Some common sense thoughts on the Bible, same-sex marriage and abortion

I found this opinion article by Michael Coogan really interesting. He nicely summarizes what I've always felt about the Bible: Take from it the valuable lessons about treating others well and being a good citizen, and leave from it the sexist, racist, out-dated and old fashioned ideas (after all, it was written thousands of years ago! Times have changed!)

Unless you've been living in a cave for the last few years, you'll know that tension is rising in America between Christians and non-Christians, and some of the big issues that cause that tension are abortion and gay marriage. Below are a few paragraphs from Coogan's article that address these issues in the way I wish all Americans could address them: with common sense. It seems to me that common sense is not all that common anymore! Anyway, enough of my ramble, here's what Coogan has to say:

When talking about so-called family values, pastors, popes, and politicians routinely quote the Bible as if it were an unassailable divine authority -- after all, they assume, God wrote the Bible, and therefore it is absolutely and literally true.

But that is a misconception. As the Bible itself makes clear, its authors were human beings, many of whom are named: David, Isaiah, Luke, and Paul. These human writers wrote over the course of more than a thousand years, and their writings reflect their own views and the values they shared with their contemporaries. So it's not surprising that inconsistencies are frequent in the Bible, both trivial and profound.

Although Jews and Christians, individually and collectively, have for the last 2,000 years accepted the Bible as authoritative in principle, in practice many of its values have been rejected. On issues such as slavery, no one today would maintain that slavery is acceptable, even though, according to the Bible, it was a divinely sanctioned institution. In the debates about slavery in the 19th century those opposed to its abolition cited the Bible in support of their position, but despite such biblical warrant, their views were renounced.

According to biblical law, a father could sell his daughter as a slave, and the last of the Ten Commandments lists as off-limits a neighbor's possessions -- his house, wife, slaves, and livestock. But the majority of modern Jews and Christians no longer accept the biblical view of women as men's property and hence subordinate to them, as they have also abandoned the biblical practice of polygamy.

In current debates about family values, most of which have to do with sex, opponents of abortion and advocates of a woman's right to choose both cite the Bible in support of their conflicting views, even though the Bible in fact says nothing specifically about the issue. And with regard to same-sex marriage, although the few biblical writers who mention same-sex relationships, especially between men, were unequivocally opposed to them, many contemporary believers would argue that, as with slavery and the status of women, it is time to recognize that the values of the biblical writers are no longer necessarily our own.

Opponents of same-sex marriage cite Leviticus, which says that when a man sleeps with a man as with a woman it is an abomination. They're right: It does say that. But it later calls for the death penalty for such activity, which only the most rabid opponents would insist on. The Bible also calls eating pork and a woman wearing a man's clothes abominations, yet many would no longer enforce such prohibitions.

So, I suggest, the essence of the Bible -- its ultimate authority -- is not in its individual pronouncements, but in its underlying message: equal, even loving, treatment of all persons, regardless of their age, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

To read the full article, click here.

It's 2010 and advertisers are STILL using gang rape to sell clothing?

When will designer brands learn that it’s not cool to use gang rape to advertise clothing?

In 2007 Dolce & Gabanna put out this charming ad, which was banned in Italy, Australia and Spain, and caused controversy world-wide.



Now, Calvin Klein has basically done exactly the same thing. This new ad, starring Dutch model Lara Stone, has also been banned in Australia for being “suggestive of violence and rape.” Australia's ad watchdog said the image "was demeaning to women by suggesting that she is a plaything of these men. It also demeans men by implying sexualized violence against women."

I believe these companies know that what they're doing will spark controversy, and they're using the old "any press is good press" motto. So on the one hand I'm reluctant to even mention this because maybe that's exactly what they want... but on the other hand, it's really important that people understand WHY these images are unacceptable: Studies have shown that increased exposure to images of violence against women "normalizes it" and makes it less shocking and seemingly less wrong. If people start to think of rape and sexual assault as something normal, they will have less sympathy for victims, and more offenders will get away with their crimes.

CJSW Funding Drive - Incentives to Pledge!

CJSW's 26th annual Funding Drive runs from Friday Oct 22 - Friday Oct 29! Please show your support for our radio station, which is almost entirely powered by volunteers! Did you know that all three hosts of Yeah What She Said volunteer their time to bring you this show and podcast?

Community radio is awesome because it's made by the people for the people, and there is absolutely no commercial bullshit! We think it's rad that CJSW devotes one hour of programming each week to women's/feminist issues, and if you think that's awesome too, then please donate on our show this year!

This year we've lined up some sweet incentives that you'll receive if you pledge on our radio program - Monday October 25 from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

To pledge, phone 204-220-5000!

**The first person to pledge $25 or more on our show gets two free tickets to John and Beatrice at Verb Theatre! Pick your night - shows at 8:00 pm until October 30! (Show plays at "Motel" in the Epcor Centre for Performing Arts)**

If you pledge $25
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS a bonus CD:

• FoonYap and The Roar - The Mes, The Mys, and The Swimming Pool
• Sheri-D Wilson w/ Russel Broom - Re: Cord

If you pledge $60
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS a bonus CD:

• CocoRosie - Grey Oceans
• Ashley Wells - Mama's Skirt
• Girls Girls Girls - Songs for Grilly
• Sal Kimber - Sounds like Thunder
  
  

If you pledge $75
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS...

• Two free classes at Bodhi Tree Yoga
  

If you pledge $80
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS...

• A $25 gift certificate to Rewind Consignment Clothing - a consignment clothing boutique downtown that also has some wicked jewelery and a funky selection of new clothing.

If you pledge $100
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS...

• A one-year subscription to Bitch Magazine (value $35)!

If you pledge $250
You'll get all the CJSW funding drive swag at that pledge level, PLUS...

• Two tickets to the Alberta Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker !!!
  Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. (value $170)

GQ's November issue turns Glee into porn

Is this Glee photo shoot too sexually explicit for the audience it courts? I think so. Glee is a hugely successful television program that's popular with tweens and teens. It's also wildly popular amongst adults too, but the producers of Glee have to remember that if youth are a big part of their audience, the actors shouln't be posing like porn stars.

The racy photo shoot features Dianna Agron (Quinn), Lea Michele (Rachel) and Cory Monteith (Finn). The Los Angeles Times has a really good article about this, and these two paragragraphs were stand-outs for me:

Monteith is, of course, fully clothed. Not so his female costars, who bare their midriffs and décolletage, bras and panties, in thighs-spread, derriere-hoisted poses made more than slightly unsettling by their school-girl ensembles. Michele, in particular, seems to be auditioning for a live-action version of Japanese anime porn.

The result is not so much saucy and in-your-face as it is predictable and depressing -- oh look, more young women being asked to assume the position, this time complete with pom poms and lollipop. No doubt Agron and Michele did it to be sexy and playful, and were not at all manipulated by forces that have put generations of young women in precisely the same poses for precisely the same reasons -- to feed the fantasy, promote the show and sell magazines. And that just makes it worse, doesn't it?

First, it upsets me that young girls look up to these actresses and here they are posing like porn stars... great. Second, I'm so fucking sick of the same old "sexy" poses: girl licking lollipop seductively, guy with two girls, girls sticking their butts and breasts out, etc. I mean really. Get some god damn originality. Third and finally, I know that all the people in this photo shoot are adults, but they play teenagers on a television show. GQ is a magazine for men, and considering that these photos are set in a school, the photographer has essentially served up over-sexualized images of school girls to grown men.

Any other Glee fans out there? What do you think of these pictures? Today, I am sad to report that I've lots a little bit of respect for Glee.

The Threesome. Super creative and original!

The crotch shot. Another classic.

Oh, the lollipop in the mouth! Another CLASSIC!
And by classic I mean completely unoriginal.

Tonight's Show: Celebrating Women's History Month

October is women's history month! In light of that, we are celebrating a few women who have made a mark in history and have inspired us with their intelligence, determination and passion.

Clara Hughes - Canadian Olympic athlete and the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Jane Goodall - A primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Jane is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.

Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill was released 15 years ago (that makes me feel old!) and as far as Canadian women's contributions to music goes, this was MASSIVE. The album became the 2nd biggest seller of the 1990's and spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

Alice Jamieson - In 1914, Alice was appointed the first female judge of in the British Commonwealth of a juvenile court. In 1916, she became the second female magistrate in the British Commonwealth - after Emily Murphy (one of the Famous Five).

Annie Gale - In 1917 she became the first woman in the British Commonwealth to be elected to a position in any level of government. She served as alderman for The City of Calgary municipal council.

Margaret Sanger - An American birth control activist. In 1916 Sanger and her sister Ethel Byrne, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States.

Happy Person's Day!

On this day in 1929, women became "persons" in Canada, making women eligible to run for senate. This epic battle was won by five Alberta women, commonly known as the Famous Five.

Most Canadian women had been able to vote since 1918, but they couldn't run for senate due to some specific wording in the Canadian Constitution, which was written in 1867. It stated that only "qualified persons" could run for senate. The prevailing view of the legal establishment at that time was that "persons" did not include women.

So this group of gusty women fought to have the definition of "persons" changed. They were eventually successful, but it was quite a hard battle. To learn more about this, check out CJSW’s Today in Canadian History podcast for October 18, which features The Persons Case. It’s a 10-minute long podcast which was produced by me!

So, happy Person’s Day everyone! If you live in Calgary, please vote today! Women have only been allowed to vote in Canada for the last 92 years… so remember how lucky we are. Get out there and do your civic duty!

Calgary's Take Back the Night planning committee is looking for volunteers!

Take Back the Night is an international organization, but most major cities have their individual planning committees that organize an annual rally and march. These events bring awareness to the issue of violence against women in our community.

Calgary's TBTN planning committee is seeking ladies with the urge to do something good, to make some new friends and those who wish to apply their event planning and coordination skills to this important cause.

If this is you, or if you know of anyone who may be interested, email tbtncalgary@gmail.com for an application form and let the planning begin!

French women protest Burqa Ban in niqābs and booty shorts!

On October 8th, France’s Constitutional Council approved the “Burqa Ban” – a law that bans burqas, niqābs, full body and face coverings in public spaces. However, the law will not apply to places of worship. The new law will impose a fine of approximately $190 and/or a citizenship course for a woman wearing a niqāb or a burqa. Additionally, any person forcing a woman to wear a full-face veil will face a year in prison or a $19,000 fine.

I think this new law is pretty ridiculous, and xenophobic to say the least. We don’t need laws that control women’s bodies and women’s choices. I realise some may claim that not all women choose to wear a veil and that it’s forced upon them. This is probably true in some circumstances, but I bet there’s a lot more women that wear it by choice – to honour their culture, religion or traditions. Either way, I don’t think the government belongs in any discussions about what we wear.

In response to the new law, two anonymous French students recently geared up in niqābs and booty shorts and strutted through the streets of Paris. They stopped at several government ministry buildings to protest the Burqa Ban.

The women, one of whom is Muslim, call themselves Niqabitches. “We were not looking to attack or degrade the image of Muslim fundamentalists – each to their own – but rather to question politicians who voted for this law that we consider clearly unconstitutional," they said. "We want to de-dramatise the situation."

Tonight's Show: The UofC Women's Centre undergoes unwelcome changes

Over the past few months, changes have been brewing at the University of Calgary's Women's Resource Centre (WRC). The space that the WRC occupies has been changed to include a new Centre for Community-Engaged Learning, which is supposed to enhance civic consciousness and educate students about the value of community service.

Student volunteers with the Women's Resource Centre are upset about these changes. According to their petition to save the WRC, their number of volunteers has been severely reduced and capped at 50, some of their programs have been cut (including the very successful Women-Mentoring-Women program), their annual WRC Awards have been postponed indefinitely, and gender-reserved times have been eliminated.

Tonight we are speaking with two women who are involved with the WRC and have been fighting to return the space back to it's original intent. This is quite a personal issue for me as well, because when I was a student at the University of Calgary I was part of a group of women that fought hard to get the Women's Centre on campus in the first place. Prior to the WRC opening in 2006, the University of Calgary was the only significant university in Canada that did not have a women's centre. I know first-hand how hard the struggle was to get the Women's Centre on campus, and now to see it's space and it's programs being dwindled down to practically nothing is very upsetting.

For more information on this:

• Save the WRC facebook page
• Women's Centre Changes Concern Students - The Gauntlet, September 9, 2010
  

Tune in from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. on CJSW 90.9 fm in Calgary, or listen from anywhere in the world via the CJSW website.

If you love CJSW and our radio show, we want you to speak on-air about it!

CJSW's Funding Drive is coming up in just a few short weeks! Our funding drive program airs on Monday October 25, and this year we want our listeners and feminist community members to come on-air and tell the world why CJSW and Yeah What She Said are awesome!

Help us tell the story of the importance of community radio, and why it's so great that CJSW provides a "space" for women's/feminist issues. If CJSW and/or Yeah What She Said have positively impacted your life in any way, then we'd love you to come on-air (via telephone) and tell us about it!

If you want to speak on-air, here's how it will work:
Email us at yeahwhatshesaid@gmail.com and let us know that you're interested. You have to be available to speak with us via telephone on Monday, October 25 between 8 and 9 p.m. It should only take 5 minutes or less! We'll give you a call while we're doing our show, and ask you a few questions such as:

• Why is CJSW important to the community?
• Why is it important that Calgary has a radio program devoted to women's issues and feminism?
• What do you love about CJSW?

Too shy to speak on-air? We would be happy to read something you've written. Once you've written a statement, email it to yeahwhatshesaid@gmail.com, and we'll include it on our show.

We look forward to hearing from you guys - please participate and help us make our Funding Drive show the best one ever!

Tonight's Show: Canada's Sex-Trade Laws

Last week Justice Susan Himel invalidated parts of Section 212 and 213 of the Criminal Code, which basically means Canadians can’t be charged with keeping a bawdy house, communicating for the purpose of sex and living off the avails of prostitution. This is far from being law, as appeals are promised by both provincial and federal governments. Yet the decision has stirred up massive controversy across the nation and sex-trade workers are hailing the ruling as a victory.

Tonight we chat with special guest, Farrah Alladin, about Canada's sex-trade and what this new ruling may mean for those who make their living in the sex industry.

What happened to Christina Hendrick's hips?

Christina Hendrick from Mad Men is a beautiful, curvy lady. But in this new ad for London Fog, they seem to have Photoshopped her hips right out of the picture. Below is a picture of what her hips actually look like.

Why would London Fog Photoshop her hips down so drastically? Christina's curvy body is part of what's made her loved by so many people and a role model for curvier women. Shame on you London Fog for fucking up what could have been a really beautiful advertisement.