So.  Last night, while taking a much-needed stress relief bath, I watched the third season finale of Mad Men-- which means that I'm now all caught up on those episodes, and have to wait for brand new ones just like every other sad bastard in the world.

I likewise have to wait weekly for Doctor Who episodes (which, if River Song appears in that many more episodes, will cease to be an excruciating wait for me.  Eurgh).  It has been several months since I felt the "when in doubt, re-watch Torchwood" urge-- I daresay I might be breaking up with that fandom, and to be honest, I've more or less taken a general hiatus from any fan activity for the past couple months.  I don't even know what the latest meta debates are.  You know how that feels?  It feels refreshing.

But that's not my point.  My point is, I do not currently have a TV show to obsess over-- to watch in long marathon sessions.  And this hurts my heart a bit.

So, dear readers, what TV show do you recommend I obsess over next and why?  Please comment.

Also, secondary, but still important questions: 1) If a person (say, me) felt woefully ignorant when it came to film-- film history, classic film, quality film in general, what would you demand they watch?  2) Name one band/musician who has come to your attention in the past three years that you think I should be listening to right now.

I should really be going back to work, but I just have to-- HAVE TO-- share the following gem of an article with y'all:

OH NOES, YOU GUYS. AMERICANS ARE GETTING TOO FAT TO JOIN THE MILITARY AND FIGHT SENSELESS WARS. WHICH SURELY MEANS THAT THE TERRORISTS ARE GOING TO WIN! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I mean, I could get upset at the uncritical fatphobia here, and the insensitive picture of the headless fatty torso with which the BBC oh-so-imaginatively chose to adorn the article, but seriously: the whole story's too ludicrous for sustained rage.

In conclusion: LOL.

STOP THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.  GET TOO FAT TO FIGHT.

Those of you who know me on Facebook have already seen my request for recs, but I thought I'd replicate it in my DW and LJ, for maximum coverage.

This year for Giftmas, I received, among other things, some gift cards for Powell's and Amazon.com. At the moment, I'm also in Portland, city of the awesomest independent bookstores ever (hello, Powell's and In Other Words), and would like to blow some of said money in these stores while they're still just a public transit ride away. In order to achieve this most noble of goals, I am looking for book recommendations in the following areas, in order of priority:

1. Fantasy and/or sci-fi novels with queer characters and/or themes.

2. Books about bi/pan/omni/fluid sexuality, that are not-- I repeat, NOT-- personal essays. I want something that's a little less navel-gazey than most of the current work out there on bisexuality, and a little more researched. Please. Oh, please.

3. Books about neoliberalism. Preferably with a scholarly bent, since that's part of where my research is headed.

4. Books about the intersection of race and body politics, where "body politics" might be considered to include (but not be limited to) fatness, disability, health, genetics, reproductive rights, sex, and/or the politics of corporeality or bodily autonomy in general.

5. Books about the intersection of race and sexuality.

6. Anything else you can think of, given what you know about my personality, interests, tastes, etc.

Thanks in advance for any recs!

Why am I awake at this ungodly hour, you ask? Well, there are two reasons. The first is that last night's New Year's festivities kept me up past 4 a.m., and like an idiot, I spent a good 2-3 hours this afternoon napping, instead of dealing with my fatigue and then getting to bed at a decent hour. The second reason is that now is the time my brain picked to finally process today's (well, technically yesterday's, now) airing of The End of Time Part 2, which marks the end of David Tennant's run as The Doctor (*sob*).

( Here thar be dragons. Er, well, spoilers. Spoiler-bearing dragons?Collapse )

So, I've been thinking about the recent controversy surrounding the so-called "too fat to graduate" rule at Lincoln University, in which students with a BMI over 30 are required to take a three credit-hour class on fitness in order to graduate.

Now, like most fat activists, I think the rule is bullshit. I've been thinking about the ways in which the whole BMI system of measurement is bullshit anyway (Discuss: my final in one of my classes involves me writing a Foucauldian analysis of the BMI. Revolutionary idea, or the academic equivalent of having a wank?), and the ways in which body size, physical fitness, intellectual fitness, and fitness for the "real world" are equated in this policy are both obvious and infuriating.

But.

I've also been thinking about how I read the fact that Lincoln University is a HBCU, and the implications of me, as a fat white girl, getting all up in arms over their fitness policy. I'm not saying absolutely that I have no right to be indignant about what I see as a fatphobic policy, particularly if that anger can be somehow expressed in solidarity with the students who are opposed to the policy, and who suffer adverse effects because of it. But the online discussion I've seen so far has pretty much utterly neglected to mention the way race figures into this issue, and/or what this controversy reveals about the ways race and body size intersect.

While I haven't come to any conclusions on this matter myself, I feel that it would be irresponsible to not speak out about the possible problems with the way this controversy is being framed right now. So I'm hoping to open up a space for discussion. What are the intersections between race and body size that are brought up by Lincoln University's BMI policy? As a fat white woman, where does my right to express rage about fatphobic policies end, and my risk of participating in white paternalism begin? Is it at all possible to engage in the former without invoking the latter, and if so, how? Finally, how is the failure on the part of many people in the "fatosphere" to really deal with the possible racial dimensions of this issue contributing to further white supremacy in the fat activist community?

Thoughts, anyone? 'Cause all I've got is questions.

This is a question for the anti-racist types. Particularly those who do some teaching:

Can any of you point me to an good article about the phrase "the race card," or "playing the race card"? I have way too many students who are using that phrase uncritically in their papers and/or class discussions, and I'd like to get them to think a bit more critically about what that phrase means.

Thanks in advance, y'all.

There I was, just correcting student papers, and fuming over the kinkfreezone debacle. And then it hit me.

A plot bunny.

And then there was fic. And it was... fic.

I am so, so sorry.

Title: Vanilla
Fandom/Pairing: Torchwood; Jack/Ianto
Rating: Well, there's no sex in it.
Timeline: Post-They Keep Killing Suzie
Summary: Ianto doesn't want to do anything kinky.
Wordcount: 788
Disclaimer: Torchwood is not mine. Hell, I'd disown this fic, too, but I can't.
Author's Notes: This is: (a) a very blatant response to the kink restriction list on kinkfreezone; and (b) the first fic I have written and finished since I was... oh, about 16 or so. I do not promise a literary masterpiece, but at least, I hope it is mildly (albeit pointedly) entertaining. No beta; ergo, this is all my fault.

( The twenty-first century is when everything changes, and everything is supposed to include sexual mores.Collapse )

Ever wondered what it would look like if Andrea Dworkin became a fangirl?

Wonder no more. I give you the LJ community kinkfreezone. Complete with a comprehensive lists of kinks that the mods will not allow.

I think ithiliana says it best when she points out that vanilla is a kink, too. To that I would add: whether any of these acts is considered a "kink" or not is highly contextual: dependent on the mentalities of the people (or, in this case, fictional characters) involved, the gender configuration of a given relationship, and so on.

I, for example, am personally balking at the idea that butch/femme is a "kink." Femme isn't a kink; it's part of my identity, goddammit. Also: homosocial environments? Really? But presumably heterosocial environments are not kinky, so one has to wonder to what extent the construction of "kink" on this list is heterosexist. Which makes "orientation issues" and/or "sex change" as kinks rather suspect, as well. Basically, to the extent that certain sex acts are defined by the mods of this community as "kinks," and therefore beyond the pale of "normal" sexuality, it seems to me that the construction of "normal" sex is highly heteronormative.

(It's also my considered, though highly personal, opinion that "orgasm denial," "face-sitting," "top/bottom pairings," and "striptease" could easily fit into a more vigorous, creative definition of vanilla. I mean, what do these mods want? An endless brigade of kissing, followed by stripping, followed by thrusting, followed by simultaneous orgasm, followed by cuddling? Even people who don't identify as kinky have more variety in their sex lives than this list implies! And if they don't, they're probably kinda bored.)

I would also add that the tagline, "Where vanilla isn't a bad word," just rubs me the wrong way. (Hey-- is being rubbed the wrong way a kink? Sorry; I should have warned for that at the beginning of this post.) Being kinky, or writing about kink, is not part of some protracted assault on those poor, beleaguered vanilla types. Kink isn't a bad word, either. Desires vary. It's really okay.

Heh. Maybe I should start a "vanilla-free zone" community. Things not allowed: missionary position, postcoital cuddling, heterosocial environments, wedding nights.... Uh, help me out here.

Help me fannish friends.  You're my only hope!

I have to do a presentation in my class tonight about Henry Jenkins' Convergence Culture, and I wanted to talk a little about Jenkins' role as a fandom scholar, as a potentially divisive figure, how his work has evolved, etc.  And I am trying-- believe me when I say I have searched the Internets far and wide-- for that quote from Textual Poachers that half of fandom has posted on their blogs.  Only, of course, the one time I actually need it is the one time I can't find it anywhere.

Help me!  What is the quote from Textual Poachers everyone loves?  You know, the one about how fans are creating a folk tradition in a time where the folk tales are all owned by corporations, or some shit.  What exactly does he say there?

Thanks, love, kisses, &c.

I cannot in any way take credit for this discussion. Sheana started it, and I am shamelessly stealing it from her Facebook, because I am curious as to other people's responses.

The topic is: old people who are hot. I recognize that "old" is a highly subjective and culturally loaded term; however, in this particular discussion, I am operationally defining "old" as "anybody over the age of 60." Below, please find an incomplete list of people we (well, mostly I) think are hot:

Judi Dench
Maggie Smith
Ian McKellen
Toni Morrison
Patrick Stewart
Elisabeth Sladen
Alan Rickman
Helen Mirren
Jeremy Irons
Kate Bornstein
Stevie Nicks

All right, friends list, now it's your turn. Hot old people: GO!