War

– “The destruction I took part in suddenly intersected with news that our reasons for waging war were untrue. The despicable conduct of those at Abu Ghraib was made more unforgivable by the honorable interactions I had with Iraqi civilians, and, together, it fueled the post-traumatic stress I struggle with today. My war was completely different than Chris Kyle’s war. That doesn’t mean his war is wrong, and mine was right. But it does mean that no one experience is definitive.” I was an American sniper, and Chris Kyle’s war was not my war (ht @saladinahmed)

Racism

– Suffragettes Who Sucked: White Supremacy And Women’s Rights (h/t @stavvers)

– “When the answer to solving interpersonal violence doesn’t include a harsher crackdown by law enforcement, mainstream feminism has trouble coping. It also tends to have negative attitudes about giving power back to tribal governments, because their idea is that Indigenous women need to be rescued by the benevolence of white women from scary, savage brown men on reservations.” There is No “We”: V-Day, Indigenous Women and the Myth of Shared Gender Oppression (via @ChiefElk)

– “The stars are really aligned at this moment to make major improvements in our accountability system,” Daugaard said. “There’s a social movement demanding it, the guild has shown a new pragmatism and openness, there’s a consent decree in effect and a federal judge who has expressed a keen interest in seeing accountability improved, and we have nearly unanimous recommendations from public bodies that were charged with reviewing the existing system.” Officer Cynthia Whitlatch’s Conduct Shows SPD Needs Systemic Reform (h/t @heidigroover)

Islamophobia

– “”I automatically felt as if she was not comfortable around me, and this is really difficult to deal with as a Muslim woman in America.” Hider recounted that the woman finally turned to her and said, “This is America!” Her husband overheard the conversation and told the woman to turn around before a ticket agent allegedly intervened. Hider says she was shaken and was approached by a Delta ticket agent, who was onboard the flight helping passengers. Hider says she asked her, “What’s the problem!?” After listening to what the mother had to say, the Delta agent directed her to “get your kids and change seats” and threatened to kick the family off of the plane says Hider.” Muslim mother says she was discriminated against on Delta flight (h/t @roqchams)

Vaccines

– “We are experts in what our children like to wear to bed, and what toy they’re favoring. We know their smiles, their sleep sounds and the way they mess up putting on their sneakers. But despite the platitudes thrown at mothers – that we’re doing the hardest job in the world and that motherhood is also being a chef, chauffeur and doctor – the truth is that we do not know everything about our children and what is best for them. That’s why we have real doctors. And no matter how condescended one feels by the medical establishment – and I’ve had that feeling myself – it does not excuse putting other children’s lives at risk.” Your feelings about vaccines don’t trump another child’s medical reality (via @JessicaValenti)

– “Over the next year or so, Russo allowed the pediatrician to give her daughter a few shots — though not the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds no link between the number of vaccinations a young child receives and the risk of developing autism spectrum disorders. Then, when Vivian was nearly 3, Russo decided her daughter should get all her vaccines. By that time, Russo says, it was pretty clear that Vivian had autism, caused by something other than a vaccination.” Once A Vaccine Skeptic, This Mom Changed Her Mind (via @nprnews)

– “Parents could no longer cite personal beliefs or religious reasons to send unvaccinated children to private and public schools under the proposal introduced Wednesday after dozens of people fell ill from a measles outbreak that started in the state’s Disneyland resort. Indeed the only exemptions would be for children who could be at risk due to allergic responses or a weakened immune system caused by serious illness.” Strict vaccine law introduced in California following measles outbreak (via @ajam)

Sexism

– “The court’s reasoning in this case echoes old Supreme Court pronouncements that discriminating against pregnant women at work isn’t sex discrimination because both men and women can be non-pregnant,” Sherwin wrote. “Congress long ago rejected this ridiculous reasoning when it passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. It’s disheartening to see it resurface again.” Woman out of appeals after trial court says her firing for breastfeeding not sexist since men can lactate (h/t @deray)

– “In math, the girls outscored the boys in the exam graded anonymously, but the boys outscored the girls when graded by teachers who knew their names. The effect was not the same for tests on other subjects, like English and Hebrew. The researchers concluded that in math and science, the teachers overestimated the boys’ abilities and underestimated the girls’, and that this had long-term effects on students’ attitudes toward the subjects.” How Elementary School Teachers’ Biases Can Discourage Girls From Math and Science (h/t @oanacarja)

Bigotry

– “Likewise, much of the US right wing appears to have seized upon American Sniper with similarly shallow comprehension – treating it with the same unconsidered, rah-rah reverence that they would the national anthem or the flag itself. Only a few weeks into its release, the film has been flattened into a symbol to serve the interests of an ideology that, arguably, runs counter to the ethos of the film itself. How much, if at all, should Eastwood concern himself with fans who misunderstand and misuse his work? If he, intentionally or not, makes a hero out of Kyle – who, bare minimum, was a racist who took pleasure in dehumanising and killing brown people – is he responsible for validating racism, murder, and dehumanisation? Is he a propagandist if people use his work as propaganda?” The real American Sniper was a hate-filled killer. Why are simplistic patriots treating him as a hero? (via @TheLindyWest)

Irony

– “A 16-year-old high school student was taken into police custody on Thursday and indicted for “defending terrorism,” national broadcaster France 3 reports. His alleged crime? He posted on Facebook a cartoon “representing a person holding the magazine Charlie Hebdo, being hit by bullets, and accompanied by an ‘ironic’ comment,” France 3 states.” France begins jailing people for ironic comments (via @intifada)

Page 3

– “This is the major problem with candid shots. They’re infinitely worse than posed photos. What does a photograph snapped without a woman’s knowledge or blessing say about our attitude towards consent? Paparazzi shots are invasive and, crucially, completely non-consensual. Fame, according to the paparazzi model, gives men the right to stalk women, to watch them through telescopic lenses while they think they are alone, to watch and wait for a moment deemed suitably titillating or humiliating.” And they’ve replaced Page 3 with something far worse. (via @stavvers)

– “It initially came across as a fairly benign campaign, to keep boobs out of a family paper. We can’t have kiddies staring at norks, can we? But… to try and position The Sun as a family newspaper, a main argument of NMP3, is laughable. If you want your children to have access to misogyny, homophobia, racism, antagonism towards those on state welfare, ableism, xenophobia, whorephobia and a whole host of other oppressive bullshit, that’s your own bad parenting; but don’t call it a family newspaper. In specifically going for one page, the movement has singled out consensual nudity as their priority over the host of nasties listed above.” A Few Thoughts o the Demise of Page 3 (h/t @melissagira)

Sex Work

– “And the Nordic model has often-damaging effects on sex workers’ health and safety. A 2010 review published by the Swedish Institute found that criminalization resulted in heightened harassment of sex workers, who felt that they were “hunted” by the police, and treated as “incapacitated persons” whose “wishes and choices are not respected.” The 2012 Global Commission report found that criminalization makes their lives “less safe and far riskier in terms of H.I.V.”” Canada’s Flawed Sex Trade Law (h/t @melissagira)

Parenting

– “However emotionally rewarding it may be for all involved, staying home with children exacts a serious, enduring vocational toll that largely explains the lingering pay gap between men and women as well as women’s higher rate of poverty. With the recession having raised the stakes, fewer mothers may be willing to take the risk. If it’s not yet the twilight of the stay-at-home mother, it could be her late afternoon. Certainly it is long past nap time.” Regrets of a stay-at-home mom (via @salon)

– “I don’t reveal anything that my child might consider private someday. I take this commandment pretty seriously and always err on the side of caution. I have no idea whether my son will grow up to be a relatively guarded person (like his mama) or a chronic over-sharer who loves gushing about his life online. Either would be fine with me, but the point is, I don’t know. There’s a chance he’d be fine with me sharing all kinds of details about his childhood, but there’s also a chance he won’t be and, for me, it’s just not worth the risk.” The Mom’s Guide to Ethical Internet Sharing

Racism

– “This white racial anxiety of not being at the center feels to me far more dangerous to black youth than seeing a film that tells them a story about themselves and their history. Having taught in D.C. public schools, I know D.C. youth aren’t checking for any kind of saviors, white or black. Like most adolescents, they are looking to find their path and make their mark.” Maureen Dowd’s clueless white gaze: What’s really behind the “Selma” backlash (h/t @capetownbrown)

Health Care

– “So what these guidelines are actually saying is that only thin people should get evidence-based treatment for their health issues.” Horrible New Medical Guidelines for Fat Patients (via @DancesWithFat)

Sexism