"My Face for the World to See..."

This was awesome, thank you myntti for the link!



I haven't read Twilight nor have I seen the movie, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of this creative reinterpretation. :)

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A must read for people engaging in discussions on the internet! ;)

Making discrimination easier: Derailing For Dummies

"A simple step-by-step guide to derailing awkward conversations by dismissing and trivializing your opposition's perspective and experience."

*If You Won't Educate Me How Can I Learn
*If You Cared About These Matters You'd Be Willing To Educate Me
*You're Being Hostile
*But That Happens To Me Too!
*You're Being Overemotional
*You're Taking Things Too Personally
*You’re Not Being Intellectual Enough/You’re Being Overly Intellectual
*You're Arguing With Opinions Not Fact
*Your Experience Is Not Representative Of Everyone
*Unless You Can Prove Your Experience Is Widespread I Won't Believe It
*I Don't Think You're As Marginalised As You Claim
*Well I Know Another Person From Your Group Who Disagrees!
*A In B Situation Is Not Equivalent To X In Y Situation
*Who Wins Gold in the Oppression Olympics?
*You Have A False Consciousness
*You're Not Being A Team Player
*You've Lost Your Temper So I Don't Have To Listen To You Anymore
*You Are Damaging Your Cause By Being Angry
*Surprise! I Was Playing “Devil’s Advocate” All Along!

I recently joined the community 12films_poc. The point is to watch films written and/or directed by people of color. Today I'm going to see my first film, Moolaadé, a film from Senegal. It's about a group of women who fight against female genital mutilation.



The film is shown today on TV in Finland, on YLE Teema at 21.55.

In other news, in five weeks I will have completed all the courses for my master's degree in computer science. (Assuming I pass the exams...) I've been really busy, and will continue to be busy for a while longer.

In Finland, and elsewhere too, racism is commonly understood as racial prejudice in racist individuals. This ignores the reality of racial discrimination, which is much more pervasive than simple racist acts committed by racist people. Racism is systemic, which means that it pertains to our whole society, working through invisible systems which bestow dominance on white people. This is called institutional racism. Some definitions of instututional racism can be found here.

Institutional racism has been defined as those established laws, customs, and practices which systematically reflect and produce racial inequalities in society. If racist consequences accrue to institutional laws, customs or practices, the institution is racist whether or not the individuals maintaining those practices have racial intentions.

The flip side of institutional racism is white privilege. It means, that whether or not a white person is racist, or strives to become anti-racist, this person benefits from white privilege. When we grow up, we learn many things that are usually not explicitly taught to us - racial prejudice is one of these things. (Read Our Racist, Sexist Selves by Nicholas D. Kristof for more on this.) White privilege lets us see ourselves as normal, and as Peggy McIntosh writes, "whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow “them” to be more like “us.”"

In her essay White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh lists 50 instances of white privilege. I have chosen a few of them here:

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.
2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.
6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.
11. I can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.
12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.
16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race.
18. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of my race.
20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.
41. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.
46. I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.
50. I will feel welcomed and "normal" in the usual walks of public life, institutional and social.

Peggy McIntosh writes:

"The pressure to avoid [thinking about white privilege] is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country; one's life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own."

White skin color gives an unfair advantage to white people, because institutional racism disadvantages people of color. Our success depends not only on our own merits, but on the opportunities we are given. Our skin color affects these opportunities.

There are different types of privileges, some of them are basic human rights, while others enable the privileged person to damage others. Peggy McIntosh writes:

"Some, like the expectation that neighbors will be decent to you, or that your race will not count against you in court, should be the norm in a just society. Others, like the privilege to ignore less powerful people, distort the humanity of the holders as well as the ignored groups."

One factor seems clear about all of the interlocking oppressions. They take both active forms, which we can see, and embedded forms, which as a member of the dominant groups one is taught not to see. In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.

Jennifer Kesler comments on Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack:

"It’s easier to see when others have advantages you don’t; tougher to see when you hold advantages others don’t. You’re trained from birth to see your privileges as rights you are owed simply for showing up. But if not everyone has those “rights”, then clearly they are privileges. If you claim not to support unequal rights dispersed on random criteria such as color or gender, then you need to listen carefully and investigate before dismissing claims that other people don’t fully share your “rights”."

I have collected here a few additional links for your anti-racism neeeds. :)

"Check my what?" On privilege and what we can do about it by Andrea Rubenstein

Privilege means never having to explain why it doesn’t work for Others by Jennifer Kesler
White Trash Blues: Class Privilege v. White Privilege by Jennifer Kesler

Clues for white people dealing with racism: "it's not about you"
It's Not About You by jonquil
How Not To be Insane When Accused of Racism: A Guide For White People by Ampersand
Baby-stepping away from racism: A guide for white people by paradox_dragon
Ally Work: Suggested Reading

How to Suppress Discussions of Racism by coffeeandink
The Art of Defending Racism by yeloson

How white privilege works on an international level:
Martin Jacques: The global hierarchy of race
"Whites are the only race that never suffers any kind of systemic racism anywhere in the world. And the impact of white racism has been far more profound and baneful than any other: it remains the only racism with global reach."
Racism on an international scale by oyceter

Link list:
sparkymonster's List of Links for Clueless White People

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
United Nations: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

Hihittelin tälle tänään:

Todellista tasa-arvotyötä
Kirjoittanut RITVA LIISA SNELLMAN

Suomi on tasa-arvon maa. Oikein hallitusohjelmassakin luvataan edistää sukupuolten välistä tasa-arvoa, koska se on keskeinen arvo suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa.

Hienoa, että kustantajatkin ovat nyt työssä mukana.

Gummerus julkaisee maaliskuussa ala-asteikäisille tarkoitetun kirjakaksikon. Vihreäkantinen Poikien kirja on sankarin selviytymisopas kiperiin tilanteisiin koulussa ja sademetsissä. Siinä neuvotaan, miten suunnitellaan tutkimusmatka, kannetaan joku turvaan tai kirjoitetaan kouluaine.

Tyttöjen kirjassa on tietysti vaaleanpunainen kansi ja vielä rankempi sisältö. Maailman parhaaksi mainostetussa glamouroppaassa opastetaan, miten tehdään tyylikäs sisääntulo, miten saadaan superkiiltävät hiukset ja miten korkokantakengillä oikein kävellään.

Helsingin Sanomat, sunnuntaina 1.2.2009, sivu D6

January:
Jennifer Armintrout: Possession (Blood Ties, Book 2)
Sherrilyn Kenyon: Dark Side of the Moon
Patricia Briggs: Moon Called
Liza Marklund, Lotta Snickare: Helvetissä on erityinen paikka naisille, jotka eivät auta toisiaan
Yasmine Galenorn: Ghost of a Chance
Jessica Valenti: Full Frontal Feminism

February:
Savannah Russe: Past Redemption: The Darkwing Chronicles (Book Two)
Inga Muscio: Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
Bart D. Ehrman: Misquoting Jesus : The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
Julie Kenner: Carpe Demon : Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
Nora Roberts: Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3)

March:
Amanda Ashley, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Ronda Thompson, Maggie Shayne: Midnight Pleasures
Bart D. Ehrman: Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium
M. R. Sellars: Perfect Trust: A Rowan Gant Investigation Book 3

April:
M. R. Sellars: The Law of Three: A Rowan Gant Investigation Book 4
Patricia Briggs: Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2)
Yasmine Galenorn: Legend of the Jade Dragon: A Chintz 'n China Mystery
Liv Strömquist: Einsteins fru

May:
Claire Castillon: Pieni sydän jaksaa rakastaa

June:
Katriina Järvinen, Laura Kolbe: Luokkaretkellä hyvinvointiyhteiskunnassa: Nykysukupolven kokemuksia tasa-arvosta
Judith Uyterlinde: Rakkaustesti

July:
Kirsi Virtanen: Lupa olla nainen
Yasmine Galenorn: Murder Under a Mystic Moon
S. Francis, H. Dugmore, Rico: Madam & Eve
Charlaine Harris: Real Murders
Charlaine Harris: A Bone To Pick
Rosalind B. Penfold: Dragonslippers
Liv Strömquist, Jan Bieleck: Drift
Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour

August:
Marjo Kaartinen: Neekerikammo
Mira Kirschenbaum: Too Good To Leave, Too Bad To Stay
Carrie Vaughn: Kitty Goes to Washington
Julie Kenner: California Demon
Shanna Swendson: Enchanted Inc.
Laurell K. Hamilton: Blue Moon (Anita Blake #8)
Randa Abdel-Fattah: Does My Head Look Big in This?

September:
Octavia E. Butler: Kindred
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Neitsythäkki
Anna Rastas, Laura Huttunen & Olli Löytty (toim.): Suomalainen vieraskirja : kuinka käsitellä monikulttuurisuutta
Laurell K. Hamilton: Obsidian Butterfly (Anita Blake #9)

October:
Virginie Despentes: Teen Spirit

November:
Emma Holly: Catching Midnight
Ray Loriga: Kameleontti
Lena Katarina Swanberg: Blod, svett och tårar - en ilsken bok om österogen
Deborah Cameron: Sukupuoli ja kieli
Jeff Strand: Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary)
Laurell K. Hamilton: Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake #10)
Mari Mörö: Paikkaa ja mieltä

December:
-

Yay, I got tickets to Hanoi Rocks last gig, on Sunday April 12 at Tavastia! (It's Easter, so no work/school on Monday.) I'm not happy they're quitting, but at least I get to see them once more. Even Mike was inspired to go. During the Easter weekend, Hanoi Rocks will do 4 gigs, one of which is all ages.

In other news, I tried playing bass guitar for the first time yesterday. It was my friend's 5-string bass, and I didn't really know what I was doing, but it was fun. :) I'd love to play more, but Mike doesn't own a bass guitar, even though he sometimes practises playing bass with his regular guitar. I guess I'll have to do the same, as I really don't have the money to invest in a bass guitar right now. (Or I could hang out more at my friend's.)

I'm sorry, but what is "the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds tour" doing on that list? Is it some kind of weird joke? I'm pretty sure that twenty years from now, it will not be on that list...

Anyway, I haven't had the chance to see anything like Woodstock. I have seen a few legendary bands, but none of them were at the height of their success at the time I saw them - I'm simply too young for that. I can't really think of a single new band, that would be close to any of the good old bands. Actually, I'm pretty pessimistic about the state of the music industry as a whole.

It seems that nowadays a lot of the mainstream music is performed by artists, who don't have a whole lot of musical talent. I'm most annoyed at the singers - there are so many awesome singers, so why are so many of the popular artists tone deaf? Way too often, I have to endure crap singers who are completely off key and don't even realize it. On records, auto-tuning is the norm, and young hopefuls taking part in Idols-competitions are trying to emulate the sound of it.

Oh, and if you're a female artist, your looks are way way more important than your music. Amanda Palmer's belly is "too fat" for a music video. I'm sick and tired of this crap.

The challenge: Read 50 books by people of color (50books_poc)

The picture is of my bookshelf, where I organized all the books I have that are written by people of color. Yay, there's more than 50 books! Not so yay - that means the rest of my 2000 or so books are by white people. My very unscientific conclusion is that people of color are very underrepresented in the publishing world, and their books are not often marketed to white people like me.

I realized my reading has been very white, very Europe/America-centric, and it's time to do something about it. :) I'm already doing the "Book from Every Country" Challenge, but as most of my reading is by American or European authors, I decided it would be good to get to know some new authors. Here is where 50books_poc comes in - the community is dedicated to reading 50 books, that are written by authors of color, in one year.

The rules are very simple (copied from the community's user info):
The challenge is to read books by people of color. Other than that, there are no rules about what kinds of books "count." Short books count. (Who doesn't like short books?) Children's books count. Cookbooks count. Graphic novels, picture books, books of maps, dictionaries, prayer books, knitting pattern books, books as art, even edible books are all good. As long as they're by people of color.

This year I have already read one book by a woman of color: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. It is by far the best book I've read in a very long time, but I'm not including it in the challenge, as I hope to read many other awesome books by people of color. :)

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Here are a couple of helpful book links:
Index to Women SF Writers of Color
Sci-fi and Fantasy: The Whitewashing
List of African American writers
Female African American writers
Web Resources on African American Writers and Literature

I had my exam in Introduction to Gender Studies today. I'm really excited about the subject, and I want to study it more. In the spring, I'm going to take a couple of more courses, as well as read some books and take some exams without going to lectures.

My problem is, if I'm going to graduate in this spring, I won't have time to do all the Gender Studies courses I want to! And regardless of if I graduate or not, I have to start working again in May, otherwise I won't have any money... I want to work as a software developer, but it's pretty hard to do it part-time, which means that when I start working, I won't be able to study.

I really want to continue on the path of Women's Studies and Development Studies. It just seems like I'd have to make a choice between working and studying, unless I manage to find some sort of flexible research position. :( But I really want to work as a full time software developer as well. Life is hard, when you can't clone yourself.