About
Kelly is a 20-something academic researcher who blogs in her spare time.
For more about what our blog is about, here is our first post.
If you want to contact us for any reason, our e-mail is rottenlittlegirls@gmail.com.
(c) Kelly and Harley 2008-2012.
The topic of health care in the 2008 U.S. presidential election is one that is high on the minds of Americans. However, while most people are well aware of the immense challenges facing our health system (rising costs of medical care, malpractice, high prescription drug costs, medical bankruptcies, employers dropping coverage, 47 million uninsured Americans, etc.), they have less understanding of the specific solutions proposed by Senators Obama and McCain.
We invite you to write a post about the topic of health care in ’08. There are clear policy differences between the Obama and McCain plans, who come from two differing philosophies on health care reform.
“HealthDecision ’08: Obama and McCain on Health Care” is an initiative by HealthCare.com (http://www.healthcare.com) to help potential voters understand each candidate’s position. It is an objective comparison of the two platforms, and provides analysis as to the strengths and weaknesses of each. Most importantly, HealthDecision ’08 provides an interactive voting tool that allows users to “vote” for a preferred plan. HealthDecision can be accessed at http://decision.healthcare.com/obama-mccain/.
HealthDecision ’08 will provide you with much of the primary research with which to form a post. In addition, we provide you with links to third-party election coverage from Health08.org, NPR, The New England Journal of Medicine, NY Times, National Journal, U.S. News, WebMD and many other sites, that may serve as supplemental information sources.
I hope you’ll join us in our effort to raise voter understanding on this very important issue. We hope that you will use our information, and also link your readers to our site in order to have their voices heard.
Lastly, if you’re interested in posting real-time results of the HealthDecision ’08 poll, please reply to this email for instructions on embedded our widget onto your blog.
Thank you.
Hey!
I’ve been a loyal reader of your blog since a couple of months, unfortunately never to have commented. But there’s a first time for everything right. I currently run a site called TotallyTop10.com and I just had the idea of a great top 10 list for your site. Would you consider a gust blog post in form of a top 10 list? You have all the saying deciding the topic.
Hope to hear from you soon/Eva
Hey Eva — Sorry I missed this comment! I’ll try contacting you through email to discuss this. Thanks for commenting, it sounds like a good idea.
Hey!
I read one of your comments on a Liz Funk blog entry and loved it! I like the way you think and am looking forward to reading your blog.
KH
Hey Kathy, thanks! The post about femininity & clothing?
I hope you enjoy my blog :)
D:
Yes, yes. LF is releasing her book this year, and my boss, who happens to know her from a former job, is suggesting that we have her speak at our residence hall (I’m an RA). I looked through a few of her articles, but I’m not terribly impressed with what she’s put out. What do you think? I completely agreed with you on your comment, as I said.
Since last commenting, I’ve read both yours and Dolly’s “Why I’m a Feminist” posts, and I have to say, I am so inspired! I’ve recently identified myself as a feminist after having taken a Representation of Women and an Intro. to Gender and Sexuality class this past semester, so gender, race, sexuality, class, and everything else has been very much on my mind. Sadly, though, I haven’t found many students of like mind, which is surprising, considering the school I go to (NYU), but then again, my beliefs are very much founded on the basis of academic output (which yours seems to be as well), and my fellow students aren’t particularly scholarly…. But I digress. I just wanted to say that I’m happy there are strong college-aged feminists out there!
By the way, I know you love the MacKinnon book, but I was wondering if you’ve read anything that serves to provide a large overview of the different kinds of feminisms? My courses were introductory level, so we went over the varieties but not in detail. Any suggestions?
Anyway, great work! I look forward to discussing more with you and your commenters!
KH
P.S. Book suggestion: Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison. It’s haunting.
Ahh, Liz Funk…I mean, to be honest, I found her blog a long time ago by googling feminist blogs. What I found on her site was really disappointing to me. I am surprised she got a book deal because I often find her arguments lacking (or just plain wrong, I admit). So, I guess my first instinct is to say, you could probably find someone better to speak to your residence hall.
I’m glad my posts (and Dolly’s) inspired you! It’s surprising there aren’t a lot of outspoken feminists at NYU, but then again I go to a pretty liberal college myself and I feel the same way. I view academics the same way you do, and my interest in feminism has definitely been strengthened by the Women’s Studies courses I’ve taken recently.
I would recommend “Feminist Thought” by Rosemarie Tong. It’s a little expensive so I would get it from a library. I had to read it for a class but it goes over the major types of feminism so clearly and comprehensively. It’s an enjoyable read as far as college texts go.
Thanks for commenting & I look forward to future comments. I’ll add your book recommendation to the reading list.
- Dollface
I completely agree. While you and your blogger mates seem to be exceptions, I am more often than not wary of people who call themselves “freelance writers” and have book deals before having earned at least a BA (if not a PhD). Her work is mediocre at best.
Do you have any intentions of producing academic feminist writng in the future? I’m looking forward to reading and being taught more gender and queer theory and incorporating it into my future research.
And I will definitely check Ms. Tong out. Thanks for the tip!
xo,
K
That’s an interesting question. I’m very interested in going into publishing (my goal is to become a book editor). However I love to write and find that I could be comfortable writing as a career too, depending on how things work out. I never actually thought about writing for academia…(mostly since I’m trying to avoid becoming a professor), but that’s a really good idea. It’s something to aspire to, anyway!
What are your future research plans? (and major, if I might ask?)
Sigh, I’ve tried to write this response several times now, but I keep getting jumbled when I try to describe my research interests. For now, I’ll just say that it has to do with the figure of the female child, the ambiguities surrounding this figure (at what age, for instance, does a child become an adolescent, then become an adult?), and the figure’s relationship with sex. I’m particularly interested in texts with female child protagonists that were produced and banned in the 1990′s, when feminists, people of color, and the gay community reacted so strongly against sexism, racism, and homophobia. What does the censorship of these novels suggest about society’s response to these progressive ideas? Hopefully that’s somewhat clear…. (By the way, I think you would enjoy reading some of Judy Blume’s thoughts on censorship: http://www.judyblume.com/censorship/places.php)
Anyway, I’m an English major and proud of it, though I do admit that the idea of “doing research” was daunting before I took my Intro. to Gender and Sexuality class, which exposed me to Cultural Studies and, of course, History, which I hope to use as a backdrop against which I could come to understand literature. I still have so much to learn, but I’m so glad I decided on Literary and Cultural Studies; the ideas I’ve come across have definitely transformed my intellectual and personal life, and I’m so grateful for it. I do plan on going for the PhD and on becoming a professor. It’s a hard road, but I feel it would be the most fulfilling one.
You would make a fantastic publisher because you’re already such a fantastic writer! You should definitely consider freelance writing! I honestly so infrequently come across writing that is as succinct, concise, etc. as yours is. And of course, the ideas are stellar. ( :
Your research interests are fascinating. Thanks for linking to Judy Blume’s thoughts on censorship. I loved her books as a kid (I think I read them far earlier than my mother would have liked):
“Or the young librarian who’d been instructed by her male principal to keep Deenie off the shelf because in the book, Deenie masturbates. “It would be different if it were about a boy,” he’d told her. “That would be normal.” ” <— I loved that book! I remember being really confused & intrigued by the masturbation scene…but how awful that it would be “better” if a boy were doing it.
I found her essay to be very inspiring.
Thanks for the compliment on my writing, you’re quite talented yourself.
hi again!
long time has passed I know and just read your reply to my comment. email me at info at totallytop10 dot com and I would be glad to hook you up with a top 10 list :-)
/Eva
Sarcasm may not be the best but It’s a good enough kind of humor, “Marxism-feminism” makes no sense, “feminism” it’s not really a good option in life, the other “ists” or “isms” you use to label yourself might not be really applied to you but your writing style it’s true, it’s natural and it’s what made me dropping a comment here. Thanks.
i totally understand the ridiculous double standard about men sleeping around and being applauded and women doing the same and getting called out and hated for it, but i still do not find it ok for any woman to be a slut.
sluts dress a certain way and act a certain way to get attention from men and eventually that’s all they are worth in their mind. There is nothing wrong with wearing skimpy clothes and having casual sex for fun, but i dont really consider that a slut. im pretty sure thats what you were getting at with the whole,
“We are bad girls, bitches, and sluts” thing
but im just curious
I think what Harlequin meant when she wrote this “about us” piece was merely that we are viewed as bitches and sluts for making our own choices and sticking by them. Our choices happen to be…well, to have sex when and if we choose, and to be unashamed in speaking our minds at all times. Etc,etc,etc.
Thanks for commenting!