Category: Feminism

For the love of (insert whatever deity you worship here), please vote.

Tomorrow is election day, I am begging with whoever might read this to pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease get off your ass and vote. I’m going to guess that anyone reading a blog by a self-proclaimed feminist who has also written about gay pride and anger over gun violence might share some of the same views that I do.

Here’s the deal- Democrats have been historically lazy in elections. I surmise (at least in recent history) this is because so many people on the other side of the table are driven by bullshit paranoia like that their guns will be taken away, or that all the Muslims will kill us and if they don’t kill us, we’ll have to start living under Sharia Law. None of this is true, of course. And the people who believe this live in a sad world governed by fear. Fear is an incredibly powerful tool, and it’s incredibly effective in getting people to take action like vote for a racist, sexist, xenophobic, misogynistic buffoon who hasn’t coherently outlined a single policy in his entire campaign.

Fear like this is far more powerful than the fear of a Donald Trump presidency because surely he can’t win right? Wrong. He could.

So this year, rather than being governed by facts, logic, and reason, I beg of you, please let this fear of a Donald Trump presidency drive you to get off your couch and get to your polling place. This is absolutely the only time I will suggest letting fear drive you. Please please do not let this man become president.

Need to know where your fucking polling place is? Click here.

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Duh. I’m supporting Hillary Clinton because I’m not a loon. You should, too.

WhitneyLeave a comment

Educate yourself; educate your kids

I’ve been absent for a bit. Sorry about that. I was on a vacation that was not nearly as relaxing as I hoped it would be and went back to work less than 8 hours after we got home from the airport. That means burnout, folks. Basically, I haven’t felt like opening my laptop or communicating with anyone I wasn’t obligated to communicate with.

#introvertproblems

I feel that I must say something about the big story in the news this week. I’m talking about the Stanford rape (yes, it’s rape) case. Most stories that go viral on the internet lead to comments sections full of ridiculous arguments. This seems a bit different because it would appear that the people of the internet are on the same page with this one.

Obviously, it’s infuriating, sickening, disgusting, revolting, and any other adjective one might use to describe something heinous. I think what upsets me most is that this shit stain of a human was caught in the act and his narrative his still that of blame instead of taking responsibility for his actions. Somehow he seems to be the victim in his mind, his father’s mind, and the judge’s mind. How does this happen? How does his lawyer sleep at night? It’s mind-boggling to me. How can his father have the audacity to talk about how his kid doesn’t eat rib-eye steak anymore? Are you kidding me? This woman lost her sense of safety and security because of these “20 minutes of action.” Those are basic human needs, and you’re talking about red meat? What the literal fuck is wrong with you?

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What courage this woman has, though. I hope that you have taken some time and read her statement. If not, please do. This woman possesses so much strength. The world needed to hear her story in the detail she gave. She put an indescribable event into words, and thank goodness for her.

The layers of shit in this case are bountiful. Not only does the lack of appropriate punishment here reveal the mistreatment of campus rape cases even more, but there are issues of race, privilege (the kind that comes with money and being white), and the value that is placed on a man’s well-being over that of a woman’s. You know, a harsher punishment would have a “severe impact on him.”

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I thought about a documentary I watched recently about how we raise boys. Clearly, this steaming pile of feces resembling a human was raised to believe that he could have whatever he wanted, because money and because penis. If things are going to change, it has to start with boys. Women can be told their whole lives that they can do anything and be anything, but if 50% of the population consists of humans who are raised to believe emotions and sensitivity make them less masculine, and instead they are told to “be a man,” “grow some balls,” and “stop being a pussy,” change will never happen.

This isn’t about alcohol, and it’s not about girls dressing in such a way that they are “asking for it.” That’s not a thing. This is much bigger. I beg of anyone who may read this, educate yourself, and if you have kids, educate them. If you have boys, teach them that women are not things to be attained but humans of equal value and worth.

Here’s trailer for The Mask You Live In.  Seriously, I highly recommend it.

 

I don’t want this to seem that I’m making light of anything, but it seems like as good a time as any to share this video as well. If you have any questions about consent, I hope this clear something up for you.

Copyright ©2015 Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios

Whitney1 Comment

Happy International Women’s Day!

Over the last year or so, I’ve found my way to comfortably calling myself a Feminist. Recently, someone said to me, “I don’t understand why this needs to be a thing. How about we just call it humanism?” Sure, it sounds nice, but this is kind of like responding to the Black Lives Matter movement by saying that all lives matter. Of course they do, but not acknowledging that some lives are treated as though they don’t matter is the same as shrugging off a very serious problem. I don’t know if I’m opening myself up to criticism by making this, albeit loose, comparison. My point is that I wish we could all just be humanists, but not all humans are treated equally to other humans. That’s why we have Feminists, Gay Rights Advocates, and movements like the Black Lives Matter movement.

I’m still working on articulating exactly what being a Feminist means to me because the truth is that some days I don’t know. I think it’s different for everyone. I will say that I don’t plan on burning any bras in the near future despite the fact that I would love nothing more than to light that sucker on fire at the end of the day.

What I know it does means for me is that I won’t give people the  comfort of my silence anymore because I don’t have to. Subsequently, I argue a lot, and that’s okay. This especially applies when someone spouts uneducated crap about women’s health issues (a subject I have proactively educated myself on) like that using contraception means you’re a slut. Spoiler alert: That’s bullshit. It also means that I try really hard to look at situations on a level playing field. I don’t think women are always right just because they are women, and I don’t think men are always wrong just because they’re men. I think anything other than that is the opposite of Feminism. Both genders have an equal propensity to fuck up.

That’s what Feminism about for me. Just plain equality—the reality that women are capable of doing the same things as any man because we are, and we should be compensated equally when the same work is done. Sometimes, women may even be better equipped to handle a task. It’s about speaking truth to myths and normalizing the female experience instead of continuing to make some things so taboo. Seriously, when do I get to walk to the bathroom with a tampon in my hand instead of shoved in a pocket or up my sleeve? It’s fucking biology for Christ’s sake.

Anyway, Happy International Women’s Day to all of the women of the world of all shapes, sizes, and colors. You are all amazing.

Being a woman is really pretty rad.

WhitneyLeave a comment