For Coy

I'm fuming,
like a volcano, stewing;
these stories stir the pot
and the hot broth splashes
on to our mouldy kitchen floor.

Why can't you let us be us
And collectively
we can come to understand
it's not 'her' and 'he'
it's 'us' and 'me'.

A fluffy skirt doesn't mark a fairy,
Or a fruit,
Or a fag.
It marks an individual
so original
I hope they scare you right out of your pants.

And into a dress.

Happy International Women's Day!!!!

Welcome to International Women's Day!

Here's a recent conversation I had with a very good friend of mine

A: Oh! Today is International Women's Day!
M: Oh cool. When is International Men's Day?
A: It's been International Men's Day for the past... I don't know how many years. Let us have our one freakin' day!

True, it seems a little strange to be celebrating International Women's Day when we don't have an International Men's Day. It makes me think that there really is no push for equality. Why don't we have an International Men's Day following IWD? Besides, I have a hard time believing that the countries, the people that should be celebrating IWD actually do. I doubt that women who are oppressed have a completed day of freedom today and will go back to their regular lives tomorrow. Maybe they do. But what is the goal of today? Is it to celebrate being a women here and all over the world? Is it to educate ourselves and other women of all races, ages, and religions about the hardships that are endured? Is it to look to the future and hope that the suffragettes haven't sacrificed in vain?

To me, today is a day to be thankful for what I have because of what women before me have gained and taught me. I have the right to get on a plane and go to a different country unescorted. I have the right to wear  shorts and not be penalized for it. I have the right to paint my fingernails. I have the right to talk to men in public, un-chaperoned. I have been taught to stand up for myself and what I believe in. I have been taught that I am a strong and independent person. I have been taught to love and care for people, not matter what their gender or sexual preference is. I have been taught that everyone has a value, and it is a shame to diminish that value.

In lieu of all of this...

Thanks Mom!

I AM *mumblemumblemumble*

I made a recent acquaintance today that made me question why we stand up for things.

This person was an activist. I have heard they are socially and politically aware, which was also demonstrated by the red square being pinned to their shirt in addition to a rainbow Islamic symbol. However, we began to ponder how we would act if one of our elders had slandered another culture by calling them a derogatory title.

I know I have a very privileged upbringing. I have a blog where I can declare my thoughts as a woman; I consider that to be quite privileged considering other places in the world where women don't have access to books let alone the internet. I believe it is my duty as a citizen of this Earth to help correct the wrong-doings. Socially, politically, and environmentally. I believe we all need to do what we can to protect and preserve our way of life and the lives of all other living things surrounding us. To do this, there must be a level of respect. Old dogs can learn new tricks, they just need time.

Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I've noticed a change in my father, and I think it is my liberal beliefs that are slowly changing him. He may not agree with what I have to say, but he respects me enough to limit any offensive comments that were considered acceptable or cool back in the day. I do not hesitate to ask people to keep their slanderous comments to themselves, even if I know they will continue to use that same language. It is important to me to respect others with whom I share this planet with. It starts with the everyday language we use.

The acquaintance I met today said they would never speak up because, in their culture, it is not appropriate to do so, and you would risk losing face within your community. I understand this, but being a part of a social activist group and then taking no risks for your beliefs at home is almost traitorous to me.

I love my family, and I should like to think they love me to. Part of loving someone is respecting who they are, which includes their beliefs. If you are someone who can walk around in public with a rainbow Islam symbol on your t-shirt, but can't admit to your family that calling someone an offensive name makes you uncomfortable, why are you an activist? Your family is the toughest group of people to face up to; if you can face your family, and gain their support human being to human being, you've got nothing to lose.

If any of my family members asks me if I'm a feminist, I gladly say that I am. I let them have their assumptions and their sly comments because I am comfortable knowing that I am not a bra-burner; I do not believe in females being superior to males; I do not believe in gender inequality. I am who I am. Being a feminist is one part of me. They need to accept that, because I have.

To Bob Barker

I heard on the radio this morning that Bob Barker, host of The Price is Right and animal rights activist, has been saying the the Calgary Stampede promotes cruelty to animals; to which I can only reply:

GET A LIFE!

Barker put Alberta on the map, when he protested the Edmonton Zoo for keeping Lucy, an old elephant, rather than sending her to a more natural habitat.
1. Lucy is freaking old. She will probably not make the trip AND
2. Even if she does, she will have lost everything and everyone that she knows in addition to not knowing how to live in such a different environment.
3. The cost of transporting a really old elephant that may die enroute anyways is ridiculous. (Also, from what I hear, the Edmonton Zoo will not be acquiring any more animals non-native to the praries. Hopefully.)

Now, Barker is sticking his nose in to Alberta once again, claiming that a 100-year-old festival is cruel towards animals. Again, let's be honest; perhaps the Stampede is not the best form of loving our furry friends, but think about this:

Barker could be protesting the way humans farm animals; in order to produce more, fattier meats, humans have essentially eliminated any grazing or open areas in the farms that produce chickens for large processors. They're locked in cages or small pens, in completely un-hygienic conditions which enable the spread of disease rapidly.
Barker could be promoting healthier farming, supporting small, independent farmers who still allow their cattle to graze, their chickens to run free, etc. But he's not.

Barker is picking on one of the smallest issues this world has. By choosing this course of action, Barker is drawing attention away from REAL suffering of animals at the hands of humans. People knock hunting, saying it's harsh and cold-blooded. What is more cold blooded than penning animals up so you  can have a fatty steak at the end of your hard day behind a desk?

Barker wants to be an animal rights activist does he? I think he should go back to when animals were first domesticated; that was when cruelty REALLY began.

Ms. May hits it out of the park... hopefully

Bill C-38

Even the title sounds horribly boring; perfect for a political document, no? You will probably never see a bill titled "The Canadian Government's Shit-hole Maze Bill to give the Opposition the Run-Around In Order to Get What Prime Minister Harper Wants".

I'm not terribly interested in reading up on specific bills, even if they do GREATLY impact my life and my world, but I like to listen to what comes around through the grapevine, and what I heard about this particular bill was atrocious.
It's a 420 page document (Conservative: Win; very, very, very few people will take the time to read a 420 page document if it's not for fun) and contains a ridiculous variety of bills and amendments (Conservative: Win; people who happen to read the entire Omnibus bill - as it's known as - will pick out the parts they don't like and leave the parts they do, causing confusion within parties, communities, etc). The Conservative government did very well, the New Democrats attempted to pick out specific parts of the Omnibus bill to contest, though many of their objections would probably not pass; then Elizabeth May gave the speech of her life.

Elizabeth May is the leader of the Canadian Green Party and the only member of her party to be elected to Parliament. She recently wrote a speech condemning the Omnibus bill due to it's scrambled nature, BUT May's speech found a crack in the seemingly stone-cold bill: a true omnibus bill must have a theme for all the proposed bills; Bill C-38, May says, has absolutely no theme and that the proposals it contains are all over the map.

Now, Parliament is going through a "slow-vote"; this means that Members of Parliament will vote on more than 100 bills contained in the Omnibus bill. At the end of the day, who knows what will happen. Hopefully the Speaker will keep in mind Elizabeth May's encouraging and empowering letter and save Canada from the horrible, environment crushing C-38.

P.S.
Note how it takes a woman, representing her party with only one seat, to find the fundamental issue with this mish-mash of a bill. Whoo hoo!

Have you seen this???

Suu Kyi "I will try my best for you"

Take a gander at this lovely lady you see in the photo above. No, she's not an ex-beauty pagent queen. Nor is she the wife of a prominent Asian leader. She is Aung San Suu Kyi, world leader in democracy and advocate for Burmese migrants. She won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, among others, for human rights and used her winnings to establish a trust fund for the Burmese people.

She was privileged in that she was able to attend British and American universities - lots of girls today don't get a chance to finish highschool, let alone go on to study in a local post-secondary institution (if there is one). But Suu Kyi did not take her education lightly, she used it and her power as a human being to fight for the Burmese people. How many people do you know who would walk towards a squad of guards pointing rifles at them? Begin a hunger strike to ensure the safety of students and advocates of democracy? Not see their husband, dying of prostate cancer, because they would never be allowed back into their home country, never be allowed back to fight for their people?

To me, this woman is a pillar of strength that we can all admire and aspire to be like. To me, this woman shows us that Feminism is not dead; women working to achieve rights for their people (men and women) is still happening, and must continue to happen. So, my dear "Anti-Feminists", take a good look at this woman and think of the years and years where women were not allowed to speak publicly or to go to school or to enter politics. Think about these things and then ask yourself if the world really would be a better place without Feminism.