Pretty Cats Make Hats
As requested, an open thread. I’ll try to get these up more often in the future. This one will be overseen by Morrissey with a cat on his head.
No trolls, no arguments.
Posted on January 14, 2014, in off topic, open thread. Bookmark the permalink. 601 Comments.
" ... a delirious and incisive page against misogyny." -- El Pais, via Google translate
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Morrisey has a cat on his head. Your argument is invalid.
Magpie heart update: after 3 SVT* in the last year, finally got in to see cardiologist. She put me on the list for catheter oblation (I think that’s what it’s called) in Sydney, which will fix it once and for all.
*Twice they’ve stopped the svt the way you fix a computer – switch it off and on again :)
That cat really looks like she doesn’t want to be there.
Hello all, news from Historophilia towers, just last night I broke the relationship I was in. It had only been going for a couple of months and it was definitly the right decision for me and I feel a lot happier now. Also I think I will be better friends with the guy now we are not a couple.
Also the actual moment of breaking up seemed to go fine and I think we parted on good terms.
I read about this Reddit thread on Jezebel (which I only visit to find stuff like this!). A guy who believed that “women have it much easier on online dating sites” made a fake profile, pretending to be a woman. The nasty deluge of messages he received caused him to delete it a mere two hours later. I’m happy his eyes were opened, but find it sad that so many men refuse to believe it when women tell them what they’ve experienced. And lots of comments on this thread discussing how this is exactly why they don’t respond to men they aren’t interested in….because it escalates so quickly.
http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/1uqym6/as_a_guy_i_wanted_to_know_what_it_was_like_to_be/
Hi Magpie!! I hope it goes well. “Have you tried turning it off and on again” does not seem like a great way to take care of a heart O_O. If you’re feeling up to it, I hope you can keep us updated.
Historophilia, I’m glad that your break-up went okay.
My biggest news — and I have no idea if it’s good news or not — is that I’m taking a class again. The last time I was in school was the winter semester of 2012, and that… didn’t go well. Some of the people who have been around a bit longer were nice enough to listen to me agonize about my decision to leave University when I kept being unsuccessful I am hoping this time will be different, because I’m working and only taking one class in my spare time. If I continue at this rate, I will earn a degree just after I turn 27 (assuming I pass everything, and I don’t take any semesters off). Maybe I can actually do this. I guess I’ll find out. :)
Here’s a picture of my new cat. (it’s a dropbox link–hope that doesn’t bother)
Hey. I wonder if anyone can help me? I teach a college level course in human diversity. One of the topics we talk about is sexual diversity. I’m an archaeologist, although I was trained as an anthropologist as well, but that was over 35 years ago. I could really use some suggestions for basic readings on LGBTQ folks, particularly the BTQ end of the spectrum, for both me (can be long and scholarly) and for my students (basically mostly white, middleclass, with many first generation college attendees). I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks for all your posts. I don’t comment, but I read them all, and they really resonate. I admit, however, that I love the cat ones best. ;-p
Bonelady – I would reccomend heading over to feministing.com. They have multiple LGBTQ writers of colour and will be able to answer your questions throughly. It’s really easy to create an account, which you can use to contact the editors. Jos would be a great person to ask.
Aww, what a little tiger, Howard.
quote from that reddit thread.
I bet he does associate with men who do. He just doesn’t realise it because they don’t do it to him.
Howard Bannister, have you stolen Morrisey’s cat? *looks sternly over glasses*
That picture reminds me of the ‘gravity is a Furinatti conspiracy’ tangent we had somewhere…
You can’t steal cats, because cats don’t belong to you, you belong to them. So, insofar as I am willing to answer these *baseless allegations,* which are obviously motivated solely by CAT-JEALOUSY, all I will say is that if a cat thinks I’m better than Morrisey, then obviously they’re right and I am.
Because cats are always right.
Kitty is so cute! I would snuggle that kitty so much (unless kitty didn’t want snuggles).
That is a sweet cat, Howard. How is zie settling in?
Awww, Howard, what a cute cat! Those eyes!
I cannot look at Morrissey with a cat on his head without feeling immediately better about he world.
Excellent choice
ofby a cat,@Bonelady I’m also an archaeologist/anthropologist! Although I can’t help with LGBTQ issues. Although I feel your pain trying to teach undergraduates about gender at all.
I have an Extremely Important Question for Pecunium whenever he’s around, or to anyone else in the meantime:
How does a military officer refer to two soldiers with the same rank and the same last name?
http://globalnews.ca/news/1078306/watch-incredible-video-shows-lion-whisperer-kevin-richardson-hugging-it-out-with-a-pride-of-lions/
I know this isn’t cats on heads, but it’s pretty effing amazing! This guy gets to cuddle with lions and hyenas!
It’s true – I adore tabbies. Lovely kitty, Howard.
A little update since I think I last posted in the November open thread:
I’m alive, not homeless, and found a much better-paying job. Plus, at the end of the month, my wife and I are weighing anchor and leaving this shit-town for greener pastures and a place where our monthly costs will be halved.
Also, we’ve started fostering kittens. Best thing we could possibly have done for ourselves, and we’ve already found homes for 12 out of the 15 we’ve taken in since mid-Nov.
http://peterborough.kijiji.ca/c-pets-cats-kittens-for-sale-Three-female-kittens-for-adoption-through-Home-Again-Bancroft-W0QQAdIdZ558978576
Congratulations on all fronts, damselindetech.
So there’s been yet another school shooting in the U.S. this morning. I feel like we are never going to learn. :(
Dunno who Morrisey is, but he has a cat on his head, so what more’s needed?
Howard, lovely kitty!
Nothing to report here except it’s So Freaking Hot and I’m moving at half-speed.
So… What does one do in threads like this? Just talk about life and how things are going?
Pretty much! It’s a nice place to chat and to support one another. How are you doing, BreakfastMan?
Not super well. Looking for a job, and the uncertainty it causes has not been good for my mental well-being. Or maybe that is just the exorbitant amounts of black-metal I have been listening to, lately… Oh, and I am completely broke. That isn’t fun.
But… The new Cynic song is really good and I don’t have to worry about food, warmth, or shelter, so things aren’t completely terrible. XD
Unemployment sucks. Hope you find something soon.
It is very annoying. Recently graduated and have been looking to start my career. The place I am at now feels like some sort of weird limbo, stuck between one part of my life and the next, just waiting for a change. And I don’t think I like it…
@Viscaria
He is not only a snuggler, he is an aggressive snuggler who will attempt to snuggle you harder than you can snuggle him.
@Cloudiah
He’s really starting to feel secure, and the other cat is starting to get used to him. They’ve figured out whose food is whose and don’t seem to be fighting at all, and they’re starting to play. I was afraid it would take months to get them to this point, and it only took a week.
@BreakfastMan
It’s not a great economy to be job-hunting… I know a guy who just managed to snag a job after a year unemployed. It was really getting to him. There are jobs out there, but there’s three or four people looking for every job that’s open. It’s rough.
@Howard Bannister:
Luckily, I have it better than most, from what I can gather. I am looking for a job in one of the areas with better job prospects (computer science) in one of the best locations for such a position (western Washington state), so it is very likely I could get something in around a month. The process remains incredibly stressful, however, especially as I hate doing interviews. D:
I took my first Mandarin class today. I have now completed all three of my New Years resolution in the month of January. I have never done that before. So I made two more resolutions
I was interviewed by our morning paper on my work on free will and morality. I got three emails from dudes in response to the article. Two were nice and interested ones. The third one just wrote “Actually, there is no such thing as free will! Just read the great MALE philosophers and you will see!”.
Posted this on Facebook to the amusement of all my colleagues. (Also, I was under the silly lady impression that a) various great male philosophers, such as Kant and Hume, have argued for the existence of morally relevant freedom or free will, and b) sometimes male philosophers disagree with each other. Obviously this is just some delusion of mine caused by hormones.)
Anyway, to talk about happier things… Anyone else here a hardcore gamer, movie nerd, or metal-head?
It appears the Mens Rights Sub Reddit found my favourite pop culture site and guess what? They don’t like it http://badassdigest.com/2014/01/14/badass-digest-is-run-by-a-bunch-of-female-comic-book-lovers/
Nice. I too frequent Badass, and I love how Devin takes no shit in the comments. XD
And that article is great, besides. Pretty much sums up the whole, sad situation. XD
In fairness, he had no choice about sending that email.
I have a better health insurance plan because of Obamacare! I guess that obliges me to support him mindlessly.
And your kitty is adorable, Howard.
That is the most hilarious thing I’ve read yet today.
Hey guys, I have a question that maybe some of you can help me with or point me in the right direction.
I have relatively recently made a new internet friend. This friend is a person with bipolar disorder. In the past couple weeks this friend has been having a manic episode. They’re in the care of a doctor and are nearby to family which is good. We talk all the time online, and lately they’ve been acting grandiose and somewhat paranoid, and I’m not really sure the best way to respond when the conversation goes in this direction. Most of the time it’s easy to say something empathetic like “I’m sorry your doctor didn’t understand you”, but I am not sure how to respond to things like “isn’t it weird that X, Y, Z” where I don’t, in fact, think it’s weird, or I think they are misinterpreting something.
I’m just not sure the best way to support them when I disagree with their interpretations of their experiences. I don’t want to invalidate their feelings, but then on the other hand, maybe they are asking me for a reality check? I don’t know. Of course you guys don’t know my friend and can’t read their mind, but I thought maybe some of you have had similar experiences you’d be willing to share, and any advice? The internet is kind of stupid on this topic, as it seems like most of the “how to help someone having a manic episode” advice is about whether you should have them hospitalized and yeah, no, that is SO not my call.
Katz — Sir Pecunium has been emailed. Don’t expect a speedy reply, I think he’s on the road currently, though he might leave tomorrow.
Because it’s sorta on topic, much as open threads ever are, I left my iPod on a train on my way to pecunium’s. Yeah, I feel dumb. If it doesn’t turn up by the end of the week, it probably won’t. But I talked my father into giving me his debit card number since he keeps buying my brother more expensive things, and will be getting a brand new one if it doesn’t turn up.
Also, more cory eggs! The largest of the first batch have been moved into the 55g and now look so small again, after looking huge in the 2.5g, the second batch is doing almost too good, if this batch does as well I’m going to have to enforce gender segregation among my mature cories! (Not a problem, I have like three mature boys and room in the 29g, particularly if I more the girls up to the 55g). Puff is begging for snails, big surprise there, and the cat is mad that I went away for the weekend, also a shocking surprise I’m sure.
In other dumbfounding things, I need coffee.
If I am kinda iffy on the whole Free Will debate. I believe that we are more “Free Won’t” than “Free Will” but I do believe the more aware one is, the more free one is…you cannot have Free Will without being aware, but you can have Free Won’t just by being minimally aware
@katz:
At risk of missing a joke, in my experience, the officer would probably pick some distinguishing feature to differentiate them, or otherwise just include their first name if clarification is needed. Why do you ask?
@Robert Ramirez:
Mandarin Chinese! Fun stuff. Are you learning written or strictly spoken? I can offer some great resources for both, especially if you ever plan on taking the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi).
AIT — I’m guessing first name, but distinguishing feature? Not for formal address, and for informal address the question seems less relevant.
Katz — to complicate matters further, various ranks are sometimes lumped together in formal address — e.g he’s (staff) sergeant [last name here]. So maybe using the full rank is how they do it? First name seems more likely.
In any case, after being shown his bookshelf of army manuals, I’m sure there’s an answer in there somewhere (sadly, despite his offer that I can have duplicates, none were of any interest or use to me, I love well written manuals)
@ katz:
I should clarify I only have experience in the US military, and I cannot remember where you are posting from, so I apologize for making that assumption.
@AIT I am going the strictly spoken route, we are immersing ourselves in the language by playing out real life situations. It is a cool class.
I would love some of those resources!
@ Argenti Aetheri
Probably so. Living around it day to day, I tend to think in informal instead of formal/ceremonial context.
I’ve been bored with my video games, so I started Skyrim again. Playing as a Bosmer sneaky archer-type. I finally got around to buying the DLC for it, so I guess I’ll be building myself a house, or whatever you do with Hearthfire.
@ Robert Ramirez:
Awesome! Those are great, when the whole class is talking in target language. I have to run to work for a fewhours, but meantime, have you ever heard of Pleco or MDBG? Pleco is an awesome free dictionary app for smartphones and tablets, and MDBG is a desktop program with all kinds of great features. I will talk more on this later tonight. Jia you!
@AIT
Shie-shie
@Bonelady
Some books I recommend:
– Sexing the Body by Anne Fausto-Sterling (PDF book is accessible here)
– Evolution’s Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden*
– Whipping Girl by Julia Serano*
– Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender by Vern L. Bullough and Bonnie Bullough
*I have these as PDF books on my laptop if you want them. You can email me at aaliyahsyed94[at]gmail[dot]com and I’ll send them to you via an email attachment.
Anne Fausto-Sterling’s work on gender and sex is very insightful in that it attempts to deconstruct the male-female sex binary.
I haven’t read Evolution’s Rainbow yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it since it approaches issues pertaining to sex and gender from an evolutionary biology perspective. I don’t know if it would be relevant for you since you’re an anthropologist (although I may be mistaken), but it’s worth checking out regardless.
Whipping Girl is a very flawed book for several reasons (if you’re curious about why I’m critical of the book, I’ll be happy to discuss it with you), but Serano’s critique of queer theory conceptions of sex and gender is interesting and reflects a common disagreement among trans/queer activists. I personally value this book because it helped me realize I was trans, but aside from personal preferences, one reason I value it is that its criticism of anti-trans psychological research and the cis-centric psychiatric community is insightful and very well-argued.
The last book on the list approaches the topic stated in the title from a primarly sociological perspective. The authors explore the various gender dynamics that shaped discourse surrounding gender, gender roles, gender expression, sex as a medical construct, and gender non-conformity in general. It’s a fantastic book for anyone interested in studying those topics, even though it’s kind of old.
Another awesome thing about Cross Dressing, Sex, and Gender is that it includes a cross-cultural historical analysis of sex and gender, thereby providing an analysis that is broader in scope and more rigorous than many analyses like it.
Ally, I’m interested in your take on Whipping Girl. Reading it now.
@ Robert Ramirez:
Bu yong! Also, slight pet peeve on the Pinyin there, there is a difference between X and Sh, so that one is spelled Xie Xie. That’ll help when looking things up in the dictionary.
@cloudiah
Basically, Serano reduces transmisogyny to femmephobia (hatred for the femme), which is inaccurate in my view. Femmephobia is certainly an essential component of transmisogyny, but it’s not the only component.
If transmisogyny were only a result of femmephobia, then one would expect cross-dressing men and AMAB trans women to be treated in very similar ways. But despite the conflation of cross-dressing and transness, we are treated worse than cross-dressing men. In fact, the insults directed at cross-dressing men are almost always transmisogynistic in nature – such as the slurs “tr*nny” and “shemale.”
I also disagree with Serano’s bio-centric perspective. She is a biologist, and so I understand why she would take a position that centers biology, but her arguments for the biological cause of transness aren’t too persuasive (even though I sympathize with them because, like her, I feel that bio-centric narratives of transness are comforting in some ways). And although certainly some social constructionists have used their philosophy to marginalize and talk over trans people, it’s still possible to conceive of both sex and gender as social constructs in a way that isn’t cissexist.
There are other criticisms I have, but my mind is kind of rusty right now because I haven’t read the book in ages. Ultimately, I suggest is that you don’t take Whipping Girl as the most authoritative book on trans/queer activism. I used to think that everything I needed to know about trans/queer activism in that book, but having read many other things on the subject (particularly post-structuralist critiques of sex and gender – I’m not talking about Judith Butler here), I now think otherwise.
For a story, naturally. These ladies are paternal cousins. (No, they’re not American, but I’m pretty sure that nobody here was ever in the Red Army.)
By the way, AMAB stands for “assigned male at birth.” I should have mentioned that.
Ally, thanks. I just started it, and frankly I’m reading it in kind of a distracted way, during down time in my mom’s hospital room. If you wanted to send me the other PDFs, I’m interested…
AIT — oh that’s fit, you’re military too huh? Sorry, I’m used to pecunium being the (retired) service member around here. You can just call me Argenti btw, and I use gender neutral pronouns (ze, zir), you?
Fit = right
Autocorrect hates me a lot
@cloudiah
Sent! I added a little bonus PDF book as well.
Also, I’m happy to share PDF books with anyone else if they’re interested. I have subjects ranging from programming to feminist theory.
@BreakfastMan
“Anyone else here a hardcore gamer, movie nerd, or metal-head”
I’m not sure I would classify myself as a hardcore gamer, it’s well.. too hardcore for me. I do love RPGs though and any game with a great story line. What games do you play?
I’m also more of TV-aficionado than a movie buff and prefer rock and/or blues over metal.
I don’t play games much anymore, but I’ve done some hardcore gaming before.
And I’m definitely a metal-head! Favorite metal bands: Black Sabbath (my all-time favorite metal band), Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Anthrax, (old) Metallica, Dream Theater, Queensryche, Bolt Thrower, Entombed, and Electric Wizard. ^_^