Don’t shame people who groom.

Mostly OT, but I really want this bag.

This is why I get frustrated with vegans who insist on only feeding their pets vegan food. That is not meeting a dog’s nutritional needs! Dogs and cats do not understand the ethical implications of meat eating and forcing them to eat sprouts is not ethical treatment.

This article is brilliant, thank you.

One quibble: Jean Louise is exactly as racist as Atticus; she’s just upset because she thought her upbringing, the trial in particular, indicated a certain kind of moral character. It’s the hypocrisy that bothers her, not the racism.

Sorry, did I miss something in the article? Did they say Atticus was actually in the KKK in Watchman? If so, that is disappointing. It’s a much more interesting character for him to be racist in a patriarchal, white savior sort of way as described here. Because that is how power structures often work- people who…

One of the things I’ve always hated about historical fiction is the plethora of white men who, despite living in racist towns during racist time periods, are not racist at all and oppose racism. Did such people exist? Yes, certainly a few of them did, but they were far from the majority. Yet historical fiction would…

This is part of the experience of being Black in America - I read the book along with everyone else in my generation (Class of ‘00) and I have always been perplexed at the notion that Atticus Finch was this moral hero that I was supposed to empathize with. I was never convinced of Atticus’ sympathy or goodness or…

Perhaps it’s better to say Atticus Finch has always been human (opposed to the hero many want him to be). Some problematic politics. Some white privilege. Some racism. But I think when we throw the term “racist” at the character, many of us automatically read villain—when really what is meant is an imperfect human…

It’s always interesting to remind yourself that in 100 years, some aspect of your daily life will be seen as utterly barbaric by anyone with any sense of shame.

Having dated a number of narcissists, I theorize that some are simply so clear about what they want that they do not understand anyone who accidentally strokes their ego simply by being kind or friendly - a narcissist wastes no time or kindness on anyone they can’t use. I think at least some of them simply think…

Eh, I should be shocked by how creepy Cosby is but somehow I’m not. His treatment of Lisa Bonet always seemed....cold and peculiar. His “dad” act on The Cosby Show always seemed over the top, too jokey and too goofy to be real, even for a family sitcom. It grated on my nerves. “Uncle Phil” from Fresh Prince seemed…

The more I read that the more creeped out I get. Goddamn is it easy to lull people into a false sense of security through the creation of effective narrative. Plato was probably right about the poets.

I hope that with ‘a quiet life in the country for the rest of your days’ you mean ‘a really hard time in prison for the rest of your days’. Because his victims have got a life sentence of trauma (and I’m truly sorry that you must know that from first hand experience).

Why should he get a nice retired life in the country? The dark side of me wants him to end up in a state-run institution, paralyzed with no one who loves him, at the mercy of several dozen really horny, violent and unethical male nurses. For a decade or so. The light side of me just wishes he’d have a fatal heart…

Or, like, psychopathy or something. I mean, his idea that he is so skilled in picking up on people’s unspoken sexual cues is down right frightening. Ugh, no dude, I was actually just reaching for the chips and dip.

I feel like the language is evolving and words like playboy, womanizer, and dirty old man were/are used to justify a lot of misogynistic behavior. I love how at Jezebel and other feminist sites we are slowly parsing through this language and behavior, and properly naming it. A lot of deeply misogynistic behavior is so…

Yes! This is such an important point to make. Orgasm doesn’t indicate consent at all, and consent can’t be constructed after the fact.

She probably faked it just to get him off of her, and since most men this narcissistic and self involved have no idea (or flat out just don’t care) how to get a woman off, he would have no clue that it wasn’t real. Or she may have been moaning in pain or distress, but yeah, he’s such a stud, she must have been having…

Nothing says consensual like preemptively trying to convince people it was consensual.