The Duck of Minerva

Here are some recent interesting posts and articles focused on 52% of the population: Want a fun and informative procrastination tool? Check out the NYT interactive tool exploring the gender gap in science across the globe. Sarah Rainey of the National Times in Australia wrote an impassioned and provocative piece on childless women- she declares them "the final taboo for women." Darlene Iskra, for Times, asks if women in combat is "really that big of a deal." Sheila Moeschen lists 5 'Crimes' perpetrated against women in rock music in her latest Huffington Post post. According to the Sydney...

Given the growing debate surrounding "Zero Dark Thirty", it is now mandatory to have a strong opinion on the movie. In addition to the excellent posts on this blog, including "Zero Dark Thirty" Debate Needs and Interrogation and "Zero Dark Thirty": Touchstone Par Exemplar by Jeffrey Stacey the internet is awash with excellent commentary on the movie. Why does it matter? The vast divide between those who love it and those who hate it tells us something about the politics of war movie-making and the way we look back on the war on terror. The New York Film Critics Circle named 0DT the best...

What you need to know about the recent policy change and the reactions. Where to start: the excellent NYT and Washington Post articles on the removal of the exclusion. Here's a great breakdown on storify of the "some things to know" about the exclusion and the changes. Rachel Maddow weighs in on her blog, calling the change a dramatic step forward. Josh Voorhees on the Slate reminds readers that the proposal gives the military three years to identify any roles that they wish to remain closed for women- so the devil is indeed in the details. Former Marine Infantryman Ryan Smith warns of "the...

Brazilian transexual, feminist anger, the 'arrival' of the trans lobby, and a journalist leaving twitter. Did you get it all this week? In case you didn't, here's the summary (without commentary/opinion for now) with all the links you need: A few days ago Suzanne Moore (a journalist for the Guardian) wrote a piece on 'the power of female anger'. In this otherwise unremarkable post, one line has sparked controversy: We are angry with ourselves for not being happier, not being loved properly and not having the ideal body shape – that of a Brazilian transsexual. The comment sparked a Twitter...

Some sex, gender, and women highlights and lowlights for the week: In the post "2012: The year in sexism" Laura Bates lists the sexist 'lowlights' of each month (from Rush Limbaugh's slut comment to Todd Akin's 'legit' rape gaff). The Huffington Post has some high and low gender moments of its own- the high point is Carey Purcell's "Fifty Shades of Feminism: a response to E.L. James Fifty Shades of Grey." Parcell summarizes many of the criticisms already waged against the series, but with a refreshing tone. Speaking of feminism, if you missed the Atlantic article about why Katie Perry's...

There are seriously multiple articles on why sex is best on Thursday (don't ask how I got there). So let's riff on that and go through some sex/gender inspired links for the day (a quickie, if you will): The Republican witch hunt of Susan Rice is over as she withdraws her name from consideration for Secretary of State. Pundits are still arguing that she's been criticized for the wrong reasons, while others feel that all the flack she's gotten gives her a 'pass' on policy stances. The Human Security Report Project's recent claim that wartime sexual violence is declining continues to face...