the all searching eye

Because of a very intense final exams season, I have been absent for too long from the site. However, I thought I might make an advertisement for the new Shakira English Language album: Oral Fixation 2. I am always a little skeptical of her English material, but here she has done well. I will offer full reviews of both Oral Fixation installments after finals.

To hear some samples for yourself, go to www.shakira.com

Abuzachary

The Latin Grammies recently went down and the Columbian artist Juanes carried the day. I am mentioning this because this guy has really great music. His most recent album is called “Mi Sangre” (My Blood). His website is here. The music is on the softer side of rock, and it is very melodic. His lyrics verge on sappy, although I find myself getting slightly choked up when I try to sing “Para tu Amor” while thinking about my wife. So, I guess it works. I highly recommend this.

Through ifeminist I have become aware of a debate in Australia to ban the Islamic headscarf (Hijaab) in public schools. One proponent of such a ban called the scarf “Uncompromising retrograde curtailment of women’s rights”. In The Australian the same commentator is quoted as saying:

As a female MP, I am concerned about women’s rights in this country. There are those who subscribe to a belief system that devalues and degrades women, that accepts a legal system that would relegate women back to the Dark Ages.

It is true that in some Islamic countries, harsh dress-codes including head and face covering have been prescribed as a means of denying women their rights. However, in most of the Muslim world women themselves have interpreted it as lawful in Islam, or have adopted the headscarf to express themselves.
Nearly a century ago Egyptian activist Huda Sha’arawi uncovered her face in public as a show of independence and solidarity for women. This, coupled with other political tides of the time, triggered a widespread unveiling. However, many of the the next generation of girls, in political and religious protest, took up the hijaab. They saw this as an expression of their religion, and as a manifestation of their adherence to political ideals apart from those of their parents.

In modern times the hijaab is freely worn and is meant to express certain things about the woman wearing it. It is not an instrument of supression, as the “women’s rights activist” in Australia has wrongly state.

In reality, there is more going on here than a fight for women’s rights. Another article on the issue gives entirely different reasons for which some are backing the ban on the headscarf. For example, one person says

But this has really been forced on us because what we’re really seeing in our country is a clash of cultures and indeed, the headscarf is being used as a sort of iconic item of defiance,” she told Channel Seven.

Isn’t it interesting that one proponent of the ban calls the scarf a tool for supression while another calls it an expression of defiance?

Through a syndicated editorial, I found my way to the Individual Feminists’ Website: ifeminists.com. My Microsoft-washed mind at first jumped to the conclusion that the catchy name ifeminism referred to an internet based movement - very 21st century. However, some further research showed that the ifeminist movement is very old, dating back to the anti-slavery movement of the 19th century, sans the nifty moniker, of course.

Those issues aside, what prompted me to mention the ifeminists was my fascination with them. I hesitated to even follow a link leading to a feminist site, knowing that mainstream feminism is at odds with many of my core values. However, my curiousity overcame and I arrived at this strange place. The FAQ page features tidbits such as the following:

What is ifeminism?

Individualist feminism, or ifeminism, advocates the equal treatment of men and women as individuals under just law. The core principle of individualist feminism is that all human beings have a moral and legal claim to their own persons and property. It is sometimes called libertarian feminism.

Isn’t government trying to help women?

Governments have been the greatest violators of women’s rights for centuries. In the 18th and 19th centuries in America, government denied to women the most basic rights of controlling their own bodies (e.g., birth control) and their own property (e.g., wives did not have an uncontested claim to their own wages). By the late 20th century, government cemented gender hostility into society by assuming a paternalistic role that advantaged women at the expense of men (e.g., affirmative action). Whether through privilege or oppression, governments seem unwilling to respect the full and equal individual rights of women.

Opposing affirmative action and defending property rights is generally associated with conservatives. Isn’t ifeminism just conservative feminism?

Many conservatives are uncomfortable with the way ifeminism embraces radical civil liberties. For example, ifeminism calls for the decriminalization of prostitution and pornography. To an ifeminist, there is no schism between economic and civil liberties. They are both expressions of an individual’s right to use her own body and property in any peaceful manner she chooses.

And the most intriguing:

Does this mean ifeminism supports abortion rights?
This is a controversy within ifeminism. The majority of opinion is pro-choice on the grounds of a woman’s self-ownership. A vocal minority within ifeminism, however, oppose abortion. They believe that the developing fetus can rightfully claim the same human rights as a newborn baby.

In their website, ifeminists denounce unversity Women’s Studies programs, saying Women’s studies programs are a good example of why universities should not be publicly funded. Many people find that their tax dollars are funding poor scholarship and dissemination of offensive and inaccurate information in the name of women’s studies.

While some aspects of ifeminism are still difficult for me to embrace, I find the view refreshing, if not a little too Ayn Randesque in its religious zeal for individualism and the free market. After all, how many feminists philosophies would even entertain negative notions of abortion and Women’s Studies?

Here I again link to the website, specifically to a well-written review of a recent editorial. I am not necessarily embracing ifeminism. I am simply putting this out there.

All of this heavy political stuff sometimes makes me forget that I have a soft side. In this piece of Argentine news is the story of a dog who gave his life saving his owners during an attempted robbery. For readers who do not speak Spanish, I have translated the most interesting portions of the article below.

…The criminals entered the residence and threatened members of the family. “In that moment” the [wife of the owner] later told the press, “my baby started crying, and my mother-in-law came down with the dog. Then the thieves started running in order to escape, and the dog took off after them.”
The criminals, seeing that they were being followed by the animal, shot at him, and ended up killing him, according to the owner of the residence…
…The owner of the house had also gone out after them when he saw what had happened with the dog and with his family. The criminals also shot at him, though they were unable to would him…

Dog-lovers will appreciate this story of canine heroism.

While Danny Glover is busy acting as a member of the advisory board on the new Telesur network to give his support to the Chavez-backed channel, a highly predictable development surfaced. Apparently, they are seeking to link up with Al-Jazeera. Of course, according to the President of Telesur:

We launch Telesur with a clear goal to break this communication regime and present a vision, a voice which until now has been silenced. Telesur is an initiative against cultural imperialism.

Those touching sentiments, combined with the possible coupling with Al-Jazeera translate into an obvious, simple message: Anti-American propaganda.

In regard to the Telesur’s debut, Chavez has produced such gems as:

I am sure that Telesur will maintain its independence. Telesur will not depend on any government … it will be free to navigate in the waters of truth and contribute to the construction of a new world…

Yes, Hugo holds himself in very high regard. He constantly accuses Bush of trying to topple him. Of course, Bush has been too busy toppling other, more important dictators. Sorry Indio.

Once again, out of the Twilight Zone we call Hollywood crawls an avid supporter for a random anti-U.S. head of state. Danny Glover, unwilling to be outdone by Castro amigo jack Nicholson or Hanoi (I mean Baghdad) Jane, has stepped forward in support of Hugo Chavez. My favorite quote from the article:

The actor, a supporter of Chavez, praised Venezuela’s elections in recent years as examples of democracy and said, “I’ve been encouraged by what I see here.”

Then again, I guess El Indio (Castro’s pet name for Chavez) aligned nicely with the Hollywood crowd when he referred to the U.S. President as a pendejo.

As the craze of blogging has exploded on the internet, My wife and I have resisted starting our own blog. Instead, we have contented ourselves with lurking and commenting on those of our closest friends. One of the biggest reasons for not blogging was that we didn’t know what to write about. Since our interests are so broad, and we don’t want to create a web-page dedicated simply to punditry, news briefing, or the worship of some favored artist or pass-time, we saw no option but to avoid the endeavor all together.

Now, however, we have figured it out. Without too much explanation, we invite anyone who is interested to follow this blog as we use it to talk about anything that strikes us as interesting or relevant. So, in addition to the typical fare of a news-oriented blog, of which there will definitely be an abundance here, you will find updates on our family activities, musings on virtually any topic we may notice or contemplate, and links to places that stand out under the gaze of our all searching eye. So if you have strong feelings about any topic we may take up, please feel free to comment-or submit an article for review. We may put it up if we like it. Then again, if you are a family member or friend interested in tracking us, you can find out the latest about us as well. Again, welcome to The All Searching Eye. We hope there is something here for you.

Marshall and Melanie Ray