tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.comments2023-06-21T08:37:19.230-04:00CanCritcancrit(at)gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-26942487301444330092010-05-15T23:43:02.949-04:002010-05-15T23:43:02.949-04:00Their website is just as bad. The end of the blurb...Their website is just as bad. The end of the blurb has some promise, but would one really expect an apologetic statement about colonization and genocide on a tourism website?<br /><br />http://newfoundlandlabrador.com/HistoricSites/Default.aspxAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08138552552006446707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-80520060818050636052010-05-14T15:58:44.568-04:002010-05-14T15:58:44.568-04:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.cancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-63384637078270426752010-05-14T11:01:46.698-04:002010-05-14T11:01:46.698-04:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01710087150780513233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-34613370309546150632010-05-12T23:03:46.626-04:002010-05-12T23:03:46.626-04:00EXACTLY. It's much, much more informative. I m...EXACTLY. It's much, much more informative. I mean, there's a big, big difference between 300/100 000 and 1800/100 000. Some countries DO have rates that high, and it's dishonest to ignore that.cancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-36237755271133420232010-05-12T22:25:10.046-04:002010-05-12T22:25:10.046-04:00Look how much more factually interesting the map f...Look how much more factually interesting the map from the WHO is! Not only do we have something with which to compare the 300 deaths per 100 000, but we also see how much worse (than 300) the situation is in certain African countries (e.g. Angola, Nigeria.)<br /><br />Thanks for articulating my disgust!Deeptihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502392921718228820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-18361095244809567612010-05-02T10:00:30.961-04:002010-05-02T10:00:30.961-04:00I love teachers who wear their awe on their sleeve...I love teachers who wear their awe on their sleeves! It's the most inspiring quality of a good teacher.Deeptihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502392921718228820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-80042959038013357802010-05-02T09:47:57.618-04:002010-05-02T09:47:57.618-04:00Great post! I am in awe of your critical thinking ...Great post! I am in awe of your critical thinking abilities. Sounds like you have definitely chosen the academic route, although it always seemed like a good fit. <br /><br />I think you make a really good point about not inculcating any feelings towards the material in your students. It makes far more sense for you to do what you do in the classroom and "wear your awe on your sleeve." Anyone who is even minimally reactive to bullshit in the classroom would probably start bristling at an instructor who tries to tell them how to think and feel. A far stronger message is showing students why you feel the way you do by demonstrating Beethoven's awesomeness. <br /><br />I also am a fan of Beethoven, and so lack objectivity. I can't decide which symphony is his best; the seventh and eighth are wonderful, but the fifth and sixth are classic...and then there are all the brilliant piano sonatas!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649821281286684197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-74127755885510375832010-04-29T10:48:32.346-04:002010-04-29T10:48:32.346-04:00I don't watch Glee for one simple reason, it&#...I don't watch Glee for one simple reason, it's on Fox and I refuse to watch anything on Fox. Love your blog though. I'm blogrolling you now and I apologize for not doing so sooner.Dr. Monkey Von Monkersteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14370062692837972451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-88685897380012398752010-04-29T06:26:14.780-04:002010-04-29T06:26:14.780-04:00I love this post, Sarah. Thank you for writing. I ...I love this post, Sarah. Thank you for writing. I was deeply troubled by the Madonna episode last week and this week's rankled for other reasons.<br /><br />Your criticism of Mercedes as the object of the inevitable body image plot is so apt. The focus on Mercedes allows the rest of the predominantly white class to continue on the show unchanged by "addressing" the power dynamic between Quinn and Mercedes--Mercedes is used here as an exception which reinforces the white body rather than questions it. I would add, moreover, that the black body is figured here as utopic and therefore 'natural' bringing up disturbing nature/culture assumptions. Don't get me started on the mind-numbing association of Mercedes' body with a 'home.' This just screams: reprodution! reproduction! Family! Family!1 Nation State! Also the language here insinuates we (who is we?)"inhabit" our bodies. This is Descartes all over again--still objectifying and disciplining the body... <br /><br />On the other hand, Mercedes' resort to Christina Aguilera's "beautiful" is neoliberalism at its very best. The narrative of self-empowerment and self-control presented here is exactly the same narrative preached by the diet industry to entice women (and men) into its programs. "Empower yourself," "be your own person,"--the person who you really and 'truly' are. The dieting industry gets wrapped up into the all consuming fiction of neoliberalism: the unique, sovereign individual. Christ haven't we learned yet? Just because we can choose pants instead of skirts does not mean we are free. Dieting is presented here as a 'choice' in the end one which Mercedes' refuses, but it doesn't mean she's anymore liberated for it.<br /><br />Re Kurt. Brilliant analysis. I would add one thing. In the "you do your thing and I do mine" and "we don't question it" attitude is an assumption of difference (or same (biologically) and yet different (lifestyle--as you said)). In 'tolerating' Kurt his father can continue on in his own way. And that's exactly what tolerance is. A slightly less violent form of othering. <br />Kurt, like the stereotypical "gay best friend" in many hollywood romcoms, is not 'queer' at all.Kaitlinbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08357835218212717158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-46064262743739732532010-04-29T05:57:43.181-04:002010-04-29T05:57:43.181-04:00It is also to say, that that very training which i...It is also to say, that that very training which is so 'elitist' is helpful in critiquing the institution. As for example I learned that fifths are the tones used by subways in Vancouver to encourage people to get in. They have a valence of power which I would have never noticed in other music without the tools that musical theory provides. One evil to undo another?Kaitlinbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08357835218212717158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-14407587078644076722010-04-29T05:54:11.053-04:002010-04-29T05:54:11.053-04:00Sarah,
Why did I not know about this before. I pl...Sarah,<br /><br />Why did I not know about this before. I plan to do something similar for all of my six years in Ann Arbor, but having read this I feel like I could never quite measure up....<br /><br />A couple things. I am not a musician and have (sadly) all but forgotten what little musical training I got from beginner band in grades 7 and 8. Nonetheless, I auditioned for the Vancouver Bach youth Choir and by some ridiculous screw up of the fates, got in. I go by ear and have been fortunate enough to experience the wonder that is Bruce Pullan for a year of my life. I continually feel, however, like I shouldn't be there because my knowledge is so mediocre. I get along well enough though, I have a good ear, and what I like to think is a decent voice. However, my current conductor is always looking over my shoulders because I made the mistake of thanking her when she taught us solfege (which I am still horrid at) with the gesture that I was not a music student.<br /><br />I would love to have the training that I know some in the room have, but at the same time, I know I enjoy the choir in a way I would not otherwise because it is so 'strange' to me. Theory (lit and otherwise) have a will to mastery if I can say that. They assume everything can fall within their structure; and while perhaps music is a mathematical language and can do so, it need not remain so. Theory is a tool of power, which those outside of the power structure are made to be aware of. I repeatedly catch myself censoring urges to canonize authors already canonized when someone rejects them. This is because I think I like the authority the canon provides--like "high art." I came to literature however as one very much vested in breaking apart such hierachies of value in the interest of exploring why such values are precisely so valuable. <br /><br /> Music, like literature, I think however is an interpretation, which hinges ultimately in the art of feeling. Ideology has historically had no room for feeling. <br /><br />A lot of rambling to say, really, that Tori Amos is so inspiring.Kaitlinbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08357835218212717158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-82442189516480781472010-04-27T17:35:47.129-04:002010-04-27T17:35:47.129-04:00Great post, and well-said as usual. I appreciate y...Great post, and well-said as usual. I appreciate your eloquent musings.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649821281286684197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-3046481361352363512009-07-26T17:15:00.271-04:002009-07-26T17:15:00.271-04:00Thanks, Katie! I'm not sure about this, though...Thanks, Katie! I'm not sure about this, though:<br /><br /><i>The fact that everyone seems to collude with this, "overweight people are [insert negative adjective here]" is appalling and revealing of a pretty dark facet of humanity. You'd never get away with saying that in enlightened society about any other human feature.</i><br /><br />You probably could... depending on what circle you're in, and what group/adjective you're talking about. I have to agree with point 11 here: http://kateharding.net/comments-policy/<br /><br />Speaking of the schoolyard experience, I do wonder if things have changed in the last ten years. There has been a fair amount of anti-bullying "activism" in that interval, which might have raised some awareness. <br /><br />And the awareness needs to be raised first with adults. Kids *can* be cruel, but they're kids -- we can't expect that they'll be anything but uncivilized without proper guidance. ;-) A lot of the time, though, I think the kids who suffer most are those who are also quietly disliked by teachers or other authority figures, who thus fail to stick up for them (or who implicitly encourage the harassment). That all point to something learned, not something instinctive. <br /><br />Not that I'm speaking from experience, or anything. :-Pcancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-52716884489835095262009-07-26T17:06:11.144-04:002009-07-26T17:06:11.144-04:00Totally agreed about the failure to disentangle na...Totally agreed about the failure to disentangle nature and nurture. I don't know if that's a fault of the sources that she's reporting, or her own weak reading. Also, totally agreed about the usefulness of evolutionary biology. It's really INTERESTING, as long as we don't take it to be -- well, destiny!<br /><br />I do *kind* of disagree about the "what to think" issue, though. Wolf isn't a science reporter -- she's a (pseudo)feminist writing an opinion piece. Her opinion thus DOES belong here. A 'clean' presentation of the research is the job of writing in a different genre. <br /><br />That said -- as I read it she does tell us what she wants us to think, if in a slightly sideways manner. Her goal here is to convince us that we can attribute things that "infuriate women" to biology, rather than to social structures. And, well, I can't agree there.cancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-83397227571976303712009-07-26T11:15:41.250-04:002009-07-26T11:15:41.250-04:00In response to Mary, Queen of Thoughts, I think no...In response to Mary, Queen of Thoughts, I think not offering much comment on the findings is exactly the way this should be reported. Naomi Watts shouldn't be presenting such information in the way she "wants us to think." We should be able to decide what to think on our own. ;-)<br /><br />My own personal opinion is that evolutionary biology can offer descriptions of why certain general characteristics seem to exist, based on logical assumptions about the way humans evolved. What I don't see here is any attempt to disentangle environmental conditioning (very powerful!) from evolutionary/genetic "hard-wiring". As most of us have observed, many of our friends don't fit these gender stereotypes, so it can't be as simple as "Men are silent, women are chatty," or whatever the generalization is. <br /><br />Arguments from evolutionary biology are interesting and fascinating. But they should be considered at best descriptive, and not prescriptive of behaviour. To say that men can't do laundry is an insult to men's ability to learn and adapt.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649821281286684197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-69118487026880273702009-07-26T11:03:36.452-04:002009-07-26T11:03:36.452-04:00Well, to continue the stereotyping, what else do y...Well, to continue the stereotyping, what else do you expect from a beer commercial.<br /><br />At least the women are wearing clothes.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649821281286684197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-1886367856250358512009-07-26T11:01:01.407-04:002009-07-26T11:01:01.407-04:00Seriously...as soon as I read the comment on self-...Seriously...as soon as I read the comment on self-esteem declining with years of schooling, I thought to myself, "Kids are so cruel." I can just see these kids being taunted in the school yard. I remember that no one (teacher, parent, other respected adult) ever spoke to us about these double standards...until we were older, say 10-11 and some kids were getting systematically ostracized. <br /><br />I wholeheartedly agree that this is a social issue. The fact that everyone seems to collude with this, "overweight people are [insert negative adjective here]" is appalling and revealing of a pretty dark facet of humanity. You'd never get away with saying that in enlightened society about any other human feature. <br /><br />Thanks for your consciousness-raising rant! As always, you rock!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649821281286684197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-85895979454833129122009-07-25T11:09:03.227-04:002009-07-25T11:09:03.227-04:00The whole thing with the SB Hospital really is unb...The whole thing with the SB Hospital really is unbelievable, isn't it?<br /><br />I've never really had dealings with my insurance for more than office visits, so it makes sense that you guys would have had <i>slightly</i> more basis for criticism of the system. ;-) <br /><br />I suppose part of my implicit point is that this notion of "choice" is one of the the things that people typically raise when talking about the "socialized medicine" monster creeping south of the border (i.e. to the States). <br /><br />On the individual level, in some circumstances, I do have *marginally* more control over what doctors I see and when, as this story illustrates. But that doesn't mean that the benefit to the average Canadian is outweighed by having Government Control over healthcare. I don't think it is. And you know, that marginally increased level of control -- I would <i>quite honestly</i> give it up to know that the people I run into day-to-day are all able to access what they need, too. <br /><br />I like this point very much: <br /><br /><i>Besides the point you make on the limited coverage, the system itself is very inefficient, since what we think of as a single need, "insurance," is actually a complex collection of different companies and interests, and it is all highly uncoordinated.</i><br /><br />For the sake of argument, I'll point out that a non-profit, single-payer system cuts out some of those parties and interests. But -- though I approve of how we handle stuff on principle, anyway, I'm not going to argue that the system is perfect up north, either. :) It's way outside of my expertise to start parsing the system in detail, but it's certainly not perfect...cancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-17371032964029373322009-07-25T09:24:07.328-04:002009-07-25T09:24:07.328-04:00I am glad that the insurance worked out for you. ...I am glad that the insurance worked out for you. However, the US system still sucks in my view. I could go on about the nightmares of having a baby, and note that the Stony Brook University Hospital is no longer a preferred provider for Stony Brook insurance. Maybe my experiences can be chalked up to Long Island idiocy, but I don't know. <br /> Besides the point you make on the limited coverage, the system itself is very inefficient, since what we think of as a single need, "insurance," is actually a complex collection of different companies and interests, and it is all highly uncoordinated.<br /> This is not to say Canadian or other insurance systems are thereby better - I don't know, but there certainly is a lot to be desired down here.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00788434601626829101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-66847150530153677512009-07-17T09:54:59.270-04:002009-07-17T09:54:59.270-04:00Booyah! I abhor this double standard. May I say th...Booyah! I abhor this double standard. May I say that it relates to appearance in general- it's okay if men are slobby and look like they just rolled out of bed, but women had better look amazing even if they're just going to the grocery store.<br /><br />Also, "get me to a nunnery"- hilarious.Deeptihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502392921718228820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-32877205389361086942009-06-17T11:45:33.464-04:002009-06-17T11:45:33.464-04:00Women like shoes, men like beer. Not shocking from...Women like shoes, men like beer. Not shocking from a beer commercial (or any commercial, really). But the screaming...it's over the top.Deeptihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502392921718228820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-43077200687338567482009-06-09T11:51:41.385-04:002009-06-09T11:51:41.385-04:00I find that Naomi Wolf presents this scientific in...I find that Naomi Wolf presents this scientific information, but doesn't offer much commentary on it. I'm a little confused by what she wants us to think.Deeptihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04502392921718228820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-15181875590695299682009-06-08T10:23:50.469-04:002009-06-08T10:23:50.469-04:00Thanks, Elizabeth! You've said most of what I ...Thanks, Elizabeth! You've said most of what I wanted to in response to Anonymous. <br /><br />I'll add: I'm not sure where you think my evidence problems were here, because you didn't specify. But in any case, my primary problem here is not with the research that Wolf comments on, but with Wolf's comments themselves. Fisher is really well respected in her field, and as I suggest in my post, I think Wolf's presentation of Fisher's work is probably quite simplistic. (As for Gurian, I don't know -- but I do question what a "neurobiological consultant" is.)<br /><br />As for being stubborn: sure? But the bigger points are these:<br /><br />1) Even if this research leads to accurate <i>generalizations</i> about men and women, it can't account for everybody. (I don't think that there's a trained biologist out there who would suggest otherwise.) <br /><br />2) Scientists are people too. Even given rigorous and careful methodology, their interpretation of data can be coloured by assumptions and ideology. I'm not a trained scientist, but I think it's well within my purview to ask questions about the relationship between cultural attitudes and the interpretation of data, or between cultural attitudes and the use of interpretations of data. <br /><br />So, when Wolf talks about 'brain wiring' as something independent of socialization, I'll question that. And when she suggests that we can heave a sigh of relief because our husbands do quietly love us for cleaning messes that they're biologically incapable of noticing, I'll ask if that's really the best we can do. Because I don't think it is.cancrit(at)gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799484498731785372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-30489617912497208592009-06-08T08:21:35.044-04:002009-06-08T08:21:35.044-04:00If Anon is so sure of his position, why does he la...If Anon is so sure of his position, why does he lack the courage to post under his name? I thought men were inherently brave, and posting a comment to a blog certainly requires barely a modicum of cajones. Anon unwittingly proves a couple of CanCrit's points. <br /><br />Firstly, although certain attributes may well be more common to a particular gender, there are always exceptions, which make it dangerous for us to make the leap in thinking from "Many men are this way" to "You are a man, therefore you MUST be this way."<br /><br />Secondly, he demonstrates the propensity of bigots to distort the findings of science to their own political ends. You will see that while he appeals to science and logic his post is a collection of logical fallacies, appeals to emotion, and knee jerk reactions.<br /><br />Nice post CanCrit, you raise very important questions. The fact that Wolfe doesn't attempt to address them is very telling.Elizabeth Irwinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724048845748538338.post-8494505496593018502009-06-08T06:28:17.652-04:002009-06-08T06:28:17.652-04:00"Biology might be destiny to a point (and I d..."Biology might be destiny to a point (and I don't believe that we can transcend it completely), but is it acceptable to use it as a collective excuse for perpetuating fundamental inequalities?"<br /><br />Yes, of course it is. Otherwise you would be making judgments and opinions based solely on personal feelings and prejudices. Humans are subject to emotions and egos, and to ignore science (or deem it less important) and rather consider your own biased personal opinion more finite is a mistake of your ego. I know that you don't want there to be a biological difference between women and men, because that can lead down a dangerous road, but it is clear the old ideas of feminism are outdated and passed-by. You presented no evidence to back anything you said during the course of this blog post, so I am very reluctant to consider your opinions over that of a trained biologist. <br /><br />One thing that both men and women are entirely equal at is the capacity for narcissism. You need to be more open-minded and accepting of new ways of thinking. I get the sense through this post that you are a stubborn person and you dislike people who may challenge your rooted views on feminism, but things change and new science is constantly arriving. If the ultimate goal of feminism is respect then being a slave to your own prejudices and egotisms in lieu of research and science is not helping to reach that goal, (or if you believe it to have been already met)enforce that goal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com