How I Am Doing ItwlotusAugust 31 2010, 16:13:34 UTC
Part of taking back my power was tapping back in to my little-girl, innate sense of equality and justice. There was a lot about gender roles that never, ever made sense to me, but I learned to not say so loudly, "That isn't FAIR!" at a young age. "They" didn't like it when I would do that. At some point in my adulthood I found my voice, again, and I learned to use it
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Re: How I Am Doing ItmuseAugust 31 2010, 17:58:12 UTC
It's never been about man vs. woman in the sense of one being good, the other being bad. Our actions, whoever and whatever we are, have far-reaching consequences. The more that one can take the steps to better one's self, the better the world will be. Historically, the majority of women have had problems with letting that light shine forth or accepting the power of being truly human. We've existed for centuries as shadows, known more for who we've married than our contributions to the world. I want to find my voice. I want to be a powerful woman. I want to know powerful men and women with powerful voices. I am learning to cultivate friendships and relationships that further that goal
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Re: How I Am Doing ItwlotusAugust 31 2010, 18:05:20 UTC
I wonder how that comes to be, and think perhaps men have been just as conditioned as we are.
My gut has always told me it is conditioning, not innate nature. Statements about how men are natural this-and-that, while women are natural that-and-the-other give me a headache. Every person is different. If we'd let people be who they are without conditioning males one way and females another, the world would be a better place on a lot of levels.
It's important for women to find their voices and encourage one another to use them. The wisdom of a large portion of the human race is silenced when we do not do that. I mourn what we've lost already in human history.
Re: How I Am Doing ItmuseAugust 31 2010, 21:00:28 UTC
My father gets angry when people talk about "men are from Mars, women are from Venus," as if we cannot possibly relate because we come from different planets. I once got into a HUGE verbal argument with an ex because she insisted that men and women couldn't be treated equally because they were very different from one another.
And yes, it is so important for young women to find their voices and encourage others to use them. When you are voiceless you have no power. When you have a voice, you have the power to record and witness your own history.
Oh, how I missed you.smartlikeatruckAugust 31 2010, 16:20:49 UTC
I am a bad feminist, because I am angry at women, angry angry angry at these girls with their self hate and their callously flung epithets. I blame us, this divided red sea, for everything that we have given away to men. You cannot take away a name, it has to be given up freely, and we did, we do. We let them rename us, and reshape us in the image of the silly whore, the hapless half-wit, the useless child.
I don't know what to do with all of my anger, but occasionally let it slip out in mixed company, and thusly am I labeled: sharp-tongued, intimidating, too much to handle. I will take those names, and add one more: strong.
Re: Oh, how I missed you.museAugust 31 2010, 17:49:54 UTC
As I've gotten older, I've changed my views of good feminists vs. bad feminists or even good activist vs. bad activist. That is too myopic. What you feel is valid. It doesn't make you a bad anything because there is a reason behind almost every person's viewpoint--whether they are a racist or a humanitarian. I just try to be the best Ms. Blackfeather that I can be and leave the labels behind a little more these days
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Re: Oh, how I missed you.smartlikeatruckAugust 31 2010, 18:25:00 UTC
I have been torn apart by too many women, too many women that called themselves my friends. We are taught to revile one another, to vilify women who do not keep their eyes downcast and their steps small. We had power, but it was so long ago that we have forgotten, so long ago that it was not written down for us to remember. I do not hate them for what they do, but I am angry at their mothers, and their fathers, and their grandmothers and their grandfathers, stretching on and on longer than they can trace. I do what I can, I keep the words flowing, I talk to teenagers, I work to educate, I try. I do not give up. I do not let men use their words against me. It is easier, though, to teach a man to see women differently. Women are a whole other story.
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My gut has always told me it is conditioning, not innate nature. Statements about how men are natural this-and-that, while women are natural that-and-the-other give me a headache. Every person is different. If we'd let people be who they are without conditioning males one way and females another, the world would be a better place on a lot of levels.
It's important for women to find their voices and encourage one another to use them. The wisdom of a large portion of the human race is silenced when we do not do that. I mourn what we've lost already in human history.
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And yes, it is so important for young women to find their voices and encourage others to use them. When you are voiceless you have no power. When you have a voice, you have the power to record and witness your own history.
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I don't know what to do with all of my anger, but occasionally let it slip out in mixed company, and thusly am I labeled: sharp-tongued, intimidating, too much to handle. I will take those names, and add one more: strong.
Reply
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I do not hate them for what they do, but I am angry at their mothers, and their fathers, and their grandmothers and their grandfathers, stretching on and on longer than they can trace.
I do what I can, I keep the words flowing, I talk to teenagers, I work to educate, I try. I do not give up. I do not let men use their words against me. It is easier, though, to teach a man to see women differently. Women are a whole other story.
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