Learning how to take a compliment
In my high school art classes, it was universally understood that, when one was told that her piece was good, …
Category Archives: Personal/Political
NSW Votes 2011, so help us all
Well NSW voted in the Liberals last night, as we’ve all known would happen for the past year. Labor hasn’t …
On representing one’s race
Following on from The best thing a woman can hope for. On a larger scale, now. I think about famous …
Justice
Something terrible happened three years ago. I heard about it on the news then, and it’s haunted me ever since. …
The best thing a woman can hope for
I’m thinking about the idea of being a “good” “representative” or “ideal” of one’s race, or ethnicity, or culture. Why …
Colouring Perception
I was born light, with wisps of blonde hair. They sent my uncle a photograph. He proudly called me the …
Naming is how you make it real
I think about naming a lot, and name as identity, and naming as power. Today I want to talk about …
Joy
In this world, a woman, a non-white woman, a disabled non-white woman, taking pleasure in the experience of living in …
Unreality and the politics of experience
I’ve a new post up at Feministe. Have you ever been in this situation? You share something that happened to …
Relative to What? Part Two
So, with Part One in mind, let’s talk about what cultural relativism is, and how it gets manipulated. There is …
Relative to What? Part One
I want to talk a bit about cultural relativism: what it’s used as shorthand for, what it’s useful for, and …
Quick question
Sometimes I shave my legs, sometimes I don’t. I’m more likely to keep my armpits hairy, and sometimes I shave …
Memory
I am sitting in a classroom. The class is English, I am sixteen years old, and I am in my …
Invisible Identities, Part 3: The Privileges and Pains of Passing
Previously: Invisible Identities, Part 1: Invisible to Whom? Invisible Identities, Part 2: The Default Human Note: I’m told that in …
On writing about disability
That’s what scares me the most about talking about disability. It’s being reduced to someone who is so broken that …
