lavendertook

Being falsely accused of sexual assault has got to be, in part, infuriating, if indeed you think that's what is happening to you. But even if you are falsely accused (2 to maybe 10% of sexual assault accusations), it is still nothing compared to being sexually assaulted and having your personhood violently and intimately reduced to someone else's whims and assumption of greater personhood. Nothing. Nada.

False accusation when at a height of power, which is what the presumption of innocence here assumes, such a source of ultimate angst for the Republicans as Collins affirmed yesterday does not undermine your ability to survive and perform to your abilities like being assaulted and abused does--of course this is backed up by science and you have to actually embrace scientific method to believe this and many Republicans do not.

Being falsely accused could undermine the height of your aspirations, but not your ability to survive--there is a major difference there. Only the extreme privilege of being wealthy, connected, white, and male could make someone think otherwise.

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The killing of the five police officers in Dallas was horrible. The killing of the two black men two days in a row by police officers was also horrible, an everyday horror for black people, only now getting the focus it should have gotten for decades due to the spread of ready video technology, and I don't want the focus shifted from that ongoing injustice by the Dallas killings.

Over 500 people have been killed by police in this country this past year and almost half have been black and (with overlap) hispanic people. I am glad protests are still ongoing and thank the bravery of the people getting out there in the streets in peaceful protest.

For those of us who can't get out there for various reasons, here's at least a petition to sign from an established organization seeking justice for Philando and Alton

Also posted at http://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/200694.html with comments

Two good things happened this week with SCOTUS supporting ACA and same-sex marriage rights.

Let's make a third good thing with charges being dropped against the brave woman who took down the confederate flag, for a start on this one. Go here to sign petition. Yay to civil disobedience when the laws are wrong.

I'm so glad to be living in post-racial America where only 33% of whites think the police in Ferguson went too far. Too much change for the better too soon would be a little much to handle . . .

I wish I were surprised, instead of just disgusted.

One of the many reasons I will not be having a Supreme Court confirmation hearing:

Sen. Graham: Where were you on Christmas day?

Ms. Took: Drinking the blood of Christian babies. What do you think Jews do on Christmas, you stupid fucker? Which you would know if you were more aware of all internet tradishuns, instead of, you know, expecting everyone to be practicing yours.

Whut? Why aren't you laughing? Aren't I white enough to make you feel safe? Or would you like to make a shout out to all your white protestant male friends who are being asked to share, and sometimes giving up their seats overrun by the rest of us Others? You know, if you want to share in the quaint Jewish American tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas, better do it quick before Pan-Asian people working those kitchens are represented on the SC, too, and, you know, you just might have to learn to cook it yourself.

Hey come back here! *bounce, bounce* I'll bite your leg off!!!!

Hat tip to acrimonyastraea for the link to this good post from another Not Ready for Borscht Belt Player.

Why "I'm sorry" and NOT "What I meant" is a good starting point:

It really isn't that hard to respond with a suitable apology to objections about your saying something insensitive or that could obviously be taken as insensitive, even if you didn't mean it that way in the context in which you said it, if you respect your audience. Trying to explain away or deny the original comment's possible implications, and not the original comment itself, always creates the fail scenario. If you don't make a clear and unequivocal apology demonstrating your respect for the objector, your friends or fans will burn and pillage to try to defend you and justify their own views.

Right here, Debbie Reese looks at a remark Neil Gaiman made and explains why she finds it troubling, and asks whether anyone ever publicly discussed that quote again with NG before she came across it.

Quite contrary to jumping to conclusions and accusations, she is offering NG an opportunity to clarify his statement in the context of why she finds it troubling, and to give an opportunity to anyone in his reading community who read the comment before to also discuss it and reflect on why they did not remark upon it before. She explains the cost of using the phrase "a few dead Indians" which reinforces the idea that there weren't thriving Native American civilizations for centuries before European encroachment, and aids the erasure of the continued existence of First Nations' cultures and peoples. Many education systems in the US and worldwide still fail to discuss this, and even contradict this fact. It doesn't matter that you may be better informed yourself--a great many more people are not.

For her reasonable query and explanation, within a few hours, Debbie Reese is accused of lacking reading skills by 8 commenters rushing to Neil Gaiman's defense. She is accused of looking for ridiculous reasons to be offended by 6, of bringing up an issue of little importance by 6, of being too emotional/over-sensitive by 3, and of being a self-involved jerk by 2. And I'm not even including the vitriol that was thrown at both Debbie Reese and kynn at Kynn's journal. None of this behavior is surprising or new, and keeps happening over and over again. The bingo card is full.

( Some suggestions on handling one's own fail . . . )

ithiliana posted a link round-up and good info on why the subject of graveyards and dead Indians might be a sensitive topic for many Native Americans.