Yesterday some friends took me to the annual conference co-sponsored by the Center for Economic Research and Social Change and by the International Socialist Organization. The conference is called, quite simply, Socialism 2012. Now. I am not in any way, shape, or form a socialist. However, I’ve always been curious why that particular political affiliation …
Monthly Archive: June 2012
Jun 27 2012
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the B's
A few weeks ago, our final grades for spring quarter were posted online. This usually happens on the Monday evening after the end of the quarter, and you see people posting Facebook statuses about their grades all night. I used to be one of the people who’d sit there refreshing Caesar or at least checking …
Jun 27 2012
I Read the Texas Republican Party Platform So You Wouldn't Have To
The Republican Party of Texas recently released its 2012 platform, a 23-page document that I decided to read because there isn’t enough misery in my life, apparently. This document is stunning even by Republican standards (sorry, Republicans). I will outline some of its most preposterous points here. (Note, however, that the preposterousness is by no …
Jun 27 2012
In Defense of Cynicism
I’ve been thinking about cynicism a lot lately, for no particular reason aside from the fact that I am a cynic. According to the actual definition, a cynic is either an adherent of the Greek philosophical school of cynicism, and/or simply a person who believes that human actions are motivated by selfishness (or rational self-interest, …
Jun 25 2012
"Vagina" is Not a Four-letter Word
You would be forgiven for assuming that our elected politicians are mature adults who can handle using words that designate genitalia. You would especially be forgiven for assuming that given that many of these politicians are very eager to legislate what can and cannot be done with genitalia. However, you’d be wrong. This is old …
Jun 25 2012
Sunday Link Roundup
Soooo I haven’t done one of these for a while because I’ve been lazy. Just kidding, it’s because I’ve been busy interning for a mental health advocacy organization and suntanning and reading Anna Karenina. So there may be a lot of links here. And now that I’ve recovered from Pride weekend, here it is. Enjoy! …
Jun 23 2012
Why I Abandoned Conservatism
To most people who don’t know it already, here’s something that will probably come as a surprise: until about two years ago, I was a far-right conservative. No, really, I was. Here are some things that I believed when I was a conservative. I believed that there is no real racism or sexism anymore. A …
Jun 22 2012
"There are no hot girls at Northwestern."
The other day at a certain user-submitted news website, a new Northwestern student was asking for advice about “the party scene” at our school. He also inquires about the attractiveness of the “females” at our school (I think he means “women”), and several dudebros inform him not to get his hopes up. One writes, “No …
Jun 14 2012
Like My Blog? Think It Needs More You In It?
(In that case, it sounds like you might want to contribute a guest post!) Part of my mission with Brute Reason is to encourage conversation about things that are often left unsaid, and that doesn’t mean I have to be the only one talking. I’ve already had two fantastic guest posts this week, and I …
Jun 14 2012
[Guest Post] An open letter to the woman who said I wasn’t skinny enough to have an eating disorder
Another guest post, this time by my friend Kate. You are the mother of my greatest friend. Your house was my refuge in high school. I wanted to surprise you and share my happiness with you when I got into my dream college. By my senior year, I spent almost every day after school at …
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- "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it."“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it.” - xkcd: Sticks and Stones […]
- On Useful and Not-So-Useful Definitions of RacismOn Useful and Not-So-Useful Definitions of Racism: Richard Dawkins, whose Twitter feed never fails to amuse, has lately been discussing racism–specifically, against white people. Dawkins sounds eerily like my high school self here–desperate to stick to his own definitions of things and reject the definitions of others, all while claiming that everyone needs […]
- In which I have zero patience for sexism and mansplaining on my Facebook Wallpiedpi: No country for Reddit/MRA arguments. The article being not-debated is here. The thing that sucks the most is that this is one of my good friend’s fiance… And she actually liked the article when I posted it. IT’S SO WEIRD WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING I WROTE AND THEN I COME ACROSS IT. […]
- WHO THE FUCK IS IN BOTH A RADICAL FEMINIST MEETUP AND A PUA...WHO THE FUCK IS IN BOTH A RADICAL FEMINIST MEETUP AND A PUA MEETUP […]
- "It's not about gender.""It's not about gender.": Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) are found in all of the world’s oceans except the Arctic. They spend the majority of their lives in the sea, but females return to shore to lay eggs. All seven surviving species of sea turtle are on the endangered species list. Like many marine animals, they are threatened by oil […]
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Two things to keep in mind:
1. I am bad at answering lengthy emails. Sorry!
2. I may ask you for permission to blog about our correspondence. However, if you are harassing/abusive/trollish, then I no longer have to ask you for permission. Proceed with caution!
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