I’ve spent more years of my life than not going to the Anzac Day Dawn Service.
Tag: health
service: tell my jerkbrain that i can do this thing
Dear all who were raised whilst being told they weren’t as good as white men, here is an article that tells you nothing new.
A review of personnel records found that women working at HP applied for a promotion only when they believed they met 100 percent of the qualifications listed for the job. Men were happy to apply when they thought they could meet 60 percent of the job requirements. At HP, and in study after study, the data confirm what we instinctively know. Underqualified and underprepared men don’t think twice about leaning in. Overqualified and overprepared, too many women still hold back. Women feel confident only when they are perfect. Or practically perfect.
Australian ladies are in no way exempt from this terrible phenomenon, and although I’m struggling to find evidence, I suspect they are further constrained by the frustrating Tall Poppy Syndrome.
And non-ladies will also find this relevant; basically any member of any minority group who was told they weren’t as good as a conforming white man. Please ignore the USA tech industry biases in this article and apply its truths to your life as you see relevant. Note that what is considered self-confidence varies across cultures, traditions and upbringing, and can be exacerbated: when this article comments that assertive women are often considered bitches, it fails to note that black women (and men) in North America are considered uppity; that Asian women in Australia are considered dragons; that Aboriginal people are ignored as if they are not even there.
In light of this not new and completely unsurprising information about the role of misogyny in our established societal systems and jerkbrains, No Award and Penguin Productions are compelled to offer a new service: the I Can Burn It Down service.
Services provided in this program:
- You ask: No Award, can I do this thing and crush this city to the ground? No Award replies: Indeed, you can do this thing, and lists you why so you can shut up your lying jerkbrain.
- Positive reinforcement is aided by motivational sharks, an evil cat, and adorable penguins who will assess your abilities (all excellent) and experience (so great) and confirm for you that you can do this thing.
- Reassessment of negative feedback from jerkface other parties, and confirmation that you can indeed burn it down.
This service was designed with Australians in mind, and please note that it is opt-in for all self identifying ladies, gender non-specifics, those who were forced to be ladies against their actual identity, and any others who were raised whilst being told they weren’t as good as gender-conforming white men and currently feel a need for this service.
The management recognises that sometimes it will not be available to provide this service, as all service operators are currently located in Melbourne, Australia. To that end, we also provide a handy toolbox below.
Techniques for those momentarily lacking the confidence to burn it down:
- Armour yourself for battle. Stephanie likes to do this wearing wings and bright pink clothes, but this is not suitable for all world-destroying tasks.
- Confirm it for yourself: Can I do 50% of this thing; if I were marked on my performance for this thing, would I earn a passing grade? If the answer is yes, then do the thing.
- Is your jerk brain telling you no? Literally do the thing anyway.
- Say this out loud: I contain multitudes. They will swarm out and subdue my enemies if I do not get my way.
- Don’t take responsibility for things outside of your control. You are not a godling, despite your multitudes.
- When someone tells you you can’t do the thing, put your feet firmly on the ground, cross your arms, and assert your dominance through an eyebrow raise.
- Do not give ground.
- On public transport, always establish your dominance, especially against those who consume more spaces than allotted. If you push back against their lavaballing, they will give way in surprise. Take advantage of this, and the endorphins of success it provides, to push harder. Hold onto this feeling when you disembark the tram.
- Accept negative feedback, but only after running it through a trusted third party. You cannot have any of the best friends associated with No Award, but they are very good at their jobs and we recommend someone with similar skills.
- ALWAYS ask someone society says is better than you to move their bag from the train seat. (Please don’t put your bag on the seat, anyone else, because I don’t want to have to consume you with my multitudes)
- If you have something to say, say it.
- Remember that your failures belong to society. Blame it accordingly.
- Do not say sorry (except if you run over a cat. Then, maybe. MAYBE).
- Always check the emails you write and remove excess apologies. Do not feel regret.
- Do not run over a cat.
Leave a comment below to receive useful feedback from the No Award service. Others of the
No Award community are encouraged to aid this No Award service by also offering useful feedback. White cis men are allowed in the comments but will be gazed upon with non-yielding eyes.
66th down under feminists carnival
Hello! Welcome to No Award and the 66th edition of the Down Under Feminists Carnival! I last hosted the 54th edition over at one of my other eleven million blogs, which means it has been exactly twelve months! I guess November is just the time for me (Steph).
We’ve got some categories here for ease of perusal; and just a note that things without categories only mean they were singular in their category this month, not that we don’t love them! And there are some amazing articles here this month, as there are every month – but just because the month is over don’t think you need to hold back! If you have a comment to make or somewhere to go with the conversation, go for it, even if you’re encountering these bloggers for the first time through the carnival! More chat is great. Thank you to everyone who contributed links – and of course all the great antipodeans writing awesome things.
Next month’s edition is planned for 5 December, 2013: MJ at Kiwiana (inked). Submissions to burningthescript [at] gmail [dot] com for those who can’t access the blog carnival submissions form. Previous carnivals can be found on the blog carnival index page. Please do submit if you think something is relevant to interests, you can submit your own work and/or someone else’s.
On Sex and Sexuality
At A Life Unexamined, Fixed and fluid sexual identities (from an ace perspective).
Claire at Sextracurricular Studies brings us two great posts this month: Mythbusting the Hymen by Claire at Sextracurricular Studies, on virginity and education and the dangers of this myth; and on pornography and sexual culture.
Nausea Nissenbaum presents us with Hot & Hotter: interviews with sex workers’ rights activists.
On Misogyny and support for women
Women need resilience to rise to the top, by Zoe Krupka at New Matilda.
Over at Hoyden About Town, Maybe if we all went barefoot by Mindy, on how ladies buy too many shoes which means they can’t buy houses, amirite.
Sikamikanico writes “I don’t need feminism”: The Women of a Voice for Men (a Voice for Men is a group with a MRA agenda).
In Ministerial responsibility, Ben at CXLI writes on Tony Abbott as the Minister for Women and what this might mean.
Rachel Rayner writes Spare us from idiots, on a particularly gross piece of opinion piece published in the NZ Herald re: women.
“A Dirty Game”: One woman’s retrospective on the UQ elections looks at the reinforcement of patriarchy (and also in harassment) in the UQ elections. Also up at Womynews is a 2013 Reclaim the Night recap.
On Anonymous Hatred
Broken at Fat Heffalump. This is also about fat hate and also a nice story about people being nice.
By Amy Gray, the text of a speech: Reading the Trolls
Things to Read and Watch
Molly Eliza at Womynews reviews Destroying the Joint: Why Women Have to Change the World, edited by Jane Caro.
Chally reviews About Time, the latest Richard Curtis movie.
Fi at Reading Kills talks about Every Breath, a Melburnian YA murder mystery by Ellie Marney.
Amy Gray has put up the text of an ACMI speech she gave: Enlightenment and the need for unlikable women.
Here at No Award, Liz read The Deep by Tom Taylor (who she later met!!!), an Australian comic about a multiracial family of aquanauts. (I really want to read it)
Media and Representation
At HaT, Today in Fantasy Film Sexism: Disney tries to pat some feminists’ heads, on Frozen, the new Disney film.
I navel-gaze about Chinese dating show If You Are The One (非诚勿扰) and discuss what it means for dating and stereotypes, and why it’s so popular in Australia; and in love me long time ugh help i’m dying I talk about the ongoing representation of South East Asian women in Australian media as other and hypersexual and ugh.
Also at No Award and by me, I have been reviewing the ABC-TV HBO Asia coproduction Serangoon Road, set in Singapore in 1964 and featuring way too many white people (primarily Australians). In my reviews I discuss the show but also colonialism and imperialism and white attitudes in the SEA region in the period.
Stalking, Sexual Assault and the Gilmore Girls is a look at the character of Jess on the show. Includes discussions of sexual assault and rape (and pop culture as vehicle for rape culture).
Fi writes from eighteen to thirty with nothing in between, about the dearth of crime fiction featuring protagonists under thirty.
Scarlett Harris compares Book VS. TV: Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Scarlett also writes in Defence of Sex and the City and The Problem with Sex and the City 2.
On Health (including Mental Health)
Elizabeth at Spilt Milk writes A Good Mother, on motherhood and society and mental health.
Rachel Rayner writes The Cost of It, a beautiful piece about getting an IUD and the situation around it. (Beautiful as in, it’s a poetical and lovely piece of prose)
The Little Pakeha writes Presents well, on living with depression; and Coley Tangerina writes It’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
On Racism, Race, Ethnicity
Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu are not second-class names, by Queen of Thorns.
Australian feminists need to talk about race by Kelly Briggs up at the Guardian.
Jennifer at No Place for Sheep presents Immigration Minister Morrison instructs his staff to lie.
On Specific Women
friday feminaust: Nabila Farhat
A Friday Feminist over at HaT: Soul singer Tina Harrod.
Feminists in Fiction: Mulan at a Life Unexamined. (No Award note from your resident Chinese lady: This is a great look at the Disney Mulan but I’d just like to remind everyone that Hua Mulan is considered by many to be an actual figure in history, not just in fiction)
On Julia Gillard in conversation with Anne Summers: Carly Findlay: Julia Gillard in conversation with Anne Summers: “You have a decision to make: you could have a crap rest of your life”, [or you can move on]; Catherine Fox: The Gillard Effect: A role model we are lucky to have; Scarlett Harris: Anne Summers in conversation with Jullia Gillard.
On Marriage
Thoughts on being married by Gaayathri at A Human Story
O Brother, Where Art Thou On Gay Marriage? by Rebecca Shaw.
The logic behind Julia Gillard’s same-sex marriage opposition by Simon Copland at Ausopinion.
Poverty, Classism, Society, and getting a free pass
Poverty is Political by Anjum at Kiwi Stargazer, on the politics of poverty (and the assumption that poverty can be reduced through individual action).
The Left must own its shit and stop defending abusers by Queen of Thorns.
Dreaming of Home, by El Gibbs, on housing in Australia.
Fat Hate
Kevin Hague jumps aboard the fat-hating bandwagon, by Queen of Thorns.
Rebecca Shaw at The King’s Tribune: What do you see?
Abortion
At Idealogically Impure Queen of Thorns writes Teacher abuses position to slut-shame a teenager, gets a slap on the wrist – how moral! and From a prochoice position, changing our abortion laws DOES MATTER (the laws referred to here are NZ laws). Also by Queen of Thorns, 25 ways to be a smug slacktivist antichoice wanker.
Talk about Assault (warnings for discussion of rape, sexual assault, rape apologism, victim blaming, people being jerkfaces)
Something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr Jones? by Luddite Journo over at The Hand Mirror.
Chally discusses Sexual assault discourse where the listener is the cautionary tale.
The News with Nipples makes two posts on Mia Freedman’s rape apologism: Ah Mia Freedman, it all makes sense now and Today in what Mia Freedman has done now. And further on Mia (though not really), Ben McKenzie writes re: Mia Freedman et al and their “advice”.
At Hersute, Alcohol is a Misdirection When We Talk About Rape; and at Sikamikanico, Sexual Assault and Alcohol: it’s not common sense, it’s not true, and it’s not helping.
On Bob Jones and related: Gaayathri at A Human Story writes Bob Jones: An advocate for violence against women; One girl’s response to Bob Jones at Rape Crisis Dunedin; Fuck off, Bob Jones: and advertisers? Be warned at Idealogically Impure.
Tangerina reports that Wellington Rape Crisis might have to cut its services again.
And the gold goes to… by ShoniaS at Hoyden About Town (includes warning for discussion of child sexual abuse).
The Little Pakeha writes The vast majority of rapes are committed by shrubbery.
Andie writing at Women’s Agenda: To the unconvinced: the perpetrators of crime are responsible for crime.
Tigtog at HaT with Advising women to prevent their own rapes is not brave or edgy or helpful.
Clementine Ford writes Excused for sexually humiliating a woman at Daily Life.
Misc Stuff
Five Questions to Kelly Briggs is about this week’s Indigenous X tweeter – and if you’re not following the Indigenous X twitter, highly recommend.
freedom, by Stargazer, is about burqas and prejudice.
A letter to my non-black friends by Pheeby at Different Strands, talking about black hair (and what not to do).
Veronica Foale writes My disabled body, my choice, on disability and fertility.
Can HECS debt be privatised? at HaT.
Sarah Burnside at Overland on Helen Razer’s beauty myth (this post is actually from today Nov 1 but I went to school with Sarah and you can’t stop me hahaha)
Why the opal card could be a bad thing by Mindy over at HaT, on the introduction of a new PT smart card in Sydney.
feminist fashion? feminaust fashion?! by MsElouise is a look at whether truly feminist fashion can exist.
Kate Davidson looks at Bikes, sexism and Australia over at Overland.
Permission to geek out – granted, by Fat Heffalump, on women geeks and geeky interests.
At the Washington Post, How British colonialism determined whether your country celebrates Halloween, brings up some interesting notes about Victorianism, colonial social mores, and colonialism.
Are women underselling themselves at maths? A post by Sarah Macdonald at Daily Life
On Stigma and Violence by Gaayathri at A Human Story.
A Public Confession by Morgana Lizzio-Wilson at Womynews.
A poem! Refuge, by Anna Caro.
Yay! See you next time!
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