media
disseminating ideas and spinning them
Yet another women and purchasing power list o’ facts (and omissions)
Yet, yet again, it makes no distinction between
*discretionary personal spending which a woman can choose not to do and nobody except herself will care
versus
*necessary household spending, which if the woman doesn’t do then somebody else has to get it done.
Media Circus: Craig Thomson cleared of electoral fraud, let’s talk about something else then
Let’s keep a closer eye on the impact of policy and legislation rather than buying into the moving wallpaper ethos of personality conflicts trumping the actual political process, OK?
Full Story »
That attachment parenting TIME cover
Annie Urban looks at how it’s so easy for the MSM to misuse the concepts underpinning attachment parenting to “throw some fuel on the mommy wars”
, and how motherhood is not a competition.
Political Meme of the week: Abbott “explains” things – they just are
ABBOTT: ‘blah blah Gillard govt schoolkid bonus bad blah blah’
REPORTER: ‘How is this different from the Howard govt baby bonus?’
ABBOTT: ‘Well look, they just are.’
Friday Hoyden: Sady Doyle
Sady Doyle from the fantastic Tiger Beatdown blog gave Hoyden About Town a shout-out in a piece she wrote for In These Times – Blogging Sisterhood: How feminist blogs saved my life. So here’s a shout-out back, to one of my favourite writers!
Full Story »
Media circus vs policy
Another week, another slew of personality-conflict and MP-scandal headlines. Who’d think it was Budget week in Canberra, eh? Discuss actual policy here, if you like. Or just heave brickbats at the worst of the circus acts, if you prefer.
Full Story »
Mary Elizabeth Williams on the recent NYT motherhood click ‘n’ stoush bait
There isn’t much in the entire package that doesn’t feel shamelessly manipulated to incite an old-fashioned chick fight here.
Quote of the Day: Bleeeeeeeep edition
Apparently BBC America bleeped The Thick Of It. Must have sounded like a lorry reversing into a heart monitor.
Parliamentary circus continues
Does anybody seriously think that the Labor caucus won’t wait until the results of next week’s Budget sessions before anyone decides to make a move? What next for the national soap opera?
Full Story »
Today in Essentialist Claptrap
The footage showed the Duchess making happy faces at a baby and stroking ou’s head while ou was being held by the father, while the Duke was shown holding a baby and chatting with onlookers, yet the commentary was about how “Kate” was showing her natural motherly side. Which one of them was actually shown as being relaxed and comfortable holding a baby again?
Full Story »
How turning voters off politics helps US pollies get elected – will it work in Australia too?
Intriguing analysis in this post from Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post, although Jay Rosen notes that he doesn’t cover the complementary role played in this game by the news media playing up the confected outrage.
Full Story »
Friday Hoyden: Kathrine Switzer
In 1967 an angry race official tried to stop Kathrine Switzer from running the Boston Marathon. He failed, she changed her society.
Full Story »
* Quicklink to recent open threads
CastIronBalcony: 
bluemilk: 
mindyhoyden: 
puzzlement: 
vivsmythe: 
ChallyWrites: 
ilauredhel: 
Recent Comments
skepticlawyer, Feminist Avatar, AMM, blue milk, Mel, skepticlawyer [...]
blue milk, Aqua, of the Questioners, Mindy, Helen, tigtog, Phillomath
Jo, Helen, Jo, Helen, Aphie, Jo [...]
SunlessNick, Eden, Feminist Avatar, angharad, Jo, tigtog [...]
Helen, Aqua, of the Questioners, Mindy, Rebekka, Aqua, of the Questioners, tigtog [...]
Merryn, Alison
Helen, blue milk, Chris, Tamara, tigtog, Tamara [...]
Aqua, of the Questioners, tigtog, Megpie71, Eden, tigtog, Aqua of the Questioners [...]
tigtog, bluntshovels, Rebekka, Sam Bauers, Sarah, Lauredhel
Mindy, tigtog, Chris, tigtog, Mindy, Chris
Mindy, Mindy, Chally, orlando, Eden, YetAnotherMatt [...]
Aqua of the Questioners, Mindy, lauredhel, Mindy, Aphie, tigtog [...]