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International Women’s Day has gotten SO commercialized

I mean, seriously?

I’m not even sure if I’ll be putting up a tree next year.

That said, Martha Marcy May Marlene is an awesome movie. You should rent it and eat cupcakes.

In the meantime, let’s celebrate International Women’s Day the right way. With a gif of Maude Lebowski saying “vagina.”

 

EDITED TO ADD: In case anyone is wondering, I have no idea who did that graphic; it’s floating around on tumblr. I found it courtesy of unknowable woman.

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Medrala
Medrala
12 years ago

Lol @ the guy who said white men ‘made’ gunpowder. I thought it was basic knowledge that the (eeevull) Chinese invented that stuff?

Ruby Hypatia
Ruby Hypatia
12 years ago

Fire wasn’t invented, it was discovered, and the first humans to use fire lived in Africa, so they were not white. The oldest wheel was discovered in ancient Mesopotamia, not Europe. Mesopotamia is also where the earliest writing was discovered, again, not Europe. China was the first to use money, and as someone already pointed out, they invented gun powder. That leaves telescopes, elevators, and nuclear bombs, which really were invented by white men. That being said, the invention of stuff is a silly excuse to give any one group special treatment.

titianblue
titianblue
10 years ago

I know I’m necroing but it’s International Men’s Day (woohoo)and I thought you folks might enjoy this press release –

http://www.internationalmensday.com/media.html

Yep, apparently MC Hammer is a positive role model.

Oh, and if your research is “irrefutable”, you don’t have to , you know give citations. Cos, hey, noone could refute it, even if they knew where it came from and how it was done. Cos, irrefutable, folks.

Argenti Aertheri
Argenti Aertheri
10 years ago

“mothers typically are nurturing, soft, gentle, comforting, protective and emotional. Fathers tend to be challenging, prodding, loud, playful and encourage risk taking. ”

*dies*

My mother is most of both lists. Idk what they mean by soft, but she’s sorta squishy when I poke her and then loud about being poked…and protective, I’ve kinda trained her out of that one, in part because my father is the definition of over-protective, to the point that *drumroll* no risk taking can occur!

In short, having a father in the home does not inherently mean having a positive male role model.

vaiyt
10 years ago

“we invented fire. And the wheel. And gunpowder. And telescopes. And money. And writing. And elevators. And nuclear bombs.”

Leaving out that it definitely wasn’t Europeans who discovered fire (discovered in Africa, since it’s older than Homo sapiens), or invented the wheel (probably Middle East), gunpowder (China), money (Middle East) or writing (Middle East)…

There’s this small problem that the vast majority of white men didn’t invent anything either. It wasn’t you who invented telescopes, elevators or nuclear bombs. Why should you get to piggyback on the accomplishments of people who happen to share your skin color?

cloudiah
10 years ago

Thank you for necroing, titianblue, that was hilarious.

titianblue
titianblue
10 years ago

Couldn’t resist – I note that the charming (not) Warwick Marsh is a co-founder of the National Marriage Coalition, opposed to same-sex marriage. So is IMD only for the straight cis-men, then?

Alice Sanguinaria
10 years ago

So. Much. Gender. Essentialism. Gah!

I might need to mock that release later.

sparky
sparky
10 years ago

To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sportsmen but everyday, working class men who are living decent, honest lives.

And we’ll start the press release off with a quote from MC Hammer.

Dear International Men’s Day committee: Please stop mythologizing the working class. We are people, and not all of us are men. What we really need are jobs that pay a living wage, not lip service on your special day that you made up.

To improve gender relations and promote gender equality.

But first we’re going to start off with some nifty gender essentialism that tells mothers and fathers how thy are supposed to be. Father’s being soft, gentle, nurturing and emotional? Mothers being loud, playful, prodding and encouraging risk-taking? Nonsense! Better toe the appropriate gender line! And better be straight and cis-, too! Cause the only “real” family is the “Leave It Beaver” fantasy model.

grumpycatisagirl
grumpycatisagirl
10 years ago

I love my dad and definitely consider him a positive role model, but “encouraging risk taking”? No. Actually probably would’ve been quite different if I were a boy, but no.

Protective? Yes, both my mom and dad are that.

katz
10 years ago

“mothers typically are nurturing, soft, gentle, comforting, protective and emotional. Fathers tend to be challenging, prodding, loud, playful and encourage risk taking. ”

Hmm. I’m really nothing off the mothers list except protective. I am probably challenging, prodding, loud, and playful, though. I guess I had better become a father, not a mother.

CassandraSays
CassandraSays
10 years ago

Both of my parents were nurturing AND encouraged some risk taking. Both parents dispensed both hugs and discipline. Mum was more playful, Dad more emotional (which doesn’t mean that either parent lacked the other quality).

These guys aren’t describing things they’ve actually observed, they’re describing a fantasy that seems to be all that keeps them going.