A draft I’ve had hanging around since last month: I’m trying to get these things out for some discussion even if I haven’t been able to wrap a bow around them to my entire satisfaction. Via Samara at The F-word… Read More ›
language
use, misuse and cynical manipulation of language in common and specialist speech and writing
Feminism Friday: Humour as a tool for shaming and silencing
Last week’s Feminism Friday post was on why Rape Jokes Just Aren’t Funny, based on a series from Melissa McEwan of Shakesville, and Bernice made a telling comment. Humour – the final frontier of colonialisation. You really now you’ve co-opted… Read More ›
The gendered language of snark: help a Hoyden out
“Drama queen”. “Attention whore”. “Pearl clutching”. “Flounce”. “Hysterical”. These are all insults based on the assigned femininity of the target (or on campness, a flavour of femininity). And that femininity is assumed to be an inherently negative characteristic. Our language… Read More ›
So that’s why it’s annoyed me so much
I’m not the only person to be annoyed over the years by the egregious overuse of the term “paradigm shift”. I knew people were misusing the term, but not having actually read Kuhn’s seminal work wherein he coined the term,… Read More ›
Well-crafted scorn is a joy forever
What a shame that our current options for Dear Leader of Orstraya are Beige and Beiger. We are most unlikely to be hearing anything about drover’s dogs, or mouths filled with Achilles heels, or even a statement as relatively mild… Read More ›
Babies, body fluids and the “bizarre”
[image from the Daily Mail] Mostly, I just wanted to blog this story because I love this photo. Nadia is on the left. But there is stuff to say, too. Melissa at Shakesville has been blogging about the way in… Read More ›
Not safe, not well, not unhurt, NOT SEX
[emphases are mine] [cut for child rape triggers]
Slices of Google, from the Buoyant Honed Two
Anagrams Because the cool kids at Shapely Prose are doing it, I went and anagrammed Hoyden About Town. Some of my favourites, a selection that I think reflects the spirit of our bloggy duo: You Wanton Hotbed! Dab Honey Onto… Read More ›
Linkfest: Cultures ‘n’ Vultures edition
The Age has this opinion piece by Claire Smith: “The Aboriginal intervention policy is failing”. Smith is an associate professor in archaeology at Flinders University, has worked with Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory for almost 20 years, and is… Read More ›
Linkalicious: Big Tuesday Edition
A veritable smorgasbord for you! 1. “Intimate Politics: A Roundtable”: a downloadable podcast of a panel of feminist scholars and their reactions (not book reviews, but further musings) to the book Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for… Read More ›