Bleugh.

Kerry Washington had a great response to the whole Chris Brown-assaulting-Rihanna situation:

"If we talk about violence against women, my hope is we don’t talk about it as petty gossip but as a social illness that must end. So if that’s what’s going on, then we need to all be aware this is a problem that goes from the Congo to Hollywood and everywhere in between." (from People)

I guess I'm having a "depressed about the crazy amounts of misogyny that exist in our society" day. Here's an incredibly moving video about the realities of pornography and the sex trade. Rap can be such a powerful medium; it's too bad that all we hear on the radio is, well, crappy and misogynistic.




And because we need something a bit more uplifting after that, this video made me cry tears of joy rather than tears of hating the world. Heartbreaking, still, but beautiful. A late Valentine's Day treat?


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Andrea Gibson

This woman is AMAZING. I'd only seen a couple of her videos on YouTube prior to seeing her tonight at the Underground, and I was completely blown away seeing her live. Incredible poetry, raw delivery, really powerful stuff - I was riveted and moved. Here are the two pieces that got me extra choked-up - the first is an argument for gay marriage and the second one is a particularly powerful one about soldiers returning from the Iraq war:






And here is the one that finally made me cry - about being positive and affirming in difficult times:



Okay, just one more - this one is adorable and hilarious, about how pre-schoolers don't give a hoot about gender identity:



If you have the chance to see her, do so immediately. She's also really sweet and personable, and she chatted at length with everyone who stuck around to say hello or have her sign her book of poems (like I did). Also, I gave her a stick of gum, for which she was very grateful. I felt like the coolest person on earth.