Sabra And Shatila

Because I don’t think enough people know about this, and it breaks my heart.

2 Things

1. If anything, I’m more of a feminist after reading this. For extra fun times, be sure to catch my comments at the bottom, starting with #85. Blogs dedicated to being critical of feminism actually strike me as a good idea, then I read them, and realize that they’re probably not. This one comes the closest to sounding like it’s actually doing something reasonable or useful regarding a critique, or at least attempting to. It’s written well, and one of the authors has taken the time to comment on this blog in a manner that didn’t require me to tell him he was no longer welcome.
2. Every single person residing in the United States should read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.  I picked it up at the library less than 24 hours ago, and have about 15 pages left.  Get thee to a library!

Slowly Trying to Reconcile…

Slowly trying to reconcile what comes so natural to me.

I was meant to blog.

It was fate that I found feminism.

Physically creating things with my hands is my calling.

And I was born to help others create art.

Balancing these four things is proving a challenge.  I’m still figuring it out.

Dinos

…when I attempt to read something from a right-wing point of view, I frequently find myself thinking: these people hate me.  They tell me I don’t exist, or that my concerns aren’t valid, or that I’m stupid.  They insult my family and my friends.  They tell me not to care about others.

And they tell me I hate my country.

Make enough people feel this way, and you’ll be extinct soon.

That’s It.

What I’d like to know is how the hell this comment:

It’s just a body.
Everyone has one.

I’ve considered being found out about every questionable thing I’ve done in life, and I think I can deal with it. Those things don’t define me.

…is in any way, shape, or form a response to my concern about being fired or sexually harassed because of the modeling I’ve done?

Am I going insane?  Do people not know how to read anymore?

That’s it.  This is the last time I link my damn blog from another website not directly related to feminism or liberalism.  I hope everyone’s happy.

I Hate Everything

I hate shopping for shoes.

I hate cleaning my apartment.

I hate a million choices in the supermarket that all suck.

Don’t Hate The Playa…

1. Don’t Hate The Playa/Playette Hate The Game

Do not fault the successful participant in a flawed system; try instead to discern and rebuke that aspect of its organization which allows or encourages the behavior that has provoked your displeasure.

Teacher: You have plagiarized this essay.
Student: Don’t hate the player; hate the game.

Definition: Urban Dictionary

(I feel so incredibly white right now, you have no idea.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately.

Also, this is why we can’t have nice things.

My Vote Is Not Guaranteed

I’m not sure I’m going to vote for Obama in November.

Yes, you read correctly- a 22 year old liberal woman might not vote for Barack Obama.

No!  It’s not what you think: there’s no way that I might vote for John McCain.

I’m strongly considering voting for a third party candidate.

My vote is not guaranteed, and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Because when I hear about Obama’s campaign moving Muslim women so they won’t be seen on camera and about Obama condoning the death penalty in any way (something I cannot support even in the most horrific of cases)…I take that into consideration.

And I doubt that I’m all that much of an anomaly.  It’s “crazies” like me who cost Gore the election in 2000.

And while McCain in the white house would make me question my relationship to the country I call home, that in and of itself is still not enough to get me to automatically vote for Obama.  Never taking anyone’s vote for granted is a lesson that should have already been learned by the Democrats.

Why I Prefer Feminist Spaces

The comments from the Alternet article I quoted (which ranged from insensitive to down right misogynist) in my last entry illustrated, with crystal clarity, why I choose to label myself a feminist and tend to flock towards feminist and feminist-welcoming spaces, both online and off- even when it comes to topics that, in and of themselves, don’t appear to have much to do with equality of the sexes.

It’s because I find spaces that aren’t feminist or feminist-friendly to be hostile.  I find them uncomfortable.  I find that they are not woman-friendly, and I find that they aren’t receptive to discussions about changing this.

That’s not to say that feminist spaces aren’t hostile, or uncomfortable, or not woman-friendly, or not receptive to discussion about those things: they can be.  I’ve found them to be.  There are some so-called feminist spaces that I would never take part in, because I know that I’d both feel and be unwelcome.

But any space- even a “progressive” or “liberal” one- that isn’t, at the very least, welcoming to the idea of feminism could never be the space for me in which to freely discuss ideas and reactions.

It’s the ugly jokes- about women, about rape, about women’s issues.  It’s the ugly assumptions (while we’re all guilty of naive or even stupid, thoughtless assumptions, there are some truly ugly ones out there that I am unprepared or simply not in the mood to fight).  It’s the man-as-default setting where it all takes place.

I imagine these feelings must be echoed in the minds of people of color when it comes to spaces where white dominates and racism is something that only applies to other people.  Or for those who identify as queer.  Or transgendered.  Or those who aren’t Americans.

Even in my own damn blog I’m still working up the nerve to say what I want to say without apologizing for it afterwards, and this is my space!

Gross Comments on Alternet

Oh, dear God. I want to gouge my eyes out.

I just checked out this article about culture and hymen restoration on Alternet, and made the unwise decision to read the comments, too.

Keep in mind that this is a progressive- minded website we’re talking about.

Cut for the misogyny.