Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Good, The Bad, and The Curious (Links)

Links that made me happy, sad, and perplexed this week. Feel free to add yours.

The Good


Femamom has a post where she reflects on having had both an unmedicated birth and a birth with an epidural. Her thoughts are compassionate, open-minded, and outside of the stark dichotomy we usually see when discussing women's birth options.


The Bad


A video has surfaced of tourists luring naked women from the Jarawa tribe to dance for money. Though the video may be several years old, it is a violation of laws designed to protect the tribe and a horrible display of people enjoying the "human zoo."

Another video has surfaced of four U.S. Marines urinating on bodies in Afghanistan. Two of the four men have since been identified and an investigation is underway.

The Curious


Lisa Duggan of Mamafesto wrote an article about how dads are still excluded (and excused) from many of the responsibilities of parenting.

Janell Burley Hofman, who leads workshops on positive body image and works against the way marketing targets our girls, was at a loss for how to respond to her seven-year-old when she declared herself "fat." After trying to talk it out, she tried a less conventional way to handle the situation. She wonders how long it will work.

Jay Mathews has a WaPo opinion piece about Matt Damon's and his mother's response to the TFA/NEA meeting. Mathews says it's wrong to discourage the two groups meeting and talking because getting a conversation started is exactly what we need.

Melinda Wenner Moyer has a Slate article on "The Truth about Epidurals" in which she examines whether epidurals are really as bad as natural birth advocates say they are. Though I agree with her ultimate conclusion that women should be allowed to make their own choices, I think she grossly oversimplifies the reasons that women would want an unmedicated birth to begin with.

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