Fuck Bill O’Reilly

Seriously, the dude’s a petty and vicious man but his latest drama is just crossing the line. Here’s the story. A few days ago, ThinkProgress (my favorite site, fyi) blogger Amanda Terkel wrote about O’Reilly speaking at a fundraiser for the Alexa Foundation, an organization that benefits rape survivors and raises support for such issues. As Terkel wrote, O’Reilly’s presence at the event was problematic given his endorsement of victim-blaming, most notably on his radio show when he made some vile comments about Jennifer Moore, an 18-year old woman who was raped and murdered. Here’s the beacon of social consciousness on Moore’s tragic death-

Now Moore, Jennifer Moore, 18, on her way to college. She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff. Now, again, there you go. So every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at two in the morning.

But, of course, the helpless men! Enraged that his comments had been picked up by various media outlets, he did what any sensible person would do- Send your producer to stalk Terkel for 2 hours, all while harassing her and demanding an apology for “causing pain and suffering to rape victims and their families.” Are you kidding me, O’Reilly? Just so we’re on the same page, you sexually harassed a coworker and pretty much had to settle after it was revealed that your victim recorded many of your explicit conversations. So yeah, as a vic myself, I can safely state that the absolute last person I want to see an event about sexual violence, rape or abuse is a misogynistic asshat like you.

See, when I write/talk about the evil ways of the far- right wing machine, I’m not exaggerating. These people are vicious and their bullying ways have just gotten worse with Obama’s win. Much of it is their way of lashing out, particularly due to the realization that their ideology is deeply unpopular and marginalized around the country. Others like Limbaugh and O’Reilly are just evil people who can only be bothered with demonizing those unlike them. These people deserve no more publicity but I simply can’t help it.

-Indira

Irish Troubles in Film

As all of Chicago’s proud Irish wake up this morning with massive Jameson- and Guinness-induced headaches after yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, a new storm is rising in the motherland’s northern reaches. As a kid, I grew up in one of America’s most densely populated Irish-American areas, that is, the far South Side of Chicago in Beverly. To me, Ireland was all leprauchans and shamrocks and connoted the hearty ability to drink everyone else under the table. Lord knows why Chicago’s Irish love to embrace the worthless-drunk stereotype imposed on the Irish by their colonial overlords. Maybe it’s a kind of clever subversion?

As the Troubles reared their ugly head last week, perhaps now is a good time to remember the Ireland beyond its liquor distilleries and green pastures. I’ve been to Ireland twice (though never to Ulster) and have made it my duty to learn about the Ireland outside its South Side reputation.

Here is a list of some of my favorite movies about the Troubles and beyond:

1. In the Name of the Father

Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this long, brutal epic about a mistake of Kafkaesque proportions. Gerry (Day-Lewis) is a punk who’s been in the wrong place at the wrong time; he and his friends are mistaken for members of the I.R.A. and hauled off to prison. This film accurately portrays 70’s Belfast and all its anarchy and terrible fragility. It’s also directed by Jim Sheridan, who made two other stupendous movies about Ireland or Irish people, those being My Left Foot and the heartbreaking In America.

2. The Wind That Shakes the Barley

This movie won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2006, though it didn’t really deserve it. (Almodovar’s Volver did, by golly!) This movie stars heart-throb Cillian Murphy in Ireland’s War for Independence against the British in 1920. Brit Mike Loach directs. This is definitely another movie featuring loads of heartbreak, betrayal, and lovely shots of the charmingly dilapidated peasant houses of rural Ireland.

3. Michael Collins

Okay, so this movie isn’t that great, but it’s the most historically-accurate movie about the hero of Irish independence, Michael Collins. Liam Neeson stars in his early days (along with Julia Roberts! Woah! Flashback to the 90’s!) This movie is a decent history lesson for people wanting to learn about how Ireland went about establishing their own country in 1916. Easter Sunday shoot-out at Dublin’s National Library included.

4. Hunger

Alright, so I haven’t seen this one, but I know it’s supposed to be very good (and, as is tradition, brutal!). Steve McQueen directs this 2008 movie; it didn’t get very wide release but I bet you can Netflix it by now. I know I’m scrambling to rent a movie about Bobby Sands’ six week long hunger strike at the Long Kesh prison! Spoiler alert: he dies of starvation.

5. Breakfast on Pluto

This whimsical film follows Patrick, aka Kitten, after he leaves podunk Ireland to be a glam-rocker in London. I guess he’s not so much part of glam rock as he is part of the sexually androgynous, tight-panted, coke-snorting, Roxy-Music-listening subculture of England’s mid-70’s. But the politics Kitten has so diligently ignored during his childhood follow him all the way to London. We learn about the intersections of politics and self, and the inevitability of nation defining identity… Starring Cillian Murphy. Directed by Neil Jordan (who also directed Michael Collins.)

After researching these five films, four of which I have enjoyed very much, I realized that the pool of actors and directors making serious movies about Ireland are few. But after watching any or all of these listed here, you may feel you have a better handle on the IRA, the Troubles, or Ireland as a whole.

by Anna

The irony of it all

This is one of those unbelievable stories that could happen only in Alaska, folks. Alec Ahsoak, a 53 year old from Anchorage, was beaten with an iron pipe outside a mall just days after winning a $500,000 lottery drawing benefiting Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), a local charity for victims of abuse. The catch? Ahsoak was a three-time sex offender. Reading the news reports, it’s unclear if Ahsoak was attacked because of jealousy or the fact that a rapist is BENEFITING from a fund that helps rape victims! I would venture to guess it’s the latter which explains why Ahsoak was planning to donate $100,000 of his winnings to STAR.

It’s really tragic that someone chose to take the law into their own hands in this case since violence only begets violence. The McClatchy article also mentions that Ahsoak was trying to turn his life around and was in “treatment for over a year.” There are additional reports that Ahsoak had a troubled life which included bouncing around in foster care from age 4 and struggling with alcoholism at the age of 17. All very sad but what about his victims who were 4 and 5 at the time of the abuse? What about justice for them? While I don’t think that Ahsoak should be forced to give up his winnings, he should do the right thing and donate most, if not all, the money to STAR or his victims. This may never really help his victims heal but it’s a step in the right direction.

-Indira

The Politics of genocide

I’ve deliberately kept quiet about the Israeli -Palestine conflict since everything that could be said about the situation has been said. This is not to belittle the deaths or anything but I don’t have much value to add. Countries have a right to defend themselves and while we can argue about the appropriate response, proportionality etc., it seems that people are forgetting that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Obviously, I’m not justifying the deaths of the 700+ Palestinians but Hamas routinely uses human shields and group members are firing mortars and rockets from civilian locations. This could help explain the disproportionate death toll. In any event, it’s time for a ceasefire and I hope President-Elect Obama can work towards this.

One thing interesting about the coverage is the flippant use of the word “genocide,” the overuse of which should be duly noted. A genocide is a concerted attempt to wipe out members of a certain ethnic or religious group and last time I checked, Israel isn’t perpetrating a campaign against Muslims, only against Hamas members. Indeed, when we look at the charter of terrorist entities like Hamas, we see that eliminating Israel is a stated goal and yet, we don’t consider this a threat of genocide. When I read stories comparing Israeli actions to Nazis, it makes me sick to my stomach. It’s one thing to dislike war but to equate the two is evil. A friend actually told me that it was ironic that a country founded after a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing is “masterminding” it’s own. Umm, that’s really fucked up. So, here’s my humble plea- can we please not use the word Genocide, Nazis, fascists or a permutation of these just because we disagree with something or dislike someone? I know that it’s the perfect straw man but doing so cheapens the memory of the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust and also belittles the suffering of those facing real genocide in Darfur. We’re also  left with this then- why can people take to the streets over Palestine while the campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Janjaweed is virtually ignored? If only we could muster a quarter of the indignation generated by Israel’s actions and direct it towards Darfur, things may be a little different in the region. But then again, Israel is everyone’s favorite punching bag.

-Indira

About Mychal Bell

It was easy to miss this story in the end-of-year craziness but Mychal Bell, one of the Jena 6 men, attempted to commit suicide in the last week of December. Many will remember the public support for Bell after he was charged with attempted murder for beating a white student in Jena, Louisiana. Bell, along with 6 others, was responding to a racist incident when some black students found a noose under a tree in Jena High School where only white students sat. Bell’s attempted suicide came just a week after he was charged with shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple battery. According to sources, despair over the arrest led to his actions-

Bell’s grandmother, Rosie Simmons, and mother, Melissa Bell, told police that “Mychal had made comments over the past two days that, because of the current media attention he had because of the shoplifting arrest, he didn’t feel like he could live anymore,” Monroe Police Lt. Jeff Harris said, reading from a police report.

As was made fairly obvious during the Jena 6 coverage, Bell had been in trouble with the law before. This fact was often used to dismiss him and this will continue to happen with the latest incident. Bell’s stints in jail, according to some, made him less worthy of the attention the case received. Supposedly, only good, wholesome individuals are protected from discrimination, not unsavory characters. Fortunately, the law usually doesn’t see it this way and Bell received the justice he deserved. But, Bell was only a symbol of the discrimination that blacks face, particularly in the South. Jena 6 wasn’t about him but it was made to seem that way and I can understand why. Stories of racism are often powerful when they employ the generous use of the sympathetic, wronged person of color. The danger with this line of reasoning is that wronged people aren’t always the most sympathetic, like Bell. Still, does that excuse what happened to him? Of course not.  

I’m not sure if the blame here lies with activists or politicians or the media but the tendency to lionize those associated with civil rights, particularly when they’re people of color, has got to stop. Stories like that of Bell demonstrate that underneath it all, POC are all just fighting the same battles everyday. We’re not all that different from the rest of society.

It also goes without saying that when we’re fighting for civil rights and equality, there is no thing as choosing your battles. All individuals, regardless of their criminal actions or their character, deserve protection and it is unfair to think that Bell’s criminal history mitigates what was done to him. We can hate that Bell had been in trouble before but still support him, if we are able to distinguish the person from the law. Sadly, this didn’t happen with Bell and undoubtedly, the pressure of living up to people’s high expectations took a toll on him.

-Indira

This isn’t right

I haven’t really heard about the Pirelli Calender before today but apparently, it is very exclusive. Only a select few (about 20,000) receive the yearly edition and the mailing list includes celebrities and businesspeople. I don’t really care either way- people can hang whatever they feel like in the privacy of their own homes. Still, there is something particularly disturbing/sickening about this year’s images, shot in Botswana.

WARNING- These pictures are very *triggering* and definitely NSFW.