Thursday, May 28, 2015

Bacon, Feminism, Marriage

Re GARBAGE

Louis CK on Littering in New York City   (1:36) and Environmentalists and Christians (2:44)

God: What do you need food for? Why didn't you eat the stuff I left you?

Human: . . .Yeah, but it doesn't have, like, bacon around it.
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Speaking of people being ignoramuses, why are people calling the new Mad Max feminist? Because it has women characters who do stuff?

I used to roll my eyes at the bumper sticker, "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people," but now I'm afraid it's true; it is just that simple.  

Men in action movies = people

Women in action movies = OMG! Feminists!

Yes, it's a little pathetic how far we've not come.

Louis CK, again:

(But who is this "we" you speak of Louis? I would say, "Women didn't win the vote until 1920".)
_____________________

On the cheery side: Ireland voted for gay marriage!


When I was biking around Ireland in 1986, the entire country was gearing up to vote on legalizing divorce, which they then voted down. (Divorce didn't become legal in Ireland for another ten years.)


I have read no analysis of the Irish vote on same-sex marriage, but as a Catholic (sort of), I would say this makes sense:
marriage is a sacrament, one of the holy things God set up for folks.

If you believe this, and you believe in equality, it's not too hard to do the math.
 

I think sometimes some of us forget, marriage is a conservative social institution: everyone settle down, now, and register your relationship with the state (and you will get goodies).

6 comments:

The Crow said...

Enjoyed this post very much, Fresca.

bink said...

Yeah, "We gave women the vote.." We Amercian men. Not quite as enlightened sounding as he intends.

bink said...

Came across these (liberal) Catholic takes on the Irish vote and thought it might interest you.
http://www.thewildreed.blogspot.com/2015/05/more-progressive-catholic-perspectives.html

Frex said...

CROW: Thanks for letting me know--I'm glad!

BINK: Louis CK is a Good Guy, in general. But I think it's precisely this sort of default slip-up (it looks like he's speaking extemporaneously on a talk show? not from a prepared script?), however, that shows up how insidious and everpresent sexism is--and the other slippery isms--I doubt I slip up when it concerns issues about women, but I know I do when it concerns, say, race...

Thanks for the link-- I see that's Michael Bayley's site, so I'm going there right now. He's usually very good.

Frex said...

Hey, hey---yep, there it is, exactly what I was thinking:
""Ireland is For Gay marriage Because It is Catholic ""
The Irish have been brought up by the Catholic Church to view marriage as a sacrament and that’s the reason they can shift sideways to see a same-sex relationship in the same God-blessed way.
Because marriage is a beautiful commitment of love, taught to them by the church, the Irish can make the connection to two people of the same sex loving each other with a similar commitment. It is the love commitment they value, and have come to see in their friends and family members who are gay and lesbian as well. Love conquers. The Irish are lovers. It doesn’t matter who the partners are — “I promise to love you all the days of my life, so help me God.”

– Paul F. Morrissey
Excerpted from "Ireland is For Gay marriage Because It is Catholic "
USA Today via Religion News Service
May 27, 2015

Julia said...

Was v. happy with Ireland!

I find it interesting when pro-equality gets folded into other movements. For example, female priests/married priests, within Catholicism. I am and have always been for female priests. Human is human, duh. But married priests? Especially straight married priests who might have children? Totally different issue with actual consequences to the system of the priesthood. Same with marriage equality and divorce. I don't think people should be sexed like chickens to get married. But I'm not sure that it logically follows that I then support divorce.

As far as marriage goes, it really weirds me out that it's a state institution. Why does the state care about/why is it legally involved in making contracts around people's sex lives? If it's about the kids, set up a legal system for that, but don't make raising kids together dependent on people having sex with one another. Let marriage be a religious/social/community institution (and hopefully Catholicism drops the gender determinism of sacraments).