Casting my memory back to the Columbine massacre, when it felt like the world stopped, I can’t believe how we got to a place where mass shootings have become everyday news. There have been 17 mass shootings (defined as 4 or more victims) in 2019, many of them targeting wives, partners, or other family members.
Suzanne Moore notes that while we’re hearing a lot about a “crisis of masculinity,” the real issue is male power. Particularly when the Dayton attacker kept a “rape list” alongside his “hit list.” Rebecca Solnit calls male violence the forever war. The violent ideology that feeds mass shootings is found, over and over, at the intersection of misogyny and racism:
"While not all misogynists are racists, and not every white supremacist is a misogynist, a deep-seated loathing of women acts as a connective tissue between many white supremacists, especially those in the alt-right, and their lesser-known brothers in hate like incels (involuntary celibates), MRAs (Men’s Rights Activists) and PUAs (Pick Up Artists)," read a report from the Anti-Defamation League.
As always, this diary is a team effort. Thanks to mettle fatigue (cat-herder extraordinaire), Angmar, elenacarlena, SandraLLAP, noweasels, and the WOW crewfor links and discussion.
Reproductive Rights:
A federal judge has blocked Arkansas’s ban on abortions after 18 weeks.
New Zealand is moving toward decriminalizing abortion.
Violence and Harassment:
After being harassed and pushed out of a job at a Shell refinery, Ciara Newton pushed back.
A federal judge ruled Andrew Anglin, founder of the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, and one of his followers must pay over $725,000 to a victim of one of the site's "troll storms."
At 16, sex trafficking victim Cyntoia Brown was given a life sentence for killing a man who had purchased sex with her. Brown has maintained that she acted in self-defense. She was granted clemency, and has now been paroled.
Jeffrey Epstein, notorious “alleged” trafficker in underage girls, died in jail in a reported suicide. Considering the recently unsealed records implicating a number of powerful men in his orbit, the timing has understandably has people wondering.
August 9th was National Women’s Day in South Africa. Which sounds like happy news, but like Mother’s Day in the US, it began as a protest against violence.
Workplace Issues:
A year after an investigation of widespread sexism at Riot Games, the company has made some steps toward changing.
Emma Watson launches free legal hotline for workplace sexual harassment issues.
How men can be better mentors and sponsors for women at work.
Health:
Special task forces have been created in India to address the problem of women going into debt slavery for hysterectomies— the majority of which were not medically necessary.
In Memorium:
The late, great Toni Morrison.
Good News:
Showtime miniseries upcoming on socially-rebellious actor/inventor Hedy Lamarr, with Gal Godot in title role & exec producer.
PBS web series on inspiring women — and they’re open to suggestions for more women to profile.
Join us in celebrating the powerful, creative and innovative women in our lives. Inspiring Woman is a year-long online campaign based on themes central to the lives of Lorraine Hansberry and Maya Angelou; artistic expression, academic success, active community engagement and acceptance of difference. The Inspiring Woman campaign is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.