Wampum

MB:

It might be just me, but Kos has a lot of major blind spots. I'm not fond of his ignorance of CA's (his home state's) politics. His gaffes are just tin-eared. Among them are calling the LAT's most seasoned, highly competent Sacto reporter a racist on the front page, and picking unnecessary fights with moderate Dems like Ellen Tauscher. Supporting Schwarzenegger's redistricting plan that would have Balkanized Dems into tight urban districts, shifting a half a dozen congressional seats to the GOP is something that most people would get troll-rated for. I mean seesh, Kos supported AS on an issue where CA handed him his hat.

I get the sense that Kos, living behind a Apple monitor rather than having the real life friends you get from real life campaigns, has blind spots for all manner of core liberal values.

If we cared, I bet we could find similar gaffes about public education, Indian affairs, labor, etc.

John

I agree, John. Thing is, this is the gazillionth time he, or some other BigBoxBlogger has pulled this kind of crap, and while they get called out by one group or another (bloggers of color, feminists, true lefties) it never has an impact beyond a day or two of ranting on a circle of blogs. Then it blows over, usually only rehashed during the next inevitable infraction.

One reason I'm making this list is to kinda prove that point - on issues of sexism, the bloggers above are the usual suspects (I say that with the uttermost respect.) But where are Big Boys (some non-feminist-centric Girls included)? Kos could skin and eat live puppies and they wouldn't blink an eye - or, god forbid, speak up in protest.

Amanda's in. (Truth be told, I saw her post in preparation and ran off to do mine. Not to scoop her, just because I got pissed off.)

You probably thought I wasn't coming around. But I did, at last.

Here's another post, sent to me by the author.

You left out The Thin Black Duke at Slant Truth.

"Then it blows over, usually only rehashed during the next inevitable infraction."
There's a simple reason for this: it's because these accusations are mostly unfounded crap or based on dogmatic opinion. If you have a problem with what's said, post in comments there.

Accusing Kos of misogyny because he laughs off death threats against his family is pathetic.

Actually, I had Kevin's post last night, but just forgot to republish after including it. (Silly me.)

"Accusing Kos of misogyny because he laughs off death threats against his family is pathetic."

There's no evidence Kos has ever had a death threat against his family. The problem is he laughs them off women who have clearly received them.

Here's my post on this.

*delurk* i don't even rank as a c-list blogger, but i posted a reaction too. Here. */delurk*

Hey Bitchphd, thanks for sharing mine one here. I didn't realize there were other men writing on this so I decided to tackle it as well. Glad to see others taking on Kos. The whole thing is just sick and disgusting, a serious issue and Kos laughs at it.

Scott @ LG&M's got a good one, too.

Thanks for this round-up, MB!

Just wanted to let you know that Ntodd at Dohiyi Mir
Trifecta at PairOfDimes are both linked to my site instead of their own.

Here is my post on the issue. It just frustrates the hell out of me that we haven't moved past this blindness in the progressive culture yet.

Thanks, Aaron, and sorry, Trifecta. Fixed. Not even sure how that happened.

You might want to add WOC Blog

Thanks, rrp - added, at the very top.

right on.

Just had to tell you I read your comments over at CRN. I'm wondering if it shocked people so much that they couldn't reply to you? It seemed a little insensitive that no one acknowledged what you wrote, because I know I am horrified. Did this happen to someone you know? I ask because I hate to think this happened to you. It would still hurt knowing it happened to any woman. But I love YOU, MB, and wish only happiness for you and your family.

feminazi has a great idea over on echidne's post...she's writing all the advertisers on dkos and asking them why they financially support someone who has so little regard for women. she also takes echidne to task (or, actually, simply asks her why) for linking to dkos.

also i've writte on this marybeth, but mostly just quoting other bloggesses.

actually, i have written on this, not just writte, which, i think, is a town in wales.

Yes, Donna, it happened to me. And thank you so much for coming over and asking. You can't know what that means to me.

I think I can. I was raped in college but didn't report it because the first person I told was one of my sisters and she didn't believe me. If she didn't then how could I expect the police or anyone else to believe? Instead I tried to go on like nothing happened but I was too afraid I would run into him on campus so I was rarely going to classes. I got nearly straight Ds with a couple Fs thrown in and had to leave. It was years before I told anyone else, and that was my mother. She believed me because she told me she had also been raped when she was sixteen and I was the first person she ever told. She didn't think anyone would believe either. I do know how important it is to have someone listen and believe.

Wlimni ni, nidobaskwa. I thought I'd put much of this behind (it's been 15 years) but it's funny how it pops up and bites you, neh?

skippy, I'm so glad someone brought up that idea. See, part of the reason I'm keeping this list is to flog everyone (in a kind and gentle non-patriarchy way) with it when, in a week, we haven't done anything but write to one another, and it's all blown over. So, yay, feminazi.

I don't like to talk about it and it's not that I blame myself or anything like that. It's one of those things that you just don't want to reminisce about. But yes it certainly does have a way of popping up and biting you and making you remember. Especially when you hear of other women who aren't believed or when people minimize the threat to women in our society...like Kos.

I've done one too, for what it's worth.

Thanks for keeping track of all this.

...and here's mine - Kathy Sierra, misogyny on the web, and the Blogger's Code of Conduct. Thanks from me too!

iwiwus cross-posted Chris Clarke's post to DailyKos, where it's getting lots of comments.

skippy: The reason I wouldn't (necessarily) ask advertisers not to run ads at DailyKos is that Markos is a relatively small part of the community there, at this point. I don't read or post at DK because of Markos, except insofar as he keeps the infrastructure running. He's just starting his paternity leave right now, and it's not going to make one whit of difference in how many posts there are or what they're like.

As someone whose blogging covers both tech and politics, I decided that, having posted a couple of things about Kathy Sierra as it was happening, I did not need to re-visit the issue when Kos jumped in. So, no new post from me.

We women in the tech world have been dealing with this problem for years, so it's nice that bloggers outside the tech industry are paying attention.

*hugs MBW and Donna* I'm glad you two are speaking about your experiences in these situations; brings it home that acts of sexual violence are not pipe dreams or fancy tales women put together to make men cranky. I love you both.

I've written a three-part series on this whole Sierra thing, but the post most relevant to the remarks of AzzKos is part three.

Sorry to hear you had to endure all that MB. I can relate. Most women can, unfortunately. Over a year ago - a couple of diaries appeared at DKos asking female Kossacks to discuss their experiences with rape. Each received close to 1000 responses, to the shock and disbelief of many male commenters. These women were describing how they were raped - but those experiences were, for the most part, dismissed. "I don't believe it" many male commenters said; some even going so far as to publish mocking diaries, asking all of us who poured our hearts out (some for the very first time) to go away and be quiet. So no - I am not shocked at Kos' reaction to Kathy Sierra's dilemma. Pissed off - but not at all shocked.

Thanks Sylvia and hugs right back! What got to me is that MB wrote about a very personal and traumatic event in her life at CRN and *crickets chirping*. Was it written in invisible ink that only WOC can read or something?

MB got at least one emailed response.

MB got at least one emailed response.

Yes, I did.

I suggested this morning that a links boycott of Kos might be necessary, but now see that one has already been suggested. I disagree with the inestimable Skippy in that a boycott IS all about the other parties who are damaged by it. That's the point, not just to punish the offending party, but to punish those who stand with him.

Another response, if Kos never responds, would be for all of us attending Yearly Kos to wear kathy Sierra buttons all weekend.

i shan't be attending this year. this recent fiasco is but a reflection of the distressing turmoil underneath, at the core of this dysfunctional infrastructure that i will not be supporting this year.

Chris, You can read the WOC invisible ink? LOL

I thought that you would probably respond, so it comes as no surprise.

There is mixed messages out there telling us to share our stories, but then the pain seems too much and people don't know how to respond. They think that saying "I'm sorry to hear that." or something like that is inadequate so they say nothing. But sometimes "I'm sorry" is enough because it also says I heard you and I care.

Yep. Agreed, Donna.

It really is a terrible concern because this sort of thing where people who don't care just shout until it goes away and truly women need and deserve support

this is the first time i've commented here--I just want to say to MBW--thank you for the link-and the site. both of them mean a lot.

I'm not going to go down the road with recriminations, but suffice it to say that death threats & threats of violence should always be taken seriously. These people certainly don't take such things lightly; [http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp]. It's a burgeoning problem in the digital age, but it's been with us since the dawn of print. You find the miscreant and make them pay, take them to court, or prosecute them where possible. No one should be taking this BS lying down. Not now, not ever. From anyone. That's all I've got on the topic. Cheers & Brighter moments, 'VJ'

BFP - you said what so many of us WoC feel, each and every time something like this happens. I've been blogging 4.5 years, and still, it burns when our issues get dumped, even by many who now pummel Kos for his remarks. So, thank you.

I had a short post on the 13th at Easter Lemming Liberal News. It calls Kos's post stupid, not thinking, and foot-in-mouth and linked to natasha at Pacific Views.

http://elemming2.blogspot.com/2007/04/rape-and-death-threats-not-funny.html

Anyone who was a regular dkos reader from the earlier days, through the Dean wars, and up till now would have known that kos is deeply flawed - for someone who portends to know politics and is obsessed with polling the guy is a terrible prognosticator of races, he has never actually worked a campaign, he attacks anyone who disagress with his world view, his crashing the gates amounts to little more than air-kicking toward the gate, and he is best buds with Jermoe Armstrong (star-gazer and penny stock pusher)...

He does get credit for creating the first really convenient and useful online framework for political discussion.

So, thank you.

much love to you.

And if one questions the great and powerful KOS his friends will call you an ungrateful creature and send out the flying monkeys, too.

I do not like KOS' self important tin ear (great one) takes on culture/politics/real world without the benefit of actually visiting it.

To those who have been banned--why be a member of his fan club when the point of blogging is writing to the sound of your own voice, not his?