![theatlantic:
Why Civics Class Should Be Sexy
In most classrooms where civics is still being taught today, something central is missing. Students get facts and explanations of process. Sometimes they get a real encounter with an issue like poverty or sustainability. What they almost never get is this: a systematic understanding of how to get what they want.
I propose to revive civics by making it squarely about the thing people are too often afraid to talk about in schools: power, and the ways it is won and wielded in a democracy.
Imagine a curriculum that taught students how to be powerful — not only to feel empowered but to be fluent in the language of power and facile in its exercise.
It would teach them that civic power — the capacity to effect desired outcomes in common life - can derive from ideas, wealth, status, charisma, collective voice, and control of violence. It would show how power throughout our country’s history has been exercised and justified, for good and for ill.
Read more. [Image: Reuters]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2fe4tr6r91qcokc4o1_1280.jpg)
Why Civics Class Should Be Sexy
In most classrooms where civics is still being taught today, something central is missing. Students get facts and explanations of process. Sometimes they get a real encounter with an issue like poverty or sustainability. What they almost never get is this: a systematic understanding of how to get what they want.
I propose to revive civics by making it squarely about the thing people are too often afraid to talk about in schools: power, and the ways it is won and wielded in a democracy.
Imagine a curriculum that taught students how to be powerful — not only to feel empowered but to be fluent in the language of power and facile in its exercise.
It would teach them that civic power — the capacity to effect desired outcomes in common life - can derive from ideas, wealth, status, charisma, collective voice, and control of violence. It would show how power throughout our country’s history has been exercised and justified, for good and for ill.
Read more. [Image: Reuters]
Source: The Atlantic
This is nothing short of fantastic. Thank you, Internet.
(via Neil deGrasse Tyson admits it was creepy to discover he was a meme)
But he eventually came around to it, deciding it was flattering rather than mocking. He also reiterates the origin of the much copy-and-pasted gesture, which sprang from a video he did about Isaac Newton, who was, in fairness, a badass.
Of course, in talking about the gesture, Tyson repeated it a couple of times, thus once again ensuring his immortality in animated gif form.
Oh Neil. Let’s have lunch.
Source: io9.com
highly controversial photo series by Canadian photographer Jonathan Hobin titled “in the playroom” which consists of children reenacting major current events such as 9/11, The Abu Ghraib Torture Case, Hurricane Katrina, the North Korean Missiles, and the Jonbenét Ramsey trials. You can check out the full series HERE
Source: magnolius
Gender Neutral Bathroom Challenge
This is an amazing initiative. At Bishop’s, it took nearly two years to have all single stall bathrooms designated as gender neutral.
I believe that I am going to participate in this challenge, or attempt to do so as much as I can. Thankfully, at work and at my internship there are gender neutral washrooms. At the Centre for Creative Communications, I suppose I would have to use the wheelchair accessible washroom on the first floor but I will only be on-campus until Friday.
Just in thinking where I can find gender neutral washrooms at restaurants and bars becomes difficult. It would be a challenge for a month but decidedly worth it if it raises just a small piece of awareness or increases my compassion and understanding.
Join the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/209510742488108/
The challenge: Don’t use any gendered bathrooms or change rooms for the month of April. (click on the link to read more/join the event!)
What are “gendered bathrooms”? Gendered bathrooms are designated for “men” or “women” by a sign. This challenge includes ALL multi-stall and single-stall washrooms, and the bathrooms at work, schools, libraries, bars/restaurants, and everywhere, really.
There are multiple purposes for this challenge:
1) To give people who don’t find going to gendered bathrooms a difficult/unsafe experience a small idea of what it is like for trans and gender variant people to navigate this world. Hopefully, with some real life experience, you will have a broader understanding of how gendered this world really is. But,
DOING THIS DOES NOT GIVE YOU AUTHORITY TO SAY WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE TRANS OR GENDER VARIANT.
2) To inspire people to fight for more gender neutral bathrooms.
Tips:
- Don’t drink a lot of liquid if you are leaving the house for long periods of time
- Try to figure out where some gender neutral bathrooms are in your town/city, and plan your day around using a gender neutral bathroom.
- Remember, you can use gendered bathrooms again in May. Some people can’t.
And, even if you really have to go to the bathroom, try to not see gendered bathrooms as a possible place to go.
If you are interested, feel free to write your experiences down and send them to gnbchallenge (at) gmail (.com). With your permission, they will be included in a zine on the topic of gendered bathrooms.
We also recommend fighting for gender neutral bathrooms in one (or more) public space(s). Often the fight for this aspect of bathroom accessibility is only fought for by trans and gender variant people; It would be nice if other people fought for it too.SIGNAL BOOSTIN!
Spread the word yall + participate. I pretty much only use gender neutral washrooms now, and it’s really shitty sometimes since they can be hard to find. I would love more solidarity on this issue and understanding and support when I feel scared or need a buddy when using gendered washrooms.
Source: mmmajestic
