Thursday Giggle Vol. 13

BAHAHAHA!!!!! I almost peed myself laughing!!

Thursday Giggle Vol. 12

Bahahaha!!

 

The Philosopher's Football Match



 

Blog Love Vol. 1

I read this interesting blog post on Thursday from one of my favorite blogs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

http://makemeasammich.org/2013/06/13/their-fear-is-justified-or-why-speaking-out-in-your-community-is-important/

Photo Credit: http://makemeasammich.org/

Escape of the Week Vol. 1

If you are anything like me, your life is somewhat monotonous- though you long to traverse the globe. From here on out, I will post a picture every Friday to inspire your inner vagabond.

Paris in the rain... *sigh*
Photo Credit: http://micheleroohani.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/eiffel-tower-with-rain-drops-michele-roohani.jpg

Thursday Giggle Vol. 11

Great news, guys! I have discovered the "Schedule" option! I am writing this on a Monday (true story). You are reading it on a Thursday. VOILA! The possibility of Thursday Giggles being late is now slim to none! :)

So here we go! Enjoy this Eddie Izzard clip:

A New Look

We here at Musings of an Intellectual Badass (and by "we", I mean me) are giving the site a bit of a facelift for a few reasons:

1. Now that I am not on Facebook (you can read why here), I have a lot of time on my hands.
2. I don't think the layout of the blog screams, "Nerd!"
3. I like to switch things up.

Photo Credit: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-city-construction-workers-great-heights-gallery-1.1121866?pmSlide=4

So moral of the story, if you have any suggestions for logos or other bloggy-type stuff, leave a comment!

Bye Bye, Facebook!

Facebook Log In Page
Photo Credit: http://www.login-guide.com/facebook-login/

I recently deactivated my Facebook account (I know: *GASP*).  I had percolated on doing so for a while, but recent events made the decision a very easy one. Perhaps you've already heard about Facebook's adherence to its "Terms and Conditions" (actually, lack thereof in this case) when it came to images depicting (and condoning/encouraging) violence against women and children.

Let me give you an example: When an image of a mother breastfeeding is reported as "against terms and conditions" (presumably it was seen as pornographic), Facebook would delete it almost immediately. However, when an image of a woman beaten, bloody, and bruised with a caption that reads, "Don't wine her and dine her. Tape her and rape her" or, "Next time, don't get pregnant" is reported as gendered hate speech (speech which is against Facebook's Terms and Conditions), it does not get taken down. When a gang of teenage boys gang raped a girl and posted the video on their Facebook accounts, it took the corporation an eternity to remove the content. I found these stories absolutely repugnant, not to mention life-threatening.

I posted an article from one of the feminist pages I had been following- about the #FBRape Twitter campaign. In this post, I also let my friends and family know I was going to delete my account in one week. When I logged on the next day, my post was no longer there- I assume it was deleted by Facebook. That evening, I deactivated my account (is there any way to delete your account entirely?). There was a section available to explain why I was doing so. Needless to say, I leapt at the opportunity to tell them how reprehensible their behavior was. Here is the message I sent:

 

I disapprove of Facebook's blatant disrespect for women. You will delete a picture of a mother breast feeding and dismiss it as pornography, but when an image arises that is blatantly sexist (the first picture that comes to mind reads, "Don't wine her and dine her. Tape her and rape her."), you claim it is not against your terms and conditions. This is not okay. Violence against women in a pandemic worldwide, and when a company as recognized and as adored as Facebook condones it (which is what your behavior insinuates you are doing), the situation is worsened. People actually begin to think violence against women is okay! I implore you to think about the message you are sending when you allow individuals to post such hateful things without any repercussions. Women’s lives are at stake.

 

Violence in general is condoned in our society. Think about it for a moment. When a woman is hit, it is said she "Must have had it coming" or it is asked, "What did she do to make this happen?" We see a similar trend in violence against men. When the perpetrator of violence against a man is a woman, we shrug it off saying things like, "Oh, he's a man. He can take it."

NO NO NO!! Does anyone else realize how royally fucked up that is?! No one deserves to have violence done against them. Violence against anyone is bad- gender is completely and utterly irrelevant.

Anyway, my friend Yasha sent me an email a few days after I deactivated my account with an article attached. Evidently corporate pressure and the almighty dollar made Facebook finally crack down on misogynistic images and statements. Lovely. They wouldn't change their ways when all that was at stake was women's lives... but lose one damned penny and they're all about enforcing their Terms and Conditions.

 

Fuck you, Zuckerberg.

I'm Going on an Adventure!

I'm going on an adventure!

 

I shall embark on an epic, 80-day journey across four European countries next summer. I have been dead-set on going for a couple years now, and things are finally coming together. My original plan involved roughly 20 countries during a span of 90 days, but I decided to shorten the amount of time gone and narrow the scope of my travels for a few reasons:

1. I don't want to be a tourist.
1. Yes, I know I will still technically be a tourist, but I don't want to just bounce from town to town, see the sights, and risk not actually experiencing the area. I want to befriend locals and get off the well-beaten tourist track.
2. Since I am going to school in a city six hours away from home, I should probably allot some time to spend with family.
3. It less expensive to spend time in fewer countries (airplane, train, bus, and taxi fares add up quickly).

So I chose the countries I wanted to explore most- Ireland, Scotland, England, and France- and went from there. I have been saving money like crazy, reading blogs and websites about travel (Lonely Planet, A Lady Reveals Nothing, and Bootsn All are my favorites), reading my travel guides, and doing general trip-planning activities in preparation.

 

AACK! I am so excited I could spit. :)

 

As soon as I made the decision to blog about my future travels, I knew I wanted to use this clip:

 



Let the countdown commence (335 days)!!!

Photo credit to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9732258/Film-review-The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Certificate-12A.html

Video credit to: http://www.youtube.com/user/WelshMeerkat

Thursday Giggle Vol. 10

Better late than never!

Amelie Poulain

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 9

 

No on expects the Spanish Inquisition!

 

 

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! *Diabolical Laughter*

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 8

 

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 7

 

Pardon the subtitles!

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 6

 

I've been on a Monty Python kick lately.

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 5

This is two days late. I know. Sue me.

 

Pencil Full of Lead

Have a fabulous Sunday, everyone!

 

 

My favorite version of one of my favorite songs!

Here are the lyrics:

I've got a sheet for my bed
and a pillow for my head
I've got a pencil full of lead

and some water for my throat
I've got buttons for my coat
and sails on my boat

So much more than I needed before
I got money in the meter and a two bar heater
Now it's getting hotter
Oh it's only getting sweeter

I got legs on my chair and a head full of hair
Pot and a pan
And some shoes on my feet
I got a shelf full of books and most of my teeth

A few pairs of socks and a door with a lock
I got food in my belly and a license for my telly
And nothing's gonna bring me down

I got a nice guitar and tyres on my car
I got most of the means and scripts for the scenes
I'm out and about, so I'm in with a shout

I got a fair bit of chat but better than that
Food in my belly and a license for my telly
and nothing's going to bring me down

But best of all (best of all)
I've got my baby
But best of all (best of all)
I've got my baby
She's mighty fine and says she's all mine
And nothing's going to bring me down

Best of all (best of all)
I've got my baby
Best of all (best of all)
I've got my baby

She's mighty fine and says she's all mine
And nothing's going to bring me down
She's mighty fine and says she's all mine
And nothing's going to bring me down
She's mighty fine and says she's all mine
And nothing's going to bring me down

Not today... no, no

Songwriter(s): Paolo Giovanni Nutini
Copyright: Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd

Lyrics from <a href="http://www.elyrics.net">eLyrics.net</a>

Thursday Giggle Vol. 4

During my sophomore and junior years of high school, my Spanish teacher, Ms. Carstens, would show us a funny video every Thursday- provided that we were good all week. The reasoning behind this was quite simple: Thursdays suck and everyone likes to laugh (except for, like, sociopaths)- therefore why not improve Thursdays with some laughter? I really liked the idea of this, so I decided to incorporate it into my blog. So without further ado, I present you with this week's giggle.

Maybe I'll Run for President

Every once in a while, after hearing me talk/debate politics, some people tell me I should run for President. I always dismiss them, saying that I am far too blunt to be a politician.

My future office?

But then I remembered something that happened a few years back.

I was in softball in ninth grade, and I wanted to play second base. However, I only rarely got the chance to actually do anything when I played it because none of our pitchers could pitch that well (the team was only a few years old, and no one had really learned how to pitch underhand yet).

One day in band, I was talking to the teacher, Mr. G., about how our team had never won a single game and he asked me why I didn't learn to pitch. I told him, "Well, because I want to be a second baseman." He said, "What's the point of playing second base if the ball never gets hit? Someone has to learn to be a pitcher, and it may as well be you."

So now I get it.

We have a pretty freaking awesome President right now, but what about in 20 years when I am eligible to run? What kind of situation will we have then? I have a good twenty years (technically I can run in 17) or so to get the qualifications.

Plus, I can always learn the art of finesse.

Thursday Giggle Vol. 3



 

During my sophomore and junior years of high school, my Spanish teacher, Ms. Carstens, would show us a funny video every Thursday- provided that we were good all week. The reasoning behind this was quite simple: Thursdays suck and everyone likes to laugh (except for, like, sociopaths)- therefore why not improve Thursdays with some laughter? I really liked the idea of this, so I decided to incorporate it into my blog. So without further adieu, I present you with this week's giggle.

 

Thursday Giggle Vol. 2

 

During my sophomore and junior years of high school, my Spanish teacher, Ms. Carstens, would show us a funny video every Thursday- provided that we were good all week. The reasoning behind this was quite simple: Thursdays suck and everyone likes to laugh (except for, like, sociopaths)- therefore why not improve Thursdays with some laughter? I really liked the idea of this, so I decided to incorporate it into my blog. So without further adieu, I present you with this week's giggle.

 

I forgot to post this week's Thursday Giggle! Here it is... only a day late!

In Response to Stuebenville

I wrote this post in response to my Facebook newsfeed. I have "liked" many political and feminist pages- therefore, the Stuebenville rape trial and verdict have been blowing up my newsfeed. The pages I "like" have been posting a multitude of statements condemning the media's portrayal of the rapists- to sum up, the media was basically pitying the girl's attackers.

 On top of this, the victim has been getting threats. Wow. Just wow.

Freaking imbeciles.

My interest in feminism started about half way through my junior year of high school, when I read Full Frontal Feminism- an excellent, powerfully-written book by my now-idol Jessica Valenti. Up until that point, I didn't think of feminism very often at all, nor did the thought cross my mind that I am (and always have been) a feminist. Though Valenti's book introduced a variety of topics- from the wage gap to the virgin-whore dichotomy, today I am going to focus on a phenomenon so common and repugnant it makes me physically ill. That phenomenon, dear reader, is rape culture.

Simply put, rape culture is a society giving women a list of to-do's that boil down to, "make sure he rapes the other girl".* We live in a world where rape is condoned and victim-shaming is commonplace. Take a moment and think about it. If a prostitute is raped, she is told that it is all her fault and that it is to be expected; a work hazard or, perhaps worst of all, it wasn't rape. If a woman who had been drinking is raped, she is told that she was asking for it; she shouldn't have drunk so much, she shouldn't have worn such revealing clothing, she shouldn't have flirted with her soon-to-be-rapist. Society says that date rape isn't rape, GHB rape isn't rape, if you don't fight back tooth and nail it was not rape. Society says you had better be bloody, bruised, and hanging on to life by a thread in order to be a rape victim.

No. Fuck that. No one "asks for it". I don't give a shit if the victim was naked and so drunk she passed out in the middle of Times Square. She STILL has the right to not get raped. A woman's profession does not excuse rape. The victim's sexual history is irrelevant. If a woman is drugged, guess what? IT IS RAPE. Why do none of the above scenarios blame the woman's attacker? If I were a man, I would be incredibly offended. Patriarchy tells us that men are so base and Neanderthal-like that women must be the ones to prevent rape; because men just can't help themselves. What a pile of crap. Feminism holds men to a higher standard, and finds them mentally competent.

It is high time we change the world's view of rape. We must make everyone see rape is an inexcusable offense- that it is NOT O.K.

*not my own statement- I took it from someone on Facebook.

My German Followers

 

So evidently my blog is fairly popular in Germany (if you call 19 views popular... which I do). This is so awesome! I have been thinking about this a lot... things like "Who in Germany is reading my blog?", "How many people in Germany have seen it?", "How did they find this page?", and "I hope that it isn't just a bunch of people accidentally clicking on my blog and moving on in disgust once they see it isn't the page they are looking for!"

 

So I guess what I am trying to say is; if you are from Germany, and are reading my blog, please comment on this posting (or any other posting, if you want) and let me know a little about yourself and try to answer some of those questions!! Danke Schoen! 

 

(My German sucks... I hope I just said thank you.)

 

The Rhine River

Musings of a Feminist

I have refrained from posting anything too political in nature during my first week because I wanted to gain somewhat of a viewership before becoming "that left-wing-hippie freak" so many others view me as. I am still going to wait a while before posting any subjects that are particularly touchy- ease into the water, as it were.

You have probably seen the terms "Feminism" and "Feminist" on this post already. Perhaps this has caused you to make assumptions- assumptions that would be based on the patriarchal world in which we live. This system would have you believe that feminists are man hating, ball breaking, hairy legged women, but that is simply not true. Please enjoy this quote... from the dictionary-

 

Or, perhaps one of my favorite quotes; one that has to do with the bad rap we feminists get sometimes (like being called a Feminazi):

So without further adieu, here are my thoughts on a certain word that I am not a fan of (again, look at my dictionary quote)
 

bitch

[ bich ]

1. female dog: a female dog, or the female of another related animal such as a fox, or of another carnivore such as a ferret
2. taboo term: a highly offensive term for a woman that deliberately insults her temperament
3. something difficult: a difficult thing or situation

Today, we will focus on the dictionary's second meaning to the word "bitch"; this is is a word I find deplorable, yet somehow, use often. I have been getting better at finding different words to use, and here's why.

Think about the biggest "bitch" you know. Chances are, this person is a woman in a position of authority (you mother, boss, aunt, politician, whatever) with a voice and opinion- and not afraid to use either. Now, I want you to picture somone you would call a "little bitch". In most cases, the person you picture is a man you find inferior to yourself- usually one who is sensitive or posesses feminine qualities (whether it be sensitivity, appearance, or his values).

So this means that even the least significant man is still superior to the the most significant woman? That is how it sounds to me. This ideaology also makes it sound like being a woman is so horrible, so degrading, that calling a man a woman is the highest insult that can be given.

Take a moment to look at the following pictures (and accompanying captions).

A woman in a position of authority is a bitch.
When we say a woman is "bitching", we insinuate that she is nagging.
"Bitches" is the plural form of bitch, but is also used to reference women who are viewed as property.



When we call a man a bitch, we are insulting his "manhood" (a cardinal sin among men, I guess... because being a woman is so horrible, you know), and saying that we find him inferior.
When we say a man is bitching, we are insinuating that he is complaining about something (because, apparently, complaining is unmanly)
The word "bitches" is usually used by men to reference "their women" (women they view as their personal property)

One form of the word "bitch" that I am okay with, and actually like is the word "bitchin'", as defined here:

 

bitch·en

/ˈbɪtʃən/ Show Spelled [bich-uhn]  

adjective Slang.

marvelous; wonderful.

Also, bitch·in'.

 

Origin:
bitch + -en, -in' informal or dialectal variant of -ing² (here forming nonparticipial adj.)

---

 

March 16, 2013

 

I have decided that I am too lazy to find a new quote every day, so I will just post one whenever I feel like it. Here is the last QOTD:



 

Hobbitses, Precioussss!!

The Hobbit is coming out on DVD on Tuesday... I am soooo excited!!! That is all. :)

March 15, 2013

March 14, 2013

Thursay Giggle Vol. 1

During my sophomore and junior years of high school, my Spanish teacher, Ms. Carstens, would show us a funny video every Thursday- provided that we were good all week. The reasoning behind this was quite simple: Thursdays suck and everyone likes to laugh (except for, like, sociopaths)- therefore why not improve Thursdays with some laughter? I really liked the idea of this, so I decided to incorporate it into my blog. So without further adieu, I present you with this week's giggle.

Gollum's Personality Disorder

Smeagol, A.K.A. Gollum.

You know, I think Gollum (a.k.a. Smeagol) is the most misunderstood LOTR character. Everyone seems to think he is just this crazy guy obsessed with a ring, but I happen to think that he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder (or MPD) brought on by a traumatic experience (hundreds of years of isolation; I will explain this further later on).

It all started with Smeagol and his best friend fishing on Smeagol's birthday- roughly 500 years ago. His friend caught a great big huge fish, which pulled him into the water. Whilst being towed across the river floor, this dude saw something gold and resplendent- causing him to let go of the fishing pole. The object, as it turns out, was the Ring of Power.

By this point in time, Smeagol was getting a bit worried, and began walking the shores in search of his buddy. He came across his friend just as he was crawling out of the river, ring in tow. They both marvelled at the Ring, and Smeagol tried to take it from  his friend. It was his birthday after all. Anywho, they fought over it, and Smeagol ended up strangling the other guy.

The Ring drove Smeagol mad (and rather paranoid, might I add), and he went into isolation in the mountains. There, the ring kept him alive for 500 years.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

The Ring changed this:

 Into this:

Pretty intense, eh?

You should know, Riverfolk (Hobbit-like creatures who lived on the river shores) are similar to humans in the sense that we are both social animals. We know from research that isolation for humans can cause everything from anxiety and hallucinations to death. So it is fair to assume that it would have pretty much the same effect on Riverfolk.

Smeagol's alter's (an alter is an alternate personality in persons with MPD- some people can have 15 or more!) name is Gollum- he got that name from the sound he makes sometimes. Alters have a completely seperate view of the world, different personalities from the actual person, and in men the alters are usually violent. That explains a lot.

So, moral of the story is: it wasn't Smeagol's fault he acted the way he did. Perhaps if there had been psychaitric help available (and the Ring was disposed of, of course), he could have been a model citizen of Middle Earth.

Here is a video displaying a conversation between Smeagol and his alter, Gollum:

March 13, 2013

March 12, 2013

It would do us all a world of good if we acted more like Hobbits.

My Super Awesome New Mug

My B.A. new coffee cup. :)

Some friends of mine recently returned from a 10-day vacation to Disney World. Yesterday, Dawn came by my apartment with the COOLEST. COFFEE MUG. EVER.

She spent the longest time at the store checking out every mug for the coolest design  the perfect one. The mug with the best lid, the best design, and void of any imperfections. She actually buffed each mug with her fleece jacket sleve and tested out all the lids. I guess her mom and daughter just left her at the store because she was taking so long, and later on Haley (her daughter) told Chris (her husband), "You would have been so proud of Mom at the store today". Evidently he is a very particular shopper as well. I never would have guessed that. When Dawn showed Chris the mug, he pointed out this white spot:

Turns out that every mug with this design had the minor imperfection (if she hadn't pointed it out, I would never have noticed it).

Naturally, Dawn was much better at telling the story; I laughed my ass off.

March 11, 2013

How Coffee Revolutionized the World

I was just scrolling through Pinterest, minding my own business, when BAM!! I saw the coolest infographic ever. You should know, I LOVE coffee. It's the best drink in the whole wide world. In fact, I am drinking some right now. So here it is- the coolest infographic ever made:

 

Cool, Huh?

Pictures, my precioussssss!

 

I am a huge Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) geek, and I find these things totally hilarious.