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Skepchick Quickies 1.28
Amanda Follow on Twitter Send an email January 28, 2011
Ugandan who spoke up for gays is beaten to death – "As the most outspoken gay rights advocate in Uganda, a country where homophobia is so severe that Parliament is considering a bill to execute gay people, Mr. Kato had received a stream of death threats, his friends said." From bibliotequetress.
Mommy business cards, Bloggess style – Including an "I vaccinate" card. From Thais.
Anthony Hopkins reveals secret atheist message he put into The Rite – From Mark.
Why female politicians are more effective – From Jamie, who says, "The theory is that if voters discriminate against women, then the women who win elections must be much better on average than the men who win elections."
Cute Animal Friday! Siobhan sent in Kipenzi, the adorable baby gorilla. Matijs likes waking up a cranky cat. And I agree with Improbable Research, puppies are the best mnemonic for remembering which direction is counterclockwise.
Amanda works in healthcare, is a loudmouthed feminist, and proud supporter of the Oxford comma.
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daedalus2u says:
Pretty good case for gay people from Uganda to be granted asylum in the US for religious persecution. Persecution in the name of religion is religious persecution too.
andiis says:
I saw this the other day on causes.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_corrective_rape/?rc=fb
To follow up on my comment, I think the only motivation for homophobic US politicians to attempt to prevent the slaughter of gays in Uganda will be if they think that the persecution of gays in Uganda will lead to the granting of asylum to gays from Uganda in the US.
I think that the idea that the US would grant asylum to gays from Uganda is so inconceivable and so anathema to homophobic US politicians that they can't even imagine it as a possibility. If it were to become a possibility, I think the amount of pressure that would be brought to bear on Uganda by The Family would be intense.
catgirl says:
The article about effective female politicians really made a lot of sense. I experienced something similar in college when I was majoring in chemical engineering. In my class, about a quarter of the students were female. But in the group of "those kids", the overachievers, the ones you think of first when gossiping about who got the highest grade on a test, that group was a 50/50 split.
It seemed like there were two groups of people – the really talented ones, and the mediocre but sufficient ones. And those at the top, male and female, were so good that you really just couldn't deny their ability. But for those in the mediocre group, the men were more likely to be given a pass or given extra chances, but the women were more likely to be judged.
Yes, I realize that it's a small group and just an anecdote, but it seems like the problem of sexism hits hardest when average men are competing with average women. I have always felt like I need to be the best just to be on a level playing field with mediocre men.
QuestionAuthority says:
@daedalus2u: I think you have a good point there…I've noticed that people of that persuasion have a hard time seeing the results of their policies or actions.
Of course, in the long term they may be planning on attempting to do the same in the USA if they get the chance.
scribe999 says:
@catgirl: It was kinda like all the studies they did on black athletes in baseball after Jackie Robinson. Usually, only the best African-American players would be considered at all on Major League Baseball teams, with backup roles and lesser needed positions always going to white players. It's definitely not far fetched to consider similar ramifications in gender.
James K says:
Actually, that article raises a question: does that mean that the election of such people as Michelle Bachmann are suggestive of a breaking down in gender barriers in US politics?
Could it be that a women can get elected in the US while being just a big of an idiot as the male politicians?
@James K: Or her district could be just that insane.
sowellfan says:
@James K: I think it's safe to say that a woman *can* get elected while being just as big an idiot as the stupidest males – if you want examples, look to Sheila Jackson Lee and Corrine Brown.
BeardofPants says:
The Bloggess is awesome. That is all.
Siveambrai says:
@catgirl: No. It's not just anecdotal. Any time you do a study of a male dominated/female hostile field of study or work it ends up being that the women who succeed have to be much much better than the men in order to be recognized.
Gender and IT studies have shown often that women who give a stellar performance are only accepted or promoted at rates equivalent to men who are average or just slightly above average. I'm glad someone is pointing this out about politics but overall I was like "meh" about the article.
homschlr4ever says:
I saw the story on Rachel Maddow last night and my heart broke especially because Americans had a hand in the disrespect and antigay movement in that country. What is wrong with people that they would believe a God that they say is loving and the creator of everything would then allow his creation to be tortured and mutilated? That is a God I wouldn't follow under any circumstances. It certainly isn't a loving God especially given the fact that he created people that are so hateful and self-righteous.
Briarking says:
Heh. When I vote, if I'm in doubt, I lean toward females and Democrats. Actually anywhere I go, I prefer women. My doctor is female, as is my vet, and my dentist. And my masseuse. I'd use a female auto mechanic if I could find one. Maybe being a male gives me an insight into why we can't be trusted.
redsky says:
@James K
Hmmm… Maybe it's not that women in male-dominated fields have to be "better", with better defined in the normal ways (smarter, more dedicated, more insightful, better communicative, more organized, etc.). Maybe "better" just means better at the qualities that cause people to excel in a career. In most careers, the qualities I just listed would be "better". But when it comes to electability, maybe "better" would be things like the ability to incite fear of opponents, encourage moral outrage, and explain away/obfuscate/ignore any facts not fitting the majority of voters' worldviews without seeming like you are lying.
Chris_H says:
Wow. I actually seriously considered making myself some mommy cards twenty two years ago when I as floundering around at home with a baby who had medical needs. I was essentially alone after years of working in an office surrounded by people. I started to listen to talk radio just to have a some kind of adult conversation (even if it did involve yelling back at some kind of stupidity!).
I could never figure out what to put on a card didn't seem creepy. I guess it was good thing I didn't.
@homschlr4ever :
I've started considering people that follow that kind of "religion" as followers of Political Christianity, as opposed to the religious version. That version has its own rules and regulations and pretty much ignores the book and messiah they allegedly imitate.
bluescat48 says:
@ QuestioAuthority:
ditto. The trouble is that there are too many Political Christians.
@redsky:
Good point, but Bachmann doesn't strike me as a canny political operator. Maybe that's just because I'm not the target of her message.
im_robertb says:
How can we use discrimination as a tool to separate the wheat from the chaff (or the chaff from the super-chaff; the chaff's the good part, right?), to ensure that we get the best politicians in office?
Because if we can harness the power of discrimination to create good government, that's kind of like harnessing the power of stupidity to create diamonds.
weatherwax says:
@im_robertb: The wheat is the good part. The chaff is the husk that needs to be thrown away. But we know what you mean.
MadLogician says:
At David Kato's funeral, the pastor gave an anti-gay diatribe until silenced and thrown out by the mourners:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/28/gay-activist-david-kato-funeral
Madfishmonger says:
More background on the Uganda situation –
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/us-fundamentalist-group-heart-ugandas-anti-gay-law
Here's a petition to help save a lesbian woman from being deported back to Uganda –
http://www.allout.org/en/brenda/
Gabrielbrawley says:
The first thing I thought was Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin