eloquently arguing for egalitarianism along the way) in the Los Angeles Review of Books, and now she’s catching some flack from fellow feminists.

Intrigued? Catch To the Point with Warren Olney today — both Rosin and Bustillos will be on.

(Full disclosure: I know Maria Bustillos and am a fan of her as a person and a writer. I’m also a fan of egalitarianism.)

This week in nuns

Thanks to my friend Stephanie for alerting me to the fact that Band of Sisters premieres today at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. Chicagoans, let me know how it is!

For the rest of us, NPR ran an interview with the film’s director, Mary Fishman, and Sister JoAnn Persch.

And just for grins, here’s Sister Simone Campbell at the DNC.

And The Mary Sue pointed us toward J. Bone’s illustration of Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman.

Have a great weekend. Get out there and work some wonders of your own.

This week in awesome

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev thinks Pussy Riot should be released from prison. This could bode well for their appeal, scheduled for October 1.

On Friday, Deadspin ran Minnesota Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe‘s response to a Maryland delegate who didn’t think it was appropriate for football players to make public statements in support of The Gay. If you haven’t seen it yet, Kluwe’s explanation of gay marriage and hilarious smackdown of prejudice will do your heart good.

Tyne Daly speculated on what was up with Clint Eastwood and the chair.

The Chicago Sun-Times asked Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan if she could possibly handle being a parent and holding an elected office. Madigan let the reporters know how stupid the question was and pointed out that they should ask that question of men who run for office too.

Wanda Sykes also has some truth to tell.

Hey, is Amy Poehler still awesome? Spoiler: Yes. (Via Feministing)

And The Mary Sue pointed us toward J. Bone’s illustration of Michelle Obama as Wonder Woman.

Have a great weekend. Get out there and work some wonders of your own.

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