Time for a re-read of Ann Fausto-Sterling. Had to giggle when the scientist on NPR said, to paraphrase, "I could kick myself for believing that it had to be true that mammals have a finite set of eggs. Why didn't I question that? Why did I just accept it?"
Would this example help NC understand criticisms of "white male science" (such as Fausto Sterlings)and why it might actually be a worthwhile endeavor?
At 09:53 PM 3/10/2004, W. Kiernan wrote:
> > Dick N. Viers wrote:
>
>...really it's scarcely anything to envy
Freud, Electra complex, penis envy. I'm a woman and, thus, apparently a penis envier. But, then, there's the lezbean phallus. And we can swing it! So. There.
:)
> > is there a reason why I'm getting 404s for the download and "invalid
> > resource" for the streaming media?
>
>somebody got a date wrong by a day, e.g.:
>
>http://shout.lbo-talk.org/lbo/RadioArchive/2004/04_02_27.mp3
Danke. but still getting a 404?
And damn it, I haven't listened to the show in ages. Too busy, but I gotta listen to Suzy on raising kids as a sex positive feminist. Lemme tell ya. You tell them you want them to be open with you about sex, yadda, but THEN, the kid came home one day with important news. There were two members of testosterone central with him. They kept hanging out with me, acting like there was something going on. A lot of hemming and hawing and finally he blurted out, "mom, I had sex today."
"riiiiiiiiiight." (I think I laughed!)
Testosterone Central Member 1: "no really, Dan's mom (that's what they call me). He did." Testosterone Central Member 2: "That's right. He did. They did it this afternoon."
Me: "What? Did you two watch? Did he use the grape flavored condom you guys got him for his birthday last year? Jeez, I hope not. It didn't look especially effective."
TThey start hooting and tee heeing. One guffaws and feigns a fall to the floor, laughing.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "Ooohhhh. Kaaaaaaaaay. Did they use condoms? Is she going to go on the pill now. Was she already? Dang, I hope it wasn't some quickie in someone's borrowed bedroom. Woah... was it in MY room? My sister had sex with someone in my mom's bed... Does he know what and where the clitoris is. Should I have taught him that? Crap. 'Spect it's not enough to just teach him where it is. How do you teach your kid about sex? Did he help himself to the sex books on the bookshelf, like we helped ourselves to the sex books on mom and dad's bookshelf? And if does know about the clitoris, does he understand about the care and feeding of clitorii (sp?)? Dang. Should I ask him if he cuddled with her afterward? Should you teach your child sexual bedside manners? Oh holy shit, now I know why my mother did NOT want to listen to my sister hem and haw for two months, discussing whether or not she should have sex with the guy she'd been dating for a year. Mom called me one day and said, 'You know, I raised you girls differently than I'd been raised. I wanted you to come to me about sex so we could make sure that you used birth control and didn't get pregnant like I did. And I wanted you to be sure you were ready and understood how it might change your relationship. But, twenty years later i do NOT really want to know about your sex lives!"
Well, turns out he had learned what a clitoris was. He and his friends had helped themselves to the books and they also got a lot out of the X-rated video stash they found in the disc golf park not too far from where we live. Or, so he says. heh. heh.
His gf is still in our lives a year later and spends nearly every weekend here. In fact, we pal around quite a bit since the sonshine can't always be here b/c of b-ball. When we moved, I made sure to buy them a bigger bed--we picked it out together! Her mother's just as sex positive about raising her five kids as I am. Like my mom, she'd been raised in a really religious, bible thumping family and got pregnant at 16 and quickly ended up pregnant again, the second born just 11 months after the first.
The sonshine thinks she's a little too open, in part because she sometimes talks about _her_ sex life with her kids. It's a balancing act. Like the sonshine says, "I don't really want to think about moms having sex."
"What about dads?"
"Not them either."
"So, what about MILFs. You guys talk about MILFs. So, obviously...." (BTW, did boys talk about MILFs 10, 20, 30 years ago?)
"But they're mothers you don't really know. They're not the mothers of your friends."
"Oh. Dayum."
"What ma? Why are you driving so slow?"
"Coz I'm checking out those construction workers over there."
"Maaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooom!!"
"You do it. You talk about how supahfine girls are. You gawk. Come on!"
"But mom..... you're not supposed to talk about it with me."
"But, you brag to me about how fine your childhood girlfriends have become."
"That's different!"
"your gf's mom does it. She's talked about one night stands, her discovery that her 2 yr partner had herpes and didn't tell her, going out and picking up men, and she and L talk about not having had any in months and going out just to get laid! Jeez, you were at the Pleasure Party she had where all the women were oooooing and ahhhing over vibrators."
But that's her and she's crazy! you're my mom!"
Kelley