Translating Badly for Profit and Publicity
I speak Kiswahili (a result of Peace Corps Tanzania) well enough to notice that Kiswahili, or Swahili if you prefer, often appears in odd places, usually in poorly translated ways. One zoo named a baby giraffe Kiko, claiming it meant Autumn Sunset, which is not only inaccurate, it is puzzling …
Confederate: because white nationalists need escapism too
Confederate is set to be a new HBO series which explores a dystopian future where the South won the American Civil War. The show, to be run by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (the current show runners of Game of Thrones) imagines a world where slavery is legal and has …
Grim Reapers and Better Alternatives to Fear-Based Behavior Change Campaigns
The season of prom is upon us, and school administrators are turning to fear-based and oddly macabre methods to prevent alcohol-related fatalities. For instance, having a grim reaper wander the halls of school and pick students at random to be made up as dead people in order to provide gruesome …
5 Inappropriate Responses to Robin Williams’ Suicide
1. Suicide is selfish/cowardly, how could he do that to all the people who loved him? This is an extremely common reaction to any suicide, and not only is it just factually wrong that suicide is selfish or something that you do to other people, it also continues the stigma …
Bi-erasure: Constantine
Content description: Discusses bi-phobia and bi-sexuality. Mentions smoking. Excessive use of sarcasm. So there has been some sad, but none too surprising news recently, NBC’s new show Constantine which I’ve been looking forward to, is bi-phobic. As this new adaptation of the Hellraiser comics portrays Constantine, a canonically bi-sexual character …
YA Lit and Feminism: Divergent as a Case Study
I am a rabid fan of YA literature. I love it, and I think that many authors who are willing to invest in writing for young people are willing to invest in serious portrayals of women and girls as well. YA lit is often the place where the fiesty, strong …
The Sexualization of YA Fiction
Most people think of teenhood as a time of raging hormones and awakening sexuality. “Experimentation”, “hormonal” and “out of control” are things we tend to associate with young adults and sexuality. Young adult fiction seems to have picked up on these associations and has one-upped its adult counterpart in terms …
Evidence and Rape Culture: A Response to Justin Vacula
Justin Vacula. Oh Justin, Justin. Why did you have to write an article that denied rape culture and leave it there for me to read first thing in the morning after only getting 6 hours of sleep? I mean really? Because you know what that means? It means I have …