Link Dump: "In Response To..." edition

In response to the Kanazawa debacle, another Psychology Today blogger posts this:

The point is that there are also group differences, not in attractiveness (as Kanazawa claims), but in cultural messages about what is and is not attractive. Standards of beauty, like most other beliefs, are socialized and change not only from place to place but also over time. In both the United States and England, (where Kanazawa lives and works), standards of beauty are essentially "White" standards, because whites comprise the majority of the population and have disproportional control over both media and fashion. And while it is not just White respondents who are socialized this way (internalized racism has been well documented), it is certainly the case that White Americans and Europeans (who are less likely to have received more positive messages about Black beauty) would show the strongest anti-Black bias.

~ "Beauty May Be In Eye of Beholder But Eyes See What Culture Socializes"

Dirty Pretty Thangs has also posted a beeeeautiful response called "The Matriarchal Legacy of the Black Woman's Righteous Anger." Go read the whole thing. I'll wait.

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Oh, you're back? Wasn't it awesome?

In response to a new law in Missouri that has banned nudity and lap dances in order to make lives more difficult for sex workers, Eva Rivera post this at Womanist Musings.

Equally troubling as the laws that were passed is the reactions to it. In an already fragile economy, lawmakers and community leaders should be demanding job creation and be outraged by these kinds of laws. The reason for the resounding silence has everything to do with the line of work we are involved in. When large manufacturing companies, who provide hundreds of jobs, close shop it makes front page news. It is made an example of. People highlight the devastation it causes to working families and rightly so. When this law was passed it was mentioned in near whispers. No outrage, no protests, no questions. Thousands of women and men unemployed instantly.

In response to sexual assault, The Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) has created the "Don't Be That Guy" campaign that targets potential offenders, instead of potential victims:

Why our campaign is different

Typically, sexual assault awareness campaigns target potential victims by urging women to restrict their behavior. Research is telling us that targeting the behavior of victims is not only ineffective, but also contributes to how much they blame themselves after the assault. That's why our campaign is targeting potential offenders - they are the ones responsible for the assault and responsible for stopping it.

In response to the "Don't Say Gay" bill that recently passed the Tennessee Senate and would forbid teacher from discusses any form of sexuality other than heterosexuality, George Takei has developed his own campaign

The so-called “don’t say gay” law is premised on the misguided belief that, by not talking about gay people, they can simply make us disappear.
I am here to tell Tennessee, and all the LGBT youth and teachers who would be affected by this law, that I am here for you. In fact, I am lending my name to the cause. Any time you need to say the word “gay,” you can simply say “Takei.”
For example, you could safely proclaim that you are a supporter of ‘Takei marriage’.

That man is so awesome!