There isn't much text in this sexist ad- besides the name of the alcohol they're trying to sell. There is however, MUCH subtext -women go with alcohol, preferably with little clothing as possible. You can only be desirable if you're tanned, thin, with big breasts, & little clothing. But it's not like you have a choice. I mean if a strong man wearing a suit stands over you, feeble women (like ourselves) don't stand a chance. So I guess we all have to get drunk on Sky Vodka while wearing string bikinis.
Dolce & Gabbana. Clothing that attracts sexy, sweaty, AND shiny men near a pool. Wear over priced fabric- that's made by children- and you can get raped too! Oh but you have to be skinny and wear a lot of makeup. Every woman's dream...
Unforgivable woman. Because all the women want to smell sexy... Why? Because then they can get "forceful passion." NOT RAPE... just strong lust. Why? Because who doesn't? "The New Scent For Women." That's right, because perfume makes them sound frumpy. But scent makes them sound foxy. As if catching a woman is like a game, a hunt. Well guess what P.Diddy... you're not the only one on the trail.
For over two years Animal Liberation Victoria have been conducting weekly demonstrations outside Melbourne's central KFC as part of the international KFC Cruelty campaign. ALV protestors have shown video of ALV's open rescues of meat chickens at KFC suppliers (which document KFC broiler babies being raised in horrific conditions), given out free 'mock' chicken to show that there are delicious and cruelty-free alternatives to KFC, and have distributed hundreds of thousands of leaflets, posters and postcards to KFC customers and passers by, many of whom have sworn off ever again eating the remains of tortured and crippled baby birds. Following is a regularly updated photo essay documenting ALV's ongoing KFC Cruelty demonstrations. If you would like to get involved in a KFC Cruelty protest or conduct your own, contact ALV in Australia or PETA elsewhere in the world.
Click on any photo below for larger version
Demo 100 - June 4, 2005
To mark the 100th protest outside Melbourne's most central KFC store, ALV set up a free 'mock' chicken shop so that people could experience delicious alternatives to KFC, without causing unnecessary harm and death to animals. ALV's temporary 'mock' chicken shop was hugely successful, with hundreds sampling the delicious 'fake chicken for real animal lovers'. Two lettuce ladies handed out the free food (asking KFC to turn over a new leaf and stop abusing animals) while about 40 protesters handed out leaflets and talked to members of the public wanting more information.
MY RESPONSE: This article stands out because I am a strong believer of KFC boycotts. This article, unlike most, doesn't write to spread awareness. It's already done that, with their protests & leaflets, but it's written to show people that THERE IS A WAY TO HELP STOP KFC. Instead of just saying "hey don't eat KFC." they're saying- "look at what we did." Everyone should read this because they maybe become inspired to do an event to either support or spread awareness about something they believe in.
"Good Guys" part four. In the complex domain of Aboriginal rights, contemporary feminists often find themselves working for the enemy.
Often contemporary feminists will integrate Indigenous issues into their causes, or even champion Aboriginal causes through their own struggles against patriarchy. Post-structualist feminism has provided an excellent framework for the development of Indigenous critical perspectives. However, while well intended, feminist activism can sometimes be disempowering and even racist towards Aboriginal people, resulting in the same kind of dispossession as that inflicted by colonial governments.
Rape Is Everybody's Business
This can be seen in the feminist response to misleading media claims that rape was defended by Aboriginal communities as "men's business". Anglo feminists proclaimed that "rape is everybody's business". But when the untruth of the claims was challenged by Aboriginal feminists, the dominant culture feminists asserted their race privelege and then framed their Indigenous opponents as savage, angry, simple and lacking "manners".
(For more detail about this, check out my blog and links to related articles, Rape Is A White Privelege.)
Public Debate And Race Privelege
Any attempt by Aboriginal feminists to engage in debate with their Anglo counterparts is seen as a violent attack, with "victims" claiming that they are intimidated and bullied. And any attempt at public debate between Indigenous feminists is portrayed by other feminists as "in-fighting". So in Australian feminism, public debate and challenge is very much constructed as a "white privelege".
The "rape is everybody's business" catch-cry basically dismisses traditional Indigenous gender domains*. It also carries the assumption that Aboriginal people don't have the right or ability to manage their own affairs, and must be scrutinised and regulated by "everybody". The Australian government and media have recently launched massive propaganda campaigns using horror stories of rape and child abuse to justify "tough measures" involving the destruction of any hopes for Indigenous autonomy. The rhetoric is surprisingly similar to that of the feminists on the same issue, culminating in the assumption that Indigenous self-governance is impossible.
So once again, the "good guys (sic)" find themselves working for the enemy.
Men's And Women's Business
*Here's an excerpt from my blog Chicks With Didges explaining the need for seperate men's and women's business, and how this can come into conflict with feminist agendas.
"There is energy produced by male activity that is often described in Aboriginal Englishes as "sour". This can make women and children very sick. (It's also what makes crocodiles prefer girl meat!) At the same time, women's cultural activity (eg weaving) produces energy that can be harmful for men.
That's why there's women's business and men's business. I think that is something that gives women power, in fact. Domains of solidarity and autonomy.
Western ideals of "equality" won't stand for such a thing. But this "equality" business is not there to empower women - it is designed to strip them of their secret places and increase patriarchal control over women's business. As a result, most female domains are now dominated by men in the west. Ironic, eh?
So I think there must always be women's business, to maintain the female centres of power that are the seat of creation. I would go as far as to say that creation is beginning to unravel because women are no longer singing it from their sacred places and through sacred activity.
So, although it is in conflict with my post-structural feminist ideology (another female domain now dominated by male thinkers like myself, thanks to the mythical construct of "equality"), I will still never let my daughter play the didgeridoo. Same way I wouldn't let my son weave dillybags."
MY RESPONSE:
I liked this article because the authour, Tyson Yunkaporta, doesn't put all feminists into one category. She divides her writing first telling what Aboriginal women think of rape. Then she goes deeper into what Anglo, lower classes, Australia, & other countries think, her opinion isn't based off one point of view. People should read this because this article isn't what one person thinks. Many women share the same ideas about feminists rights. It's easier to call one person a crack pot than a group of people. Maybe if enough people talked, enough people would listen.
Reverend Elvis Elano, a priest formerly posted at Our Lady of the Snows in the Queens, is having a very trying day. After his secret seven-month affair with parishioner Judith Rodrigues-Lytwyn ended earlier this month, his ex has gone public with a lawsuit in Brooklyn Supreme Court, and The Smoking Gun has obtained a cachet of embarrassing photos, emails and documents, like the receipt for his online Viagra purchase.
Rodrigues-Lytwyn, age 50, says in a court statement that, "I was looking for some spiritual guidance, and finding some peace from a religious perspective." Instead, she contends that Reverend Elano abused his position and seduced her as she went through a traumatic divorce. She was in the confession booth last March when he allegedly told her, "Your presence struck me like a thunder bolt." Later, he assured her their relationship was "ordained by God."
Their affair ended when Rodrigues-Lytwyn got her "head on straight" and "realized that he preyed upon me." Another factor in the break-up, apparently, was Elano's confession that he picked up a painful rash on his genitals from another woman. In an email to Rodrigues-Lytwyn (now on The Smoking Gun), Elano writes,"The other Friday, I tried to look for a doctor who does not know me. It is because of the rash on my thing. It is spreading out. Now I even have on my legs. They are like spots but painful. I don't know what it is..." Rodrigues-Lytwyn is seeking $25 million from the Diocese of Brooklyn, which governs Our Lady of the Snows.
MY RESPONSE: I like this article because it reminds us that no one is perfect, & even the people who swear to be sinless, sometimes commit sins. No one can be a hundred percent one thing, no matter what the thing is. The authour writes what the sin is, who claimed that it happened, & then goes into detail about it, ending the article with quotes by the sinner himself. Others should read this article because stories of other people can sometimes make the reader question about the way things are. Why would someone do that? How did they handle it? Who else has done this before?
To tolerate something, is not to love, nor hate it. In order to become tolerate, you must master the art of becoming oblivious to it. Having no opinion, just flat out ignoring it. In some ways, becoming tolerant either means accepting it- or turning your back on it.
Forester claimed that love did not work in public affairs. That it has been tried over and over again, and failed repetitively. He claimed that tolerance was dull patience, with spirit and emotions. This essay was written after WWII, and Forester has tried to bring people together by telling them that they need to become more tolerant- tolerant of not only each other, but of boring negativity.
You claimed that being intellectual was better than making decisions with emotions. In order to have a system that satisfies everyone- shouldn’t the president be both? If one person leans too far on the intellectual side, his reasons may be too stony and have no flexibility. But the same works the other way around- if one bases his decisions on emotions, he becomes unstable. A mix of both is needed to have a suitable leadership.
I do agree with you on the idea that intellectuals are for real- reading classics and have an appreciation for Sophocles and Shakespeare. However, using examples of other presidents makes the reader feel uncomfortable. You bring out some good points about George Bush, as well as Richard Nixon and Clinton- but what’s the point? I find your article confusing and very plopped. You back up your opinions with emotion. Where’s the intellect?
Pain. What is pain? The definition of pain has different meaning for everyone. IE- a woman in a third world country leaves her job- working in the fields- to have a baby. A couple hours later, she's back in the field. Verses an American woman, who decides to inject anesthetics into her spine, in order NOT to feel her CHILD being born. A lot of coping with pain is influenced by culture, along with religion, stereotypes, health, and tolerance.
Of course there is more than one type of pain; physical and mental. Sometimes they work together. If someone is in a car accident and becomes paralyzed in their legs- they may become depressed and cause self injury. "There are those who welcome pain in order to surmount it." (Ackerman, Pain) But there are also those who ignore it with the help of painkillers or meditation. Like stress, a form of mental pain, people are advised to meditate, to become oblivious and reduce both types of pain.
Reverend Elvis Elano, a priest formerly posted at 