These days I can’t blog about events or issues that are meaningful to me until they’re old news — which of course in today’s world can mean only days or weeks past. The upside of my delayed response is an opportunity to use a wider lens and see more connections
Continue readingTag: sexual assault
The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Anti-Trans Protests, Gender Criticals, and Groomers
It’s a little difficult to miss the torrent of anti-transgender hatred spreading about these days. Whether it is street preachers organizing “protests” over transgender people existing, or failed political candidates trying to whip up a mob on Twitter, it seems as though they are everywhere. The lie is always
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Srinivasan’s "The Right to Sex"
“It is absurd to contend that vice, ecstasy, and passion would become impossible if man and woman were concretely peers” (xiii). ~ Simone de Beauvoir Amia Srinivasan’s book rivals Kate Manne’s fantastic Down Girl in the most exciting way. It’s an absolute must read for anyone hoping to improve themselves
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: true story by kate reed petty
Kate Reed Petty’s True Story is one of the most impressive debut novels you’ll ever read. It is both a riveting page-turner and a narrative puzzle, twisting and turning in on itself, leaving the reader reeling and uncertain. This book is very smart and very compelling. It is also very difficult to
Continue readingwmtc: the deadliest organized-crime and terrorist enterprise in the history of humanity: the catholic church
In the entire history of human beings on this planet, has there ever been a criminal enterprise more devastating — to as many people, over as long a period of time — as the Catholic Church? The largest empires of the world — Roman, Spanish, Dutch, British, American — lasted
Continue readingwmtc: is my body keeping score? personal insights (plus brain dump) after reading the book by bessel van der kolk
When I wrote my beyond-rave review of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk, I purposely omitted some personal reaction and connections I had to the book. Here they are. Moving forward with my own healing On the
Continue readingwmtc: rotd: frederick douglass, prophet of freedom
Revolutionary thought of the day: Douglass’s great gift, and the reason we know him of today, is that he found ways to convert the scars Covey left on his body into words that might change the world. David W. Blight, Frederick Douglass, Prophet of Freedom This is what every abuse
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: hunger by roxane gay
During the Ontario provincial election, after a hack from the Toronto Sun drew attention to an unpopular view that I had expressed some years earlier, I was the object of right-wing attacks by email and on social media. Many of these wingnuts referenced my weight in various disgusting ways. This shocked
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: On the Justice System, Presumption of Innocence & the Me Too Movement
Me Too Movement The Me Too movement (or #MeToo movement), with many local and international alternatives, is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault.[1][2][3] #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Economic Cost of Sexual Assault – Sheetal Dhir
The epidemic needs to stop. The solution needs to address the socialization boys and girls receive, teaching mutual respect for both sexes cannot start at too early and age. Otherwise, we as a society, will pay the very real costs. “Let us take the case of Dr Ford, who had
Continue readingwmtc: i need a canada for my subconscious: the kavanaugh hearings and we go on
I avoided the Kavanaugh hearings as long as I could. I used to take a special interest whenever survivors go public. I’d read everything I could, write letters to newspapers, speak out on social media. Send a note of support to the woman. Find the sisterhood, share the pain. This
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Responsibility Where it is Due…
https://millennial-review.tumblr.com/post/178574374877
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault – Why Do We Have ‘Unnaturally’ High Attrition Rate for Sexual Assault?
Watch the presentation or read the full transcript here. Now watch what happens when we bring an empirical fact based approach to understanding why our justice system is broken when it comes to sexual assault. So, now we have some evidence of what is happening to people who have experienced
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Donald Trump and the Hypocrisy of Brett Kavanaugh
He's a sexual predator himself, a dirty old man who once boasted of grabbing women by their private parts.He's a grubby lowlife who celebrated the arrival of his youngest son by having a torrid affair with an escort. And then lied about it.So who can be surprised that Donald Trump should fly
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Anita Hill
My time at university was split down the middle by the news of the Montréal Massacre, and the subsequent years were plagued with fears of the Scarborough rapist. We proactively organized walking groups to move around on and off campus, started a “No Means No” campaign, and then, at one
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Manne’s "Down Girl"
With thorough argumentation and heavily footnoted facts brought to the table, Down Girl, by Kate Manne delineates misogyny from sexism and hopes “to offer a useful toolkit for asking, answering, and debating” (13) issues centred around misogyny. Right off the bat, let’s clarify that it’s not remotely a man-hating thesis.
Continue readingwmtc: rip barry crimmins: call me lucky to have known him
In late 2015, I blogged about a remarkable documentary: “Call Me Lucky,” about the life and times of Barry Crimmins. Barry died last week at the age of 64. Describing Barry as a comedian somehow seems wrong. He was a social critic who used biting humour and righteous anger to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tiger Williams’ Disgrace
Let me be clear. I have not been a fan of hockey since I was a boy, when only six teams constituted the NHL. However, I am struck by the disparity in details between a newspaper and a television news report surrounding the conduct and arrest of former Leaf enforcer
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Some Implications of Boycotting Art
And another thing… Here are two more issues I have with implication surrounding how we’re treating the sexual harassment and assault cases further to my concerns previously discussed and further provoked by an article “Now What Do We Do with Their Work?”. ART AS A VITAL COMMODITY If Alexander Fleming were
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: So NOW What? On Power and Sexual Abuse and the Culture of Celebrity
A little over year ago, when I first heard about Louis CK’s abuse of power, I was going to write a post suggesting he might actually be the guy able to fess up, apologize sincerely, and lead the way for other men to admit to their abusive behaviours. I’m a
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