Every semester, I say good-bye to a Grad School committee that I’ve been on. The director of the Graduate School thanks me for my service, I hug the secretarial stuff that helps the committee, and leave. My husband and I celebrate the end of my glorious run on the committee (my husband and I celebrate something at least 3 times a week, so don’t be too surprised). 

And then next semester I receive an email telling me that I’m still on the committee. This is an elected position and, as far as I know, my term ran out years ago. But I’m being told I’ve got to be at the committee’s meeting tomorrow, and it feels bizarre to ask (yet again) whether the Grad School people are sure I’m still on the committee.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore this committee and would happily serve on it in perpetuity. But I like to know what to expect, and the workings of this committee have been very mystifying.

If you walk long enough to the left, you will find yourself on the right:

The news organization LifeSiteNews*, joined by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation**, the Family Research Council***, and the website Counter Cultured****, released the following statement on Monday about the controversial movie.

“Feminists and social conservatives agree: “Fifty Shades of Grey” promotes misogyny, abuse, and manipulation, not relationships based upon mutual love and respect,” said the coalition. “This film normalizes and glamorizes behaviors such as stalking, threats and physical violence. Its portrayal of relationships and sex is offensive to real life victims of domestic abuse. The film sets a particularly dangerous example for younger viewers, who may not understand that attractive, charismatic young billionaire Christian Grey is also an abusive sociopath, especially since victim/narrator Anastasia Steele continually describes and portrays him as a god.”

“Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a celebration of love; however, the relationship between the two main characters in “Fifty Shades of Grey” is anything but caring or loving.

As we can see, sexual dysfunction doesn’t care about political allegiances. It is completely bipartisan.

* Founded in 1997, LifeSiteNews is the world’s largest pro-life, pro-family news organizations. With reporters and contributors in10 countries on six continents, it is a vital resource for the promotion of traditional values around the globe.

** Founded in 1962, National Center on Sexual Exploitation is the leading national organization dedicated to opposing pornography by highlighting the links to sex trafficking, violence against women, child abuse, and addiction.

*** The Family Research Council is a D.C.-based policy organization that stresses the importance of traditional values related to abortion, marriage, religious liberty, and other pressing public policy issues.

**** Counter Cultured was founded in September 2012 by conservative sisters Anna Maria Hoffman and Gabriella Hoffman.  It advocates for culturally conservative issues, using small government, non-theological arguments

We’ve been fans of Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s public art project, “Stop Telling Women to Smile,” protesting street harassment for awhile. Now Fazlalizadeh has taken her project to Mexico City — and teamed up with Anna Holmes to document the trip in a cool multi-media feature for Fusion.

Few things disgust me more than when spoiled,  fussy Western do-gooders export their trivial concerns to other countries. Women in Mexico live in an environment of such vicious sexism that the melodramatic obsession of rich American tourists with being told to smile is the last thing they need to address.

But the tourist feminists don’t care. They believe that if they throw a couple of bucks to the locals, these locals are obligated to parrot their fussy preoccupation with banality. The locals always oblige because they need the money but the abyss between them and the overfed foreigners widens.