equality

A Different Kind of Economic “Bubble”

A Different Kind of Economic “Bubble” by Sheila Kennedy.

Some interesting points Sheila makes in her class, based on the book “The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future” by Joseph Stiglitz on how the 1% rig the economic system to continuously give themselves an advantage:

According to Stiglitz, the vaunted American market is broken. It has been overwhelmed by politically engineered market advantages—special deals that economists call “rent-seeking.” The term refers to politically-achieved “exemptions” from the market that allow certain individuals to reap economic returns above normal market levels– profits derived from favorable political treatment rather than competitive success.

And another point – business and the wealthy shuffle off the cost of their business production onto the commons, making taxpayers bear the cost:

Stiglitz also argues that much of the rent-seeking that plagues our economy takes a more subtle form. In many cases, the production of a product produces what economists call “negative externalities.” These are costs that are incurred during the manufacturing or development process that end up being imposed on society rather than paid for by the producer and included in the price of the goods or services involved. The most commonly cited example would be a manufacturer who discharges his waste into a nearby waterway rather than properly disposing of it, shifting the costs of cleanup and disposal to others. Society pays for the pollution, and that cost is not included in the market price of the manufactured goods.

Sounds like an interesting book and an interesting course.

1 percent map illustration
1 percent map illustration
Continue ReadingA Different Kind of Economic “Bubble”

links for 2011-09-27

  • The Big Sexy Problem with Superheroines and Their 'Liberated Sexuality' – ComicsAlliance | Comic book culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews
    These aren't those women. They're how dudes want to imagine those women would be — what Wire creator David Simon called writing "men with t*ts." They read like men's voices coming out of women's faces. Or worse, they read like the straight girls who make out with each other clubs, not because they enjoy making out with women but because they desperately want guys to pay attention to them. This is not about these women wanting things; it's about men wanting to see them do things, and that takes something that really should be empowering — the idea that women can own their sexuality — and transforms it into yet another male fantasy. It takes away the actual power of the women and turns their "sexual liberation" into just another way for dudes to get off. And that is at least ten times as gross as regular cheesecake, minimum.
    (tags: feminism sexism women gender)
  • Geena Davis Gender in Media | The Mary Sue
    The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has done a 20 year study and put together some surprising stats about how women are portrayed in entertainment and the media. For example, in G-rated movies, 81 percent of the adults who hold jobs are male, and none of the women who do have jobs hold positions in science, medicine, law, business, politics, or the like. F.or every female character, there are three more male characters. We know that the more hours of television a girl watches, the fewer options she thinks she has in life,” she said. “So there’s clearly a very, very strong message coming through — that boys are picking up too, by the way — that girls can’t do as many things as boys can.” She's provided the statistics to studio heads, who are committing to changing the way women are portrayed on TV.
    (tags: television entertainment gender equality)
Continue Readinglinks for 2011-09-27

International Women’s Day/Feminist Coming Out Day

International Women’s Day
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that ‘all the battles have been won for women’ while many feminists from the 1970’s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women’s visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

Feminist Coming Out Day
According to the organizers: “This project arose out of a frustration with the limited portrayal of the movement as straight, White, and cisgendered. We know firsthand that our allies are a diverse bunch. In the weeks leading up to the event, this website will feature testimonials from young activists on the issues that led to their individual feminist awakenings. What does a feminist look like? We want to give this movement your voice and face! So, put a “This Is What A Feminist Looks Like” sticker on your laptop, snap a photo of yourself in our t-shirt, send in your feminist manifesto as a submission to our online Feminist Portrait Project, and tell your friends and colleagues about our campaign to show the diversity among supporters of gender equality.”

Continue ReadingInternational Women’s Day/Feminist Coming Out Day

My political daily chuckle

I got a fun little email blast from the DCCC regarding the GOP “Back in the Kitchen” comments they made a few days about about Betty Sutton (I linked to a news story about it here):

Ohio GOP: Put Her Back in the Kitchen
You won’t believe this one. Every once in a while, Republicans say something that makes you wonder what century they’re living in. Or in this case, twice in a while. Days ago, a Republican operative in Ohio actually said take Democratic Congresswoman Betty Sutton “out of the House and put her back in the kitchen.” This comes not long after House Republicans said that Speaker Pelosi should be “put in her place.” GOP Sexism like this needs our strong response.

While I laud their efforts, I have to wonder where these guys were during the 2008 election cycle, when the Democratic party was busy eating it’s own by throwing out remarks like these (and stuff far, far worse) at Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton. You know, from inside the supposedly progressive, feminist party.

Pot, I’d like to introduce you to kettle. Have fun talking, boys!

Continue ReadingMy political daily chuckle

links for 2010-04-23

Continue Readinglinks for 2010-04-23

365 project – Day 1

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365 project - Day 1
Anti-choice protesters (forced birth advocates) outside my neighbor’s house on New Year’s Day. My neighbor works for Planned Parenthood. Yeah, in our residential neighborhood. In front of my house. MF assholes. They spent an hour shouting obnoxious statements and disturbing the peace.

Continue Reading365 project – Day 1

Conservatives against Women’s Right to Vote

Transcript discussed by Think Progress:

John Derbyshire, a British-American conservative author and columnist for the National Review, has written a new book titled We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism. The book contains a section called “The Case Against Female Suffrage.” Yesterday on his radio show, Alan Colmes asked Derbyshire to articulate his argument.

“What is the case against female suffrage?” Colmes asked. “The conservative case against it is that women lean hard to the left,” Derbyshire responded nonsensically. “They want someone to nurture, they want someone to help raise their kids, and if men aren’t inclined to do it — and in the present days, they’re not much — then they’d like the state to do it for them.”

Colmes then pressed Derbyshire on whether women should have the right to vote. “Ah…” Derbyshire sighed, attempting to dodge the question initially. “I’m not putting forward a political program here,” he said. But then Derbyshire slowly began to open up:

DERBYSHIRE: Among the hopes that I do not realistically nurse is the hope that female suffrage will be repealed. But I’ll say this – if it were to be, I wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep.

COLMES: We’d be a better country if women didn’t vote?

DERBYSHIRE: Probably. Don’t you think so?

COLMES: No, I do not think so whatsoever.

DERBYSHIRE: Come on Alan. Come clean here [laughing].

COLMES: We would be a better country? John Derbyshire making the statement, we would be a better country if women did not vote.

DERBYSHIRE: Yeah, probably.

Derbyshire reasoned that we “got along like that for 130 years.” Colmes countered by asking if he also wants to bring back slavery. No, Derbyshire responded, “I’m in favor of freedom personally.” Colmes noted that freedom didn’t extend to women’s right to vote, however. Derbyshire said, “Well, they didn’t and we got along ok.”

You need more proof that the right wing is delusional?

Continue ReadingConservatives against Women’s Right to Vote