Day: 2010-11-03

On Ophelia, Who Never Got to Be a Hoyden

The casual use of violence perpetrated on the female body in telling a story about a man’s experience will not be news to most people here, but it might be enlightening to look at it in the context of what is often considered to be one of the great works of humanist literature, one that still carries more cultural weight than possibly any other, and is often claimed to speak to all people, everywhere.

Mother as politician

The evolution of the whole ‘Mum’ identity in politics is completely fascinating if not also repellent. You can read Judith Warner’s entire piece, “The New Momism” here. It is a pretty thought-provoking article. There was a time when words like… Read More ›

Because an injured sex worker is just hilarious

UPDATE: OK, it looks like I misheard this one. The story wasn’t about a sex worker at all, it was about a public servant seeking worker’s compensation for an injury sustained during a sexual encounter at a work-related conference. This does put a different perspective on the joke and the reaction.