August 2005

TW’s been fiddling with a new design so I would have three columns instead of the Blogger default two columns. I like having all of these great blogs in my blog roll but I didn’t like how LONG it was. Three columns helps, I think.

You can find my feeds at the top and I’ve added some new blogs to the blogroll on the top left. I’m going to try and create a fresh blogroll every week or two. We’ll see how it goes, good intentions and all that.

Ages ago the Blog Herald decided to misinterpret the partnership between BlogHer and Pheedo. Yet another example of what I was talking about in my last post.

Yes, Pheedo and BlogHer teamed up to support women bloggers. They did not team up in order to discriminate against male bloggers. The only reason someone could be excluded is if he (or she) chooses not to support BlogHer. If you are excluded then it is your own fault and not the fault of either Pheedo or BlogHer or of men or women.

What is the problem? I mean really. If some ad group teams up with GLBT bloggers, I’m pretty sure they’d let the straight folks into the fun if they wanted to support the gay cause. If some ad group teams up with mommybloggers, I’m sure they’d be happy to let the childfree folks join if they wanted to support the mommyblogger cause. Creating new opportunities for groups is not exclusionary, the attitude of those who do not believe in the cause IS.

Go on, include yourself, we’re happy to have you join us and if you see a BlogHer ad on someone’s – site or feed click it!

BlogHer, women, us/them, advertising

Happy Belated Women’s Equality Day! I meant to post this on Friday but life is hectic and I’m still sick so we are celebrating a wee bit late on the Daily Dose of Denise. Better late than never, eh? (Speaking of celebrating, run over to Ms. Magazine and celebrate buy getting a reduced subscription rate!)
e·qual·i·ty n. pl. e·qual·i·ties
The state or quality of being equal.

Nowhere in that definition does it say “better than” so why is it that people hear “women’s equality” and think “Oh brother, there they go again with the male bashing.” I just do not understand why people hear “better than” when they hear the word equality used in conjunction with the words women, gay, black, minority etc…

Our radio station did this on Friday. In celebration of Women’s Equality Day they asked people to call in and give examples of how women are better than men. Why, Why, Why, Why!???? Don’t they know that this is the sort of thing that causes feminist bashing and makes the fight for equality for EVERYONE just that much more difficult? Why didn’t they ask people to call in and talk about how having the right to VOTE has made a difference in their lives? Wouldn’t that be a more useful celebration? How about asking women and men to call in and tell how much they make a year, so there could have been discussion about the inequality that remains? There are so many other ways to celebrate Women’s Equality Day. Grrrr!

My ex husband, my ex fil, my ex mil – all of them would hear the words “equal rights” for whatever minority group was clamoring for change and hear “better than” or “special rights”. They drove me nuts, they still drive me nuts. I’ve heard school children say that people asking for equality are asking for special rights to help make their lives better than other people’s. I’ve heard WOMEN bash feminists and feminism because they are uncomfortable saying they are better than men or deserve more rights than men. I have been known to yell “THEY AREN’T ASKING FOR SPECIAL RIGHTS! THEY AREN’T SAYING THEY ARE BETTER! PAY ATTENTION! GET A DICTIONARY!”

Come on folks, all together now, equality means being EQUAL, not being BETTER!

women, equal rights, feminism, pet peeve