Bob Dylan and Post-Structuralism?

I think my last entry was a little depressing so this one is going to be light hearted. Well, as light hearted as I can do.

I was in a Sociology lecture the other day for a 'Topics of Comparative Historical Sociology' class which focused on the concept of liberalism stretching from the Enlightenment going right up to Charles Taylor (know as 'Chuck' to the lecturer) and Ernest Gellner. This lecture was a revision lecture and the teacher is so passionate about the subject it's hard not to agree with everything she says. The following comparison made me smile. This is somewhat paraphrased:

"OK, lets try and explain the differences between the Enlightenment and post-structuralism, post-colonialism and everything else post! Think of Bob Dylan, Blowing in the Wind and that 60s feeling of we're going to change the world for the benefit of everyone else?" pause "Everyone in this room is too young for Bob Dylan, aren't they? Anyway, go and listen to Blowing in the Wind and that should explain what I'm talking about. Then, jump to post-everything else and think of Radiohead, No Surprises. This is what Western intellect has become, this narcissistic naval gazing self-absorption with ourselves. While people are being killed for being different ethnic identities, in the West Sociologists are worrying about the affects of the Ipod on teenagers."

So, while I was waiting on the bus home, my Ipod alternated between the Folk Singer and naval gazing.

Those crazy Nazis...

Funny enough, the title is NOT referring to university or my part-time job.

It's mandatory for all History students to have taken at least ONE German history class during their education. Specifically, a class which features the Nazis at some point. Considering these topics are extremely popular at Higher History level a worrying number of students in this class are potential teachers. Teaching - the fail safe option for people with social science degrees.

But enough ranting. I have a group presentation next week concerning the concept of the racial state in post-1933 Germany. Unsurprisingly, I was assigned the topic of women to research. It has proved some interesting reading. Although Jews were one of the main groups focused upon, they were not the only ones. This was helped by the Nazis criminalising social behaviour and making it racial. Female prostitution became a racial crime rather than a social one. You were threatening the Aryan race. Nice Aryan boys that were dipping their nib in the prostitution pool picked up all sorts of nasty STDs and kindly passed them onto nice Aryan girls when they got married. Obviously this could threaten the health of the Master Race which Hitler and his posse weren't too happy about.

Sterilisation was a common approach as well. The 'Final Solution' didn't really kick off until the late 1930s. One case example I read involved a heterosexual couple who had applied for a marriage license (which could be rejected on racial and social groups). They were denied the license because the woman was hard of hearing. Before they could get married the woman had to agree to be sterilised. Between 1933-39 over 400 women died from such procedures. How many men died from the same procedure? 80.

Earlier this week, I visited an open evening for the Lesbains Archive in the Glasgow Women's Library. One of the artefacts was a banner that had been made a feminist rally down in London. Various symbols were dotted along the banner. One I was extremely surprised at was the black triangle. It's one of the many feminist symbols I find uncomfortable. Why would you adopt a symbol from such a destructive regime to convey your cause? On a feminist message board, one member proudly posted she was getting a tattoo of the Black Triangle. In my opinion, that's not much different from getting a swastika printed on your body. Social movements trying to 're-claim' symbols do not work. Attempts to re-claim queer as a positive identity have not been hugely successful.

So, more of a pondering entry than a rant. Apologies for any disappointed readers ;-)

Saddam Hussein - a bit late....

I was going to post this with a bit more thought and consideration. My LiveJournal friends saw my first instant, and rather unplanned, reaction to his murder. As requested by others here is the original post written on Saturday 30th December 2006 in all it's pissed off glory:

After going to bed last night with confusion over the actual date of his death, I awoke this morning to the news he had been executed. I wasn't going to journal about this after I had thought about it but a post on a friend's LJ (along the lines of "Rot in hell, Saddam" - you know who you are) I felt I had to comment.

Saddam's death is going to achieve nothing positive in Iraq. The country is in enough of a state without one group creating a martyr. I love the hypocritical stance Margaret Beckett took which I saw quoted on BBC News 24. While she applauded Saddam being brought 'to account for his crimes' in the same statement she said the British government didn't support the use of the death penalty in Iraq or elsewhere. *headdesk*

I suspect Saddam was tried and sentenced under Iraqi law or some form of 'neutral' international law. That is something I need to do more reading on. Another reason why I wanted to delay making a post about this. Yes, he committed terrible crimes against humanity. But what about America who bombed civilians in the first Gulf War? What about the killing happening in Iraq, committed by both armed 'peace keeping forces' and Iraqis themselves? What about the crimes committed by ordinary soldiers in Vietnam, Germany, China?

It is the victors who write the history of the war illegal occupation. The New Year will see blood spilled in Iraq as it has done for the past three years. All because the Americans needed a scapegoat for 9/11.

Please note, I am not against Americans altogether. It is the American administration and our British government that are encouraging this idea of realist international politics. I seem to have missed the announcement the United States of America was the peace keeping force of the world. Silly me, I thought it was still NATO and the UN. I guess I was wrong.

BNP article in today's Guardian

Today's daily email edition of the Guardian flopped into my inbox. It seems the current police investigations in Ipswich have satisfied the media by detaining two men who the press have freely named. Personally I think it's wrong to name these people in the media. If these men end up being freed and not found guilty of the crimes they will still be marked with that stigma for the rest of their lives. Innocent until proven guilty is not a phrase taken to heart by the public mob. I can still remember the events in 1999 when News of the World published names and locations of known paedophiles in the UK. Of course, being such an esteemed publication they took their time out to check the details were correct. And this didn't lead to any innocent members of the public being attacked by the angry mob..... But that is a rant for another time.

It appears the British National Party are applying some intelligence to their methods (apart from hiring a reporter from a left wing newspaper but hey we all make mistakes). The article details plans such as "Avoid using phrases such as black and white" and so on. Yes, anything to prevent us from appearing as a xenophobic small minded party that wants to preserve English national identity. I had a quick glance at the BNP's homepage and noticed their 'daily news' section. Muslim spokesman compares Britons to Nazis. As the aforementioned Muslim was a Scottish member of the Muslim Association, Osama Saeed, I had a quick read at the post. The last paragraph left me somewhat bemused when they referred to him as a "guest in our country" and a reminder that Muslims played a part in the SS. Yes, large numbers of non-Jewish ethnic groups joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) for a large number of reasons. Being a member got you a job, better wages and potentially better lifestyle. I am not supporting what the Nazis did but it is easy to see how people could fall under its spell. Mainland Europe was in a right state at this point due to the economy and recovery from WWI (again, how true that it was a 'world war' is a topic for another time).

In fact, joining the BNP does remind of the Secret Seven. Secret rendezvous, codewords and passwords - it does sound rather exciting! Maybe we get lashings of ginger beer at meetings. To be honest the Guardian article doesn't reveal much more than I already knew. It has small pockets of supports mainly in areas with high integrated ethnic minority populations. Its members are people who are pissed by that and tap into this 'myth' of British identity.

Andrea Dworkin will be spinning in her grave

Taken from this week's Popbitch email:


"Barbie is the top toy for girls in the US this
year. Nice to see feminism is alive and well."

Just to extend on this quote, the rise in 'fem feminism' could attribute to large sales numbers for Barbie. Or it could be the US is reinforcing tradition gender stereotypes. For Christmas, girls get a plastic blonde to aspire to whilst boys receive 'manly' toys such as cars and pesudo power tools.

Bah Humbug!

You know, as I get older I am starting to really loathe Christmas. When you're a university student Christmas is the tiny bit of breathing space you're given between 'essay season' and revision for exams.

My mood was not helped by events this morning. Anyone in the Glasgow area will know the weather is...well awful at the moment. However, I had decided today was my day for non-Internet Christmas shopping and that was that.

My first purchase involved being given a paper carrier bag. I'm all for paper carrier bags because they can be put into the recycling bin after use. But come on, marketing people. Don't you realise that Scotland only sees rain and gale force winds between September and June? Not the best weather to be handing out environmentally friendly bags. As a result the extremely large bag had become rather soggy and ripped to pieces before I had got halfway down the street.

Now, I do enjoy buying presents. Most of the time. Imagine wonderful, soft music playing behind this next section. It's lovely to see someone you care about tear open the wrapping paper and be overjoyed with a purchase you've made for them. You can choose to ignore the old woman you knocked over to get to it or the largest queue known to man you hand to stand in to buy the best thing since sliced bread. The little cute smile on their face is all the reward you need.

Or is it?

Whilst battling gale force winds and my paper bag, I received a text from a friend I'm meeting next week. The end of the text struck fear into my heart. "Have just bought your prezzie. Hope you like it!" Bugger. This person was not on my Christmas present list. Bugger, bugger, bugger. I know this situation is turned into a 'comical' tale to moan about at parties (see Bridget Jones - the aspirational model for 'strong' women in their 30s) but it's not bloody funny. It's not that you don't like the person in question (though I'm debating that at the moment) but they're not on the sacred present list. My mother's sacred list numbers in the hundreds. The spare bedroom looks like an outlet for Boots and Marks and Spencers. I can hardly talk, my present pile looks like a promo stand for Borders and Lush.

Christmas is getting wildly out of hand. The Mothership asked me a few months ago what I wanted for Christmas. To be honest, I'm in my twenties now and I know the only fat bearded man bringing me presents is my dad. I replied I didn't know which sent her into a meltdown. "How about a new Ipod?" The one I've got is fine. "How about a year's cinema pass?" I'm a third year student, my social life ended months ago. Why do you think I own so many DVDs?

This potential end to Christmas presents is an excellent idea. No longer will people have to pretend polka dot socks is exactly the garment they have been missing from their wardrobe. No longer will you have to stand in a queue on Boxing Day (actually, many stores have signs up saying they will not accept any returns before December 28th) to return clothing two sizes too small. Or have the humiliation of admitting that diet you've been following since January was broken on holiday three months ago.

I broke down to my mother's demands and have asked for a goat. Sadly I won't have it in my back garden but it shall be sent off somewhere via a developing world charity. However I have recently discovered my parents have invested in some sort of irrigation system instead. Apparently the goat is a 'nice idea' to us urban Westerners but is more trouble than it's worth. But if anyone asks, I'm getting a goat. It's more exciting than saying an irrigation system ;-)

Why I'm doing this

I have a Livejournal and have done since I was 16. However, I have found I have wanted to broadcast my opinions further than my Livejournal friends list and to other friends who do not have access to Livejournal.

Does this mean I have a manifesto?