Blogging Against Sexism

Let's hear it for the boy who'll say
`Get this macho tough guy shit away!´
Good Clean Fun -- Eleventh Commandment

Alright, as announced, it is my great pleasure heed vegankid's call and Blog Against Sexism today. Since 1921 March 8 is the International Women's Day (from 1910 to 1921 it was called the International Socialist Women's Day and celebrated on March 19), a day for women and men (and everyone between these categories) alike to act and speak up against the still continuing violence against women, against their underrepresentation in politics, companies, and academia, against lower pay for women, against old and young boy's networks, against `harmless´ jokes, against exclusively male spaces, against condescending behavior, against fixed gender roles, against men not sharing the burden of housework, against objectification of women in media, culture, and science, against making women's work and achievements invisible, against pink for girls and blue for boys, against tough guys at hardcore shows. Unfortunately, this list is by no means complete but should nonetheless give you some idea why it is still fucking important to do something, not only on March 8, but on every day of every year. Period.

Sexism is not a woman-problem. It is my problem and it is yours. We all have to take up the fight against sexism, on all levels, at all times.

Thanks for listening.

Until you walk, run, fight a mile in her shoes
Don't you dare stand in front of me and tell me
What a woman must do
Until you have walked, run, fought a mile in her shoes
Don't you dare stand in front of me and tell me
What a woman must do
What a woman must do
She must
Swing from chandeliers for undeserving spouses and paramours
Who deny her suffrage by day, but crave and praise her womanly wiles by night
Good enough to fuck but, not good enough to vote
She must
Go from the beauty of Africa, to the horrors of massa
Go from titties dangling bare and shameless
To being branded, licentious, temptress, embarrassed
Go from land of yams and heat hot
To land of cash crops and sellers block
Go… from God names, to no name, to his names
Go… from God names, to no name, to his names
Now Black
Now inhuman
Freedom stolen, family stolen, now beholden… but still golden
Field hollerin'… and Ain't I A Woman
and Ain't I A Woman I can see her, me
Washing dishes, clothes, and children
Making love, money, dinner, and beds
Always the first one off a sinking ship
But last in the line to receive respect

What
What a
What a woman
What a woman must
What a woman must do
What a woman must do
What a woman must do
Must do
Must do, must do, must do, must do, must do…

She must
Wipe away tears and reclaim strength
After rape, abortion, lover's betrayal, child's birth, child's death,
husband's abuse
Tricking to buy baby shoes
She must
Be called a muse
Which is just a synonym for use
Put upon pedestals
Dainty and protected
And because of that disrespected
Victorianized
Made a paradox of famous anonymity
Left to go insane with too much femininity
Staring at yellow wallpaper
Her heart
Open
Her legs
Open
Warm and welcoming
Waiting… for phone calls that never come
Waiting… for words of appreciation that never come
Waiting… for equal pay that never comes
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting
Waiting, waiting, waiting Waiting for love
Waiting for acknowledgment not judgment
Waiting
And when seeking or achieving any kind of power
Reduced to labels like… Concubine. Cunt. Bitch. Whore. Stunt. Witch. Dyke
Concubine. Cunt. Bitch. Whore. Stunt. Witch. Dyke

What a woman must do

She must
Never settle for less based upon her womaness
Embrace the pronoun and power of SHE
Know if nothing else that her uniqueness is blessed
And a necessary component in the union between universe and people
Equal to man
At times above human understanding
She don't have to lay down for nothing or nobody
Her body in and out a wonder
The wonder of SHE
Ursula Rucker -- What a woman must do

Hobbes, Boyle and Air Pumps

I've been planning this since the beginning but never had time, energy, or whatever to actually do it: a new layout for my blog. The templates that blogger offers are really nice but, of course, lacking personal touch. The new banner on top now has this personal touch as it reflects on the title of my blog and my blogger-name. Why this thing is called "Luftpumpen und andere Wesen" (air pumps and other beings) has been explained here (German only), and so you might recognize some of the actants: on the left we have Mr Thomas Hobbes, followed by the upper half of the frontispiece of his most famous book, Leviathan, Or the Matter, Forme, and Power of A Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil. In the middle we have a nice drawing of Otto von Guericke's early air pump model as illustrated by his colleague Gaspar Schott. Then comes one of Boyle's air pumps, followed by a portrait of the Honorary Sir Robert Boyle himself.
I must admit that I really like the new design but critical remarks are nonetheless toleratedwelcome.

Deutsche Studenten

A German student is not a pleasant companion, he is unclean, eats "Blut-und-Leber Wurst" and is usually not "begeistert." On the other hand, the English Undergrad is, as a rule clean, lives healthily and learns in a healthy fashion. The aesthetic ideal, mind and body combined, is on our side.

So der britische Mathematiker Karl Pearson in einem Brief vom 16. Januar 1880 an seinen Mentor Oscar Browning. Da Pearson von der intellektuellen Überlegenheit des neugegründeten Deutschlands überzeugt war, ging er nach seinem Studium in Cambridge für mehrere Monate nach Heidelberg und Berlin -- und war, wie obiges Zitat zeigt, not impressed.

Datenhamster

Seufz, obwohl ich mich im Dezember ja eigentlich schon exkulpiert hatte, will ich angesichts neuer Entwicklungen und auch Aktionsmöglichkeit ein paar Neuigkeiten zu den eifrigen Datenhamstern in EU und Doitschland posten. Nachdem am 21. Februar der EU-Rat der in meinem Dezember-Post diskutierten Vorlage des EU-Parlament ohne wesentliche Änderungen zugestimmt hat und auch Bundestag und -regierung mehrheitlich keine Probleme mit der Richtlinie haben, gab es heute ein interessantes Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts über den Schutz von Verbindungsdaten und elektronischen Inhalten.

Das Urteil löste allgemein gespaltene Reaktionen aus -- einerseits wurde der Datenschutz geschwächt, da elektronische Kommunikation nur noch während der Übertragung vom strengen Fernmeldegeheimnis geschützt ist. Das heißt, wenn bei einer (richterlich angeordneten) Hausdurchsuchung E-Mails und Handy-Verbindungsdaten beschlagnahmt werden, ist dies -- zumindest solange die Verhältnismäßigkeit gewahrt bleibt, was im verhandelten Fall nicht so war -- rechtens. Ich finde das ehrlich gesagt auch halbwegs einleuchtend, da man sich bei einem Brief, der bei einem zuhause herumliegt, ja auch nicht auf das Postgeheimnis berufen kann. Und abgesehen davon sah die Praxis der Strafverfolgung eh nie anders aus.

Das Positive an der Entscheidung liegt nun andererseits darin, dass eine Verwertung der Verbindungsdaten während der Übertragung, also genau der von der Vorratsdatenspeicherung erfasste Sachverhalt, vorsichtig kritisch bewertet wurde. So sahen sich sowohl KritikerInnen als auch BefürworterInnen der VDS in ihren Ansichten eher bestätigt -- das Urteil ist also definitiv nicht das letzte Wort in dieser Angelegenheit.

Wer sich in der Angelegenheit nicht auf die blinde Justitia verlassen will und noch Vertrauen in das Instrument der Petition hat, sollte sich dringend als UnterstützerIn bei dieser Petition an den Bundestag eintragen (momentan 10 685 Zeichende). Ich finde die Begründung zwar ziemlich lasch und die Erfolgsaussichten zweifelhaft, aber besser als Nichtstun ist es allemal ...

Ach ja, Verschlüsselung von E-Mails, Festplatten und was einem sonst noch so einfällt ist natürlich auch eine sehr gute Idee! Und heutzutage auch nicht mehr so furchtbar kompliziert.

In diesem Sinne: Tod den Datenhamstern!*

* Als Veganer darf ich das! Und ist natürlich auch nur metaphorisch gemeint. Versprochen.

Blogging against sexism

I'm a bit, yet not too late for promoting the Blog Against Sexism Day on March 8. Indeed, a very good idea by vegankid, though, of course, every day should be used to blog (and do other things) against sexism. So spread the word and participate!
Vegan-anti-sexist-power go!

PS I found this on a nice Berlin-based blog, yeahpope. Definitely worth checking out.