What do the following senators Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy have in common?
They are both under scrutiny for wasting government money. Wallin, for charging 300,000 dollars of travel expenses to the Canadian Government under what she claims to have been “an accounting error” and Duffy for billing “both the Senate and the Conservative Party on the days that he campaigned for the Tory candidates.”
But that’s not all. Continue reading
Posted in Canada, politics, Shame Day
Tagged appointed, Canada, Culture, elected, Mike Duffy, money, Pamela Wallin, Patrick Brazeau, Peggy Butts, politics, Senate, Sexual Assault, shame day, society
Over the past few weeks, this issue of cultural appropriation has exploded onto the scene, largely in reaction by the Native American community to the casting of Johnny Depp as Tonto in The Lone Ranger, though the resolution of a battle between clothing designer Paul Frank and indigenous right’s group Native Appropriations doubtlessly fueled the conversation.
Now I know you’re all saying, “Gordon, you lightning bolt of the gods made flesh, slow down a second. What on earth is a ‘Cultural Appropriation’?”
Well readers, in and of itself, the term just means the adoption of certain cultural elements by another culture. In most use, however, it’s used to describe one culture essentially taking an important symbol or tradition from another and using it for their own purposes (usually profit- surprise, surprise).
Posted in art, bizarreness, Europe, media, race
Tagged appropriation, arabic, belly dance, cultural appropriation, Culture, dance, logo, middle eastern culture, middle eastern dancing, middle-east, native appropriation, native appropriations, nicki minaj, One Direction, orientalism, paul frank, tattoo, the cleveland indians, The Lone Ranger, yin yang, Your Fave Is Problematic
It should be no mystery to you that the writers here at Culture War Reporters are not afraid to call out people, industries, or even activities when they’re clearly in the wrong. Heck, we have an entire Shame Day feature dedicated to that very idea.
They typically feature this little guy yelling at people.
In this age of internet anonymity I believe that it is especially important to call attention to people who are being sexist, racist, and just generally bigoted. Too often we forget that what we say online [or anywhere, really] is able to be recorded, and that we can be held accountable to those words. It’s part of the reason I dedicated a Fame Day post to a tumblr called Public Shaming, run by a man who screenshots particularly egregious tweets to showcase how truly reprehensible some people can be. Just one example:
I was going to embed the least offensive one, but seriously, they’re all pretty much equally offensive.
Posted in bizarreness, internet, language, lgbt, race, Shame Day
Tagged ableist, appropriating, appropriation, BigBang, blackface, celebrities, cornrows, GDragon, Johnny Depp, Misha Collins, offended, offensive, One Direction, politically correct, Public Shaming, racist, sexist, transexuals, Tumblr, Twitter, Your Fave Is Problematic
A few weeks from now will see the 50th anniversary of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”- the “March on Washington” as it is abbreviated today. Through the sweltering heart, the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. boomed out his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Most everyone is familiar with the beginning, but lesser known is what King had to say later in the oration.
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir… It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
Now I have a tendency to rail on America. Having been at the pointed end of US foreign policy, I don’t believe I’m unjustified in doing so. But for everything that this nation let’s slide, for everything wrong, I can always count on some American to live out the example described by King and demand the US hold true to the noble ideals it claims it was founded upon. On this 4th of July, I’d like to showcase some of the men and women who I believe are standing up and speaking out. Continue reading
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say the words “wife and homemaker”?
Exactly.
Now as you probably know by now I’m getting married this summer. I’m super stoked about spending the rest of my life with John because he is my best friend and we have awesome adventures, but I’ve been struggling with what it means to become a wife within our cultural context.
Look at us! We’re married! Now we can jump on the bed!
Posted in education, feminism, religion
Tagged career, childcare, day care, Education, feminism, Feminist, gender roles, homemake, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, marriage, Miss Representation, mother, relationship, stay-at-home parents, university, wife
EVAN: Ladies and gentlemen, it brings me the greatest sort of joy to announce that we will be announcing a third Culture War Reporter to our blog. Ever since Elisa’s departure I have long wished to have a female perspective, and after a little bit of searching I was connected to Kat via one of my many, many cousins-
This edition of E> will consist of both Gordon and me asking Kat ten questions apiece, to present to all of you nice people a greater picture of who she is. At the end she’ll have the opportunity to ask each of us five questions, just to be fair.
You can of course find out more about her by reading her bio. Now, without further ado, I’m going to let Gordon start us off-
GORDON: You’re in a desert, walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down and you see a tortoise, Kat. You reach down and flip the tortoise over on it’s back, Kat. The tortoise lays on its back, it’s belly baking in the hot sun, beating it’s legs, trying to turn itself over but it can’t. Not without your help. But you’re not helping. Why is that, Kat?
KAT: Because I’m hungry and I plan to eat it?
GORDON: Well, we’ve determined she’s not a replicant. That’s progress, at least.
EVAN: Gordon, you are a huge nerd. Continue reading
Posted in blog news, comics, Evan and Gordon Talk, feminism, interview, literature, money, music, sex
Tagged answers, BMW, communist party, Culture War Reporter, CWR, Evan and Gordon Talk, favorite, favourite, Feminist, interview, israel, Kat, Kat Goertz, nazi, new writer, Occupied Palestine, questions, welcome
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