Saturday Link Roundup

I’m sorry Saturday Link roundups are late, but since I often wait to read things I subscribe to on paper (I’m old school like that), I had to do an angry reading of most of New York Magazine’s The Feminist Housewife out loud to David over the breakfast table. Sadly, I can’t just provide you with a video of the reading, with David’s commentary included, so I’ll just have to sum it up below. Let’s do this thing!

Wedding-y

A United Methodist church in North Carolina has stopped performing marriages of all kinds in part to protest the passing of Amendment 1, which outlaws same sex marriage. In a statement, the church said, “This is being adopted as a sign of our commitment to love and justice for all people.”

If you live in the East Bay and are planning a wedding, stop by and say hello to some of the staff at Mad For Love tomorrow! There is free cake! Champagne! I’ve been told a Photo Booth! And I’ll be there signing books from 12-2 (though the party gets going at 11).

A fascinating read on the history of the diamond industry and how the illusion of scarcity was created. Thanks for sending us the link, Mira!

Reclaiming Wife

The buzz(not)worthy article of the week, The Feminist Housewife, has, on the plus side created some great conversations about feminism. While I’m in favor of both big-tent feminism, and feminist (women and men) choosing to stay home with their kids, you can’t just slap a feminist label on anything and call it good. This article is equal opportunity offensive, including such gems as, “Why can’t we just be girls? Why do we have to be boys and girls at the same time?” and “All [men] agree that no matter what the gender revolution prescribes, it is still paramount for men to earn a living and support their families, which also implies taking a backseat as caregiver.” Plus! Quotes from ‘researchers’ that lead off with, “My sense, is that younger women are more open to the idea that…” Awesome.

But wait! The article, is no surprise, mostly misrepresentations. I almost punched a hole in the wall when I got to the bit where she tried to call the amazing Rebecca Woolf unemployed, and then anti-feminist. I might or might not have YELLED the whole paragraph about Rebecca to David, followed by, “WHAT TOTAL BULLSHIT.” Turns out Rebecca, and most of the women quoted in the article, were pretty livid too.

But the commentary on the article is great. I don’t tend to link to Jezebel, but nailed it. The Forbes article on why women are vital to the American economy is an important conversation I’m glad we’re having. And Christina M. Kelly’s (Sassy Hat tip) article on ACTUALLY being a feminist housewife is phenomenal.

Now! On to other things! NPR’s Linda Holmes weighs in with her take on Amazon Mom, the new program geared to parents with young children. Her argument against gendered marketing is pretty spot-on, but this remains my favorite part: “Moms are dads! Dads are moms! Cats are dogs! Chairs are tables! Words have meanings, you see.” You also should have seen my face when David told me he signed up for Amazon Mom. Hint: it went from confused to rageful right quick.

From reader Alicia, an interesting look at the ways that delaying marriage impacts our careers and family lives.

The Observer makes the argument for the importance of divorce (and, indirectly, marriage) in an article on “messy breakups in a marriage-less world.” It mostly deals with couples who are also parents, but it makes a great case for the importance of rituals. (And it made me think of this post that we ran awhile back.)

General Interest

Fellow writers, take heart: The New Yorker rejects stories that it has itself published. Read more about this hilarious literary experiment, and then submit something somewhere in spite of it.

Happy hour is from 4 to 6! But seriously, this Mean Mad Men Tumblr is hilarious.

Seth Godin’s post Us vs. Us article is a spot on take of why we moderate comments (and why we don’t actually have to moderate them much). It explores the idea that these online communities we’re forming are going to change the world for the better.

Permission to say no is always welcome, and this post from Medium on why creatives must say no really resonated.

This article from The Onion is both hilarious and insightful. (And maybe, just maybe, a tiny wakeup call.)

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