1. This week’s news swung wildly between horrific (girls trapped & tortured for a decade) and ho-hum (more news out of Washington that’s… well… let’s just say, not the kind of #scandal that gets us salivating). And frankly I think if either end of that spectrum is discussed at parties this weekend, you’re probably at the wrong parties. Heh.
BUT here’s what’s interesting:
The jig was up this week for the awful awful man in Cleveland whose grim crimes against those three girls are hard to read about — and that got a lot of smart writers writing. About what a history of violence can do to the next generation. About what the instant meme-ification of the colorful rescuer means about us (hint: it’s a color thing). About how shamefully lax police response can be in poor neighborhoods. And, looking from another perspective, what “purity culture” does to girls… and how it makes matters worse in rape situations.
Between that story and this Jodi Arias woman, and a bridal shower gone horribly awry in the Bay Area, and the higher & higher death count from the Bangladesh factory collapse, and Syria… oy. This is a week to be grateful for what we have, y’all. And to remember how insanely determined humans can be under unimaginably bad circumstances. With no superhero in sight.
2. Is being fat really like being non-white or non-straight? The CEO of everyone’s favorite loud, cologne-ial douchery of a retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, made a lot of people pissed this week when his pro-thin/pro-cool bias came to light thanks to a new book out.
Seriously, where’s the line drawn between aggressive marketing (three cheers for capitalism & knowing your brand) and flat-out bigotry (yeah, market bullying to teens — ‘cuz what could go wrong)?? Here’s a lovely response from a gal calling out the hate speech. And one from a responsible mom. And, perhaps more on point:
3. Talking about fancy guys from the early 20th century, how ’bout that Gatsby dude? In honor of the Baz Luhrmann movie we’ve heard about for FOREVER finally coming out this weekend, here’s an awesome article about how misguided the fetish of throwing Gatsby parties is.
And, semi-relatedly, here’s a super awesome take on “coverflipping” — wherein author Maureen Johnson dared her twitter followers to engage in de-gendering book covers for a sec, to delightful ends. WHAT IF female authors’ book covers didn’t cry out “I’m less important”?? Just sayin’. Happy Mothers’ Day, all!
*****
Quote of the Week from Anne Lamott — word to the wise:
“No one is more sentimentalized in America than mothers on Mothers’ Day, but no one is more often blamed for the culture’s bad people and behavior.”
Related articles
- Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Says He Only Wants Skinny, Beautiful Consumers (987ampradio.cbslocal.com)
- ‘The Great Gatsby’: Does It Live Up to the Hype? (VIDEO) (news.moviefone.com)
- Coverflip: Gendered Book Covers (soc365.wordpress.com)
- Cleveland Kidnapping: Police Ignored Multiple Calls About “Women on Dog Leashes” in the Castros’ Yard (intellihub.com)
The Smarty at the Party 