she was a vegetarian. at least i thought she was. then she asked for chicken.

- i want chicken.
- you want what?
- chicken.
- what for?
- err …
- you mean like in a cage? like a pet?
- no. to eat it.

i gasp.

- you eat meat?

she slaps me.

(more…)

the aural:
dengue fever - ethanopium

Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, is now accused of reviving the politics of eugenics by publishing the research which concludes that low IQ levels, rather than poverty and disease, are the reason why life expectancy is low and infant mortality high. His paper, published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, compares IQ scores with indicators of ill health in 126 countries and claims that nations at the top of the ill health league also have the lowest intelligence ratings.

(more…)

the aural:
gogol bordello - immigrant punk

so … apparently, on november 7th, michigan voters decided they should ban affirmative action in education and employment. known simply as “proposal 2,” this proposed constitutional ammendment is:

A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO BAN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMS THAT GIVE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THEIR RACE, GENDER, COLOR, ETHNICITY OR NATIONAL ORIGIN FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION OR CONTRACTING PURPOSES

i don’t think your average white person really understands the gravity of “white privilege,” or specifically, “white male privilege.” until that concept and its social/economic consequences are put in the limelight and totally understood, then i’m afraid affirmative action will have to stay (even though, of course, white women have historically reaped the most benefits from it). besides, truthfully, i think that people who, at this point in time and history, oppose affirmative action have a very unrealistic and skewed perspective of history, race, and gender. granted, in an ideal world, race and gender and sexuality shouldn’t matter. however, reality is a much bleaker neighborhood. foreign policy sucks. public education system is flailing at best. so please, dear pseudo-right-wing-ignoramuses … cut that bullshit out.

(more…)