a subset of derek

While I was catching up on AlterNet, I came across this piece called “He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut:The Sexual Double Standard” by Jessica Valenti. She posits that sexual promiscuity is allowed in men (and, in some ways, promoted — hence the stud terminology) and it is discouraged with considerable scorn and disgust (as embodied by the word slut).

In this exerpt, she speaks about the power of the word slut and how there is no real parallel for men:

Naturally, I’d be called a slut many times over later in life — not unlike most girls. I was called a slut when my boobs grew faster than others’. I was called a slut when I had a boyfriend (even though we weren’t having sex.) I was called a slut when I didn’t have a boyfriend and kissed a random boy at a party. I was called a slut when I had the nerve to talk about sex. I was called a slut when I wore a bikini on a weekend trip with high school friends. It seems the word slut can be applied to any activity that doesn’t include knitting, praying, or sitting perfectly still lest any sudden movements be deemed whorish.

Despite the ubiquity of “slut,” where you won’t hear it is in relation to men. Men can’t be sluts. Sure, someone will occasionally call a guy “a dog,” but men simply aren’t judged like women are when it comes to sexuality. (And if they are, they’re judged in a positive way!) Men who have a lot of sexual partners are studs, Casanovas, pimps, and players. Never sluts. In fact, when I just did a Google search for “male sluts,” the first result I got was She Male Sluts DVD! I know, should have seen that coming. The point is, there isn’t even a word — let alone a concept — to signify a male slut.

Sister, you are preaching to the choir…

The chauvinist tyranny of sex has to stop. It’s preventing all of us from having meaningful relationships inside and outside of the bedroom. This is one more thing that men (and other women) use to needlessly subjugate women. The amount or number of partners you have had sexually does not change your worth as a person but the stud/slut gambit says just the opposite.

The only number that matters when it comes to sexual partners is zero. If it is anything other than zero, then you are among the billions of people on this planet that have had sex! There are worse clubs you can be in. Some of us have had it more, some of us have had it less, it’s our prerogative.

The depth of our sexual dysfunction in this country is sad.

I don’t normally check out Crain’s Cleveland Business but this article shook me : Urban centers to lose CSU Support

During my time studing at CSU, I worked in the Center for Neighborhood Development (I just had to disclose that). The urban research that Levin turned out shows how cities in general (and Cleveland in particular) are working (or not working) and how we can come up with tangible solutions to push cities in the right direction. To be totally objective and to be able to discover all of the answers of the conundrum of urban life, you need to be funded independently. Unfortunately, CSU does not see it the same way:

The centers will lose their university financial support and will be expected to support themselves entirely through the research and consulting services they offer nonprofit groups and governments on a fee-for-service basis.

Isn’t this the kind of money we need to spend? I don’t mind state money or tuition money going to these centers. They export valuable knowledge and import prestige to a otherwise nondescript urban university. No matter how much new construction is undertaken, it doesn’t matter at all unless something of value is being taught and/or researched in those buildings.
Why do I believe that this could spell the end of some, if not all,

One word. Politics.

The centers will have to rely on the entrenched foundations, cities and other entities to pay consulting fees. Do you really think that they will pay for news they don’t want to hear? Do you think that they will pay for thorough research into the good AND the bad of a city? No, because politicians don’t want to lose their jobs and foundations don’t want to lose face.

Horrible move, CSU.

In the words of the immortal Negro poet, Charles Barkley, it’s terrible!

Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp

Celtics Point Guard, Rajon Rondo

Embedded Video

If I hear one more person talk about music mashups without giving hip-hop its due, I will throw up, I swear.

We (and I mean we, as hip-hop) took tracks and replayed, chopped, reassembled, rearranged, deconstructed and fucked up beyond all recognition sounds with turntables, electronic synthesizers and computer software and have been doing it for around 31 years. We took other elements of music from classical, to old jazz to r & b to french lesson records and made a new creation of it.

Only when we did it, it was called stealing. It was called uncreative. It was called derivative. It wasn’t recognized as art.

Now, when people come up with these “mashups”, people lose their damn minds and call it fresh.

Sorry, it’s been done before. And here’s how and why from one of hip-hop’s strongest producers, Mr. Peter Phillips known to the hip-hop world as DJ Pete Rock.

Tags: hip-hop, culture

Big ups to my man, HumanityCritic for posting this.  I just had to share this.  Funny and informative.