and the sky was made of amethyst, and all the stars looked just like little fish...
Every time I try going through the tags to see what I have and haven't used, I surprise myself. There are quite a few that are the result of misspellings or forgetting commas. Also, there are some that are so obscure, they were only used once, in an entry I have probably long since forgotten. Also, never mind the ones that are used, as there are many that significantly overlap/are redundant. Finally, there are entries that do not have all the tags they may or may not really warrant.
I'm introducing a new tag in this very entry. Two, to be precise. The 1990s and feminism. No, I don't they go together particularly well, but I could be wrong. I'm not saying I'm obsessed with the 90s or that I am a feminist --but I'm not saying I'm not, either.
I'm listening to Hole right now, mixing Celebrity Skin with Live Through This, the only albums of their's that I am remotely familiar with. I am reminded of my sister, above all else. She introduced me to them, and also got me on other woman-dominated music, like, one of my favourite bands, Sleater-Kinney. I have all these memories coming back to me, of getting into indie music and alternative rock, of a time when The Smashing Pumpkins really did matter and really were producing good music. And, finally, another band that really rounds out the era for me (and the only one that doesn't feature a woman): Radiohead. Somehow, Hole, Sleater-Kinney, Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead really tie it together for me, representing an era I never really understood, but my sister seemed to be beholden to.
This all reminds me of another, particularly important memory. I had recently purchased a Stone Temple Pilots album and, frankly, wasn't particularly impressed. My attempt to transcend the music of the 60s and 70s, which had been dominant in my life until that point, and somehow be part of the 1990s failed. My sister, on the other hand, who had been trying to understand where The Smashing Pumpkins had come from, had purchased the classic album Paranoid, by Black Sabbath. Well, realising that neither of us was happy with the albums we did have, decided a switch was in order. While I do admit to having occasional bouts of regret about the matter, I have, by and large, been mostly happy with the results.
As far as the other half of the equation goes, feminism, I'm not sure how I feel about the matter. I know I can give lip service to the very real notion that women across the globe need to be empowered. But, how do I translate any of that into action? I'm very worried about the defunding of planned parenthood, and I do support a woman's right to choose. Culling through the history of the 20th century, I am also very displeased that ERA [the Equal Rights Amendment] did not pass. I still think it would have been a very real, very parallel legislative achievement of the Civil Rights legislature of the 1960s. Also, I do support the rights of any sexual/queer minority. But, does all that make me a feminist? My actions, unfortunately, have always tended to be that of a very patriarchal person.
A final analogy to be drawn. I love Europe and its history because, while I do feel it does offer a key to the future, for liberal democracies, I also love it because, in its own quiet way, it can be horribly regressive. My love of Europe makes me part of the establishment, if the establishment even exists anymore. It is a petty, bourgeois attempt at being progressive. But, does that mean that what we consider the "Eastern" world is any different? I don't know. I'm afraid I've probably drawn myself into a quagmire of racist, petty arguments.
I guess what I'm ultimately saying, is, I'm very American. And, while I do believe in a great many progressive issues, my actions and theories are separated by ever-widening gulfs. As America continues to move to the Right, I wonder, can I (and will I) ever really be a leftist?
In the end, this all has me pining for that lost decade, our lost decade, the American decade, of the 1990s. The world really was ours, and we blew it. I'm not sure any of it can be recaptured, what with the rise of the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] nations and our decline.
I don't mean to paint such a terrible picture, because, it really isn't that terrible. It is true, what is lost can never be regained, but it is equally true that bold, progressive steps can be taken to redress these issues. It must be done, in order to continue our society.
But, I worry, is "the dream of the 90s" really only alive in Portland? I'm just not sure. Whatever is, and wherever is, the dream of the 90s, we must try to make it real and tangible, again.
I'm introducing a new tag in this very entry. Two, to be precise. The 1990s and feminism. No, I don't they go together particularly well, but I could be wrong. I'm not saying I'm obsessed with the 90s or that I am a feminist --but I'm not saying I'm not, either.
I'm listening to Hole right now, mixing Celebrity Skin with Live Through This, the only albums of their's that I am remotely familiar with. I am reminded of my sister, above all else. She introduced me to them, and also got me on other woman-dominated music, like, one of my favourite bands, Sleater-Kinney. I have all these memories coming back to me, of getting into indie music and alternative rock, of a time when The Smashing Pumpkins really did matter and really were producing good music. And, finally, another band that really rounds out the era for me (and the only one that doesn't feature a woman): Radiohead. Somehow, Hole, Sleater-Kinney, Smashing Pumpkins, and Radiohead really tie it together for me, representing an era I never really understood, but my sister seemed to be beholden to.
This all reminds me of another, particularly important memory. I had recently purchased a Stone Temple Pilots album and, frankly, wasn't particularly impressed. My attempt to transcend the music of the 60s and 70s, which had been dominant in my life until that point, and somehow be part of the 1990s failed. My sister, on the other hand, who had been trying to understand where The Smashing Pumpkins had come from, had purchased the classic album Paranoid, by Black Sabbath. Well, realising that neither of us was happy with the albums we did have, decided a switch was in order. While I do admit to having occasional bouts of regret about the matter, I have, by and large, been mostly happy with the results.
As far as the other half of the equation goes, feminism, I'm not sure how I feel about the matter. I know I can give lip service to the very real notion that women across the globe need to be empowered. But, how do I translate any of that into action? I'm very worried about the defunding of planned parenthood, and I do support a woman's right to choose. Culling through the history of the 20th century, I am also very displeased that ERA [the Equal Rights Amendment] did not pass. I still think it would have been a very real, very parallel legislative achievement of the Civil Rights legislature of the 1960s. Also, I do support the rights of any sexual/queer minority. But, does all that make me a feminist? My actions, unfortunately, have always tended to be that of a very patriarchal person.
A final analogy to be drawn. I love Europe and its history because, while I do feel it does offer a key to the future, for liberal democracies, I also love it because, in its own quiet way, it can be horribly regressive. My love of Europe makes me part of the establishment, if the establishment even exists anymore. It is a petty, bourgeois attempt at being progressive. But, does that mean that what we consider the "Eastern" world is any different? I don't know. I'm afraid I've probably drawn myself into a quagmire of racist, petty arguments.
I guess what I'm ultimately saying, is, I'm very American. And, while I do believe in a great many progressive issues, my actions and theories are separated by ever-widening gulfs. As America continues to move to the Right, I wonder, can I (and will I) ever really be a leftist?
In the end, this all has me pining for that lost decade, our lost decade, the American decade, of the 1990s. The world really was ours, and we blew it. I'm not sure any of it can be recaptured, what with the rise of the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] nations and our decline.
I don't mean to paint such a terrible picture, because, it really isn't that terrible. It is true, what is lost can never be regained, but it is equally true that bold, progressive steps can be taken to redress these issues. It must be done, in order to continue our society.
But, I worry, is "the dream of the 90s" really only alive in Portland? I'm just not sure. Whatever is, and wherever is, the dream of the 90s, we must try to make it real and tangible, again.