Author: Shelley Powers

Categories
Diversity

I am not a feminist

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

“I am not a feminist.”

According to Merrian-Webster’s online dictionary, feminism is:

1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests

A feminist is a person who follows the principles of feminism, or one who actively promotes women’s rights and interests.

I learned the true lesson of what feminism means when I was once pontificating about being a “feminist” to a mixed sex group of people, only to have one of the guys pop up with, “Well, so what. So am I.”

Huh? A guy? But yes.

Anyone who believes that women should have equal opportunity for work, equal pay for said work, equal opportunity of religion, equal opportunity to education, equal opportunity to medical care, equal opportunity to speak, equal opportunity to vote, control over what happens with her body, equal say with what happens to her family and her children is a feminist.

If you don’t support these concepts, may I suggest that you read this story about the young girls who lost their lives in a fire in Saudi Arabia because they tried to run from the building and were beaten back because they were not wearing their headscarves.

And if that doesn’t turn your stomach, I can find you a hundred stories about the treatment and murder of women in Afghanistan.

And if that doesn’t get through, I can find you a thousand stories about abuse of women in this country. Matched by a hundred thousand stories of women not being paid the same as a man, even though women in this country head up over 85% of single family homes — a case of those with the most mouths to feed being paid the least.

And if that doesn’t enrage you, I can find you a million stories in history of rape and subjugation of the female of the species, touching every major religion on this planet, crossing every country border, and floating across every damn sea.

“I’m not a feminist”.

The next time you issue a dismissal of feminism, think about what you’re rejecting. And what you’ll get in its place if it were gone.

 

 

Categories
People

Open Access

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

Leaving the parking garage for my lunch appointment on Tuesday, I found the exit blocked, yet again, by the construction crew of the new condo across the street. I tapped my horn and when a couple of members of the crew turned towards me, I pointed to the pallets blocking the way. One of the guys holds up his finger in a gesture of “one moment”, walks over and moves the pallets — but not the huge truck behind them, basically giving me just barely enough room to turn the corner and not scrape the sides of my car.

As I fought to move the car around the obstacles, other construction crew members stopped working to watch and laugh at my efforts.

Last week when I took my car into the Ford service center, I missed the regular entrance and ended up driving through the actual center itself. At the center exit, a car blocked the way out, with a mechanic standing beside the car talking to another mechanic driving the car. I waited, not saying anything, not sounding the horn — I was a stranger in a strange land in this place. Eventually, the two guys finished their conversation, the car started to move, and I started to go…

…when I was stopped because the mechanic who had been standing by the car walked directly in front of me, slowly, looking at me, making sure I realized that he “owned” this territory, and that I pass by at his sufferance.

These two acts go beyond issues of courtesy. They were about power. These two individuals were the gatekeepers and I had to pay toll.

With the construction crew, my toll was to be humiliated as I tried my best to drive around the obstacles. At the service center, my toll was being made aware of the fact that I didn’t belong in this place, and I had best remember it.

There are well established (though often ignored) laws about driving to ensure we don’t kill each other. There are roads to enable driving from any point A to any point B. There is also a mapping and addressing scheme that works remarkably well in regards to location of same.

All of which can be arbitrarily shut down by one person who, in a moment of ultimate power, controls my only access to the organized but open system of the road.

Categories
Technology

Excited about tech

Recovered from the Wayback Machine.

I am not going to get into the “excited about technology” frame of mind. Every time this happens, I get disappointed because I’m left feeling that what I’m saying isn’t connecting. Or exciting people. Or working. Or worthwhile. Or interesting.

And I love getting into debates and exchanges about new and interesting technology. When it doesn’t happen, I just get so damn disappointed.

I’ll just stick with my books and the presentations I am considered acceptable for and be content.

Update: Screw this — I live for this type of excitement, and others are welcome to ride along.

Categories
Weblogging

March 17

How much do we listen to each other? How of much of what we do is skimming a weblog looking for the “juicy” parts, so that we can act and react accordingly?

This weekend, I’ve seen way too much reaction, and not enough comprehension. And I see signs of this continuing.

I’m tired. Tonight, I feel really tired.

earlier

Eric wrote the following in response to a comment John Robb made about journalistic coverage of web services:

‘…that’s what the press does: it’s reactive, it covers emerging trends as they emerge, but it doesn’t instantly declare, “Revolution in the barnyard, the big rooster is dead” the instant the tiny chick makes its first hole in the shell (as much as the chick would like it to).’

Cluck. Cluck. Heh.

Categories
Weblogging

Throwaway remark

Ahhh, don’t look now Jonathon, but I think that the BlogSisters just discovered the little fracas we all had this weekend. And your original throwaway remark.