Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
To Russia’s largest social network, putting a price tag on a woman’s photo that was put up on a public group without her permission is “just a bad joke.” Rate the Heifer, a small online community on VKontakte, Russia’s version of Facebook, has spurred a battle between chauvinists and feminists by asking users to put a virtual price tag on…
Actor Chris Pine cried over the John Legend-Common performance, and suddenly civil rights has a new “hero.” Chris Pine at the Academy Awards Feb. 22, 2015Youtube screenshot /sl-art-illo-cap /sl-art-illo-cntr There is nothing—nothing—like seeing a handsome, straight, cisgender, wealthy, able-bodied white man cry to remind us how horrific black people had it during the civil rights…
Silicon Valley Has Lost Its Way, the WIRED headline began. Sure, I’ll go with that. It continued, Can Skateboarding Legend Rodney Mullen Help It? And there it is: the idea that skate culture could energize a languid tech world. Is skateboarding the EpiPen the Valley needs? No. Please no. Not now. The last time skateboarding was a…
A video appeared recently that that reawakened fears about Gamergate. It caused game developer Brianna Wu to file a restraining order against the man in the video. It was also a factor in her reasoning to pull her company, Giant Spacekat, out of gaming festival PAX East, fearing for her employees’ safety. It scared Wu, it scared other female developers…
Photo Eddie Murphy before his “White Like Me” skit. Credit Frankie Ziths/Associated Press NEW HAVEN — THE recent reunion show for the 40th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” re-aired a portion of Eddie Murphy’s 1984 classic “White Like Me” skit, in which he disguised himself to appear Caucasian and quickly learned that “when white people…
When I speak about my personal experiences with subtle and covert forms of discrimination, also known as microaggressions (see previous entry), I am often challenged about my interpretations. Is it possible, they may ask, that the behavior exhibited by the person you described had nothing to do with discrimination? Aren’t there many other logical reasons…
If attending a code school can be life-changing for the average student, imagine what the prospect would mean to womyn of color. Since our communities are among the most impoverished, we stand to gain the most from the flexible, high-paying jobs of today’s tech empire. But in an industry where black, Latina, and indigenous womyn…
While US military and intelligence interrogation impacted people overseas, Homan Square – said to house military-style vehicles and even a cage – focuses on American citizens, most often poor, black and brown. ‘When you go in,’ Brian Jacob Church told the Guardian, ‘nobody knows what happened to you.’ Video: Phil Batta for the Guardian; editing:…
Recently, Hollywood proved once again that it just does not understand women. This proof came in the form of a trashy blockbuster that struck a chord with women, though it was widely derided by critics for its weird concept and laughable dialogue. And no, I’m not talking about Fifty Shades of Grey. Tumblr Jupiter Ascending is…
Ana Redmond launched into a technology career for an exciting challenge and a chance to change the world. She was well-equipped to succeed too: An ambitious math and science wiz, she could code faster, with fewer errors, than anyone she knew. In 2011, after 15 years, she left before achieving a management position. Garann Means…