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April 2017

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What I’m Reading – April 2, 2017

Written by , Posted in What I'm Reading

Horrifying Executive Orders and Legislation

  • “Anyone who still believes there was “no difference” between the two candidates is being willfully ignorant. That narrative was always mendacious, dangerous trash—and nothing makes that more plain than what is about to happen on climate change.” Trump to Sign Devastating EO on Climate Change (by Melissa McEwan for Shakesville)

Gender Disparity

  • “Beyond the obvious point that the quota would give fewer positions to men, quotas can have strategic effects on political selection. Mediocre leaders have a strong incentive to surround themselves with mediocre followers, so as to bolster their chances of remaining in power. A less acknowledged role of quotas is to create a threat to such cozy arrangements. It is this idea that our research on Sweden has investigated. Our main finding is that gender quotas increase the competence of the political class in general, and among men in particular. Moreover, quotas are indeed bad news for mediocre male leaders who tend to be forced out.” Gender quotas and the crisis of the mediocre man (by Tim Besley, Olle Folke, Torsten Persson and Johanna Rickne for LSE)
  • “Yet, just like with basically everything else about parenting, thinking about it beforehand couldn’t possibly prepare me for some of this stuff. As my son and I have entered the world of kid clothes together, I’m continually surprised by how heavily gendered it all is, and the weird ways that manifests.” 5 Unexpected Gender Differences in Children’s Clothing (by Katherine DM Clover for Parent.co)
  • “Ultimately, the reaction of my former coworkers is more illustrative than anything I could have originally written, in terms of shining a light on the volatile, masturbatory, and remarkably hypocritical world of establishment politics as I experienced it. It was this reaction, and its insane lack of perspective, that freed me from any lingering doubt that I was doing the right thing by speaking out.” My former office in the US Senate found out I was writing an essay about workplace sexism. Here’s what happened next. (by Carolyn Seuthe for Athena)

Gentrification

  • “Historically, these demonstrations of excessive force have been used to repress and attack efforts to reclaim black land, build assets through ownership, and promote self-determination. This behavior will not be accepted. We, the Seattle Black community, have a right to exist and thrive in black space. Those who claim to care about Black Lives and solutions in Seattle cannot allow this to continue.” Capitol Hill Community Post | Battle at 23rd & Union — ‘Displacement Stops Here’ (by Cliff Cawthon for CHS)

Mmm Hmm

  • “State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a longtime Congressional Democrat who took over the investigation in January, said in a statement that the state “will not tolerate the criminal recording of conversations.” Prosecutors say Daleiden, of Davis, Calif., and Merritt, of San Jose, filmed 14 people without permission between October 2013 and July 2015 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and El Dorado counties. One felony count was filed for each person. The 15th was for criminal conspiracy to invade privacy.” Activists who secretly filmed Planned Parenthood face 15 felony charges (by Andrew Dalton for Chicago Tribune)

Election 2016

  • “”Unwitting” is doing a lot of work there. Yes, in the sense that the faction of Bernie supporters who eagerly disseminated this disinformation weren’t aware it was the Russians who were feeding them the info, they were indeed “unwitting agents.” But they still believed and disseminated vile garbage about Hillary Clinton that was demonstrably untrue, because they liked the feeling of destroying her. And the women who supported her.” Sanders Supporters Were “Unwitting Agents” of Russians (by Melissa McEwan for Shakesville)

Good Stuff

  • “Enter Babydoll Beauty Couture salon. A salon by plus size people, for plus size people. The stylists themselves can recall “being turned away from a nail salon because of fears she would break their chair, the awkward maneuvering to fit her thighs into a standard salon chair and many furtive glances from others.” They also discuss having been discriminated against by employers who, it seems, were more interested in the stereotype of beauty than skills and experience.” Finally a Fat Positive Salon (by Ragen Chastain for Dances with Fat)

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