UofM Feminist

Many states are getting aboard the "Missing Angels" bills which could elevate the legal status of a fetus. According to The Politics of Stillbirth from AlterNet, there is a growing grassroots organization requesting that certificates of stillborn birth be given to parents of stillborn babies as well as a death certificate. Many pro-choice activists are expressing opposition to these bills because the language could be twisted to elevate the personhood of the fetus.

NOW has not taken an official stand on the issue. But Gandy said the organization has urged local women's rights activists to oppose legislation that doesn't include language guaranteeing that certificates of stillborn birth will only be issued to fetuses that die as a result of a naturally occurring intrauterine death after the 20th week of pregnancy. NOW also stipulates that certificates must only be issued only to parents who request them.

Otherwise, aborted fetuses could be eligible for the certificates -- a sign that would confer greater status, she said. And if outside parties could request the certificates, anti-choice groups might inundate states with requests for aborted fetuses, she said.

Posted by Jessica Englund at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Headline from the Star Tribune: Gophers Football Star Arrested. We all remember the fiasco with the other football players earlier this year who were accused of the raping of a woman at a nearby campus apartment complex. Now, a UofM junior football player is being held without bail on "probable cause of criminal sexual conduct". Three other players were detained as suspects of the rape of an 18 year old woman. These players were released and no charges have been brought up yet. Apparently, there is no connection between this case and the detaining of this man.

I had hoped that sports players had decided to stop raping by now.

Posted by Jessica Englund at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that Feministing has already covered this, but I feel as if it deserves a second mention. FOX has come out with a brand new series called When Women Rule The World. I will let them describe it:

What if it was “a woman’s world”? What if women made ALL the decisions? If men were their obedient subjects?
These questions and more will be explored when a group of strong, educated, independent women, tired of living in a man’s world and each with a personal axe to grind, rule over a group of unsuspecting men used to calling the shots on WHEN WOMEN RULE THE WORLD.

The unscripted series will reveal how women and men react in a world where women are in charge and men are subservient, and each gender’s ability to adapt to a new social order will be put to the test.

The participants will be brought to a remote, primitive location where the women will have the opportunity to “rule” as they build a newly formed society – one where there is no glass ceiling and no dressing to impress. For the men, their worlds of power and prestige are turned inside-out and upside-down. And for these women, turnabout is fair play!

In order to win, the men must accede to the women’s every demand, 24/7. Here, women command and men obey. Over the series’ duration, the men will be eliminated by the women until one last man is standing.

How will the men react? How will the women treat the men? Can women effectively rule society? Will the men learn what life is like for some women in today’s world? Will this new society be a Utopia or a hell on earth? And in the end, who will be man enough to succeed in the new social order?

Posted by Jessica Englund at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Discussion today goes much more in depth into the book and the symbolism.
How does 'home' play a part in Kindred? Home for Dana is attached mainly to the people. She considers home to be with Kevin, her husband, and also with Rufus and Alice because they are her ancestors. Her need to belong, especially in the past, is her home. Because she belongs with Kevin, she calls that her home. But then, does she belong to Alice and Rufus? I believe that because she has a sense of belonging from them is why she feels the way she does. She doesn't take any crap from anybody else, but from Rufus and Alice, she seems to break down and take what they seem to throw at her. Her lines and boundaries with Rufus are strict and mostly adhered to by the both of them, and when those lines are crossed, both are punished.
Why is the 20th Century less vivid to Dana? The past is more real because the necessity of survival and panic of violence against her body is much higher than in 1976. Dana also feels as if she has stopped acting and truly become the submissive slave that she is supposed to be. She questions herself "when did I stop acting?" If you pretend or act to be a certain way in order to survive, it will become a part of your life and your behavior.
Kevin and Rufus fell the same way towards Dana. Both fear her leaving and never coming back. Kevin's way of coping with his pain and his fear is quite different and is a quiet sort of fear. Rufus on the other hand, threatens to kill and hurt Dana to stop her from leaving, which, coincidentally, does send her home at one point.
What about Carrie? She is one of the most pivotal characters even though she is not a 'major' character. She doesn't speak, but she seems to always understand and get her message across. Rufus' life long friend, Nigel, allows for Nigel and Carrie's family to have a home and a safe place to live. Carrie seems to be able to transcend situations and understand what is going on behind closed doors and what the big picture is. She also influences Dana significantly. She seems to slow Dana down and get her to realize what she had not yet thought of.
Against her will, Dana also becomes a maternal figure after Sarah dies. The children look to her to teach them to read and write and the older slaves look to her to guidance. Rufus especially depends on her like a mother because she has saved his life so many times. The relationship that Rufus has with Dana can easily be described as a mother-son relationship because they seem to hate each other but never are able to completely hate because they have a very deep connection. Even Tom Weylin seems to view Dana as an untouchable and as Rufus' other mother. Towards the end, Tom begins to think of Dana as a witch or 'other' being more so than a white/black woman-who-wears-pants. Although Dana resists this maternal role in history, she seems to embrace the advantages it brings her.
I also find Alice's and Dana's relationship interesting. People around the plantation view them as sisters because there is a love between them that is strong and because they fight like family - with love that always overrides anger or hatred. Alice is trustworthy for Dana and viceversa. Dana takes care of Alice as well when she is bought by Rufus which creates their bond. This bond continues throughout the book and sometimes is contradictory based on what Alice says to Dana and what Alice says about Dana and Rufus repeats.
If you don't understand what I'm talking about, read the book and let me know what you think.

Posted by Jessica Englund at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My summer class has now commenced. From here on out, I may talk alot about the books we will be reading. The first book is Kindred by Octavia Butler. The story follows the travels of Dana, a 20th century Black woman who time travels back to the early 1800's to save her ancestry. In doing so, she is confronted with slavery head on and the relations between white and Black. Today, we were only supposed to read the first few chapters, but because I am such an avid reader, I am already done with the book. We discussed the ways in which history plays a role in the novel. What I find interesting is that Dana has three different histories. She has her modern history that she has lived, there is the 1800's history, and there is Dana's history while she time travels back in time. The book takes place in the Ante Bellum south of Maryland. Because Maryland is a border slave state, there is the hope of escape by Dana and her fellow slaves. Dana is also married to a white man, Kevin. Their relationship throughout the novel is quite interesting. In the beginning, Kevin is a very supporting and understanding husband even when Dana returns from vanishing from their living room. Kevin witnesses her vanishings and views her returns. These facts allow him to believe her stories of time travel. She returns the first time wet and muddy after saving Rufus Weylin (her ancestor) and the second time bloody and bruised after fighting a patroller who threatened to rape her and turn her over to a slaveowner. What allows this novel to become relatable to the reader is the time travel as impossible as it seems. We, as readers, do not see slavery from a slave's point of view. We see the plantation and its workings from a modern woman's point of view.
A major theme of the book is survival. Dana must set aside her morals and ethics in order to get by. She must play the part of slave or housewoman in order to stay at the house and be within reach of Rufus. Even though she is much more educated than even the plantation owner, Tom Weylin, there are physical and emotional barriers that are difficult for Dana. Because she was not raised in slave culture, she does not have the thick skin that most Black men and women do. She also does not have the physical or emotional strength that is required. The beatings that a normal male slave could endure would kill Dana. She does have her intelligence that allows her to manipulate situations so that they give her an advantage. Especially with Rufus when he is a little boy. Through subsequent visits, Rufus gets older and Dana stays the same age. People from the 1800's begin to see that she is special - she doesn't age and wears men's clothes (pants).
What I find most interesting is that she must ensure that life as she knows it must continue. When she returns, it is always to save Rufus from dying one way or another and she can only return when she feels her life is in danger. Dana makes sure that Rufus and Alice have their baby girl, who is (I believe) Dana's great-grandmother. I will not ruin the end, but Dana does eventually end her travels back in time.
I will keep you updated with further discussion. Seriously, read this book!

Posted by Jessica Englund at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)