We’re Certainly Down the Sh!thole Now
We have been in the throes of intense societal discussion related to both the #MeToo movement — a flame that has been fanned by the Golden Globes, & Aziz Ansari) & the umpteenth reminder of our President’s insidious racism.
While the Golden Globes continued the conversation in productive ways including Oprah’s Speech and discussion about why men’s silence about #MeToo during the awards was unacceptable (also the use of WoC activist attendees as decorative arm candy, in particular, really bothers me), it is self-proclaimed feminist Aziz Ansari’s problematic behavior during a sexual encounter with a young woman that is currently dominating the #MeToo conversation.
There have been myriad opinion pieces published surrounding the poorly executed Babe.net piece — from this unnecessary Atlantic piece that accuses white women of targeting a brown man to this better contribution from The Atlantic that suggests men need to participate in more nuanced discussion of sexual ethics. Instead of repeating information and opinions that have already been expressed eloquently elsewhere, I’m going to share some links concerning the Babe.net article controversy and the paths that have brought us to affirmative & enthusiastic consent:
- “The controversy around Babe.net’s Aziz Ansari story, explained” by Caroline Franke (Vox)
- “Aziz, We Tried to Warn You” by Lindy West (New York Times)
- “What we need to learn from the Aziz Ansari clusterfuck” by Jameela Jamil (JameelaJamil.co.uk)
- “Mythcommunication: It’s Not That They Don’t Understand, They Just Don’t Like The Answer” by Thomas (yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com)
Please read these pieces, have the men and women in your life read them, and then have the uncomfortable conversations that helps improve behavior beyond the baseline of consent.
Continuing a slew of jingoistic and racist behavior from which there is no escape, the President claimed that Haiti and African countries are “shithole[s]” — words that he (and many others) have denied, forgotten, or elided altogether. Word choice aside, the sentiment is clear; the President’s interpretation of an acceptable immigrant is based on the supposed contributions they will make to our country, as opposed to the promise put forth by the engraving on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”). His philosophy manifested in the decision to deport 200,000 Salvadorian refugees last week and, more recently, the embargo on visas for Haitians seeking low-skilled work.
And we were reminded of all this as the fate of DACA recipients hangs in the balance. I shudder to think how the President genuinely feels about deporting folks who might be forced to leave the only country they have ever known.
And so, in an effort to push back against this racist bluster, I am siding with Joe Scarborough and rooting for a government shutdown in less than 48 hours if no deal can be reached. Please stand with 800,000 DREAMers* & contact your congressional representatives today to protect these members of our community and country.**
*You can learn more about DACA & DREAMers here.
**As of this morning, the Childern’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP; covers 9 million children) became a pawn in government shut-down talks and will likely complicate matters.
