Feminists, too, Steal

It's a pretty simple concept.

Stop stealing.

Cite your ideas, words, and the one who gave you the thought.

Stop stealing.

That echo? That echo I'm hearing in the "feminist" blogosphere is getting a bit too loud for me these days. I've been hearing it for years.

You know who you are.

It's a pretty simple concept, you know. We all learned it at some point in our development:

Give credit where credit is due.

That wasn't your seed, so cite where it came from. Stop spinning it like it's your own.

Stop stealing.

Update: 4/11/08
Funny how this post is being perceived and linked for various reasons. Understandably, given the timing of the latest train wreck and the exclusive BFP links I used in it, this post is being framed as if I had one incident in mind.

Let's back up and do some of my favorite work called Clarifying.

BFP was certainly part of my thought process, but this demand for writers/bloggers to "stop stealing" far exceeds the events (disasters) of this week or just BFP herself. This post vomited on the years of hearing echos in the blogosphere with no visible credit or citation to others' contributions. My links are specific, but my point is wider. I'm not talking about one singular instance that set me off into a knee-jerk reactionary post, I'm speaking about a maddening phenomenon of disregarding BODIES of work . And I'm tired of something that is so deeply problematic being casually normalized by writers and readers of feminism.

Who Needs "Filipino" or Tagalog Bloggers?

Thanks to Tigera Consciente who gave me a heads up that Blogger is now offering the feature to blog "IN FILIPINO."

MHM.

I wonder if they mean to blog "in Tagalog," which is the the official language of the Philippines, among the several dialects of the Islands.

There's been discussion as to whether Filipinos "need this," considering that English is taught and spoken in the Philippines. I thought that the question as to whether it's "needed" is somewhat ridiculous. Not ALL Filipinos are bi/multi-linguial and/or know English. I see Blogger making an effort to extend blogging opportunities to the people of the Philippines, regardless if you know English or not. The blogging world should not reign supreme for English speakers.

Last time I checked, blogging one's way into existence is not a luxury limited to English speaking writers.

Well, I'm Beautiful Too

H/T to the ever Angry Asian Man

Boston Globe (three cheers for Boston) actually did an article featuring people of color bloggers, Blog is Beautiful. Hooray - among the noted was Angry Black Woman - and several other folks who I read and enjoy on a regular basis. I'm very proud to be in the POC blogosphere today. I'd like to think that my blog was not acknowledged because no one knows what in the hell "ecdysis" means. Oh, and that "y" in womyn? Scary.

It's always nice to hear that the kick ass work of so many bloggers of color is heard and appreciated. Boston Globe comments that these kinds of blogs and sites "have become places where people of color gather to refine ideas or form thoughts about race relations, racial inequities, and the role pop culture has in exacerbating stereotypes."

They are just now realizing that a lot of these blogs and writers are a zillion times more intriguing than those kangaroos in mainstream media and are doing much more complex analysis.

For their next topic, I think they're going to predict that iPods are great accessories for music buffs.