Tag: Grief

Galactic Bonds: A Journey Through Movies, Games, and Memories

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

My brother was a Star Wars fan through and through—so much so that Yoda became his nickname. While I’ve only truly loved the original trilogy, we still shared a deep appreciation for the saga, making Star Wars a special part of our connection. It even became a tradition for us to go to the movies on Christmas when the newer films premiered. Beyond Star Wars, we also bonded over other franchises like Transformers (though we never got around to seeing Bumblebee) and Fast & Furious. The only Star Wars book I own is Star Wars Rogue One – Junior Novel by Matt Forbeck (from our hometown), which might have ended up in his collection by accident. I had wanted to get it autographed for him but never got the chance before he passed away.

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The Mouth is an Open Grave

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

IT’S TOO COMPLICATED, THEY SAY

II. The Mouth is an Open Grave

You—who called me militant over a glass of wine,
You—who said I was too loud, too political,
who said that academic associations should remain impartial,
as if to study anthropology is not to see its ghosts assembling.

You—who snarled at me after a boycott motion,

who spat my name like a bullet,

said you were sick of my pro-Palestine ‘shit’,
as if grief should wear clean clothes,
as if rage should come whispering
apologies at your door,
as if I could soften my sorrow
to spare you discomfort—
you, who mistake silence for peace,
politeness for justice.

You—who told her to shut up,
shut up, shut up,
while the bodies were still warm,
while the smoke still gathered in their throats.

What does it mean to shut up
when the silence is already swallowing a nation?

Gender and Psychiatry: Pathologized Emotions

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)2 Comments

As Phyllis Chesler warned us in 1974, gender bias has accompanied psychiatric power throughout its history. Years later, in 2005, in the last annotated edition of Women and Madness , the author insisted on the persistence of this bias, which even today, 50 years later, seems to remain unchanged. Authors such as Ussher, Caplan, Margot Pujal and many others were situated in that same space. With their differences and nuances, they all converge on the same point: gender problems and discomforts produce deep suffering. This suffering leaves marks on our bodies and our behavior.

Gender and Psychiatry: Pathologized Emotions

A friendly fire death, a platoon’s 20 years of trauma

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Bryan O’Neal has spent two decades grinding his way up the U.S. Army ranks, from lowly private to command sergeant major — the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer. He could write a textbook on modern warfare history — and his own unique place in it — but much of what he’s seen and done could be hard for anyone to hear. Significant numbers of the men and women under his command weren’t even born until after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that inspired him to enlist.

…

In the spring of 2004, perhaps the last thing President George W. Bush’s administration needed was another war-related PR problem. No one could find Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, which the administration had used to build a case for war. Less than a month before Tillman’s death, four contractors for the Blackwater private security firm in Iraq were ambushed and dragged through the streets, and their corpses were hung from a bridge. In April came shocking images of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison.

A friendly fire death, a platoon’s 20 years of trauma

Related:

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Ramzy Baroud: My sister was the 166th doctor to be murdered in Gaza

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

“Your lives will continue. With new events and new faces. They are the faces of your children, who will fill your homes with noise and laughter.”

These were the last words written by my sister in a text message to one of her daughters.

My sister was the 166th doctor to be murdered in Gaza

Previously:

Journalist Ramzy Baroud Mourns His Sister Killed Today By Israeli Bombs