2016: The Year of Being Cranky, or How to Challenge Everyone's Assumptions Before 8 AM PST
When three out of five of your first LJ posts for the year are cranky posts, you realize that you're getting old and cranky. But, damn it, I've earned it. Here are the things I'm cranky about today.
My niece's cousin is on Facebook. She's 17, entering college early, so she's got brains. She seems to think I'm cool. But over the last two days, she's posted two memes so irretrievably offensive, so intrinsically misogynistic that I had to challenge her. I've actually been challenging her misogyny since the first time I encountered it. That time, she called another girl a cunt. I told her I'd never refer to another woman that way, no matter how much I disliked her. Yesterday, she posted a meme saying that women who falsely accuse men of rape should be jailed. I asked her how she'd ever prove it, and then reminded her that men have been accusing women of lying about rape for centuries and that maybe she shouldn't be so quick to judge. Today, she posted a meme--pictures of Bill Clinton with big-breasted women--that said, "Bill Clinton always chooses other women over Hillary. Shouldn't you?" I asked her what exactly the meme was trying to say, what she was trying to say--that Hillary Clinton isn't sexy enough to be president? Then I observed that if she was going to challenge a candidate, she should challenge them on the basis of their policies and philosophies and that she does women no favors by objectifying them this way.
It makes me crazy that she posts this crap so unthinkingly. I know that she's 17. I also know that she finished high school early and that her grades have been excellent. She's no intellectual slouch. But she hasn't been taught to think critically or to engage the culture in a substantive way. I'll be damned if anyone even remotely related to me doesn't give more thought to the stuff they post. I'm not perfect, but if I can help her avoid some of the thoughtlessness I've engaged in over the years, I'm sure as hell going to do it. She may not like me for it, but . . . tough. :: grumble ::
If I could say anything to her, I think the most important thing I could do is quote Marmie from "Little Women":
"If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind: Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage."
Give her something to really think about.
A writer acquaintance of mine posted a video from Ben Carson about how he was going to make America great again, that we didn't need another politician in the White House. In response, I posted three quotes from Carson: the one about the pyramids, the one about how the framers of the Constitution had no political experience (they did) and the one about how if the people had been armed, Hitler wouldn't have reached power. I then asked if this was really the man she wanted in the presidency.
Apparently, I've started the day as a culture warrior. If this is what I'm like at 7 AM, the world better watch out today. I'm in fighting form.
My niece's cousin is on Facebook. She's 17, entering college early, so she's got brains. She seems to think I'm cool. But over the last two days, she's posted two memes so irretrievably offensive, so intrinsically misogynistic that I had to challenge her. I've actually been challenging her misogyny since the first time I encountered it. That time, she called another girl a cunt. I told her I'd never refer to another woman that way, no matter how much I disliked her. Yesterday, she posted a meme saying that women who falsely accuse men of rape should be jailed. I asked her how she'd ever prove it, and then reminded her that men have been accusing women of lying about rape for centuries and that maybe she shouldn't be so quick to judge. Today, she posted a meme--pictures of Bill Clinton with big-breasted women--that said, "Bill Clinton always chooses other women over Hillary. Shouldn't you?" I asked her what exactly the meme was trying to say, what she was trying to say--that Hillary Clinton isn't sexy enough to be president? Then I observed that if she was going to challenge a candidate, she should challenge them on the basis of their policies and philosophies and that she does women no favors by objectifying them this way.
It makes me crazy that she posts this crap so unthinkingly. I know that she's 17. I also know that she finished high school early and that her grades have been excellent. She's no intellectual slouch. But she hasn't been taught to think critically or to engage the culture in a substantive way. I'll be damned if anyone even remotely related to me doesn't give more thought to the stuff they post. I'm not perfect, but if I can help her avoid some of the thoughtlessness I've engaged in over the years, I'm sure as hell going to do it. She may not like me for it, but . . . tough. :: grumble ::
If I could say anything to her, I think the most important thing I could do is quote Marmie from "Little Women":
"If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really are. Time erodes all such beauty, but what it cannot diminish is the wonderful workings of your mind: Your humor, your kindness, and your moral courage."
Give her something to really think about.
A writer acquaintance of mine posted a video from Ben Carson about how he was going to make America great again, that we didn't need another politician in the White House. In response, I posted three quotes from Carson: the one about the pyramids, the one about how the framers of the Constitution had no political experience (they did) and the one about how if the people had been armed, Hitler wouldn't have reached power. I then asked if this was really the man she wanted in the presidency.
Apparently, I've started the day as a culture warrior. If this is what I'm like at 7 AM, the world better watch out today. I'm in fighting form.