Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Bonnie on Pinterest
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~Stuff I pinned at my TIAW and Wisdom boards.
~Years ago (six, apparently – HOW DOES TIME FLY LIKE THAT?) Kathryn, a mom of triplets, shared her story on SOAM. One of those triplets is transgendered. Yesterday Kathryn, her husband, and their daughter Coy, were on Katie Couric’s show to talk about this, and about how Coy’s school won’t allow her to use the girl’s bathroom anymore. Their local station also did a story on their family. I’m always in awe of what an accepting and loving mama Kathryn is, and how hard she fights for her babies, and I wanted to share this story in the hopes that it helps spread positive information about transgendered people and how that relates to us as women, and friends, and mothers.
~Five ways to not be a dick to your fat friends. And you know what’s more? We can all learn how to treat all of humanity from taking this list to heart. Basically: Be careful with your words. Actually think about them before they fall out of your mouth.
~There was a lot of sexist bullshit fallout from the Oscars over the weekend, but the part that kills me more than any of it, really, is the part where people keep refusing to call Quvenzhané Wallis by her actual name. More than one media person decided to just give her a nickname or call her something that’s not even related to her name. I know – her name looks hard to pronounce. But it’s actually not, and if they’d taken half a second to learn that, or even to ask her how to pronounce it (novel idea, that) they’d have been able to handle the whole situation with so much more grace. But they didn’t bother. Why? Because she’s just a kid? Because she’s just a woman? Because she’s not white? It’s probably a little bit of all of those things. My friend Claire shared this article last night about why taking someone’s name from them is really about control and punishing people who don’t fit.
~But you know what else the Oscars brought us? A deeper love for Jennifer Lawrence. I’m willing to bet that she’s the most authentic person in Hollywood. Thank god for her.
Interestingly, these next two both came across my Facebook feed today:
~On why being single can be AWESOME and shouldn’t have the stigma it has today. (Also includes the phrase “blanket of cats” and I am pretty sure I need a blanket of cats.)
~Ten things that aren’t as awkward to do alone as you might think they are. (I actually have done nearly all of these things alone and I LOVE it.)
~This one didn’t come across my feed today, but it’s an old favorite of mine. I may have shared it before, but, based on the previous two articles, it seems to me that The Universe wants me to share it again: How to Be Alone.
February 27th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Oh…I’m having all kinds of reactions to this awesome.
One is that I feel kinda bad for not agreeing with all of the sexism comments about Seth McFarlane’s oscar hosting gig. I actually turned to my husband at one point and told him “the guy isn’t telling jokes. I feel like he’s saying incendiary things and looking for people to react…not necessarily with laughter”. I haven’t watched the whole telecast yet, but I saw all of the points mentioned in the article – there were a few gross ones (linking Clooney and Quvenzhane Wallis together was disgusting to me), but others didn’t bother me and in some cases I felt like I was glad he was bringing them up into people’s faces…I don’t know. Maybe I’m just twisted.
I am riveted by the story of Coy and her family. I hope they all find peace and the parents seem so perfectly well intended. I felt for Coy on that couch with tears in her eyes answering KC’s question about missing her friends at school. She seems awfully young to be on national TV at such a raw, personal moment like that. I feel like Judgy mc Judgypants but I was kind of wishing for her to have a little more privacy. I guess this is pretty much unchartered territory and nobody really knows the perfect way to handle it other than to be loving…
Sigh.
February 27th, 2013 at 2:56 pm
You know, I didn’t have a problem with the Boobs Song – until someone pointed out that some of the scenes referred to were rape scenes. That made it yucky for me. I’m familliar with Seth MacFarlane so I wasn’t really shocked, and I gagged at the dieting comment he made (of course I didn’t really love it when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler made a similar joke at the last awards show – but at least they are women so it felt less gross). I’ve liked Family Guy in the past, but I think that’s a better platform for those sorts of jokes than at an awards show. In a format like Family Guy it seems more like social commentary. Social commentary doesn’t fit at a celebration. Not in humor form, anyway. I’m not saying it doesn’t belong – but it certainly doesn’t feel as smooth.
As for Coy, I know Kathryn has said a couple of times that she *only* did the TV gig because of the lawsuit with the school. And it sounds like everyone involved (from Katie’s show to the local news reporter) were just really awesome. I imagine it was the lesser of two evils when she weighed her choices.
February 27th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
That’s interesting – I thought the Boobs song was funny but I definitely cringed when he referenced Jodie Foster in The Accused. The rape scene in that movie was so…visceral…and it did seem out of place to refer to that specific scene in a funny song. Agreed on the dieting jokes, no matter who is telling them. I’ve seen Family Guy but am not a regular viewer, so I know about Seth McFarlane but am not necessarily a loyal fan.
I definitely didn’t think the Chris Brown/Rihanna comment was funny…but I take a weird comfort in knowing that CB continues to be recognized at least by some people as the abuser he is, and there’s a part of me that is at least glad some people still talk about it rather than talk like he’s a musical hero (and people didn’t laugh). But I totally get what you’re saying – that’s social commentary more fit in another venue, perhaps.
I guess I figured that when SM was hired to host, they got his brand of entertainment…not the typical Oscar brand. And he did sing really well – I was impressed by that, actually. All told, I’d rather have had Billy Crystal host the Oscars, and watch Seth McFarlane on SNL I guess 😉
That makes sense about Kathryn and her family. I hope they come to some solutions that work for Coy and her family.
February 27th, 2013 at 6:12 pm
Oh the Rianna/Chris Brown joke was awful. I’m so glad it was booed. And I missed the George Clooney one at the time, but I honestly feel like it was more offense to him. I’m just bummed that Quvenzhané got dragged into it.
Oh and Kathryn did point out on Facebook today that they are only doing media appearances that Coy wants to do and that starting tomorrow she has declared that she is done.