Comments on: Homegirl blames patriarchy, scores book deal; spinster aunt actually buys book

By: tinfoil hattie

tinfoil hattie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:45:26 +0000

Bleah on Seal Press and their white-centric slant.

By: thatgrrl

thatgrrl — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:22:15 +0000

Seems there’s an easy solution to the cover controversy: make your own, especially if it’s going to be given to a blamer-in-training. Put your own imagery on it, or leave it blank, thus providing plenty of space for the reader to create her own relevant cover art. Encourage the reader to adorn the cover with her own writing. Pass the book around to your friends and write your own cover blurbs. Encourage marginalia. Take the lessons of the blogosphere and the internet to heart: the author need not have the last word, and the publisher’s decisions need not be final and eternal.

By: Dear Amanda Marcotte, I Once Said That I Hope You Never Change « Natalia Antonova

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:03:26 +0000

[…] of immigrants, I noticed Twisty has given a review of your book, and took the trouble to quote this particular tidbit: Once a Nice […]

By: Victoria Marinelli

Victoria Marinelli — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:32:15 +0000

Anyway, what was the Bill Donohue fiasco Victoria is referring to?

Oh, dear. Capsule version: John Edwards hired Amanda Marcotte (as well as Melissa McEwan of Shakesville) as bloggers for his campaign, following which Donohue (and assorted and sundry wingnuts) came out screaming about (in essence) what uppity patriarchy-blamers these women were. (Also, they’d cussed on their respective blogs, prior to being hired by Edwards. Egad!) Following which Edwards displayed (in my view) some seriously reprehensible spinelessness and condemned his new hires’ previous patriarchy-blaming cussfests. (So, what? Did his campaign somehow not know about those very public rants in advance of their being hired? Or was were they just cowering to the radical right?) Subsequently, Marcotte and McEwan resigned.

The brouhaha made the New York Times, CNN, etc.

Amanda’s blog post on same may be found here.

By: Jenny Dreadful

Jenny Dreadful — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:15:32 +0000

Lara, Bill Donahue called for Amanda’s head after she was hired by Edwards to blog his campaign. He insisted that she was a “bigot” because she has little tolerance for his particular band of religious zealotry. She and Melissa of Shakesville were both targeted and harassed by his minions.

By: Pinko Punko

Pinko Punko — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:44:52 +0000

j, I tried to hide its unspeakableness by a possibly inappropriate level of blanks- it is so uspeakable it misspells even allusions to itself.

I feel becalmed about a possible cilantro né coriander brouhaha, because a meatless, cilantroless taco around here would be some onions and salsa of ones particular coloration. Is this a dog whistle against salsa verde??? I think the roja haters would claim such!

By: Lara

Lara — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:23:54 +0000

Jenny Dreadful said:
“Of course it’s reasonable to debate the usefulness of employing sexist imagery on the cover of a feminist book, but I think calling into question Amanda’s feminist credentials is neither useful nor fair.”

Was I questioning her feminist credentials? If it came off that way, it was unintended. Anyway, what was the Bill Donohue fiasco Victoria is referring to? I’ve only been on Pandagon a few times…
And do we have to go to independent/women’s bookstores to get the book?

By: j

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:24:19 +0000

Maybe the unspeakable f-word is “frisée.”

Shoot. I just said it.

By: Twisty

Twisty — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:33:41 +0000

PP, if you mean “foie gras”, it is true that at least one blamer eradicated my blog from her aggregator because I put up a picture of some of that tasty shit one time. It was the Last Straw!

I love cilantro, though. Norb must have a hitch up in his bizness.

By: Victoria Marinelli

Victoria Marinelli — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:15:24 +0000

Twisty wrote: Amanda Marcotte’s considerable intellect, progressive politics, and comparatively wide, influential audience make her one of the good guys. She is not using her superpowers for evil.

Hell yeah. And in my book, anyone who survives (with considerable grace, no less) the trial-by-fire that was the Bill Donohue fiasco deserves not only kudos, but book royalties. Major book royalties.