Confronting Gender(ed) Trouble
This week offered a few critical reminders that the rhetoric we use and the stories we tell with it matter, whether expressed in public or in private. For example, according to this piece by Hannah Groch-Begley at Media Matters, “the media have…played a sizeable role” in allowing anti-choice forces to control the conversation about Roe v. Wade and women’s bodily autonomy. Meanwhile, over at Jezebel, a #longread by Rohin Guha calls attention to the misogyny often masked behind gay male privilege.
Catherine Samba-Panza is the interim president of the Central African Republic. Her job–seeking reconciliation in the face of violence–is described by some as “hellish,” but she is described as “Mother Courage.”
Speaking of women, the presidency, and hellish jobs…this happened. Discuss.
Speaking of women (or their super-scary Godzilla libidos at least), the presidency, and Mike Huckabee…this happened too. Eye-roll, then discuss.
Cityscapes: Far, Near, Virtual
In Kiev, thousands of Ukrainians mourned protesters slain earlier this week and unrest continues.
Amid increased violence, January 25 marked the third anniversary of the uprising that overthrew autocratic President Hosni Mubarak (See “The Spark” in Issue 1 for a first-hand account).
A few months ago, TBQ data wizards produced a map that proved it’s not just in our heads, the rent really is too damn high in NYC. Now, a new report from the MIT Center for Real Estate forecasts home prices in 60 U.S. cities. It finds that whether housing prices are going up or down depends on where you live. Color us surprised.
The politics of “invisible labor” and the internet: Anne Helen Petersen interviews a virtual assistant and publisher at The Hairpin.
Trends, Tours, Translations
Toast is the new black, or something. This development seems well-timed, as we’ll need a carb vehicle for all the new chocolate spreads Hershey is marketing to remind Nutella who is boss in ‘Murica.
Blast from the past: via Brain Pickings, have a look at the card catalog and the librarian as intellectual guide. Then experience Brooklyn in the 1920s courtesy of Gothamist.
Courtesy of Ben Moser (and perfectly timed to our forthcoming issue on translation), have a listen to Clarice Lispector‘s last and only televised interview, with English subtitles.
What were you reading, writing, or making this past week? Let us know in the comments!
image: protesters and riot police in Kiev this week, courtesy of flickr/varlamov