December 2017 archive

I am Mary, Chris Wind

from Thus Saith Eve, by Chris Wind I am Mary mother of God. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now—it’s immortalized. I am indelibly identified by my relationship to a male: all of me has been denied, except that one part. And yet even that part has not been accorded full status: …

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The Last Man on Earth explains everything

The Last Man on Earth explains everything.  But he’s too stupid, too infantile, and too self-centered, to know it.  Which is exactly why he explains everything.   1. He enjoys knocking things over, breaking things, destroying things. He rams his grocery cart into a pyramid of cans.  He rolls bowling balls into a row of …

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Oh the horror

On yet another occasion during which I was stunned by one of my neighbour’s stupidity and ignorance, it suddenly occurred to me that the person I was speaking with probably hadn’t read a book since high school. (Yes, it then occurred to me that s/he probably hadn’t read a book during high school either.) Then …

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Artificial Intelligence Indeed (Ex Machina)

So I first heard of the movie Ex Machina when I read a review (by Chris DiCarlo) in Humanist Perspectives—and was so disgusted that I wrote a letter to the editor.  Why?  Because the reviewer had revealed his own misogyny by failing to address the elephant in the room: the fact that the body the …

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a couple poems from UnMythed, by Chris Wind

from UnMythed, by Chris Wind   Narcissus   she unwraps the traditional gifts: first, the brush-comb-and-mirror set, pale pink marbling with gilded edges— they lie heavy in her hand; then the jewelry box, gold and cream lined with velvet— it plays “Fascination” the new thirteen-year-old hands them back to her mother and says “Narcissus was a …

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Why is honesty rude?

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.   What?  Why is honesty rude? What kind of society considers honesty, truth, to be less important than—what?  Social cohesion? And that assumes that people will be offended by the truth.  If the truth is about them, I suppose that’s an accurate assumption.  But what …

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The Waiting-for-the-Elevator Thing

So I’m sure this has happened at least once to every woman.  You’re standing in front of an elevator, waiting for it, and a man comes up and presses the button. Oh is that what that’s for?  I saw the button, with an upward-pointing arrow, and I understand that elevators go up, but you know, …

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Brunettes, Blondes, and Redheads

So the other day I started reading iron shadows by Steven Barnes.  He’s apparently a bestselling author.  Which is really disturbing. Because four sentences in, he describes a woman as “a small wiry brunette”.  Seriously?  Does anyone actually identify women by their hair colour any more?  That’s so—1940s.  Isn’t it?  I check.  The book’s copyright …

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The Dialogue – by chris wind

The Dialogue, by Chris Wind (from Deare Sister)   Lasthenia, your beard is slipping. Why thank you. Did you get the mathematics done? No. And I tried so hard, Axio, after you left last night. I worked at it for another two hours. It’s just not clear at all. Can you help me again tonight? …

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Imagine that …

…all males had to have their DNA on file with the government. …all newborns had to have their paternity established by law. …all males discovered to be fathers had their wages garnished at the source to support the mother of the child for six years (assuming she would be the one to be with the …

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