Links - 12th October 2018 (1)

The secret life-hack - why you should quit feminism - "I was calling myself a feminist even before college, but I was a reasonably mild creature, a watered down version of the howling banshee I became once I passed through the gender studies machine... I was neck deep in the literature and getting angrier by the day. I started looking for the patriarchy, and, like the lesser evils of Crocs and man-buns, it was EVERYWHERE... I spent about 5 years during university and then my masters in the grip of a heavy dose of feminist ideology. The kind of feminism that you could only find in Ms. Magazine back then, but is now everywhere in the form of the constant background noise of gender studies outrage of the "I am woman, hear me whine" variety. The whole world has turned into me at 18... I've now been feminism-free for 5 years and loving every minute of it. It's done wonders for my mental health, my relationships, my understanding of the world. Not even kicking both alcohol and smoking can come close to the catharsis of moulting a crippling ideology...
1. Feminism robs you of your #1 tool for self-development... If you’re condemned to victimhood through conspiratorial forces, your agency is an illusion. You're not your own master, you're at the mercy of circumstances outside of your control. Feminism doesn't offer life skills - it provides an infinite list of grievances and calls for control and protection... Taking responsibility is a hard thing to do. It's hard to face up to the fact that some of your problems are your own fault...
2. Feminism makes sex, relationships & talking to men a pain...
3. Maybe we don't want it "all"... have you ever given a bit of thought to what it takes to become and stay a Fortune 500 CEO? Why anyone but the most driven and work-obsessed of people might want to get there and have the stamina to stay there? What sacrifices it might bring? Have you thought about the infinity of things you can't do because you're too busy doing the endless things it takes to be a magnate? I think many a woman has thought carefully about it, and she's said: "Good luck, Sheryl Sandberg, I'm leaning out."...
4. You can find a better tribe...
5. Feminism is hypocritical... It's less about the welfare of women, it's more about sticking it to the man - exclusively the western man, of course, bringer of sorrows, lord of oppression...
6. Feminism has been lying to you"

I'm a female banker. My male colleagues are making me infertile - "In the past few years several of my male colleagues have started families. They all take paternity leave (usually for around a month, sometimes for longer) and when they come back they often expect to work a bit less. As a case in point, I was recently asked to take on extra project by a colleague who's a new father - he said he needs to spend time with his baby and can't work as much as I do. I'm stuck in a vicious cycle. The more that my male colleagues have children, the more that I am expected to cover for them and the harder it becomes for me to conceive. You can see why I'm annoyed."
Funny, I thought we were supposed to encourage men taking paternity leave and caring for kids
Comments: "Sooooo,when women get children it's not up to their male colleagues to pick up the slack...."

China Eastern Airlines flight attendant loses job after boyfriend proposes to her during flight - "the company fired the flight attendant on grounds that she had neglected passenger safety. The company stated that the mid-flight proposal had caused a disturbance and was an irresponsible act which jeopardised the security of passengers."

Telling stories, having fun. — realvivianjames: judgingeternity: mantis-cat: ... - "Show creator: so here’s a witty, smart, well-thought character, with a rich background, complex past, and (s)he has lots of interesting quirks and skills…
Tumblr: YEAH, OKAY, BUT IS (S)HE TRANS? HOMOSEXUAL? POC?
Show creator: why does it ma~
Tumblr: BOOOOOOORING!!!!
Show creator: actually yes
Tumblr: this is their only defining characteristic and this show is now only for people represented by that quality if they also agree with me on every subject
Show creator: And they have some flaws/ or they’re a villain
Tumblr: This show is a homophobic, transphobic, racist, misogynistic pile of crap and all it’s fans are crap too.
Tumblr: *harasses and sends death threats to people over the show*
Show Creator: This is not why I made this show, I wanted to be inclusive and subversive but also make people happy, and this isn’t good, please stop it.
Tumblr: OMG So you like child porn and hate gay people!?!?!?!?!?!?!
The fact that every single one of these has happened exactly like this is really depressing."

Eb the Intolerant on Twitter - "Ableist language of the day: "cr*ppling debt"
Y'all. We don't use the c-word like that. That word is a reclaimed slur in Disabled community. It's not a word you just toss on bad things bc it's there.
OK alternatives: "enormous debt" "unaffordable debt" "huge fuck-off debt""
@BajanMbaku: "Enormous debt is fat shaming"

How Twitter poisoned politics - "Wes Streeting, a Labour MP and prolific user of the site, recently announced that he was scaling down his use. “When I joined Twitter in my mid-twenties, I enjoyed it as a platform for debating ideas, live-tweeting during X Factor and sharing what I was up to,” Streeting wrote. “Unfortunately, Twitter has increasingly become an angry swamp to the extent that its utility is outweighed by the negativity.” I hear this judgment more and more... Conformity to tribal ethics is rewarded with retweets and approving replies; contrary opinion can be treated as heresy. And so everyone bids everyone else up in a currency of implacability and indignation."

Online Abuse of UK MPs in 2015 and 2017: Perpetrators, Targets, and Topics - "in both absolute and proportional terms, abuse increased substantially in 2017 compared with 2015. Abusive replies are somewhat less directed at women and those not in the currently governing party. Those who send the abuse may be issue-focused, or they may repeatedly target an individual. In the latter category, accounts are more likely to be throwaway. Those sending abuse have a wide range of topical triggers, including borders and terrorism."
Once again, contrary to feminist misinformation, women actually get less online abuse

Apple's bigger iPhone XS is getting slammed for being 'sexist' - "When Apple released its iPhone XS line, with screens that range from 5.8 inches to 6.5 inches, they became the company’s largest phones yet. But the big screens have triggered a backlash from women who say the device is too large for the average female hand... Another annoyance for iPhone-loving ladies? Apple’s phones are too large for women’s pockets. An August 2018 survey by culture website The Pudding took a look at the 20 most popular denim brands in the United States and found that 60 percent of women’s jeans can’t fit an iPhone X, which is 5.8 inches."
You know feminism is no longer needed when it complains about iPhone sizes

Toronto sex-ed guide for Muslims: “Homosexuals are cursed by Allah”, LGBTQ “not permissible” - "Children are encouraged to avoid shows, cartoons, movies, and advertisements that allude, even subtly, to mixed gender relationships"

The general case: why Singapore’s security obsession is incompatible with meritocracy - "Thailand provides another learning point. In this case, it proves that even with a conscript army, military generals can mount coups... the Singapore government boasts that the guiding principle is meritocracy. Putting aside the roiling debate about how ‘meritocracy’ in practice is often less egalitarian and perhaps even less efficient than it sounds, it’s nonetheless an ideal worth holding on to as a guiding star. However, when there are pressures to find jobs for surplus-to-requirement generals, it is hard to see how the posts they eventually occupy have really been filled through a meritocratic process... How are these organisations where key positions are filled more out of a need to give a general a job than through openly-competitive recruitment, going to attract the best talent? Best talent (surprise!) tend to be really smart people who want space and leeway to operate. Would they wonder if the organisational culture of the place is one that values obedience and conformity rather than out-of-the-box thinking, experimentation and disruption? Would they wonder whether their own chances of promotion within the organisation would always be secondary to the need to keep the newly civilianised military guy happy?"

Vacationers Happier, but Most not Happier After a Holiday - "Vacationers reported a higher degree of pre-trip happiness, compared to non-vacationers, possibly because they are anticipating their holiday. Only a very relaxed holiday trip boosts vacationers’ happiness further after return. Generally, there is no difference between vacationers’ and non-vacationers’ post-trip happiness"

Bras Basah Campus (1823-1972) | RAMpage - "The area around Bras Basah was known as the School Zone because of the high concentration of schools in the area: RI, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI), Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ), Catholic High School, St Anthony’s Boys’ School, St Anthony’s Convent, St Andrew’s School and Anglo-Chinese School. There was much rivalry amongst students in these schools. Nonetheless, friendships were also forged, especially with the girls from CHIJ."

Is Newscaster Hair Going Extinct? - "Wear your hair down, in a smooth style that hits at the collarbone or above. Updos and complicated styles are a no, as are drastic color changes. Youthful appearance is key (better dye those grays away!). A bit of wave is okay (and increasingly popular at some stations), but ringlets and kinky curls are not. It's not just perception, either. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, analyzed more than 400 publicity images for local broadcast journalists and found that 95.8 percent of female anchors and reporters had smooth hair. About two-thirds had short or medium-length cuts. Nearly half of the women were blond. Zero had gray hair. Just one black woman in the UT study sample wore her natural curls."

Many Singaporeans Think the PR/Comms Industry is Fluff. It is Also Full of Women. Coincidence? - "creative industries are generally seen as a more liberal alternative to the corporate grind. Many employees choose this work out of “passion”. Therefore, “performing passion for a wage” feels offensive, especially when PR/comms work is fundamentally regarded as the direct opposite of the ‘authentic’, ‘proper’ and ‘legitimate’ field of journalism... she and her friends always joke about how men are “awful at communication”"

German triathlete banned from all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant for eating too much - "As an Ironman triathlete, Jaroslav Bobrowski is used to eating generous portions to gain enough energy for his athletic pursuits. Yet one restaurant in Bavaria found his diet bad for their business. In a visit last weekend to the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant Running Sushi in Landshut, Bavaria, former bodybuilder Bobrowski, 30, ate close to 100 plates of sushi, sending the restaurant into a state of alarm."

Old Testament Law and The Charge of Inconsistency - "let’s be clear that it’s not only the Old Testament that has proscriptions about homosexuality. The New Testament has plenty to say about it as well. Even Jesus, in his discussion of divorce in Matthew 19:3-12, says that the original design of God was for one man and one woman to be united as one flesh, and failing that, (v. 12) persons should abstain from marriage and from sex... The New Testament gives us further guidance about how to read the Old Testament. Paul makes it clear in places like Romans 13:8ff that the apostles understood the Old Testament moral law to still be binding on us. In short, the coming of Christ changed how we worship but not how we live. The moral law is an outline of God’s own character—his integrity, love, and faithfulness. And so all the Old Testament says about loving our neighbor, caring for the poor, generosity with our possessions, social relationships, and commitment to our family is still in force. The New Testament continues to forbid killing or committing adultery, and all the sex ethic of the Old Testament is re-stated throughout the New Testament (Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 Timothy 1:8-11.) If the New Testament has reaffirmed a commandment, then it is still in force for us today. Further, the New Testament explains another change between the Testaments. Sins continue to be sins—but the penalties change. In the Old Testament things like adultery or incest were punishable with civil sanctions like execution"

Why is it that so many leading Brexiteers studied history? | The Spectator - "After claiming that Ancient Rome was ‘destroyed’ by immigration, Banks was called out by classicist Mary Beard, to which he retorted: ‘I studied Roman history extensively — you don’t have a monopoly on history!’... Whereas the Declaration of Independence is gospel in America, in the UK only a history graduate like Jacob Rees-Mogg could describe the White Paper agreed at Chequers as ‘the greatest vassalage since King John paid homage to Philip II at Le Goulet in 1200’. The pollsters at Vote Leave decided that ‘Take Back Control’ was the most effective slogan, but what it communicates is the doctrine which the History Boys continue to espouse: parliamentary sovereignty. If you know your British history, then you’ll known that this is not an abstract idea but something which parliamentarians have wrestled for since, well, not long after Le Goulet... The old ruling class — politicians such as Herbert Asquith, Harold Macmillan and Boris — studied the classics. The new ruling class — the ‘experts’ — have studied vocational degrees like law and PPE. Whereas our rulers were once versed in the past, they are now versed in technocracy"