raggedyanndy

Kelsey Foster
Weiss reading response assignment
GWS 101, sec 301
10.29.09

The six main reasons Weiss gives that people resist being labeled feminist are as follows: feminists are perceived as radical, worry about societal rejection, feminists are called lesbians (whether or not they actually are), social norms of femininity and masculinity which do not allow for feminism, feminists as man-haters, and feminists having negative behavioral characteristics.

I feel like I am an exception to the rule. I have been fully aware of these negative ideas about feminists for a few years now. Throughout junior high and especially high school, I quickly and proudly identified myself as a feminist because I believed in equality for women. I didn’t necessarily know the full extent of what it meant to be a feminist, but I knew I was one. Part of me has always been the type to rebel for the sake of rebelling, so the fact that feminism is often seen as negative was a bonus for me. Even my own mother and older sister, the latter of whom identifies as a feminist, still buy into the stereotypes. When I told them I was signing up for the Gender and Women’s Studies certificate, they both reacted negatively. My mom has even asked me if I’m going to start coming home with my armpit hair braided or if I’m going to become a radical lesbian.

I’ll admit I do sometimes find it hard to believe that a feminist man isn’t gay, bisexual, or queer in some other way. When it comes to women feminists, however, I don’t necessarily have a picture in my mind of her being butch, like the article talked about. I do think that plenty of feminists are louder than many women, more outspoken and aggressive, and definitely more liberal. I feel like feminism in itself is a liberal concept. The idea of a conservative feminist is absurd. Plus, some of these supposedly negative characteristics of feminist women – like being outspoken – I think are actually positives.

The stereotypes of feminists being gay or lesbian show just how closely connected misogyny and homophobia are. People wouldn’t balk at being called gay if being gay wasn’t seen as a bad thing. Much of this and other stereotypes relating to ideas of femininity and masculinity come from the media. We need to see more outspoken, aggressive women and more feminist men on TV and film, and then as a whole our society will begin to be less sexist.

Everything Weiss wrote about feminism equaling societal rejection is so true. Identifying as a feminist can open you up to so much name-calling and derision, which – often effectively – shuts down discussion. When I was a freshmen in high school, my civics class held a mock presidential election. I was selected as the Democratic Party’s candidate, with my friend Ellie as my running mate. Whenever I talked about women’s rights or gender equality, the boys running as the moderate and Republican candidates would yell about sexism. No matter how we tried to patiently explain that feminism does not equal sexism, how it is in fact the opposite, we were shouted down or waved off and laughed at as radicals. (I think it’s interesting to note that our male teacher did nothing about this.)

These immature reactions are reflected in the right-wing politicians’ and conservative commentators’ rhetoric about feminists today. Perhaps they use bigger words and have a wider audience, but the idea is still the same. Feminism is bad because it hurts men in some way. When women aren’t submissive to men, they apparently undermine men’s masculinity. When a woman talk about equality between men and women, you really just hate men and are a lesbian.

This is why “gay” is a derogatory term. “Gay” equals rejection of male privilege. Either men are giving up their privilege by not taking the opportunity to dominate women, or women are rejecting dependence on men and the idea that men are superior.

My ideas and beliefs about feminism have not changed much through this class so far. I now notice more sexism in the world. If anything I even more strongly identify as a feminist because I now have a stronger and richer understanding of what feminism means.

The Twitter stream for #IranElection Shows all tweets that have "#IranElection" in them.

Twitter reschedules maintenance around #IranElection controversy This way the maintenance downtime will be around 1-2am in Tehran. It's going to mess with peak hours in the U.S., but it's worth it to keep Iranians online during their peak time.

From The Guardian: Iran: 12 students reported killed in crackdown after violent clashes

Vaclav Havel Expresses Solidarity With Iranian Demonstrators He also warns them to not "fall prey to skepticism if they do not achieve immediate results in spite of their efforts." So true.

From The Boston Globe: The Big Picture: Iran's Dispute in Pictures Some graphic stuff can be seen there. Also a picture of protestors trying to keep things calm and helping a hurt riot police officer. Those pics make me hopeful that things can be peacefully resolved, at least eventually.

A quick BBC video report on Iranian protests

This has been very much on my mind all day, even during the children's theatre meeting. I've been following the Twitter #IranElection stream and retweeting a lot. The latest: Users around the world are changing their timezones to Tehran and location to Tehran or Iran to mess with the censors. Also, people are no longer using Twitter usernames when retweeting from an Iranian's account. Instead, they're just doing "from Iran" or "RT Iran" to keep those users safe.

I've been telling myself to relax, breathe. There's not really anything constructive I can do right now besides stay informed. I've been getting angry with the mainstream media for not spending more time on this subject. I changed my Facebook profile pic, my Twitter userpic, and my default icon here, and I also put up a new, all-green layout. It's really all I can do to support them.

And lastly, joy: Rachel Maddow is wearing a green shirt tonight. :D

Peace and love,
~~RaggedyAnndy~~

PLEASE wear green tomorrow to show support for the Iranian protestors and Mousavi.



Twitter trending topic: #IranElection to stay abreast of the latest.

STAY STRONG!

The thing that keeps coming to my mind, yesterday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and today on President Obama's inauguration, is the song "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray.

Actually, can you give me a moment to bask in the glory of that?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
YAY!

Ahem. As I was saying, I've been keeping "You Can't Stop the Beat" in the back of my mind, specifically the second-to-last verse, sung by Motormouth Maybelle.

Oh oh oh you can't stop today
As it comes speedin' down the track
Ooo, child, yesterday is history
And it's never comin' back!
Look ahead 'cause tomorrow is a brand new day
And it don't know white from black
Yeah!

Because TODAY is a brand new day, and it don't know white from black! I wasn't an Obama supporter to start out with; I doubted his ability to do much besides fire up crowds. But when it became clear that he was going to get the nomination, and I knew no way in hell was I ever voting for McCain, I looked into his platform more closely. And you know what? I really liked what I saw. Oh, sure, I still think he hasn't got much experience, and I'd like to see some real anger every once in a while, and I wish he'd openly support same-sex marriage, but on the whole? I like this guy. A lot.

And I believe he can really change things for the better - in Washington, in this country, and in the world. I'm excited and, especially after his speech today, inspired. Right now one of my greatest fears is assassination, but even if ... he's changed things. He's excited and inspired many people, many young people in particular, across the country. He's started a movement; he's woken us up.

Oh, yeah. And he's not white.

Now, as long as people don't assume it'll take a week to fix everything, and as long as people don't freak out on him for changing some of his plans once he's actually in the White House, I think things are going to turn out well. I am proud of my country today. I am proud to be an American. And I can't wait to see what comes next.

Peace and love,
~~RaggedyAnndy~~

( for posterity )

JOY TO THE WORLD
ALL THE BOYS AND GIRLS
JOY TO THE FISHES IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA
JOY TO YOU AND ME

Barack Obama has been elected the next President of the United States!

YES WE CAN.
YES WE DID!

HALLE-FUCKIN-LUJAH!

Oh my God. I just realized I haven't posted in almost two weeks. So, there's been a lot of shit going on, but I'm just going to throw this out -

I want to vote early. I originally planned on voting on election day, because I wanted to have the excitement of my first time voting in a major election on election day. But with all of this news about vote fraud and voter disenfranchisement, I don't want to take a chance. I'm going to go vote tomorrow or Friday.

Ballot debacle predicted for November 4
Block the Vote: Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president?
More W.Va. voters say machines are switching votes - In six cases, Democratic votes flipped to GOP
Vote Flipping in Davidson, Tennessee"

Click here to see if you're registered to vote.

TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD from ontd_political
STEP 1: DON'T DON'T DON'T mail in your ballot!! Absentee ballots are often not counted for the weakest of reasons. Furthermore, there are new rules in many states that you must photocopy your ID and send it with the ballot. However, they often don't even tell you that. So HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of absentee votes will not be counted for this reason.

STEP 2: VOTE EARLY ...VERY EARLY! Many states are already allowing you to vote. Do it NOW. That way if you're not listed on the voter roles, you have plenty of time to get your complaint heard.

STEP 3: REGISTER AND THEN REGISTER AND THEN REGISTER! There is a TON of purging of voter rolls going on. It's not enough to think you're registered. Double check twelve times. You can check online at www.votersunite.org/info/RegInfo.asp. Once you're done with that, go register. ...Then go register.

STEP 4: DO NOT FILL OUT A PROVISIONAL BALLOT if your vote is challenged!! In 2004 the Republicans challenged a ridiculous number of voters. The voters were then told by a sweet little lady at a table that their "provisional ballot" would be counted, BUT IT WON'T. Don't listen to the little old lady!! DEMAND that poll judges make the judgement ON THE SPOT. Demand a call to the supervisor of elections. If you have to, go home and come back with a better form of ID.If you need help, call ELECTION PROTECTION at 1-866-OUR-VOTE . And help those around you when you're at the polling place. Look for people having trouble. Call the number for them. Tell them not to fill out a provisional ballot!

STEP 5:STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER! Walk out your front door and get active!! Volunteer to help with the campaign. Or ignore the campaign and do something on your own. It's as simple as printing out these ELECTION PROTECTION steps and leaving them at people's doors. Hell, you could hand them out outside the polling places. Don't sit still or this election WILL be stolen. And go to a swing state if at all possible.

STEP 6: FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS VOTE WITHOUT FRIENDS! Don't go to vote alone. Bring friends!! Lots of them or only one of them. Make it a date. Arrange to have lunch with everyone after you vote. Whatever it takes. And have your election protection phone number WITH YOU (1-866-OUR-VOTE).

STEP 7: IT AIN'T OVER 'TILL IT'S OVER! If the election is indeed stolen, don't throw in the towel! The day after is CRUCIAL! Three words need to be chanted over and over again: COUNT EVERY VOTE. For example, in 2000 Al Gore lost because of a Supreme Court decision that was 5-4 against him. Imagine if he had won that court decision. But if half of America had not chanted COUNT EVERY VOTE after election day, we would never have gotten to the Supreme Court. Half of America could've thrown in the towel on election night, but thanks to people in the streets, it was fought to the end.

A note to Rachel Maddow:

ILU. HARDCORE.

That is all.

-------------------------------------------
Explanation - Rachel talking about Cheney and his office (and I quote):
"We're fairies! We're in the ether! We're in your mind, scaring your future."
that MUST be iconed... at a later time.
Full segment available here - above quote is around 4:45.

Oh my God. How dare they? How dare they?

Tonight I was watching MSNBC's coverage of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. The reporters and pundits took a break from talking to show the RNC's so-called tribute to the 9/11 victims. I say "so-called" because it was not a tribute to the victims - it was a terrible, outrageous appropriation of a national tragedy for political purposes. They showed footage of the Twin Towers burning, the second plane hitting the Tower, the Towers collapsing. They showed the burning Pentagon and people running from the Towers and firefighters running to the burning buildings. They showed the memorials to victims and the missing persons signs. And the narration tried to tie all of this to John McCain.

How dare they use that footage for a political campaign! That was a national tragedy - an attack on Americans, not Republicans or Democrats. They attacked our nation and its ideals, and it is completely inappropriate to act as though someone who remembers and honors the 9/11 victims must therefore be a Republican.

The least the RNC could have done was give a warning about what we were going to see. To spring that on us unprepared...! I was twelve years old when the 9/11 attacks happened; I had no direct connection to any person on any of the planes, in any of the buildings, or in any emergency responder team. I was and am only an American - living in far-off Wisconsin, for crying out loud - and I was still teary-eyed and shaking. I can only imagine how terrible it must feel for people who were there or people who lost friends and family to see all of that again, to have those wounds reopened.

This country was moving forward and healing. We're now dealing with other, more pressing problems. Why bring up 9/11 in this campaign? It happened seven years ago; it is not a current event or even a relevant one, especially since Rudy Giuliani has long since dropped out of the race.

The worst part is that the narration of the "tribute" implied that McCain is the one who would keep us safe, or at least safer than Obama. Not to sound like a broken record, but how dare they! As though anyone - Obama, McCain, or Bush - wanted 9/11 to happen or would let something similar happen! I absolutely despise the idea that for this country to be safe we must have a Republican in the White House. I refuse to believe that anyone, of any political party, would knowingly allow an attack of that magnitude to happen.

I thought the McCain campaign could sink no lower than choosing an unqualified woman as his running mate merely to pander to the undecided women voters and the angry Hilary Clinton supporters, but I was wrong. Perhaps McCain didn't know about this sham of a tribute. Perhaps he'll come out tomorrow and say, "I had no idea, and I think it was wrong that the RNC showed that, and I apologize to anyone who was upset or offended." I doubt that will happen, but even if it does, so what? He's still the Republican candidate - they chose him - the RNC is all about him and his candidacy.

So I ask, again, of the Republican National Committee, Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin: How dare you?

Palin's daughter is pregnant, get over it
From the article: War in Iraq, economy imploding, energy transformation finally on America’s agenda, income disparity threatening the social order, cynicism infecting every corner of American life, a tectonic shift to a multi-polar world, a collapsing educational system, and you want to make the pregnancy of a 17-year-old a political issue?
Amen to that! So she's preggers. Big friggin' whoop-de-do. I'm more worried about the fact that Palin is anti-choice, pro-gun, and pro-abstinence-only sex education.

The whole Sarah Palin thing? Really, totally, seriously, and completely did NOT see that one coming.


Pakistani lawmaker defends honor killings -- Tribesmen bury five women alive for wanting to choose their own husbands
"...They were still breathing as their bodies were covered with rocks and mud, according media reports and human rights activists, who said their only 'crime' was that they wished to marry men of their own choosing...."

I know it's a different culture, and they do things differently over there, but it is still unforgivable. The titular lawmaker said, "These are centuries-old traditions and I will continue to defend them." People like that make me so angry. Just because something is a tradition, or even a law, does NOT make it right.

BILL CLINTON.

COMING TO MADISON.

TODAY.

:D

so thsi gravel guy is so not going to win, but he is hilarious! he should have his own show! i mean, he's not in office and i highly doubt he will get higher than number 5 in any of the primaries, but he's fucking amazing. he's got no reputation really, and he's not in office right now, so he can verbally kick the other candidates' asses. AMAZING - he just asked all of the democcratic candidates to suspend their campaigns and spend 40 days voting to end the war.

sometimes in debates the people refuse to shut up even when they're asked to multiple times, and i wish they would just shut off the debaters' mics.

hillary's not doing so well right now - and she's kinda acting like a bitch right now... plus she just flat-out refused to answer a question.

as much as i support/admire people like obama and clinton and edwards, i really wish they would just ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION. and that goes for ALL politicians: this is one reason why i like gravel, even though he has no chance to win.

i did like the first three lil speechy-things... obama, clinton, and edwards all were asked if they would promise to ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION sorry, edwards just dodged a question GRRR anyway... um, they were asked if they would promise to get all troops out of iraq by 2013

WOOT richardson answered a yes or no question with YES. YAY. i don't care what the question was, i'm just glad he ANSWERED it.

wow, tim russert is sweating a lot.
( and the rest is going under a cut )

Dear Friends,

I have just read and signed the online petition:

"Support Griselda Lopez and the DREAM Act"

hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/DreamAct/

I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might
agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider
signing yourself.

Do it, yall! And tell everyone else to, too! Okay, so see, it's about this girl, this Griselda Lopez, who came to American when she was TWO, brought by her PARENTS, and so she's illegal, right? And so the government finds this out NOW, when she's like 17 or something, and an honor student and stuff, and they want to send her back! She didn't even come over here b/c she wanted to; her parents MADE her! She didn't even KNOW she was illegal, either! So sign it, yall!
Pretty please? You get free sushi if you do. Or if you don’t like sushi, you get rainbow stickers.

Peace and love,
~~RaggedyAnndy~~

I'm all right, I'm not Your Mom.

did that guy's speech bug anyone as much as it bugged me???? kept going on about the soldiers...okay, i KNOW it's Memorial Day, but come on!! wut about remembering all those people who gave their time and lives who weren't/aren't in the military? what about all those people who were fighting for the betterment of our country who didn't decide to do so with guns and machines? what about all those who were peaceful? who just walked and spoke, didn't shoot up their opponents?

okay, so let me play Devil's advocate for a sec. let's talk about the soldiers...how about the ones that massacred innocent people? how about the ones who blasted and burned civil rights demonstrators? how about the ones who were drafted and didn't even want to be fighting??

i guess those are some details that the government doesn't want brought to mind on this oh-so-patriotic day.

Fuckin peace and fuckin love,
~~RaggedyAnndy~~

They have a cave Mom.