Intersex Rights

Here is a video of my favorite Sexologist interviewing an 'intersex ally'. It is great to be able to hear the stories that aren't being told and learn something new that many people are unaware of. I'm posting this video because I had mentioned Eden Atwood (the woman being interviewed) in the smaller groups on Monday and I thought our discussion in class today about Kiss of The Spider Woman and the science in the footnotes would be strengthened by some other information. I find it interesting to see the types of rights that Eden didn't have as a kid and it really raises the question to us (some of who may become parents eventually) about what WE would do if our child was intersex. I think that even though it may not seem to effect us now it's great to think about how it could in the future. Don't we all want an environment where it is okay and encouraged to discuss differences? I know that's what I want for my children. 

The Cat People (1942)

The first movie that Molina relates to Valentin is The Cat People, a 1942 movie, directed by Jacques Torneur.

Here's the trailer:

Here the panther lady attacks her psychoanalyst:

And here's the swimming pool sequence:

Israel to be Reviewed By U.N.

Israel recently agreed to return to the U.N. for a review of its human rights record after its 18 month absence. This article is brief in discussing the full reason behind the boycott and the return, however it seems to me that Israel is aware of their violations and wished to avoid the confrontation. I'm very interested to find out what the U.N. says and how Israel reacts.

Women's Rights to Healthy Breasts in Uganda

In Uganda, many women with breast cancer are not getting the treatment they deserve. Due to a combination of few resources, little knowledge on the subject and their own social worry, the women who are getting to the doctor often are getting there too late. 

                                                ABOVE: Mary Namata, a Ugandan woman who put off treatment

Although this article may initially seem to be just about the increase in breast cancer in Uganda and the lack of proper medical treatment, there are clear and significant questions of Human Rights that are brought up in the article. A woman's (and for that matter human's) right to proper medical care is brought to light in the article. Should these women be ashamed of their disease, thus hiding it until it's unbearable, or should they search for treatment right away? A striking quote  from the article explains why some women with lumps on their breasts hide it: "A number of women in Ms. Nakigudde’s group have been deserted by husbands or boyfriends because they have cancer, she said, counting herself among them. Some have been fired from work for taking time off for treatment. It is not uncommon for women to try to keep the disease a secret, for fear that if word gets out, no one will marry their children. Women with one breast are sometimes shunned as witches or as having been cursed by a witch." This social issue and shunning that takes place along with the financial and medical "culture of bribery" made this article relevant to our discussion of rights. "The hospital has two tiers: free, public wards for the poor, and a private one for those who can pay. Paying patients are generally treated more quickly." Because this article talks about a disease most commonly diagnosed in women, in brings in the question of how this would be treated if it were men. Although the hospitals first discrimination is towards those financially unstable, is it possible that the social stigma with this treatment would be different if it were a common cancer found in men? 

The Skin I Live In

Here is an article that both debriefs and analyzes the message of the movie. I found it very helpful to read this after watching a movie as intense and complicated as this one is--going through the plot with someone else's perspective in hand helps you develop your own reaction and beliefs about what the movie is really about.
What I found really interesting is Almodóvar's commentary about how gender is a social construct. He illustrates this through the character of Vincent/Vera, who, this blogger argues, "accepts the submissive role of the female is stunning, and it starts from the moment Ledgard gives him a vaginoplast." 
But what I found most intriguing is the idea that "Almodóvar doesn't chuck in transgender forms for the sake of shock but to examine the ways that the binary opposition functions and enslaves us." I think that The Skin I Live In definitely calls into question the idea of gender versus self-identity. Did Vera still view herself as Vincent even with a total gender swap? How much of your identity is engrained in your gender, and beyond that, in your own physical features--your face, your body? 
Watching Vera look at the picture of herself in the newspaper before her surgery was definitely jarring and brought into question how much of our identity is based on our physical features, and our body itself, and how much of it is intrinsic to ourselves? So much so that if we stripped away gender and our physical features, what would we have left?
There's a lot of questions that this movie raised, what do you guys think? 

Perspective on Women in America

Persepolis was an extremely valuable book because of the experiences Marjane shares with the reader, first-handedly accounting what the restrictions on women's rights felt like in Iran. Reading about her experiences with the veil, with the possibility that she wouldn't be able to get a divorce without her husband's approval, with getting married so young, it was so easy to juxtapose it to the lives many of us lead in America and attach the belief to it that we enjoy more freedom.

However, I think this article is an extremely interesting read because of the perspective that it offers. In the United States it is the common view that we are a progressive nation--the land of the free. But I think it's necessary to step back and realize that we aren't the best in many fields--even in regards to how we view women within society. This article shows 22 countries where the gender gap is smaller than the U.S.--the list spans from Finland to Nicaragua. In 2013, the United States was ranked #23 on the list, dropping down from #17 in 2011. Huffington Post said that this fall can mainly be attributed to the lack of women in power, in legislative and the political realms. 

It's so easy when reading accounts of other people's lives to juxtapose it with our own experiences and our own freedoms. But i think this article does a good job at making you step back and realize that women aren't totally equal here either. While this inequality cannot physically be seen in a veil, it can be seen in other outlets of society like job opportunities or the wage gap between genders.

President of Iran: Will he bring change?

On the left is an image of Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani. Here is an article describing his background and some of his beliefs. As we know from reading Persepolis, Iran has had some very conservative leaders in the past who have ruled with very strict, religious outlooks. Rouhani appears to be more open-minded and less conservative than those who have previously held his position. The article states that Rouhani has “tried to control extremism and radicalism among the Iranian political forces” and often in meetings refers to statistics and science as opposed to purely religious sources. Additionally, he hopes to remove Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (a group that is known for cracking down on human rights demonstrators) from the political scene. Rouhani is considered a reformer and seems to want to make change in Iran, but will he be able to? Is he the man he says he is? 

Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia

I was looking at nytimes.com and this article caught my eye. Since we have been studying Persepolis and have come across many instances of women’s rights (or lack thereof) I thought this applied well. This article describes the way in which a few dozen women in Saudi Arabia took a stand against the ban on women driving. Saudi Arabia is the only country in which women are not permitted to drive. For a long time many people have opposed this ban, and women are finally acting on this opposition by driving out in the open. In a country where women have such few rights and punishments can be very severe, this takes incredible courage. They are not trying to start a revolution; these women just want to live normal lives, and being able to drive is a crucial part of that. My favorite line is the last sentence of the article: one of the women says “I’m so proud of myself right now.” This shows how meaningful basic rights are to women and how important it is for them to stand up and fight for these rights. 
 

The revolution in pictures

Since we are reading about the Iranian Revolution right now, I found some pictures which were taken at the time of the revolution. Even though we know about the revolution and how it started already, this gallery still shows us why and how it happened.

Slightly Silly but Still Relevant

Although this is slightly sillier than our usual posts, here is a link to a page listing "13 Things That Happened While D.C. Was Obsessed With the Shutdown".  Some of these are not relevant to human rights, however some definitely are. I felt this was worth posting because it really puts into perspective the things that get overlooked if they don't directly pertain to us. The photography for some of the events mentioned is beautiful and tragic. It's most certainly worth taking a look at.

Iran Modern

This exhibit, called "Iran Modern," at the Asia Society in New York City this fall, features modern art from Iran, which is to say art from the three decades prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Guardian's review of October 17 gives some good insights into the art in the exhibit. One piece, called "Standing Tall," by Nicky Nodjoumi:

Teheran Today

This article of October 18, 2013, from the New York Times, suggests that many of the issues confronting the women in Persepolis remain important. The women here are still worried about "increasing personal freedoms" and "taking the much-hated morality police off the streets." The article observes:

With the advent of autumn and cooler temperatures, the morality police are less noticeable but still present at central crossroads and shopping centers, warning and arresting women who show too much hair or wear clothes that are too tight or revealing.

One woman notes:

“I did vote for Rouhani because he promised that women like me would be able to go on the streets without being bothered over our clothes,” said Mrs. Bagheri, who said she had been arrested several times by the morality police. “At least the patrols are less for now.”

Malala Yousafzai Interview

Here is the interview with student, author, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Malala Yousafzai.

Human Rights in Iran

Here is a link to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.  This gives us a view of rights in the post-revolution stage of the country, the time after Persepolis takes place.  A view like this is especially necessary, considering that the majority of our perceptions of Iran come from news only relative to the US, such as their nuclear program and how their new president plays into it.  I recommend looking at the cartoons, which give pointed opinions on current events involving human rights.  For example, April 15th's cartoon, entitled "The Cost of Speaking Out," depicts a specific case of denial of freedom of speech through a citizen being silenced by the grim reaper.  You should also look at the map of Iran's human rights.  By showing the specifics, the map puts the rights violations in perspective.  You can see that certain regions are worse than others and get an idea of the types of issues facing Iranian citizens today.  Most importantly, you can see the contrast between modern day and the revolution time period.  What do you notice?

October 10th - World Day Against the Death Penalty

October 10th was "World Day Against the Death Penalty," organized by World Coalition.  This article focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean, a region whose countries represent the different stances on capital punishment -- abolitionists in law, abolitionists in practice, and retentionists.  According to Kevin Miguel Rivera (see video), the Caribbean accounts for at least 25% of UN votes against the moratorium, so this region is globally significant.

An interesting point was that this region, which has a disproportionately high crime rate, shows no correlation between crime and presence or absence of the death penalty.  If capital punishment cannot prevent crime, it begs the question of why it is implemented at all.  My initial response was to say that the system holds an "eye for an eye" mentality, aimed at avenging the victims more than scaring people into obedience.  What do you think?  When should the death penalty be applied?  Also, I recommend checking out the videos of the different activists.

Jacob's oath

Martin Fletcher, an award- winning Jewish author, recently released a book called 'Jacob’s oath.' In this book, two lonely holocaust survivors (Jacob and Sarah) fall in love with each other. However, Jacob must choose between love and revenge as he seeks to avenge his brother who was murdered by a concentration camp guard. After reading the excerpt, I would love to read this book! Even though there are many books on the holocaust , like 'The Reader', it’s always interesting to read about the holocaust when it’s intertwined with a love story. I just thought I should share this book and hopefully it will interest you as much as it interested me.

Is solitary confinement torture?

Whilst looking for recent news in human rights, I came across this article. In this article, Juan Mendez, a human rights expert on torture urges the US authorities to end the forty years of solitary confinement served by Albert Woodfox, who along with his partner, Herman Wallace, were accused of stabbing a prison guard. This article caught my attention because I immediately remembered Hanna’s sentence in prison in solitary confinement. Hanna, a day before her release, committed suicide but Herman died of natural cause just days after the judge released him and ordered a new trial for him on the murder charge. So Mendez is pleading for Woodfox and described their cases to "clearly show that the use of solitary confinement in the U.S. penitentiary system goes far beyond what is acceptable under international human rights law." Even though Wallace’s case is completely unrelated to the Holocaust and Germany, it’s possible to draw parallels between the two since they both served sentences in solitary confinement and they were both accused of being responsible for the death of someone.

"In the Penal Colony," by Franz Kafka

In olden times, the executions were transcendent experiences, which were beneficial even for children, as the officer explains: "Often I crouched down there with two small children in my arms, on my right and left."

The Traveler arrives just as a man is condemned to be executed for breaking the command, "Honor Your Superiors": "The Condemned Man had an expression of such dog-like resignation that it looked as if one could set him free to roam around the slopes and would only have to whistle at the start of the execution for him to return."

 

A close up of the convicted. No need to worry about a trial, because "guilt is always beyond doubt."

He will be executed on the Apparatus, which is supposed to inscribe the laws broken by the condemned onto their skin, until they are enlightened enough to understand the Law (at which point they die):

The blood flows into a nearby pit:

When the Traveler informs the Officer that he is not in favor of this procedure, the Officer immediately condemns himself to execution for violating the principle, "Be Just." However, the Apparatus fails miserably. It doesn't enlighten, but rather merely kills, the Officer:

Analyzing Holocaust Perpetrators

Some of the most important parts of The Reader in terms of critical analysis are the central questions of why Hanna did what she did, whether or not she understood what she was doing and the moral implications attached, whether or not her actions could be justified, and as a metaphor for her generation, what it meant to be a perpetrator within the context of those principles. This Lecture I found, Revisiting the Holocaust Perpetrators: Why Did They Kill? (delivered at UVM by a history professor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), addresses some of these questions, in an interesting categorization and analysis of different types of holocaust perpetrators. The lecturer focuses primarily on his last category, what he calls "ordinary men," of which I think Hanna would be a part, and tries to analyze and explain their actions in different ways. Interesting to read while considering this part of the story and some of the conversations we've had in class.

Cultural Responsibility & Justice

One thing that came up during the lecture and discussion in our last class is the way in which Germany's recognition of the holocaust – the way in which they memorialize the victims on such a wide scale – is unusual. Mr. Goldberg mentioned that he didn't think that people should take for granted the way in which Germany has memorialized this horrific event, and he pointed to the 4.7 square acre Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe, in Berlin, Germany, as an example of this.

Another way in which Germany (and other countries involved in the holocaust) have memorialization of the holocaust ingrained in their culture is through laws prohibiting the denial of the holocaust, and through their elimination of the death penalty. I was reminded of this TED Talk, given by American human rights lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, in which he talks about the mass incarceration of people (primarily men) of color, and the way in which American's discomfort with talking about race contributes to a justice and prison system that disproportionately hurts black men. At one point in the talk he makes a particularly interesting point as he compares the way in which Germany's ownership of the holocaust has impacted their justice system in a way that is very different from the manner in which America deals with a past that is based in racism and oppression. He says,

"I was giving some lectures in Germany about the death penalty. It was fascinating because one of the scholars stood up after the presentation and said, 'Well you know it's deeply troubling to hear what you're talking about.' He said, 'We don't have the death penalty in Germany. And of course, we can never have the death penalty in Germany.' And the room got very quiet, and this woman said, 'There's no way, with our history, we could ever engage in the systematic killing of human beings. It would be unconscionable for us to, in an intentional and deliberate way, set about executing people.' And I thought about that. What would it feel like to be living in a world where the nation state of Germany was executing people, especially if they were disproportionately Jewish? I couldn't bear it. It would be unconscionable."

I thought this was such an important subject to bring up, and it very much related to "The Reader" and our discussions surrounding it. Just as Bernhard Schlink brings up the discomfort that exists in a recognition of the horrific events of the holocaust, and the way in which that discomfort effects whether or not justice can be had for the victims and those effected by it, Bryan Stevenson discusses the way in which the American desire to avoid discussing our country's racially oppressive history results in a lack of understanding regarding "what it's meant to do the things we've done historically." And further, how that discomfort fuels an "unwilling[ness] to commit ourselves to a process of truth and reconciliation."

What do you guys think? What does cultural ownership and memorialization of a horrific and oppressive past look like? And in what ways is quiet shame and discomfort debilitating to the pursuit of justice?

The Stevenson video is a bit long, but I highly recommend watching it! It's very relevant to our class.

Female Perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide

Continuing to think about victimization and crimes committed by focusing on the perpetrators, I think this article about the female genocide perpetrators in the International Feminist Journal of Politics is an interesting illustration of gender roles in a genocide. Considering the holocaust, I find it interesting that for the most part (of course there are exceptions to this) victims' stories are told by women, especially when we consider the most well-known books written by survivors, whereas when we think of the perpetrators we think primarily of men. This article focuses on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, but I think it's relevant to the issues we've been discussing in class. I thought it was definitely interesting that the author addresses the "implications of ignoring female perpetrators of genocide," and how leaving this area unaddressed could harm the entire process of post-genocide reconstruction and lasting peace and reconciliation, a task that in Rwanda is still somewhat contentious, very tedious, and systematically flawed. I think this point is an interesting one to consider in post-holocaust reconstruction as well, especially given that almost 70 years later we're still struck by the roles of and the portrayal of the roles of female perpetrators.

Illiteracy in America

In last week's assigned chapters of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, the narrator Michael finally realizes Hanna's big, shameful secret. Hanna, a grown woman, has lived her life hiding her illiteracy, and running at even the slightest chance that it would be discovered (i.e. a promotion that requires her to read).

In this article on Huffington Post, illiteracy in the U.S is discussed, as is the shocking fact that 32 million adults in America are illiterate. The article references the benefits of literacy, stating that it gives one "economic security, access to health care, and the ability to actively participate in civic life". Are these rights that Hanna was deprived of? Although the book doesn't mention health care, it does draw upon Hanna's economic situation, and her struggles in civic life, both of which due to her illiteracy. 


The article also discusses the connection between illiteracy and crime, which directly relates to the book. Hanna committed a crime in taking the job as a guard, selecting who to send to Auschwitz, and refraining from unlocking the burning church. And what exactly brought her to take the job as a guard? A promotion that she ran from, that would have exposed her illiteracy. In relation to this, the article later cites what I find to be a very powerful statistic, that over 70 percent of American inmates can't read above a fourth grade level. This statistic shows the connection literacy has to well being, as these prisoners were led down crime ridden paths and now reside in cells, and reminds us that literacy is truly one of the best abilities to have. 

To take a personal stance, what do you think life would be like unable to read above a fourth grade level? What are your takes on these statistics?