This latest post, called "Waterparks. And the T-Shirt", referring to the abortion t-shirt, is one reason.

It was about 1997 or 1998 when I began to see the most remarkable slogans showing up on the fitted t-shirts of my female students: 'Porn Star'. 'Juicy.' 'Real American Bitch.' 'I Just Slept with your Boyfriend' (I've seen gay men where these too, but I see 'em more often on women; I've seen other verbs besides 'slept' as well.) 'Too Hot to Handle'. 'You Know you Wanna Touch.' . . . I associate all this with the banal and infuriating 'girl power' movement; largely a creation of advertisers, it sold young women a message of empowerment through shock and sexuality. . . .

What I disliked about these shirts was not so much their brazenness as their rank commercialism. Nothing genuinely radical, edgy, or dangerous is sold at Abercrombie and Fitch or Urban Outfitters . . . Newsflash, kiddies: The fact that it horrifies your parents doesn't make it any less a product of the very same corporate America in which your parents are investing. What these places sell is the cleverly marketed opportunity to outrage the older generation while simultaneously offering a superficially feminist message. The message is 'Only a bold, strong, brave young woman who doesn't care about conforming to stereotypes would wear a shirt like this. Thus if you wear this shirt, you bear witness to your fiery, indominatable, wild grrl soul.' Please. What you bear witness to, darlin', is nothing more than your own socially constructed insecurity, and any sensible person over 25 is abundantly aware of that.

Posted by: annika at 11:41 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Congratulations to my 100,000th visitor! You came here to look at my post about the Spitfire video. i don't know anything about you except that you are from the Pacific Time Zone, possibly the Bay Area, and you didn't bother to look around my blog. Oh well, no prize for you then.

Posted by: annika at 02:08 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Congrats!

Posted by: Xrlq at July 20, 2004 02:58 PM (585Ar)

2 To you, that is, not to the weenie who dropped in by accident and left without saying goodbye.

Posted by: Xrlq at July 20, 2004 02:59 PM (585Ar)

3 And congrats to you, xrlq, because i finally got off my but and blogrolled you!

Posted by: annika! at July 20, 2004 03:18 PM (zAOEU)

4 Your but? Did I miss something, or were you trying to talk out your ass? Heh, aren't we ALL the 100,000 visitor? I'm thinking that the Sacramento heat is taking a toll. Mua, C

Posted by: Casca at July 20, 2004 05:04 PM (q+PSF)

5 You should give us all a prize

Posted by: Chris at July 20, 2004 09:23 PM (plRaH)

6 Darn, I wish I knew I would have tried to bee 100000!

Posted by: Chuck at July 20, 2004 09:31 PM (kjbQW)

7 Prizes for everyone! I call dibs on hoverbikes!

Posted by: Shawn Liu at July 21, 2004 01:19 PM (eJcfa)

8 Congrats. Just crossed 10,000 at my own site, so I can imagine what it feels like to pass 100,000. Big stupid grins for everyone!

Posted by: Beck at July 21, 2004 01:47 PM (fllfQ)

9 Hoverbikes? damn, i guess i'll have to return all them Segways i bought for y'all.

Posted by: annika! at July 21, 2004 02:13 PM (zAOEU)

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i'm trying to be a responsible employee and stay off MT this morning. So, i'll just recommend two very interesting takes by two very interesting liberal bloggers who can sometimes throw a curveball.

Hugo Schwyzer on the Amy Richards abortions.

Matthew Yglesias on the assault weapons ban.

Enjoy.

Posted by: annika at 10:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Only n more days until Rip On Matt Iglesias Week!

No, not the dude that's engaged to Anna Kournikova. i'm talking about the liberal blogger who spells his last name incorrectly.

Posted by: annika at 09:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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i just did a quick calculation of my blogroll's demographics to see if it's really as diverse as i'd like to think it is. Actually, it took a hell of a long time to go through the whole thing and the result is still an approximation. For my survey i looked at all my non-mu.nu blogs and included the mu.nu blogs i read regularly.

Here are my ethnic diversity numbers:

White bloggers: 81%
African-American bloggers: 2%
Hispanic bloggers: 1%
Asian or Pacific Islander bloggers: 5%
Native American bloggers: 0%
Other bloggers or ethnicity unknown: 11%

Left-of-center bloggers: 10%
Right-of-center bloggers: 76%
Non-political bloggers: 14%

Male bloggers: 63%
Female bloggers: 29%
Gay or bisexual bloggers: 1%
Mixed or unknown: 8%

Posted by: annika at 11:48 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 FYI: I am both African-American and Hispanic. Hope that helps.

Posted by: Dawn Summers at July 16, 2004 12:42 PM (HLOeu)

2 Age would be another factor to consider. What percent of your readers are over/under 30? 40? 20? 60? I teach gay and lesbian history and I have an Afro-Colombian girlfriend... does that help?

Posted by: Hugo at July 16, 2004 01:25 PM (ntfdi)

3 Hey Dawn, i had you down for African-American, but i didn't know you were hispanic too. i ran the numbers again and revised for two other multi-racial bloggers i know of. Just like the census. It's hard to categorize bloggers unless they are open about their background. Glenn was easy 'cause his blog is called "Hi, I'm Black." But some bloggers don't even post with their name, so i can't even tell the sex. Categorizing by age would be super-hard, although i suspect a good percentage would be in their 20's and 30's, with a respectable number over 40. It was interesting going through all the blogs looking for that stuff. i don't know if it says anything about bloggers in general or if it's just my own taste. And Hugo, you got lumped in with the SWM's, your girlfriend notwithstanding. ; )

Posted by: annika! at July 16, 2004 01:38 PM (zAOEU)

4 Wow. I had no idea you could do such fancy work on your blog! I am glad I am unable, I waste too much time just having a counter attached!

Posted by: Jennifer at July 16, 2004 02:07 PM (Wr1uX)

5 I teach gay and lesbian history Annie, This is just too cartoonish. Please tell me you are making this androphobe, Dworkin fantasy, male-feminist character up? I'll sleep much better knowing that.

Posted by: Radical Redneck at July 16, 2004 02:34 PM (bsJun)

6 Miss Annika. I can offer two suggestions to help with your diversity: Alphecca (if he's not already on your list) http://alphecca.com/ & Right Side of the Rainbow http://www.rightrainbow.com/ Both are run by gay men, are well written & pro-gun/right leaning. Course I was most curious about a category you didn't mention: how many bloggers that you read are pro-dog or pro-cat? I trying times like these I think you're readers deserve to know which side you're on in the feline v. canine issue.

Posted by: Publicola at July 16, 2004 02:47 PM (Aao25)

7 Ha Ha Publicola. i can't do that because then i have to get into who's pro-lizard and pro-marsupial and all that shit and it opens up a whole can of worms.

Posted by: annika! at July 16, 2004 03:15 PM (zAOEU)

8 So, you're pro-lizard are you? Now we finally know Miss Annika's dirty little secret. I for one am shocked & disappointed, but so be it. Just watch V. I hope you'll do the right thing & re-think your position.

Posted by: Publicola at July 16, 2004 03:29 PM (Aao25)

9 Radical redneck, you must come visit me sometime, big boy... And I'll bet my redneck bona-fides are pretty damn good too. I know my way around a John Deere, I've got lots of Merle Haggard and Steve Earle CDs, and in high school, went through a tin or two of Copenhagen (never Skoal). And Annie, I am decidedly pro-rodent.

Posted by: Hugo at July 16, 2004 04:04 PM (ntfdi)

10 Dawn is about as 'African' as I am.

Posted by: Karol at July 18, 2004 06:29 PM (f/hiR)

11 But you're Asian.

Posted by: dawn summers at July 19, 2004 07:43 AM (HLOeu)

12 Salut

Posted by: Andrew L at November 04, 2004 10:27 PM (WgEFB)

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Maybe i should change the name from "Rip Matt Yglesias Week" to something else. "Rip" looks to much like "R.I.P.," which is not exactly the message i want to convey.

Update: i got it! i'll call it "Rip On Matt Iglesias Week."

Posted by: annika at 01:29 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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i had intended to make this announcement last Friday, but i pulled the post because of my family emergency. So now, i am at liberty to reveal the following:

Coming soon, right here at annika's journal:

Rip Matt Yglesias Week!

It promises to be a fun summertime diversion.

Stay tuned for details and schedule.

Posted by: annika at 03:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Until today i thought that there was no point in talking about Michel Moore any longer. i thought he had been fisked up the wazoo by now, and that no one who follows the alternative media need bring up his name again.

However, then i read the Lileks piece. i'm sure today's Bleat has been linked ad infinitum and with good reason. Let my linking to it here be a signal that i wish to add my voice to the countless others who say: "Bravo James Lileks, Bravo yet again."

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Please remember that tomorrow is Frank J's blogversary and International Link to IMAO Day. i plan to post a gratuitous link in commemoration of the event, and in thanksgiving for the very existence of so great a blog hero, and also in the hope that Frank might update my link on his crazy blue blogroll to my new mu.nu address.

Apologetic Update: i didn't participate in International Link To IMAO Day, but that was due to the family emergency. Sorry Frank.

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My new sarcastic slogan, which i intend to use while mocking ignorant lefties, is the following:

The war won't be a success until Iraq has a SPACE PROGRAM!

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