it’s not SO hard to discern between the two. really. there are some fuzzy areas, but some things just fall smack into the black & white. like this.
via shakesville
Woman Held Captive and Repeatedly Raped by Own Father for 24 Years
warning: major rape & sexual abuse triggers. (more…)
okay, so i was on VACATION when earth day happened, but i felt a need to do a little belated celebration. my most favorite environmentally friendly possession that’s not my car is my little group of envirosax. they’re the most awesome reusable shopping bags. they roll up into a little sausage shape that’s about 4 inches long and 2 inches in diameter and you get FIVE in a pouch! they totally fit in even a tiny purse or a jacket pocket. but, when unfurled, they’re HUGE! and hold even more than you think they will. they’re super strong and even keep working when the cats decide they need attacking and rip holes in them. so, go order yourself some because they’re AWESOME! and then you can make the kroger employees grimace because you’re fucking up their items per bag count or something like that. the whole foods people will just look at you like, “well duh. it’s obvious you should have your own bags. we’ve all had them for years now.”
FYI – i happen to have a deep and lasting love affair with whole foods. it’s my most favoritest grocery store in the world. BUT, i do know that certain of the cashier folks, especially in the stores that aren’t the one i go to, have a tendency to look at the hoi-polloi with a bit of disdain. luckily for me, the gayborhood folks are a bit more chill, it seems.
Who want[s] to think of gender as a divisive force, as the root of discrimination? Perhaps more relevant, who want[s} to view oneself as a victim? Postfeminism [is] also a form of solipsism: If it’s not happening to me, it’s not happening at all.
i find myself in the descriptions here. i was thoroughly and completely post-feminist until recently. because i never felt more than the most minor effects of sexism, i assumed it was the same for all and that there’s was no reason to fuss about the little things. let the crazies call me a bitch if they want. they don’t affect me. but suddenly, it’s clear that the crazies aren’t so alone out there. men AND women of all castes & creeds are showing that, what we thought were old scars that only ached in bad weather, were really gangrenous wounds, masked by pretty clothes and perfume. feminism doesn’t mean extreme, radical, isolationist, man-hating, or any of the other stereotypical descriptions. i’ve got nothing against anyone who doesn’t have anything against me. i shave, spend time in the company of both sexes and all genders, want children, enjoy plenty of activities that don’t involve planning protests or grumbling about political agendas. in other words, i’m what most people would consider pretty normal. but i’m a feminist. i claim that title now. i’m proud of it, if still a little afraid of its power. but i won’t let anyone tell me that i’m imagining this anymore. to use a biblical reference, i’ve taken this particular plank out of my eye, and the world is a lot clearer now. it’s scarier in its clarity, but i’ve always been a big fan of seeing the truth, no matter how scary it is.
btw, PLEASE read the whole article i quoted above. it’s well worth your time.
VACATION!! I’M GOING ON VACATION!! BLARGH!! I’M HAVING A MOMENT!! 2 MORE DAYS!! VAAAAAACAAAAATIOOOOOON!!!!!!
okay, done now. thanks for you understanding.
There has never been a condition of such deep, virtually catatonic civic paralysis in American history — and few such instances in world history.
i’ve experienced the apathy of large groups before, but never in so crucial a setting. when will we take up the ways of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations? when will the apathy our generation is known for be sickening enough to make us give it up? i know we’re not the only ones here, but the gen-xers are, in fact, the ones coming into charge, the ones who would be leading the rebellion, were it to happen. someone on npr (forgive my lack of details) surmised that the internet/blog had become the new form of social outrage and rebellion. while i think it’s wonderful that we can all* have our free expression on this medium, no one notices a bunch of kids sitting at their computers, separate but equal in the internet. in this age when it is SO easy to organize a large gathering, practically in an instant, why are we all sitting around? where are the marches on washington to DEMAND that the president denounce torture, rather than condone it? where are the protests in every major city, shutting down businesses, stopping traffic, GETTING NOTICED? even as i write, i don’t know what to do. we’re a generation accustomed to getting what we want when we want it, with relatively little effort. say what you will about the exceptions, but i see it in myself, and in my friends. i admire them immensely, but none of us know what it is to really work, to fight, for something. we need to know what that means, or else we’ll never get any of the things we’ve been hoping for.
*all meaning those in the relatively free world. i know there are many who have many fewer freedoms and options. yet another reason we need to get our lazy asses out of the computer chairs and into the streets.
i’m SICK of having to apologize and make corrections to MY work based on other people’s screw ups. i am the face of this project, through no choice of my own, and have had to recall more messages and files than i care to count because someone else wanted x, y, or z done too quickly for me to check my work, or couldn’t find the time to provide me with all the data I needed to do it correctly. i’m bracing myself for someone to get fed up with me and tell off my “superiors”, at which point, i really don’t know what i’ll do.
i just found out about this. you can get any book in print from this website and a portion of the price goes to their organization.
from the website:
About W&CF and the Women’s Voices Fund
The Women’s Voices Fund was established in November, 2005, to help support feminist programming at Women & Children First (see Vision and Mission statements below). Contributions are most appreciated. Contributions of $50 or more are tax deductible and are processed by the Crossroads Fund. To receive a tax deduction on this level of contribution, please make checks payable to Crossroads Fund. Non-deductible contributions should be made payable to the Women’s Voices Fund. Both deductible and non-deductible contributions can also be made by Visa or Master Card. All contributions should be sent directly to Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640. They can also be processed by phone at 773-769-9299.
Women Voices Fund Vision:
The Women’s Voices Fund will ensure that events featuring women writers, fostering discussion of feminist issues and culture, and nurturing children’s delight in books will continue to play a vital role in Chicago’s intellectual, literary, and political life.Women’s Voices Fund Mission:
The Women’s Voices Fund, a project of Women & Children First Bookstore and a grantee of the Crossroads Fund, raises money to help sustain and develop an ongoing program series focused on women’s lives, ideas, and work. Women & Children First, a unique resource in the Chicago community and the only venue to offer regular programming with such a focus, has provided the sole financial support for this series for over 25 years. Outside support through the Women’s Voices Fund is crucial to guaranteeing that a wide and diverse range of women’s voices and the best voices in children’s literature continue to be heard.Our History and Purpose:
Women & Children First began in a modest storefront in 1979. Over the years we’ve moved twice and are now in a northside Chicago neighborhood known for its diversity, queer-friendliness, women-owned businesses and community spirit. Our staffers include teachers, graduate students, professional writers and storytellers, political activists, board members, and poets. Each of us is a reader, a feminist, and a bookseller. Our purpose in beginning the store 28 years ago was to promote the work of women writers and to create a place in which all women would find books reflecting their lives and interests. We strive to do this in an atmosphere in which all are respected, valued, and well-served. That is our purpose still, online as well as in the store.We are one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country, stocking more than 30,000 books by and about women, children’s books for all ages, and the best of lesbian and gay fiction and non-fiction. Anything we don’t have in stock we can usually get in a few days’ time, even if it’s a title outside our specialty. We also carry music, videos, magazines and pride products.
being even a little bit sick makes my patience/tolerance for others’ shortcomings thinner than 1 olsen twin minus the other.
again, most of my news lately comes via shakesville. so, today is Blog Against Sexual Violence Day. while i don’t have a lot to say at the moment, i want to post something, if only to add to the voices in the outcry. the statistics below come from RAINN.
RAINN has links to advocate groups in all 50 states, but here’s the one for Texas.
Texas Association Against Sexual Assault
Pretending that it can’t happen to you or your loved one, or blaming the victims will never help. Arm yourself with knowledge and awareness. It will never be your fault if you’re raped/sexually abused, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.
