Outstanding linkage. I really appreciate it, and hope that anyone reading this post takes a moment to take a look at it because it breaks down what's happened on Jezebel today so succinctly. PZ Meyers' writing on scientific skepticism and feminism is always worth making time for, eh? Thanks again.
Samarkand is not being nasty here. She is simply disagreeing with you. A person who politely but rigorously disputes your ideas is not the enemy, I promise.
I adore you, S, but come on: you know that there's a difference between an Amazon review by some random, anonymous woo-monger and the perceived authority of a Jezebel editor. I know you do. Sure, there's all kinds of dubious medical information available on the internet, but that doesn't mean we can't hope for better from Jezebel.Lauding thoroughly-debunked pseudo-medical advice is the type of thing we correctly make fun of Jenny McCarthy for, right?
No. She doesn't deserve derision and mocking laughter. Murdoch deserves to be politely provided with logical refutations of her anecdotal evidence. Being a scornful jerk only succeeds in alienating people who might otherwise be receptive to scientific rigour. Let's be more awesome than that.
Absolutely. I'm a real advocate of peaceable discourse, and as someone deeply interested in good science communication, it's always incredibly depressing to see logical ideas vindictively wielded by angry assholes who do more to shut down conversations than actually convince anyone. But, a small scattering of jerks apart, what I've seen here have been politely rigorous rebuttals, not ad hominem assholery. Assertive disagreement doesn't mean someone is being rude. It means they respect you enough to treat you like the capable adult you are.
Tarquin Slackbladder Cholmondeley-Featherstonehaugh. But darling, don't call him Tarq. His mummy loathes that. It's so frightfully infra-dig. Anyway, will you have Earl Grey or this cheeky wee first-flush Darjeeling from Daddy's estate in Bengal? And do have a biscuit.
Not that anyone needs any more confirmation of what a terrible organisation Susan G Komen is, but if you're thinking about donating to them again in light of their Planned Parenthood reversal, pause for a moment and consider this: their pink handgun for the cure.
This is not an organisation that has your health in mind. It exists to part you from your money so that corporate America can eat itself.
I think that's really the crux of it: self-absorption to that degree is not an indicator of robust psychological health. I mean, there are far, far worse things than narcissism, and we all go through periods of hyper-awareness about our bodies, but it's such a common thread in every interview that Paltrow gives that one can't help but get the sense that she spends an awful lot of time thinking about herself. And that shit isn't good for anybody--I'm a lugubrious depressive; I know. Focusing on the outside world is a much, much better recipe for contentment. And it makes people like you and want to sit on sunny park benches and eat gummy worms with you for whole afternoons.
I've seen McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff out and about a few times here in London, and it couldn't be more obvious that he's just crazy about her. I once sat next to him at a play Duff was in, and he couldn't stop beaming the entire time. It was, snoring dormice apart, the cutest damn thing I've ever seen.
He's not closeted. Not in this lifetime.
Your mama would be so proud of you. So incredibly proud. Inspiring people to stand up for vulnerable folks is the best kind of legacy a person can leave the world.
I love a bit of historical fantasy as much as the next girl, but the frantic leg-humping that Downton is getting in the US is frankly nauseating. It's beautifully made, and there are undoubtedly some very talented people working for the programme, but Simon Schama is spot on: the corseted cultural necrophilia of it all is just revolting. It's incredibly depressing that the US seems so besotted by strange fantasy-land depictions of British history (with bonus points awarded if you stick in a Royal who finds redemption with the sturdy support of a sympathetic commoner). It's so bizarre. Americans wet themselves at the mere whiff of a stately home, but when it comes to uncorseted drama, do they ecstatically lose bladders control? Do they buggery.
That is a terrific piece, and pointed me on to the other excellent one by Barbara Ehrenreich, too! Thanks for the linkage.
Perfectly put. Thanks for the good sense.
I'm a little embarrassed that this news makes me feel so forlorn. I know it's the done thing to affect a cynical air about the sadnesses of famous people (oh my god, I just spent an eon trying to decide what the appropriate descriptor for bloggers-made-celebs was) with their enormous hoards of lovely, lovely money. I don't even read Dooce very often. Heather strayed across my path a couple of years ago after she made a funny on Twitter, someone I follow retweeted it, and then I started following her too. She's struck me as engagingly wry and dry, and I can always use more of that in my life. But I don't know her. I do know the first thing about her, but I haven't the foggiest idea about the rest of it.
So why the hell do I care? Why would it make me so damn sad if The Pioneer Woman or The Bloggess or any number of other bloggers I get a kick out of were to break up with their partners? I think it's probably because I feel personally invested in their lives in a way I don't with more distant "real" celebs. I want them to be happy and fulfilled. And it's distressing because, in that slightly creepy modern way, I think of them as friends. And that is weird. It must be so strange to have to go through shiteous stuff with a whole bunch of strangers watching and commenting. How the hell do you fence off parts of your private life when you make a living by being forthright about it?
Hi guys! Just in case you're reading this before commenting, it's okay! Brian Stokes Mitchell IS black, we all agree that Taye Diggs would also have been great casting, and TVLine goofed by calling Rachel's parents adoptive. Lots of people have already made those very same (and sage) points, so we can all give a sigh of relief. Whew. That feels so much better. Now we can talk about something else, like how giving pets as gifts is deeply inadvisable. Yay!
Yeah! I didn't know gossip could do that! There's a kind of pleasant fizziness suffusing my body. Oh shit, am I having a stroke? I'm totally having a stroke.
Me too. It didn't make me hate myself. Or humanity in general. Feels weird.
You know? Being a fine, pure, upstanding Christian man sounds a little bit dull. I think fallen women seem like more fun.
I like defiling! Politely, as you say. And with enthusiastic permission. Defiling a good boy is a lovely way to pass the time between knitting lentils and plotting the downfall of the patriarchy.
Yeah. It certainly smells Christwiry, doesn't it? It's almost too perfect.
