This is why I hate reading the news

I know what the reaction will be to this post: I'm hysterical, and humourless, and a feminazi bitch who needs to get a life and focus on what's really important, with the understanding that, of course, what's really important cannot be the niggling sense that the society in which I live is sexist, and wrong, and wants to treat me like a thing.

Same song, second verse...

Why was this article headlined on Windows Live Today as: "Stepfather killed: Teen 'sex slave' to stand trial"? If it was me, I would have headlined it "Rapist killed: Teen victim to stand trial", or "Teen accused of killing rapist". But I guess that would paint the poor girl in far too sympathetic a light for the media.

The article, too, is a bit hit and miss "after she performed the act" where I would have said "after he assaulted her" (correctly assigning agency "after she performed the act" implies consent) and "many pictures of the pair engaged in sexual activity" where it should read "many pictures of the man raping her".

Please, people, call a spade a spade, and a rape a rape.

Ugh

Note to self: packing sucks.

Dust in places... well.

Pronouns

This post at Shakesville reminds me of a story a substitute professor told me. He was a baby lecturer (his words) at Sydney Uni, in the 70s, the early days of Women's Lib. One day a young activist protested the use of the male pronoun as universal in the University handbook. It made it sound like all the students were male. The women students were feeling a little alienated. Don't be silly, said the male Dean, it's understood that the male pronoun is universal, and means men and women.

Now, this activist had a mate at the printing press, and when the next bunch of student handbooks went to print, there was one small difference. Oh sure, the book was still written with only one gender pronoun, it was just that - it was the female pronoun.

The Dean pitched a fit. How dare those feminists! It made it sound like his University only had female students! The horror! Don't be silly, said the activist, it's understood that there are students of both gender.

Of course, it wasn't understood. The Dean ordered the run of handbooks pulped. The activist's mate (and higher-ups who had failed to disapprove the change) were fired. But the activists won, because someone realised the Dean's hypocrisy. Obviously, it mattered, and the handbook started using both pronouns.

Ah, Work

At the moment I have nothing else to talk about, and so: this weeks bitchiest customer at [Restaurant].

Customer at Table M has been catty to us all night, let's call her Snob, for reasons which shall become obvious.

Snob: Excuse me, but we're finished with this cake, and we just thought the Staff might want it.

(Now, we have been given cake before, but something about her manner seemed off.)

Me: Oh, ah, thanks ma'am but that's ok really...

Snob: No. Really it's quite tasty, we just thought The Staff might appreciate it.

Me: Well, thanks ma'am... *I take the cake, feeling like a peasant being given the scraps from The Lords table. Snob gives me a filthy look, like I'm not being grateful enough.* I'm sure we'll all enjoy this.

As I later remarked to AmericanR, it's the first time someone has managed to insult me by giving me cake...

Just quickly...

... I'm not sure what to make of this. Part of me is going "Ha! Taste of your own medicine, boys!" and the rest of me is aware that eye for an eye doesn't actually work.

And it won't bring Ms Hodder back. But at the same time, the backlash against the bullies is reassuring, and proves that there are people out there who don't condone that sort of behaviour.

In lieu of an actual post...

Obligatory New Years Post

It's the 1st of January (duh) and considering last night's Tequila consumption, I am surprisingly un-Hungover. Yay!!!

So moving on to the New Year's Resolutions, of which I have Three:

1) Blog more. Preferably daily (complicated by the fact I'm spending most of 09 overseas...)

2) Write more. Finish the damnable first novel which has been killing me for two years now.

3) Get fit. Not 'lose weight', 'get fit'. Mainly because I want to get some hiking in while overseas, and at current fitness level... no. Just no.