This post discusses rape, sexual harassment, and rape culture. Read with whatever care you need. Birth of a Nation and black feminists' solidarity Birth of a Nation is a film that chronicles the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. In the autumn of 2016, the anticipation over Birth of a Nation became somewhat overshadowed by the history of its director, co-writer, and star, Nate Parker. In 1999, Parker was charged with rape. He was acquitted. His then college roommate, and Birth of a Nation … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2017
Rape culture and HBO’s Game of Thrones
On September 16, 2016 the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo organized a Rape Culture Teach-A-Thon. Fourteen teachers from Arts gave 10-15 minute talks on rape culture in their areas of expertise. I spoke about Game of Thrones. While I am not a cultural theorist or an expert in fantasy literature, I am a huge Game of Thrones fan. I took my fan-hood to give me enough expertise to discuss rape culture in the franchise--primarily in HBO's adaptation. For this post, I've shared the … [Read more...]
Responsibility and Travel Bans
What is my responsibility in relation to traveling to the US? The travel ban and Canadian boycotts In the executive order issued by US President Trump on January 27, citizens of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Syria cannot enter the United States for three months. Refugees from Syria cannot enter the United States—for an indefinite period. On February 8 the ninth circuit court of appeals upheld the suspension of this executive order. Some Canadians won’t be traveling to the … [Read more...]
Space, the final frontier
Elon Musk announced in September 2016 that SpaceX aims to have humans colonizing Mars by 2024. I confess, I was immediately excited. Having been raised on Star Trek, expanding the reach of human exploration has been part of my imagination for a long time. However, when I stopped to think about Musk’s announcement, my excitement dimmed. In particular, I thought about Hannah Arendt's remarks on the launch of the Sputnik satellite on October 4, 1957. In the prologue to the Human Condition, … [Read more...]