Gabfest: And Thereby Hangs A Tail

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Cimorene, Jan 9, 2017.

  1. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    @Gauri03 :wave:

    "I can imagine myself blurbing a book in which Brian Aldiss, predictably, sneers at my work, because then I could preen myself on my magnanimity. But I cannot imagine myself blurbing a book, the first of the series, which not only contains no writing by women, but the tone of which is so self-contentedly, exclusively male, like a club, or a locker room. That would not be magnanimity, but foolishness. Gentlemen, I just don’t belong here."
    - Ursula Le Guin | Letter to John Radziewicz, 1987.

    98f20af8-96e4-49a5-aa0f-e32314a1fdd1_700x183.jpeg

    Late night mindless browsing and this woke up my tipsy saturday senses instantly. Lol. Only her! Just thought to share because you are a fan! : ) Here is the context of the note (more in the list there from other notables too). Saying NO suddenly sounds so fun. If only...!
    Had missed this update, kudos! :thumbsup:
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2022
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  2. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Hello there! Nice to see you back.

    This is why to read her is to love her! She wielded words with such effortless grace. Stemmed from a deep insight into human nature. Someone recently shared a link to her commencement speech at Bryn Mawr College in 1986. The entire speech is worth multiple reads, however this passage stood out in light of recent developments vis-a-vis women's rights in the United States.

    "...when women speak truly they speak subversively--they can't help it: if you're underneath, if you're kept down, you break out, you subvert. We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains. That's what I want--to hear you erupting. You young Mount St. Helenses who don't know the power in you--I want to hear you." -- Ursula K. Le Guin

    If Le Guin's prose speaks to you then check out Octavia Butler. Her short story collection Bloodchild might be an easier place to start. I only discovered her last year after a friend recommended I read 'Kindred' which was phenomenal. I am embarrassed it took me this long to find her. She was a visionary and devastatingly prescient!
     
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  3. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    Interesting backstory for the Bloodchild, glad it's available in the public domain. Will give it a read. A quick search brings these from the archives...

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    ...Butler’s notes on her thought process behind Kindred (available from the Huntington Library, CA). Deep, annnnd I'm sold! Have bookmarked that speech link, will check out Octavia's works too, thank you! :beer-toast1:
     
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  4. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    Btw, is your sufi_playlist_project still on? I found an old, forgotten gem that I like to sneak into the list. : )

    The Derek Trucks Band's guitar cover of the songs Sahib Teri Bandi and Maki Madni by NFAK, a tribute to him and Qawwali music.

     
  5. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    Hmm, cross-post but have some questions... Did I read that verdict right? I kinda agree with the court on this subject. Good riddance indeed or laws will curb the enthusiasms you think? :grazy:
     
  6. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:
    :hello::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:
     
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  7. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I assume you mean the 2018 ruling that decriminalized adultery - Joseph Shine v. Union of India. That one was a no-brainer; It needed to go. One would expect that it was struck down because adultery, while ethically questionable, is not a crime. It's a civil offense and should be treated as such. However the law was struck down on the grounds of unequal treatment of women. Any law that applies differently to men and women violates the equality provision under the constitution. It couldn't/shouldn't stand.

    Section 497 said: "Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery."

    What I find funny and horrifying is the highlighted bit! The way the law was written seems to imply that intercourse with another man with the 'consent' and 'connivance' of the husband was A-okay. Mind you consent here means consent given to the other man. Woman were property. They had no rights. :confused: The sh*t womankind has had to put up with to get where we are is mind-boggling. :facepalm:
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2022
  8. Kohvachn

    Kohvachn Gold IL'ite

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    What about the case of the wife of the other man who didn't do anything? She can't take her husband to the courts like the husband of that other wife who committed the supposedly "criminal offense". And, If both party's wives had their men's permission, it's partly a Swingers Club, that's legal too. :buenrollo: Also, what does it make the husbands who may give the "permission"? P*mps? What a mess! :shakehead:
    Yes. Decriminalization of the law, from a broader perspective, will only help women not be treated as mere properties and give them back the integrity they deserve equally to that of the man in the relationship.
    Agree. If anything counseling/therapies or divorce might be useful solutions for couples but again that's civil court matters and should be rightfully left to them to deal with. Glad the corrective action happened, late than never. :icon_writing:
     
  9. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    While such progressive rulings are welcome, judicial activism is never healthy for a democracy. You only need look where decades of legislating via the judiciary has led us to in the US. Six politically appointed judges are hell bent on upending 60 years of progress.

    I don't know if you have read about Roe v. Wade, the ruling that is on the chopping block. In overturning it they have invoked a dubious interpretation of individual privacy and 'original rights'. Employment rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial equality and civil rights hinge on the same idea of privacy that is under attack. You can imagine what that means. Abortion will only be the first right to go. If the legislature had done its job over the years, we wouldn't be at the precipice of a fascist takeover.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2022
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  10. Mistt

    Mistt IL Hall of Fame

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    I absolutely agree with you! Enjoy with your mom.:hearteyes:
     
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