Sun, Jan 15, 6-7 PM: What women lose if ACA is repealed; “Pizzagate,” Clinton, misogyny & fake news

Joy of Resistance is heard on Sundays, 6-7 PM on WBAI Radio, 99.5 FM (EST), streaming at wbai.org Follow us on twitter at @joyofresistance Email us at jor@wbai.org. Donate to WBAI at give2wbai.org

The dismantling of the ACA (“Obamacare”) begun Friday by the Reprublican Congress, will, if carried to its conclusion, result in 20 million people losing health insurance. It will also undo critical gains for women that were built in to ACA, including:

Guaranteed prenatal and maternity care; laws against women being charged more than men for insurance; contraception availability without a co-pay (ie, free of charge); screening for domestic violence; HIV/STD screening; “well woman” preventative health screenings; the rule prohibiting people being turned down for insurance because of “pre-existing conditions”, which, if overturned, will impact pregnant women, women who have had caesarians, have been victims of domestic violence or had cancer (as well as any other pre-existing conditions).

Our guest will be Christine Grimaldi, author of the January 11 Rewire story: “Senate Republicans Vote to Kill Popular Obamacare Benefits in “Vote-a-Rama”. She is a reporter and writer based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Rewire, she covered Congress for Bloomberg BNA. Her journalism and essays have appeared in Slate, Washingtonian.com, The Morning News, and elsewhere.

 

Part two of our program will examine the fake scandal known as “pizzagate” from a number of feminist angles, including: the misogyny of right wing conspiracy theory and its expression in the “alt. rt.” campaign against Hillary Clinton; “dark internet” (alt rt) accusations of “Satanism” and “witchcraft” routinely directed against powerful women and people of color (Hillary Clinton, Beyonce, Oprah, Michael Jackson); an examination of the actual elements of the “pizzagate” accusations, including the use of the work of artist Marina Abramovic to brand her a “Satanist” and “witch” as part its “proof”; how this and other fake news stories spread on the internet (a chronology of pizzagate), and more.

Our guest will be Fruszina Erdough, author of the article: “With Pizzagate, is Cybersteria the New Normal?” which appeared in Forbes Magazine. She is a reporter covering digital news, technology and culture, has written for outlets such as Vice, the Christian Science Monitor, the Guardian, Variety, Slate, Forbes Magazine and the Daily Dot, among others.

We’ll also have an update actions planned around the inauguration on January 21.

Sunday, May 21, 6-8 PM: “Forbidden: Too Liberated.” What would happen if society prioritized women’s happiness? Two books and a panel!

Joy of Resistance is heard on Sundays 6-7 PM on WBAI Radio, 99.5 FM (EST), streams at wbai.org Follow uson twitter at @joyofresistance Email at jor@wbai.org Donate to WBAI at give2wbai.org

Cover of book

Joy of Resistance is proud to offer our listeners the newly-released feminist classic graphic novel: “Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonist’s Encounter with Margaret Sanger”, a 160-page graphic novel by award-winning cartoonist/graphic artist (and activist) Sabrina Jones (for a pledge of $50. to support WBAI and feminist radio at the station). It spans the life and times of the woman who bucked the rigid sexist taboos of her age to start a movement for women to be able to decide for themselves if and when to bear children (we are still fighting for that goal!) Scroll through and enjoy these drawings–there are hundreds more in the book!

We will also be offering Jill Filipovic’s just-out book: The H Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness (featured in the Sunday NYT Review of Books and the Atlantic. This book stands on it’s head the social constraints of the “self sacrificing woman” and explains how prioritizing women’s pleasure and happiness would make things better for everyone.

And a CD recording of the PEN World Festival event on May 3: The Panel: Forbidden: Too Liberated–4 authors/feminist thinkers talk about sex, women and the “cap” on women’s pleasure.

 

See below for more illustrations from Sabrina Jones’ Graphic Novel “Our Lady of Birth Control: A Cartoonist’s Encounter with Margaret Sanger”.

Sanger was arrested many times, even exiled from the U.S. (but always came back to continue the fight); she had many lovers, was part of the Greenwich Village cultural rebellion of her era, was a working-class nurse, mother of three and a Labor organizer–a revolutionary in more ways than one.

(above): “The Woman Rebel”, Sanger’s magazine for which she was jailed for sending ‘obscene’ material through the mail

(above): Margaret Sanger, husband Bill come to Greenwich Village to join Emma Goldman, John Reed, Eugene O’Neill and other political rebels & artists

Sabrina Jones’ autobiographical sections of Our Lady of Birth Control show her own journey into activist art in response to the anti-feminist backlash of the Reagan era, from street theater and protest graphics to alternative comics.

These interweaving stories are illustrated in page after page of deliciously rich and beautiful–and often humorous–drawings, accompanying a story which will add to your knowledge of such topics as what, exactly, women DID for birth control before the modern era–and includes some of the theoretical debates of the time–with a careful look at the controversy about Sanger and the Eugenics movement.

(above) Hypothetical debate between Sanger and abortion rights activist today

 (above): activists carry Sabrina Jones’ iconic repro rights graphic, often seen, during the 90’s, at marches and on flyers

The program will feature a live interview with the artist.

Joy of Resistance is proud to offer this newly released graphic novel which includes about 600 drawings of the quality of what you see above–a fascinating journey that you will both enjoy and learn much from (and which is getting great reviews!).

You can pledge during our show by calling (5i6) 620-3602