Stuff you LOVE, baby

[FaustWolf]

I hate to start up something that might have to be moved to its own discussion thread (maybe this is best placed in the Fuck Sexism thread), but Lord J, I think there might be something positive about Sarah Palin's governorship:

http://celebrity-babies.com/2008/03/06/gov-sarah-palin-2/

Yeah, I just cited a site called "celebrity-babies.com." Now I wish had I found a more...respectable source for this, but moving along...

The quote from Palin in that article:

I had Piper on a Monday and I was back to work on a Tuesday. I even brought her to work with me.

...Is powerful from a feminist perspective, is it not? Hasn't one of the tried-and-true arguments in favor of patriarchal norms been that women need "special treatment" because they bear children? Hasn't the "mommy track" been a significant part of what erected the glass ceiling in the business world? If Sarah Palin was able to bear a child and go to work the next day, it implies that women are perfectly capable of remaining in command if given command, despite the fullest expression of their biological peculiarities. No more lost productivity than if a man engaged in computer engineering had broken his ankle -- all his functionality pertinent to the job is still there, in spite of the exhaustion he incurred that day, and he remains just as productive to the company than before he broke his ankle. So it was with Governor Palin.

What I'm trying to express there is the notion that any supposedly rational economic arguments implicitly propping up the glass ceiling simply prove nonsensical in light of Sarah Palin's example as a governing new mother. Now, I don't know how difficult it is to govern Alaska, and I sure hope Tod took a day off work that Tuesday so that at least one parent could devote complete attention to that child on its second day of life as a full human being, but moving along...

Certainly Sarah Palin will never escape the repercussions of the interview with Katie Couric, but before that happened, she was a major force in politics because she seemed to reconcile conservative values (it's "proper" for a woman to bear children) with women's empowerment (women can be in command of a government). That's my sense anyway.

[ZeaLitY]

There's a qualifying issue: Sarah Palin is an habitual anecdotal liar.

Andrew Sullivan did well to keep track of her lies on his blog, even though he suffered backlash from some of his conservative audience. Here's the last aggregate list he posted:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/the-odd-lies-of-sarah-palin-a-roundup.html

She lies all the time, so her stories and anecdotes have to be taken with a grain of salt. Even if this is true, it's a sparkle in an ocean of filth and ignorance. I'd rather poll women until I found one who also went to work the next day after birth and celebrate her than qualify Sarah Palin's complete, offensive idiocy with a lone bright spot. Ew.

[FaustWolf]

Fair enough; since I was working for the opposite team I'm merely trying to understand the psychology behind what made her such a momentous figure in those first few days following her announcement. There was a political spark there, because of the way her audience understood her prior to the events that led to her ultimate undoing. It must be the very idea of Sarah Palin's exploits, rather than the probable truth behind them, that made (and still make, if some recent polls are to be believed) her a veritable force within the conservative movement.

Then again, there's also the fact that that video I linked contains a sidebar description "hot sexy MILF Republican party." Are we to believe that conservatives are sooo shallow that they're letting her perceived sexual attractiveness, rather than the greater ideas she's supposed to represent, guide their opinion?

But Palin is so tainted in every imaginable way now that it would be best for me to find a better example of the concept I was trying to develop in the previous post (namely, that working -- and more importantly, governing, or otherwise leading -- new mothers could possibly represent a "conservative response to sexism.") I recall hearing a couple years back the story of a governor who gave birth and went back to work on the same day, and I could have sworn it wasn't Sarah Palin, but now I'm not sure who that would have been.

This is purely of academic interest for me of course, since I advocate the creation of children in podlike contraptions in general.

[ZeaLitY]

I think what did it was the combination of things that appealed to the most hardcore conservatives, plus her sheer novelty. She was a total unknown; most people expected Pawlenty, Huckabee, Romney, etc., and instead got an attractive woman (the attractiveness did, sadly, help) who had no reservations about repeating even the looniest talking points of her campaign. And she seems to have immediately hit the floor running with "global warmin' is a myth aw shucks the urth was made in a few hunerd years, gollie gosh ubamu be a terrorist hyuck" bullshit. I imagine that was like the equivalent of cocaine for the wingnut base, while her "attractive woman" status and fresh political career allowed her to be presented as a wildcard by the media.

If it's any help, my relatives didn't even bother to learn her policy positions or listen to any of her speeches or words before supporting her (I suppose most people didn't need to, since she made her backwards ignorance very clear). They liked her simply because she was an attractive female.

A lot of it is right there at the GOP convention speech...the ridiculous lines about pitbulls and lipstick, etc. it was a grand, theatrical vacuum.

[Thought]

Interestingly enough, Palin was a deal-breaker for the conservatives I know. They might have liked McCain, but Palin? Good lord no (though their first reaction was excitement; no matter which party won, it would be a first for an under-represented group. Revulsion came after investigation). If she was running with Jesus, they might still not vote for her.

But the likelihood of her running for the presidency in 2012 is a good thing in itself. It is fairly rare that a defeated presidential candidate will make a comeback... and I am taking it for granted that Obama would have no problem getting re-elected against Palin.


Getting back to the thread's topic:

I love "bad weather." There is something fundamentally wonderful about looking out the window and seeing overcast skies and wet ground. I am quite looking forward to going out in the rain later and smelling wet earth. Though, this is Texas, so it will be unnaturally warm (it is a well known fact that rain is supposed to be cold, don’cha know?).

I do so love such weather. Give me winter, snow, cold, and rain and I will be happy and energetic. Give me grey skies, nights of being covered in deliciously warm blankets, hot soup, and I will give you my absolute best. But give me a summer of clear skies and I'll be depressed and lethargic.

[Temporal Knight]

Getting back to the thread's topic:

I love "bad weather." There is something fundamentally wonderful about looking out the window and seeing overcast skies and wet ground. I am quite looking forward to going out in the rain later and smelling wet earth. Though, this is Texas, so it will be unnaturally warm (it is a well known fact that rain is supposed to be cold, don’cha know?).

I do so love such weather. Give me winter, snow, cold, and rain and I will be happy and energetic. Give me grey skies, nights of being covered in deliciously warm blankets, hot soup, and I will give you my absolute best. But give me a summer of clear skies and I'll be depressed and lethargic.

I could not agree with you more there, my friend. It stormed here last night, and I was obliged to stay away all night and soak in the lovely downpour.

[Zephira]

Thought you have spoken my mind for me! Though luckily I don't have to put up with Texas' unnaturally hot weather, it is still far too hot up here. 85 is too much for Washington.
Also, I think cough drops are one of the best inventions ever invented. What's strange is how the bookstore here overprices almost everything, but a package of cough drops is only 99 cents. Hurrah for cheap salvation!

[Temporal Knight]

That reminds me of something last weekend. When I went to obtain my drivers license (I was long since overdue), the drinks from the vending machine in the waiting lounge were cheaper than the average candy bar here. It was nice to pay that cheaply for a thirst quenching beverage.

[Katie Skyye]

Getting back to the thread's topic:

I love "bad weather." There is something fundamentally wonderful about looking out the window and seeing overcast skies and wet ground. I am quite looking forward to going out in the rain later and smelling wet earth. Though, this is Texas, so it will be unnaturally warm (it is a well known fact that rain is supposed to be cold, don’cha know?).

I do so love such weather. Give me winter, snow, cold, and rain and I will be happy and energetic. Give me grey skies, nights of being covered in deliciously warm blankets, hot soup, and I will give you my absolute best. But give me a summer of clear skies and I'll be depressed and lethargic.

Ah, a Thought after my own heart...! I agree completely! Good to know I'm not the only person who hates the weather here...and loves so-called "bad weather!"

[V_Translanka]

Yeah, 'bad weather' in Washington is stuff like this effing heat wave BS. Effing global warming...effing el nino...EFFING CAPTAIN PLANET~!!! Er, wait, this isn't the frustration thread...uh...Currently, I love: water, ice, ice water (oddly still no Marle), shorts, wind, shade, 12~5am & AmIEvil's Death On the Snowfield (FFVI Tina/Terra's Theme OCReMix)...Though the last one I've always loved, it's good because, well, it reminds me of snow and those awesome opening credits of FFVI...Ahhhh...imagine how nice and cool they must be in those mechs driving through the snow like that...

[Lord J Esq]

Thought stole it from me. I am the original rain smoocher!

[Thought]

Wow, that got a lot more responses than I'd have thought. Bad-Weather-Lovers of the World, UNITE, you have nothing to lose but... um... ... ... UNITE!

Anywho, for today's moment of love: smiles/smiling. Smiling one's self tends to improve one's mood, and seeing others smile just makes for a lovely day. Indeed, often a smile makes the difference between a memorable visage and a face lost in the crowd.

[Temporal Knight]

I'm having bad weather today. 


Ah, neighbors. The mystery of the neighborhood. You don't know who they are, and if you do, you don't know who they are anyway. I love mysteries.

[FaustWolf]

Just rediscovered my love for big robots.


Damn, if Final Fantasy VI could be remade in the Xenogears game engine...I might just die from ecstacy or something.

[Thought]

Apparently a bit late in coming, but:

Obama publically states he'll nominate Francis Collins to the head of the NIH.

Collins is not only one of the finest scientific minds alive in the world today, he is not only a strong advocate of personalized health care, but he is exactly the sort of face that science needs.

A good number of top scientists are public relations nightmares. One has to be driven with a passion that boarders of psychological abnormality. But often such individuals are not the sort of person you want to interact with; they have fine minds, but are about as publically endearing as a gangrenous foot. Collins, on the other hand, is a pleasure to listen to, he's charismatic, and comes across of genuinely caring. If you have to choose between a caring and a competent doctor (or scientist), of course choose the competent doctor. But Collins is both.

He is the perfect individual to help wipe away the image of the uncaring, villainous scientist that has grown up in recent years. He is someone who can help bridge the gap between laypeople and science, raising public awareness of scientific discoveries.

In the words of Dexter:

Today is a fine day for SCIENCE!