Help Haiti auction one closes, some linkblogging

[soc_puppet]

I was totally going to do a post warning about how the main auction at help_haiti was closing soon, except A) I slept in until noon today, since school was canceled, and B) I got the closing time mixed up, not realizing it meant noon instead of midnight. W-whoops.

In any case! Bidding ended today a few hours ago. Here's something you may want to take a look at: Auction Closing Procedures. I will definitely be reading it closely myself at some point in the very near future.


In other linkblogging news: Liberal Bloggers to Obama and Dems: We Told You So


Also, while I normally have the utmost respect for Neil Gaiman, I really can't approve of his use of the word "bitch." (Trigger Warning for last link.)

Thanks to a lightbird777, I was expecting the Depp-seems-to-be-on-Team-Polanski thing. Even if I don't care much for Gaiman's solo work, however, this feels like more of a slap in the face.

Edit: Neil Gaiman, when negative reactions to his use of "bitch" were presented to him, has just said he will try to do better in the future". While he doesn't seem to feel contrite about its use in the George R. R. Martin post (where it is definitely used to mean "Someone who is at your disposal to use however you like", with the sexual implications all but out loud), it is at least slightly encouraging.

Edit 2: Aaaaand now we're moving backwards. *sigh*

-Trigger Warning-

Dear Mr. Gaiman,

On the off-chance that you are reading this post, I would like to take the opportunity to be a little clearer:

It makes me uncomfortable that you are using the term "bitch" to convey your sense of safety as a writer. As a woman, I am not afforded this same level of safety in regards to my basic personhood. There is as much as a twenty-five percent chance that I will become someone's "bitch" in my lifetime, and not in the sense you use it. It makes me cringe when I think of my friends and family members who have the same odds, or who already have been someone's "bitch".

The fact that you are comparing this to writing, or the idea that someone "has" to write something, is alienating and hurtful to me. I hope that, as someone who ostensibly makes a career out of being able to see things from the point of view of another person, fictional or otherwise, you may yet be willing to consider things from mine.

Comments

[perrito]

I understand the meaning culture has given to the word, I don't want to go into marginalization and racism because that's a whole different can of worms, but to go with the foot stepping analogy, in this case I think the internet at large is claiming that an accidental toe-stepping broke their leg and now they will never be able to walk again. Which in my very personal and detached opinion, is very silly.

[soc_puppet]

If you got the impression that this is being blown out of proportion from my post, then I have probably screwed it all up, and would like to apologize. If you got that impression from Liss' post, however, I don't really think there's anything I -can- say. I don't personally see it anywhere in her words, but I'm not you.

The Terrible Bargain We Have Regretfully Struck: The idea is that we're used to having our toes stepped on by the world at large - by the media, by co-workers, by random people on the street - and therefore is more painful from someone whom we have come to expect the opposite from, if only because we have let our guard down.

See also: Feminists are hyper-sensitive hysterics and are looking for something to get mad about [link]. Or humorless and too-thick-skinned [link], depending on which argument is going on.

[perrito]

It was more the other post than yours, I actually appreciate your patience a lot.

I don't have time to read any of those thoroughly right now, but my impression in general is that people on the internet (not necessarily feminists) get offended very easily. Sometimes people get angry and I can understand why they're angry and support the cause (LJ trying to remove the unspecified gender option, Amazon accidentally banning books, Gerg Grunberg being a dick about Chaz Bono) but in this case I just can't understand the reaction, I'm sorry.