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This Week in the War on Women, 5/11-17/25: Up and Down Edition [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-05-17
We are all tired of negative news but feel we have to bear witness, so I am trying something a little different: For every negative item, a positive item. Resources, clarifying details, what you can do, what government can do, etc.:
Violence:
TheConversation Lady Gaga bomb plot: Thwarted plan lifts veil on the gamification of hate and gendered nature of online radicalization:
Although authorities were able to prevent the attack, the incident stands as a stark warning about the growth of hate networks among youth − and how platforms fuel the radicalization of teenagers, especially boys and young men.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars in happier times (h/t Kassidy Burns)
On the other hand, the UN is on it: How to counter the manosphere’s toxic influence:
Spot signs of manosphere radicalization in young men.
Counter the manosphere and online misogyny: Promote healthy masculinity in the digital age; Teach media literacy to resist digital hate and pseudoscience; Address misogyny head-on.
Policy solutions: What governments, funders and tech companies must do: Strengthen existing policies on violence against women and girls; Hold the technology industry accountable; Promote greater transparency across digital platforms; Build cooperation between state regulators and industry; Empower survivors of digital abuse; Close data gaps; Invest in digital citizenship; Form partnerships with civil society organizations and influencers; Invest in programmes, including mental health initiatives for men and boys.
Details, as always, at the link above!
Guardian UK: P Diddy’s lawyers are banking on the ‘mutual abuse’ defence. Newsflash: it’s not a thing
Most experts in mental health and intimate partner violence agree that there is no such thing as mutual abuse, despite how popular the term has become. Experts note, in fact, that “it is impossible for both members of an unhealthy relationship to have equal power,” that “abusers might use the concept of mutual abuse to blame the people they abuse for their harmful behavior,” and that “victims of abuse may fight back, defend themselves, or attempt to regain a sense of control.” -snip- This demonization of female victims in order to absolve their male abusers works well in a society that already doesn’t believe women, and conveniently refuses to acknowledge how trauma and a tremendous imbalance of power can force them to stay in those violent relationships. -snip- [Cassie] Ventura’s bravery in speaking up, in reliving this alleged trauma not just for herself but on behalf of possible victims whose stories may never see the light of day, means that we have a moral obligation to not look away. As the society that made Combs the mogul that he is and enabled him to amass the resources that have now in effect formed a shield around him, it is our job to bear witness in this moment.
Cassie Ventura — for the prosecution.
More on Mutual Abuse: It’s Not Real: from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH):
Abuse is an imbalance of power and control. Self defense may become violent, but it is not abuse. Abusers often shift blame. Survivors want change, abusers often do not.
If you have concerns about your relationship, call the NDVH at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). They are available 24/7/365.
Abortion:
Conservatives are trumpeting a new abortion-pill study. One problem: it's bogus.
From Moira Donegan, The Guardian (bolding mine):
The study that is being proposed as a pretext for restricting abortion access has come under scrutiny from doctors and statisticians for its questionable methodology. Drawing from insurance claim data from 2017 to 2023, the EPPC study claims that 10% of women who take mifepristone experience “sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days”. This would be alarming if it were true, but it isn’t. Instead, the study seems to have been designed to dramatically overstate the side-effects of mifepristone, in part by counting the normal and intended functioning of the drug – such as vaginal bleeding as the pregnancy terminates and post-medication doctor visits to confirm the completion of the miscarriage – as serious adverse effects. The study also claimed that a vast range of health experiences in the 45 days following the medication – such as mental health symptoms – were caused by the drug, a claim that the data does not support. The EPPC study also seems to include those who were prescribed mifepristone for non-abortion uses, such as miscarriage management, as well as those who took it alone, without the standard misoprostol dose that accompanies it. The study is not peer-reviewed and has not been published in a medical journal, because its authors could not meet the standards that such publication requires: their work is not up to snuff. Dr Stella Dantas, the president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, called the paper “seriously flawed” and said that it “manipulates data to drive a myth that medication abortion isn’t safe”.
On the other hand: There are actually a few positive uses of mifepristone:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...
As a low-dose competitive binder, mifepristone obstructs progesterone action by binding to its intracellular receptor. Higher doses impede cortisol activity at the glucocorticoid receptor, concurrently elevating circulating cortisol levels to regulate hyperglycemia in individuals with Cushing syndrome….
FDA-Approved Indications
Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, has 2 main FDA-approved indications. These are pregnancy termination combined with misoprostol through 10 weeks gestation and the management and treatment of hyperglycemia in patients exhibiting signs of Cushing syndrome…. Off-Label Uses In addition to the above indications, mifepristone has shown efficacy with off-label uses for postcoital emergency contraception, cervical maturation, and adjunct therapy for uterine leiomyomas.
Of course it has potential complications. No drug does not! But it is a necessary weapon in the medication arsenal for early abortions and more.
Box of medication held by a protestor last year (h/t Kaili Joy Gray)
And what’s bad for red states is good for blue states:
Abortion bans are impacting where people choose to live, with people moving out of abortion-banning states. Eventually, they [red states] will probably struggle to find high-quality workers.
https://econofact.org/…
More medical issues:
TheConversation ‘Grit’ and relentless perseverance can take a toll on brain health − particularly for people facing social stresses like racism. These research findings and insights are applicable also to struggling with misogyny. And, of course, misogynoir.
On the other hand: The Power Of Perseverance [and Grit]: Insights From Neuroscience And Psychology Research:
Success, of course, is more likely with perseverance and learning from failures and having a positive attitude.
It’s the relentlessness that can become problematic, I think, along with cultural experiences that frustrate progress over and over and over again.
Nevertheless, to best navigate challenges, build perseverance skills:
Set achievable goals. Develop a growth mindset. Learn from failures. Build resilience. Adopt an attitude of acceptance.
Much more, of course, at the link!
TheConversation When doctors don’t believe their patients’ pain – experts explain the all-too-common experience of medical gaslighting.
In this article, they are particularly addressing women’s issues, but we have probably all had concerns dismissed whether they are women-centric or not. I have had gender-neutral health problems that I was told would go away if I would “just relax”. And I agree with these authors:
This cycle of gaslighting compounds the burden of the pain and might lead to long-term psychological effects like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. For some, the repeated experience of being dismissed by clinicians erodes their sense of trust in the health care system. They might hesitate to seek medical attention in the future, fearing they will once again be dismissed.
No “might” about it. Why bother keeping appointments when they aren't effective?
On the other hand: Doctors offer some strategies for women whose doctors are dismissive: When women speak, do doctors listen?:
Understand that visits are short. You may not cover all topics in one visit, but can follow up.
Feel free to redirect to your agenda.
Stick to one or two major issues.
Write it down.
Give them time. The best plan may not come together in a day.
Get a second (and third!) opinion.
Don’t settle, keep looking for the right person.
These authors have written a book: Taking Care of You: The empowered woman’s guide to better health. Available “half off” from Mayo Clinic press (at this linky). Of course doctors should do better, but until they are better trained, we can try to train them.
Dude. You are not “all that”.
Accomplished women:
Aol.com 'Next Level Chef' winner Pyet DeSpain [winner of season 1] says there's 'so much that's been lost' about Native American cooking. Here’s how she’s working to change that:
A passion for teaching history and culinary skills is what fuels DeSpain's work. "I've been traveling to different native communities and giving all of them an opportunity to get to know me," she says. "I went on television and said I wanted to represent them — but how can I do that if I don't give them a chance to get to know me? I've been visiting and helping in any way that I can, whether that's going to the Boys and Girls Clubs [of America] or going to their classrooms and sharing my journey with them. I also just secured my first cookbook deal, and with this cookbook, I plan to shine the light not on just me and my tribe, but on several tribes across the U.S."
Her cookbook, Rooted in Fire, is not out yet but is in prep. It can be seen here, www.harpercollins.com/… Please try to buy it from your smaller local booksellers in November.
Meanwhilst, unfortunately the recipe at the above link is borked. See more of her recipes on her own website, www.pyetsplate.com/…
Not Pyet's refrigerator (AFAIK!)! But she does cook chicken (h/t BMScott)
SeattleTimes [graphic memoir author] Tessa Hulls says her Pulitzer-winning book “Feeding Ghosts” will be her only one She learned of having won the memoir/autobiography prize before anyone even told her the book was nominated. As a self-described artist/writer/adventurer dividing her time between Juneau and Seattle, with a currently livelihood cooking for the Alaska state legislature, Hulls put ten years of extraordinary study and work into her widely acclaimed book.
..The Pulitzer website describes [Feeding Ghosts] as “An affecting work of literary art and discovery whose illustrations bring to life three generations of Chinese women — the author, her mother and grandmother, and the experience of trauma handed down with family histories.”...
..[Its making] was a long journey ... involving deep research into the history of her family and 20th-century China, learning to write and draw in comic-book form, and gaining some familiarity with Mandarin Chinese, a language Hulls didn’t speak upon beginning the book. In writing [it], “my hope was to heal my relationship with my mother,” Hulls said. It’s a deeply personal, beautiful memoir in which Hulls seems to speak directly to the reader, sharing intergenerational pain, insight and, finally, some richly earned hope....
Use the top link for this item to see some of the pages of Feeding Ghosts.
No worries, what she wants to do next will also be amazing (bolding mine):
“.... I am very much at peace with the fact that I’m never going to do something in this exact format again.” She’s hoping to transition into a role in which she uses her skills as a comics artist to work with science field teams in remote environments. “The two things that I’ve always loved are the wilderness and creativity, and I really want my career to shift into something that fuses those two of those in a way that’s of service.”
And finally, aggravating the Mango Menace and living rent-free in his head is always a fun accomplishment. This week, Bruce Springsteen was $Rump’s irritant. Which somehow led directly to, once again, Taylor Swift. $Rump has a love-hate relationship. Taylor barely knows he exists.
Heh. (h/t Andrew Mangan)
This Week in the War on Women is a group effort. This week, many thanks to Tara (the Antisocial Social Worker), mettle fatigue, and Angmar.
If you would like to write for us, please let us know. It’s easy-ish!
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