Are you feeling stressed? Do you use the word stressed more than three times a day? Are you in high school? If so then you are overstressed and underage. Too young to drive with anyone under the age of 25, but old enough to write more than the average person speaks. Can you believe the pressure in these fall and winter months. Us high school students have a pick of any school we would like to name as our first choice university, but do we really have any way of knowing that we won't work so hard that we'll faint if we take one more standardized test?......and get the results. I am not speaking for the 4.0 student nor am I talking about the "am I going to graduate student?“. I am an advocate for those of us that have fallen in between, mediocre SAT or ACT scores, does exceptionally well on those 40 minute timed responses in AP English class, and an occasional D or C on a progress report isn't a total shocker to our parents. We often wonder at times if we have a future, because we just won't accept Community College as a option that can set us free from our parents' midnight lectures, but there are times when we get happy because we got accepted to our 42ND choice school, on a provisional basis. Provisions,...Ha! Who needs them? I don't. Does anybody out there have any sympathy. Hello,.... I'm dying here.
Whoever said your junior year is your hardest must have been telling a joke that none of his burnt out friends got. Not only as seniors do we have to keep up with required coursework, but also any insignificant assignments those aliens disguised as caring teachers throw at us, but we also have to do a dozen college applications. We barely have enough time to fight with our mothers, feed our dogs, and go to an occasional movie, but that's not good enough is it? You college admissions officers want every minuscule amount of time to go to striving to get in UC Berkeley so that when you finally reject us you can savor the sweet joy that you have by ruining our lives. Don't worry I'll see you at the local gas station harassing you until you let me wipe your windshield.
So what's the point of this? Why am I saying this? Why am I making you sound like a hired killer? Why do I keep saying why? It's simple all I want is a little slack!!!!!!!!!!
8.20.2009
A Different Opinion
Okay I am ready to write this blog. I have been doing hours of research. I was doing a project for school project on freshman entering college, but as I was doing research for that something deeper peaked my interest. The Advanced Placement system, a system used on high school campuses to help students get a head start on college work. A student takes a class with an accompanying test, if they pass the test they will receive college credit which looks great on college applications and can help save money to be used on college tuition. This system can give an unfair advantage to Caucasian students. Even though the main opinion in this article is one against this unfair advantage, I myself have taken the maximum of AP classes offered throughout my education which is a mediocre number of four, despite this I will present both sides to this situation. The UC system is the most prestigious name is public universities. So, after the elimination of affirmative action in 1998 underrepresented minority applicants enroll at a UC at considerably lower rates than others students, and the gap has widened noticeably in these 5 years. Now since the removal of affirmative action UCLA and UCB have enacted a holistic approach to getting pass the restriction and admit more minority students. It used to be one admission representative would look at one part of an application now all admission representatives look at the entire application which helps admissions officers to see the "whole person". I wonder if this is because of the well publicized scandal with UCLA and UC Berkeley not having enough African-American students or do these universities really want more diversity at their campus. One part of unfair advantage that has not been acknowledged by UCs are the flaws in the AP system. About 60% of high school students are minority, but only 30% taking AP exams are students of color. What really astonished me while I continued to research was that there were lawsuits against Berkeley and College Board.College Board is such a huge business is education; they have sort of a monopoly on high school students. To hear that their validity and credibility were being questioned was amazing! The plaintiffs argued that giving extra points to AP classes was not fair because it gives an unfair advantage to white students because they are the ones who predominantly take AP classes. Even if you want to take a AP class you may not be able to because not enough of the students at your underprivileged school may not be qualified. Each high school in the San Francisco district is allocated the resources to offer two AP classes each year if it chooses, according to district spokeswoman Elaine Koury. If a school wants to offer more, at least 20 interested students are needed for the creation of each additional class.``It's not an issue of `Here are our AP resources and we're giving them all to (a few) schools,'' said San Francisco school board member Jill Wynns. ``If you have eligible kids who want to take AP and you have enough of them, your school gets AP resources.''The number of AP classes offered by San Francisco's high schools vary widely. At academically rigorous Lowell High School, the combination of a large student body and hundreds of students hungry for AP credit means the school offers dozens of AP courses each year. Having Advanced Placement credit is something that is considered as an extra asset to an college application not a necessity.Though, at schools like Berkeley your application won't even be seriously considered if you have no AP credit. Now if you want to take the AP test without the valuable accompanying AP class you may, but only a very small percentage pass the AP test when doing that, which means alot of wasted time and effort."Such students can still take honors courses and try to pass the AP exams, but without formal class preparation, passing the tests can be harder. During the 1997-98 academic year, according to state records, 32 AP exams were taken at Balboa, even though the school offered no AP classes. Ten of the test-takers received a score high enough to qualify for college credit. At Lowell, 1,613 AP exams were taken, and 1,463 received a score high enough to earn college credit.I myself took a AP test without taking the class, I did not pass. I can only wonder if all this trouble has been brought on by the so-called "reverse discrimination" lawsuit. This was a lawsuit in 1978 against Regents of the University of California by Bakke. This man had been rejected my UC Davis' medical school on three occasions.He claimed that he was more qualified than the minorities that had been admitted for quotas in his place and suffered reverse discrimination. My question is how did he know that if there were no quotas for minority students would he have been admitted then? For that matter on what basis was he denied and after the lawsuit was he then admitted?
In conclusion, of course I believe affirmative as it was originally but it should be based on economic class or acknowledgement of hardship.It should not be based on hardship because there are advantaged and disadvantaged people in every race.There should be a reason other than race that a person receive extra help like a notable setback.
Clik the title to learn more
In conclusion, of course I believe affirmative as it was originally but it should be based on economic class or acknowledgement of hardship.It should not be based on hardship because there are advantaged and disadvantaged people in every race.There should be a reason other than race that a person receive extra help like a notable setback.
Clik the title to learn more
A Different Opinion #2
"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him to stand here or go yonder. He will find his proper place and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his own special benefit."-Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson
In this day and age, there is no back door and the black man has cut one for his own special benefit... figuratively speaking. The American public all know that black men go to prison at overwhelmingly more significant numbers than other races, whether they get that knowledge from personal experience or statistics. I have a theory that black men are imprisoned at these vast rates because they have learned that they are not free from the bondages of slavery. In my opinion the education of black men from slavery; that they are worthless, ugly, disgusting, unloved and unwanted has been passed down from black man to black man,from generation to generation. If you know from personal experience,according to black men the number one reason they were have imprisoned is because of the "white man". It almost never has anything to do with any mistakes that the man himself has done, only with the white man having some type of vendetta against him. Maybe, white people do have a vendetta against our race. I know more than a few people who would agree. In spite of that possibility, can our men take some type of responsibility for their actions please.? It might help. Stop ignoring the real reason why you are in prison, and blaming it on the white race. It does not matter who other than yourself is to blame for your freedom being taken away. The point is your are in prison and you need to learn something from the experience. If you feel that someonelse is at fault then do something about it and stop complaining. When you go to prison you leave behind the people who love you and the people who you are supposed to know but will never have a chance to. Relationships are buried and hearts are broken. Please take some responsibility for that.
In this day and age, there is no back door and the black man has cut one for his own special benefit... figuratively speaking. The American public all know that black men go to prison at overwhelmingly more significant numbers than other races, whether they get that knowledge from personal experience or statistics. I have a theory that black men are imprisoned at these vast rates because they have learned that they are not free from the bondages of slavery. In my opinion the education of black men from slavery; that they are worthless, ugly, disgusting, unloved and unwanted has been passed down from black man to black man,from generation to generation. If you know from personal experience,according to black men the number one reason they were have imprisoned is because of the "white man". It almost never has anything to do with any mistakes that the man himself has done, only with the white man having some type of vendetta against him. Maybe, white people do have a vendetta against our race. I know more than a few people who would agree. In spite of that possibility, can our men take some type of responsibility for their actions please.? It might help. Stop ignoring the real reason why you are in prison, and blaming it on the white race. It does not matter who other than yourself is to blame for your freedom being taken away. The point is your are in prison and you need to learn something from the experience. If you feel that someonelse is at fault then do something about it and stop complaining. When you go to prison you leave behind the people who love you and the people who you are supposed to know but will never have a chance to. Relationships are buried and hearts are broken. Please take some responsibility for that.
Fox Attacks Black America!
I had never experienced direct racism until I started to attend the high school that I do now. At first when I came to this predominantly Hispanic school everyone was really nice, educated, and non confrontational. But I guess as everyone got comfortable around me their true colors started to show; now since I have been attending this school I have started to become wiser about racism and racists. Even still, none of the racism that I face is direct. The comments people make are either not said to me directly or they are not said in English so that I might understand. Readers of my blog know that this blog deals with a lot of political issues, more than entertainment.And I have made a more than a few posts about racism in America.
In my opinion America's youth, no matter what their race is, are more racist than America's adults. Of course, there are adults who are racist and then pass that hatred on to their children. I myself have faced racism from youth and adults alike.America's youth are too superficial, ignorant, and materialistic to care about another race and the feelings of one individual person.Or maybe it's just the experiences and the knowledge the adults have acquired that teach them to have respect for another race.
The definition of racism is to make a assumption about a race. Racism is as simple as that. If you make an assumption about a race then you are a racist. I am shocked by the blatant racism this country has and most of the racists in this country believe they are not racists. I am so passionate about stopping racism because I have faced it and had to deal with and it has given me a thicker skin. Which in the end is a positive result for me.
And in a final note a joke: How many racists does it take to screw on a light bulb?
None....they don't want to be enlightened!
In my opinion America's youth, no matter what their race is, are more racist than America's adults. Of course, there are adults who are racist and then pass that hatred on to their children. I myself have faced racism from youth and adults alike.America's youth are too superficial, ignorant, and materialistic to care about another race and the feelings of one individual person.Or maybe it's just the experiences and the knowledge the adults have acquired that teach them to have respect for another race.
The definition of racism is to make a assumption about a race. Racism is as simple as that. If you make an assumption about a race then you are a racist. I am shocked by the blatant racism this country has and most of the racists in this country believe they are not racists. I am so passionate about stopping racism because I have faced it and had to deal with and it has given me a thicker skin. Which in the end is a positive result for me.
And in a final note a joke: How many racists does it take to screw on a light bulb?
None....they don't want to be enlightened!
Christmas
I like to write. I sit in all my classes and write about the things that my teachers say. I am taking this Religious Studies class; Religious Myths and Rituals. I thought it was going to be like a Philosophy class, where they tell me there is no God or some shit like that. I dropped this class twice, but eventually I had no choice. They do sortaa belittle typical religious practices, but alot of the subjects we talk about in the class are very informative.
For example, today my TA spoke about a little about how Christmas does not actually symbolize the birth of Jesus. It is really a derivitive of a Pagan Roman holiday . Romans used to celebrate the winter solstice doing alot of the same practices done today in the Christmas holiday. So when Romans adopted Christianity, they continued thier celebrations of the winter solstice, but said it was Christian.
For example, today my TA spoke about a little about how Christmas does not actually symbolize the birth of Jesus. It is really a derivitive of a Pagan Roman holiday . Romans used to celebrate the winter solstice doing alot of the same practices done today in the Christmas holiday. So when Romans adopted Christianity, they continued thier celebrations of the winter solstice, but said it was Christian.
Death
People are so naive. Everyone has a "bucket list". People are always talking about what they want to do before they die. Why do those things matter? I think the things that matter most in this world, are meaningful human relationships. I truly believe it is what people long for their entire lives. But instead of actually seeking that out, they want money, and to do things that at the end of life are trivial. Who cares how many countries you have had sex in, if you have no real friends and if you have abandoned your entire family? Even in a religious aspect, why does God care about what we do on this Earth? Give us this life to live, I will do what I want, then die. Why are we born of God, but then abandoned at our death, because we were not "good" people during our time on Earth? I am content with my life right now. I am happy now. If I died right now, I would be content in my last moments. I have people who love me, and love them.
Yea I am pretty misanthropic.
Yea I am pretty misanthropic.
What Dreams May Come
The movie " What Dreams May Come", starring Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr deals with the concept of taboo. Taboo is a religious prohibition drawn from various, scriptual, cultural, and historic sources. In the movie, Robin Williams; two children die in a car accident, and then he dies in a car accident, his wife, in turn is so overcome with grief that she commits suicide. Robin Williams, while in heaven is longing to see his wife. When he finds out that she has died he is pleased to know that he will soon see her, but the taboo is that "suicides go to hell." The fact that his wife committed suicide condemns her to hell, instead of heaven. Today religions hold the belief that suicide is an unforgivable sin. It also deals with the concept of the after-life, where bad people will be repaid for their sins. "To an outside observer, a taboo or religious prohibition seem irrational; to the believer, it simply seems right...Taboos, as rules of behavior, are always part of a whole system and cannot be understood outside their social context." ( Douglas 76). When Robin Williams first hears of the fact that his wife will go to hell he is outraged, and feels that his wife is being judged. "In essence it generally implies a rule which has no meaning, or one which cannot be explained" (Douglas 76). When Robin Williams' "guardian" tells him that his wife will go to hell, he cannot explain the fact that she must go to hell; it just is that way. "Its breach willl unleash dangers, while keeping the rules would amount to avoiding dangers and sickness"(Douglas 76). Robin Williams essentially goes a journey "to hell and back" to retrieve his wife. When he ventures on this journey he is faced with the danger of never finding his way back to heaven.
So I Think I Have Found The Answer
...to why girls hate each other
i learned in pysc class that we as people all have a natural complex to want to do our best and to be the best. so naturally we want to compete with each other to be the best and to have the best. and why arent boys included in this little competition? because we compete to get them!
i have a proposition...stop competing with each other and compete with yourself. we must strive to be better than we were the day before not be better than people who we should be helping to be better. we must stay in our own lane and do our own thing, and not compare ourselves to other people. we just gotta do us and not worry about what other people are doing.
i know its hard, when girls hate and talk about you for no reason and spread rumors, but i just started killing these hoes with kindness and LET ME TELL YOU..its a whole lot better on my blood pressure!
and another thing....take your focus off these boys that aint bout shit and worry about your future!
i learned in pysc class that we as people all have a natural complex to want to do our best and to be the best. so naturally we want to compete with each other to be the best and to have the best. and why arent boys included in this little competition? because we compete to get them!
i have a proposition...stop competing with each other and compete with yourself. we must strive to be better than we were the day before not be better than people who we should be helping to be better. we must stay in our own lane and do our own thing, and not compare ourselves to other people. we just gotta do us and not worry about what other people are doing.
i know its hard, when girls hate and talk about you for no reason and spread rumors, but i just started killing these hoes with kindness and LET ME TELL YOU..its a whole lot better on my blood pressure!
and another thing....take your focus off these boys that aint bout shit and worry about your future!
I also learned
in my wonderful pysc 2 class taught by a beautiful black professor; Carloyn Murray, that ways to reduce prejudice include:
1. working together to achieve a common goal...the elimination of racism
............AND.............
2. not having a hierarchial system
(we are all the same..no one is better than anyone else)
lets get this ish crackin'!
1. working together to achieve a common goal...the elimination of racism
............AND.............
2. not having a hierarchial system
(we are all the same..no one is better than anyone else)
lets get this ish crackin'!
When you look at me
what do you see?
Today my mother had a visitor..her best friend Trinna. When she came over to the house my brothers' class pictures were on the table. Trinna proceeded to take a picture of my youngest brother Eric. AND only a picture of my youngest brother, cut the picture from the other pictures and stick it into her wallet. My mother said to her: excuse me. i have two sons!...Trinna then said...i dont want a picture of darkie(referring to my other brother...David.)
i think my mother should have slapped her.shit.i might slap her next time i see her. please dont call it ignorance...its plain stupidity. both of my brothers are perfect and handsome, and the next person that compares them with each other is going to get cut off from my life completely...seriously. there is no competition in my family, we dont need to compete and wont, we love each other and do not cherish one another over the other.i mean whats with everyone's competitive spirit?...my brothers are not competing for shit....EVER!
but i really want to know
what the hell is up with this light skinned/dark skinned complex
is it a sub concious thing?...that spills over into what people think of a person's personality and emotions?
i mean what do you think, what do you see?...when you see a dark skinned person?
i see....someone who is beautiful...who skin matches my life...my struggle....what is right in this world..and what is wrong.....but what can become great...what is deep and not superficial..i see skin that cannot break...it matches depth and strength and resiliance
and when i see someone of a light complexion i see someone beautiful also...whom skin matches the sun...who can make light of any situation....i see...a skin that matches love and humor...and happiness
why do you have to look at skin color and more importantly race?
why cant you just see me?...or him? or she?...or that personality that really is that person...
i am not just dark skinned...i am tall...i am a woman...i am black..i am malaka....all those things make up me and so much more...my name is malaka not "dark skinned" so why is that the only thing you see?
but really answer the question..what do you see?!...why are people with a darker complexion looked down upon?...like they are less than....especially when compared with light skinned people.
this is not the first time my brother has dealt with this...and im sure it wont be the last...i guess i never really realized the capacity of this problem before..i was one of those people that was sick of hearing of it...now i see it from a deeper angle...and i want answers
Today my mother had a visitor..her best friend Trinna. When she came over to the house my brothers' class pictures were on the table. Trinna proceeded to take a picture of my youngest brother Eric. AND only a picture of my youngest brother, cut the picture from the other pictures and stick it into her wallet. My mother said to her: excuse me. i have two sons!...Trinna then said...i dont want a picture of darkie(referring to my other brother...David.)
i think my mother should have slapped her.shit.i might slap her next time i see her. please dont call it ignorance...its plain stupidity. both of my brothers are perfect and handsome, and the next person that compares them with each other is going to get cut off from my life completely...seriously. there is no competition in my family, we dont need to compete and wont, we love each other and do not cherish one another over the other.i mean whats with everyone's competitive spirit?...my brothers are not competing for shit....EVER!
but i really want to know
what the hell is up with this light skinned/dark skinned complex
is it a sub concious thing?...that spills over into what people think of a person's personality and emotions?
i mean what do you think, what do you see?...when you see a dark skinned person?
i see....someone who is beautiful...who skin matches my life...my struggle....what is right in this world..and what is wrong.....but what can become great...what is deep and not superficial..i see skin that cannot break...it matches depth and strength and resiliance
and when i see someone of a light complexion i see someone beautiful also...whom skin matches the sun...who can make light of any situation....i see...a skin that matches love and humor...and happiness
why do you have to look at skin color and more importantly race?
why cant you just see me?...or him? or she?...or that personality that really is that person...
i am not just dark skinned...i am tall...i am a woman...i am black..i am malaka....all those things make up me and so much more...my name is malaka not "dark skinned" so why is that the only thing you see?
but really answer the question..what do you see?!...why are people with a darker complexion looked down upon?...like they are less than....especially when compared with light skinned people.
this is not the first time my brother has dealt with this...and im sure it wont be the last...i guess i never really realized the capacity of this problem before..i was one of those people that was sick of hearing of it...now i see it from a deeper angle...and i want answers
Great Womyn in Progress
Great Womyn in Progress is an advocacy organization open to all young womyn who are working towards a more positive way of life and becoming a valued member of society.
Visit Great Womyn In Progress
Visit Great Womyn In Progress
to visit our blog..click the title of this post!
Visit Great Womyn In Progress
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to visit our blog..click the title of this post!
Kemet??
Whats that? I am always wanting to learn more. I always feel that there are always half truths going around making people think that they know everything and can look down on people who know less. Don't harbor you information, spread it. I am trying to learn more so that I won't continue to be one of these people. I am writing here, so I can spread it. Learn the truth and help others learn the truth.This subject is something I want to learn more about, because I feel that there is more that I should know and that there are people who know what I don't know. I want to learn more and be more educated about black issues, since it is one of my passions. I am reading an article in Our Weekly right now and its talking about a question that someone asked the author about why people find their pride in Egypt when it is such a small part of Africa. Sooo Kemet=Egypt? According to this article, yes. And Mesopotamia is not the birth of civilization but Kemet is. But then I have heard things about Egyptians not being labeled as Black. Well the truth, is that Egypt/Kemet is a mix of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and African heritage. This is why you can see a person from Egpyt look like they are not black.But Africans were supposedly in Kemet since 10,000 B.C.E and Middle Easterners, not until 7th Century A.D. I want to visit Egypt next summer. It is such a beautiful place and holds so much of our history.It also holds alot of mysteries and secrets. Like for example, if we ruled Egypt does that mean that we had slaves to build things like the Sphinx which represents Black King Khafre? Who were the slaves? Middle Easterners as depicted in movies or were the slaves just like us?
Pastelle?? Kidding me right??
I know some people are going ga ga over this ish.but I don't see nothing to write home about. Do better Kanye
This is a subject that has been beaten to death.
So I just made Great Womyn in Progress a Myspace page, so I have been searching for like minded pages. I came across the page for Black Girls Rock. I added it, and then proceeded to follow a link to their actual website. As I looked around the page, I saw that there was evidence that young girls are actually negatively affected by the over-sexed images presented on television. Now we have all heard this before about how hip hop hates womyn and how we can't bend over at parties because it shows our lack of self-respect, but actually showed evidence by a reliable source. I was never one who had an opinion one way or the other about the music videos and such, but I know that they could be a little bit too vulgar. I didn't care though, I love hip-hop and know that a lot of times artists are afraid to step outside of the box and not portray womyn as just sexual creatures. I wasn't the one to blame the womyn in the videos either, for a life lesson that I had to learn once is that, you get in where you fit in, and you do what you gotta do. I'm sure most of those womyn don't like doing what they are doing in those videos, but just feel that they don't have any other choice, that one day what they are doing will pay off and lead to something bigger. I just feel that parents need to monitor what their children watch on television, that people shouldn't watch those music videos(they usually are crap anyways) if they cannot decipher between image and reality.
EEk!!(and I mean that in the best possible way)
L.A. muthafucking GEAR is back.
I like totally loved LA Gear back in the day, even past the dry days after the label went belly up. I had this one cropped jacket, it was stonewashed with LA GEAR written in neon pink letters on the back. I wore it all the time, and didn't care about the weird looks I was getting(girls like me never do.hehe)I mean, seriously, this was only like the 10th grade. I actually think my mom threw my beloved jacket away!ugh. Parents just don't understand.
Seriously folks..LA Gear is what the game's been missing!
Click the title to learn more.
ugh. FUCKING CLICHES
1.If you have a tongue ring...you must suck dick.
2.If you wear make-up...you must be insecure
3.If you use the words nigga or bitch...you must be ignorant.
These and so much more, just run my nerves. Why must everyone fit your stereotypical image? Not everyone in this world is the same, no matter how many traits they may have in common. Everyone has something in common with everyone. Stop judging, you know you hate it when people do it to you.
2.If you wear make-up...you must be insecure
3.If you use the words nigga or bitch...you must be ignorant.
These and so much more, just run my nerves. Why must everyone fit your stereotypical image? Not everyone in this world is the same, no matter how many traits they may have in common. Everyone has something in common with everyone. Stop judging, you know you hate it when people do it to you.
What Thee Fuck?!
*To start off lets view the definition of Feminism
*Next lets look at the definition of Womanism
I guess I will just throw in the definition to fraternities also.
Now let us dissect each word more personally and in a more detailed way. Feminism was initially a movement to get women equal rights. People started to notice, though, that this movement was all-inclusive of white women only. So womanism was a movement created to include women of color.If you read the wikipedia definition of womanism, you can see it was a term first coined by Alice Walker in her novel, "In Search of Our Mother's Gardens". The movements are not competing with each other, and recently I noticed that modern feminism is more diversified. Fraternities, for the purpose of this post, I will be talking more about black fraternities, which are in the simplest definition, a organization. You can ask members and non-members of these organizations alike, what they are and you will probably get different explanations from each of them.
I don't pretend to be an expert on Fraternities or Greek organizations in general, but I do believe that I know more than the average college student. I also do not want to give off the impression that I am anti-fraternities. The main purpose of this blog is to enlighten others to fraternity members and others about the disrespect of womyn that these organizations perpetuate, it is also to express my disgust for the hypocritical ways of the members of these organizations.
Exhibit #1
Now I know that there glare may be a little distracting, but if you look closely you will see that Garcelle has no damn clothes on! This is a flyer for a Kappa party, needless to say, when I saw this I was disgusted, saddened, and disappointed. This is pitiful, using the half-clothes body of a female to garner publicity, money, and people to come to some little party, that may or may not be worth their time and effort. Not to mention, that I am sure Garcelle did not give permission for her likeness to be used in this way. I saw some brothers of KAPSI passing out these flyers and proceeded to give them a piece of my mind. Overall, they were receptive but I still don't believe that they grasped the larger meaning of what I was saying. I gave them the idea to have flyers with themselves on it, a handsome example of a Kappa man. Needless to say they liked that idea. They said that they would bring the idea to their chapter president.
Oh No He Didn't #2
So, I was in the library the other day, seeking refuge from my screaming brothers and annoying mom and finding solace in the internet that I hadn't seen in so long, just minding my own business. Along comes this guy I had noticed earlier had been watching me. This time he walked past me, looked at my computer screen and said, "This girl has been here alll day looking at Beyonce." Now mind you, I had just got to the library about 15 minutes prior, and I had yet to look at anything about Beyonce, but his ignorance is not even the worst part. I digress, another guy that he was with, that had earlier tapped me on the shoulder to show me some youtube video he was featured in. I smiled politely and chuckled, some fake, corny movie. Well when this guy heard the first guy's comment(they were together) he said, "Let her dream, man she wishes she was Beyonce." I should have cussed his dumb ass out but I stayed silent. I am still trying to figure out why. Like why would I want to be Beyonce, I love myself, I love being me, I love who I am, inside and out. Beyonce is a beautiful, talented, smart, strong, woman, and I respect her. I love her because she is a woman who empowers other women and because I love that she has values and makes good woman. With all that, coupled with the fact that she has fame, is rich, and a man by her side; I still do not want to be her. I am happy with my life and what I have. Why would that man think that I would want to be Beyonce? All the money in the world would not make me forsake who I am to be anyone else. Maybe be wants every woman to be Beyonce, maybe he wants to be someone else. I just wish he would not have perpetuated his foolishness onto me.
Oh No He Didn't!
Oh No He Didn't!
Is Anyone Else Sik Of?
The plaid shirt...talk about a over-indulgence...I'm sick of it...everyone wearing it...and if I see another one, I am going to scream!
ugh...
You Little Virgin!
So the other day I was browsing through Bitch magazine’s blog entries when I came across an article about a situation that many of you may be familiar with; it was about a woman selling her virginity over the Internet. Anyway, the article got me to start analyzing the concept of virginity.
Virgin - someone who has never had sex. Instead of using definitions that dictionaries use, I like to use the definition that society uses. Though it can be argued that those are the worst kind of definitions, let’s use this particular definition for the purpose of this blog. The concept of virginity certainly involves an element of possession. Womyn “give” away or “lose” their virginities. Womyn in this patriarchal, homophobic society are always expected to give a man something in the context of a hetero-normative relationship. We “give” a man a child. We save our virginity so that we can “give” it to “the one.”
When is the last time you heard about a man “giving” a woman his virginity? Usually when people are referring to a man “giving” his virginity to a woman, they are BOTH virgins in the situation. Why are their sexist roles involved in sex? Can’t sex be something that is uninhibited by the confines of society? It certainly surpasses the spirituality of society.
Men “take” a womyn’s virginity, which involves an implied situation of coercion and force. The word ‘take’ is synonymous with rape. Take is synonymous with “take advantage of”. And what happens after a man so-called “takes” a woman’s virginity? Does he still have that virginity for the rest of his life? No one ever says, “he has your virginity”. If they have sex again, does the woman get her virginity back? If you “lose” your virginity does that mean you can’t remember the guy that you “lost” it to? Does the man pass that woman’s virginity on to other girls? And how many “virginties” do trans people get? What if you were raped before you had the chance to willingly have sex for the first time, are you still considered a virgin? Is a person still a virgin if they have sex with a member of their own sex? Why does virginity never come into the situation again after it is given, taken, or lost? Why can’t we “share” in a person’s virginity? Why is virginity deemed a one-time event instead of a process done over time? Better yet, why can’t the idea of virginity and America’s obsession with it just die? Why must a woman feel guilty or inhibited when it comes to having sex for the first time, when a man is encouraged to have sex with the first opportunity presents itself? I think the whole “give, take and lose” politics of virginity is a manifestation of the objectification of women and our bodies and the fact that sex is treated as a commodity. Sex is used to sell everything from movies to cannibus club memberships. Sex is also used to make womyn feel bad about themselves, men are allowed to be sexual whenever the feeling suits them and womyn are not and if we are, we are harped upon.
In the rape culture that this society perpetuates, the man must always be the aggressor in relationships and sex. The man must always make the first move. Virginity is synonymous with pure. Why is innocence attriubuted to keeping your virginity? Why when you have sex for the first time, you aren’t “innocent” anymore? This can allude to the fact that womyn having sex is seen as a bad act in our culture, like there was a illegal act committed. In our culture, sex is taboo. It is seen as a right of passage, a defining moment in our lives that will bring about some drastic change. Little girls are taught to dream about the moment that they will have sex for the first time and with whom.
These are just a couple of the questions and problems I have with this concept. Will someone please tell what the fuck’s up with virginity?!
*cross posted at Refuse the Silence's Blog*
Virgin - someone who has never had sex. Instead of using definitions that dictionaries use, I like to use the definition that society uses. Though it can be argued that those are the worst kind of definitions, let’s use this particular definition for the purpose of this blog. The concept of virginity certainly involves an element of possession. Womyn “give” away or “lose” their virginities. Womyn in this patriarchal, homophobic society are always expected to give a man something in the context of a hetero-normative relationship. We “give” a man a child. We save our virginity so that we can “give” it to “the one.”
When is the last time you heard about a man “giving” a woman his virginity? Usually when people are referring to a man “giving” his virginity to a woman, they are BOTH virgins in the situation. Why are their sexist roles involved in sex? Can’t sex be something that is uninhibited by the confines of society? It certainly surpasses the spirituality of society.
Men “take” a womyn’s virginity, which involves an implied situation of coercion and force. The word ‘take’ is synonymous with rape. Take is synonymous with “take advantage of”. And what happens after a man so-called “takes” a woman’s virginity? Does he still have that virginity for the rest of his life? No one ever says, “he has your virginity”. If they have sex again, does the woman get her virginity back? If you “lose” your virginity does that mean you can’t remember the guy that you “lost” it to? Does the man pass that woman’s virginity on to other girls? And how many “virginties” do trans people get? What if you were raped before you had the chance to willingly have sex for the first time, are you still considered a virgin? Is a person still a virgin if they have sex with a member of their own sex? Why does virginity never come into the situation again after it is given, taken, or lost? Why can’t we “share” in a person’s virginity? Why is virginity deemed a one-time event instead of a process done over time? Better yet, why can’t the idea of virginity and America’s obsession with it just die? Why must a woman feel guilty or inhibited when it comes to having sex for the first time, when a man is encouraged to have sex with the first opportunity presents itself? I think the whole “give, take and lose” politics of virginity is a manifestation of the objectification of women and our bodies and the fact that sex is treated as a commodity. Sex is used to sell everything from movies to cannibus club memberships. Sex is also used to make womyn feel bad about themselves, men are allowed to be sexual whenever the feeling suits them and womyn are not and if we are, we are harped upon.
In the rape culture that this society perpetuates, the man must always be the aggressor in relationships and sex. The man must always make the first move. Virginity is synonymous with pure. Why is innocence attriubuted to keeping your virginity? Why when you have sex for the first time, you aren’t “innocent” anymore? This can allude to the fact that womyn having sex is seen as a bad act in our culture, like there was a illegal act committed. In our culture, sex is taboo. It is seen as a right of passage, a defining moment in our lives that will bring about some drastic change. Little girls are taught to dream about the moment that they will have sex for the first time and with whom.
These are just a couple of the questions and problems I have with this concept. Will someone please tell what the fuck’s up with virginity?!
Pussy Power?
So my friend is about to perform in UCR's Vagina Monologues. I can't wait to see the show and see my friend perform! I'm thinking of making her a poster. So, in advertising for her performance she put a status that said ".....Vagina Power!" This status sparked a little bit of a debate among my friend and a guy that goes to my school. He responded to her status by asking her, "would it be outta pocket for him to say "penis power". What is Vagina/Pussy Power? I like to use Pussy Power more than Vagina Power because it sounds more radical. But anyways, to me pussy power is loving being a woman. Pussy power is knowing that you deserve respect and that you are beautiful enough and smart enough to break rules. Break the conforms of society that say a woman must constantly be the one that looks for a man, while a man must always be hard-core. The rules that say that a woman must be submissive and a man aggressive. The list goes on. I think the main misconception when it comes to pussy power is that it is purely sexual. Pussy power includes but is not limited to sexuality. Men may need the pussy, but when they get it, we have to be submissive. Pussy power, allows us to be more aggressive in the bedroom, allows us to talk about sex without being hushed. So what is penis power? Penis power, is knowing what a man is and not having to prove that by following what the rest of the world is doing, and by being overly aggressive.
Pussy Power! Penis Power!
Pussy Power! Penis Power!
I am privileged.
I have privilege. In a country where I always thought myself to marginalized and looked down upon in every way, shape, or form. I realize that I have privilege. I came across this revelation about five minutes ago, while reading my fresh copy of "Yes Means Yes! Visions of a Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape", essays anthologized by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti. So far, the book is really good and the essays enlightening. So, I am reading this one essay about female black sexuality, one of my interests, by Kimberly Springer. In the essay, she makes the statement, "remain mindful of my own heterosexual privilege". It was the first time I had ever known someone that is apart of any marginalized still openly admit that they might have it easier than other people in some ways. I have always have these visions in my mind of the person who has the most opportunity to be discriminated against. She is of a marginalized racial group. She is, obviously a lady. She is a member of the LGBTQ community. She is fat and she is a immigrant. I always feel sorry for her. I always feel that I have it easier than her because I am, American born, heterosexual, and relatively thin. I have privilege in these ways. I fit the societal mold, in these ways. Does this make me happy? No. I wonder what its like to be her. I want to deal with even more of a struggle. I am still marginalized but, not in every way. I realize that. Just like a white person must realize that he or she has a privilege in this country. I have it easier than she does. Acknowledging her struggle, does not diminish mine.
Creative Spaces
So I just came back from this International Women's Day Celebration event at my school. It was a really good event, and inspiring too. A lot of different artists came up and did creative pieces. The headliner of the event, though, was a transgendered spoken word artist by the name of Skim. Ze did excellent and displayed a lot of hir different talents and parts of hir personality. There was also a writing exercise where we had to write down a list of words to describe ourselves. My list went like this:writer, poet, loud, outspoken, opinionated, activist, organic, smart, beautiful, feminist, humanitarian, lover, friend. We also had to write a list to describe what we felt in a community of womyn. My list went like this: With you I feel and see/in a community of womyn I feel; love, strength, humor, and beauty. I want to build: love, celebration, community, and understanding. I promise myself to:trust myself and love those worthy of being loved.
Click the title of this post if you want to learn more.
Click the title of this post if you want to learn more.
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