Sharing

Haven't thought about this blog in a long time. I really have to ride my bike to work now, should be leaving this very moment, haven't found my keys yet....ahhh.

But it's okay. It's Friday. I'm leaving Facebook and renewing my interest in blogger. If I can just get over feeling embarrassed about being desirous of sharing my thoughts and feelings with people, it'll be good.

I need to write

I neeto to/have to/ must/ write.

And not just letters to parents from Chabad.

Anyway, you'll hopefully be hearing more from me.....

Feminist Book

Reading a book of essays from modern women and girls, their thoughts on feminism. First one, a young girl, age 15, very optimistic. That's what she's being taught. Thinking she's deviating from the norm with her job and boyfriend and working mom, she's happy that she knows she doesn't have to be thin (but secretly wants wants wants wants wants it)
I wish it were as simple as that.
The second essay, as far as I've gotten so far, is much more real. The political aspects of our personal lives as women, the double bind. Our obligation to be pure and expose ourselves to men, our obsessions with beauty and physical appearance. Female tennis players are described physically before their skills are assessed.
It's everythign I've been trying to sink into the head of the woman I work for, who thinks everything is this "personal choice" and women who don't turn down sex when they dont' want it because they can't figure out "why not" are stupid. They're not stupid, they're pressured by every surface area of society, pressured to be something and something else again. Pressured to be so many things to men men men.
Women are sexual objects first and foremost, even powerful women, even women claiming to be feminists. Women are concerned with physical appearance before anythign else, distracting them from going out and being productive innovative people.
It's on purpose.
This isn't some new conspiracy theory joke. It's for real. Keeping women focused on one thing detracts from everything else they could be doing.
15 year old girls who feel enlightened because they know they don't have to be skinny or stay home with babies is not enough.
What about EQUALITY?
What the hell is equal about the way women are treated. What is equal in any facet of our society directed towards women? Jobs, expectations, treatment, respect.
So there are lots of women in government now. Well, if we align ourselves with the proper view of democracy, where the ruling body accurately reflects it's citizens, women should be more than half of the government.
That's fair.
Not ready to review this book.
Will do it when I've engulfed the rest of it.

Is One Day Enough?

First of all. Why Monday?? It's a premise much like Earth Day, a single day which is suddenly supposed to be significant in a new and profound way. Why turn off the lights on Earth day? Why not plan to turn them off whenever you don't, to fix your habits. I'm not saying it's not a good idea to get people motivated. Oh wait, yes I am. I am saying it's a stupid idea. Everymondaymatters.com? Well, this supports a book, so I can understand. It's a marketing strategy, and it's ridiculously cheesy. I big you not to click the link, and be subjected to likely looking people speaking straight-faced about the difference they make. But only on Mondays!
Here's an idea. Change something about your life...permanently.

Women Online Users

Women Online
I read this article
Discussing how women are much more likely to create original web content, but they fail to address the divide in the technological sphere. It’s weird. It says essentially that girls are more likely to blog, work on their own web pages (probably to post bunnies on MySpace) and create social networking profiles (so the government can track them). Then suddenly add video content and it instantly becomes men; why?
Because significantly more tech knowledge is needed. to do that. Girls and Boys in high school should be tech tested. Are they? The statistics are missing something about the way women use the internet and the way men use it. They fail to note that men who DO use it, are more adept at navigating it; and that’s really going to make the difference. Men dominate in the social bookmarking programs, surely. Test that. Find out what percentage of active reddit and digg users are girls? How many girls download podcasts about tech or know basic programming knowledge?
The article closes with this
” …But it’s great that the internet has lowered the considerable barrier to young girls becoming interested in computers, and we can hope that some of them get inspired to continue onto technical careers….”
Who are they kidding? Women in tech? How can that be when boys are thought to be intrinsically better at science? Smarter at math? It’s unbelievable to me how many more men pursue technical careers, when everyone’s future seems invested in it.

giving up or keeping hope

This is beginnings of my journey back in to the world of hope; a small example the chaos of each person as we come to understand our futility in the universe, and why, despite it, we get out of bed. My random thoughts on feminism, men, interconnected sociological ideas, and existential crisis, I guess....

Do you believe the feminist cause is one worth fighting for, or, in the debate to end all, is it nature or nurture that distinguishes our different social statuses? Because OBVIOUSLY women are oppressed; think of your immediate thoughts regarding women you meet. You don’t wonder if they’re smart, you don’t wonder if they’re like minded or enjoy a genre of music you do. You wonder and gauge how nice they’d look in …nothing. I’m going to have to assume this is how most men react based on their own admission and psychological studies. If you’re trying to prove me wrong, bring me contradictory evidence. I’ll bring you ten more in the opposite direction. I believe a huge step towards making a difference in the world is trying to bring view of equality to the way people see each other. The interconnectedness of all idea is the detail I’ve been mulling over and is driving me crazy. If the alpha male is ruling this world, then the alpha male is responsible for most of it’s problems. But, I know women. I live with them; I am one. What, besides physical characteristics and circumstance, differentiates the genders? The idea that 2/3 of the world’s labor is performed by women and the ownership of just 1% of the assets of the world are in their hands seems completely ridiculous. Such a statistic proves the existence of rampant sexism and oppression in the world, regardless of the country.
Yet, before I speak out on the cause of women and devote myself to aide of their suffering, I must question the legitimacy of equality? Are we all equal? What defines intelligence? Because I know a lot of women and I know a lot of men. Circumstances could dictate most of their distinctions. Women are vain because our priorities are chosen for us, just as men find themselves educated and affluent, engaging in heated discourse and pursuing interests which are generally much more intellectually stimulating. And suddenly, my generation has let 10 years progress, and the men are standing out as the ambitious front runners of the graduating college class; good grades and social networking to catalyze the powerful and influential positions they’ll find in businesses corporations and possibly government positions (which in our fascist leaning regime, may soon by synonymous). They’re received science or math tailored educations, or are immediately assumed to have a higher grasp of such things, but do they really? Because if a lesser nature distinguishes women, if it’s something unchangeable and unable to be influenced through anything but altered genetics, then I can breathe easier knowing I’ve escaped not just a stigma, an ideology and a barrage of social pressures; I’ve escaped the bell curve to find myself standing above the rest of my gender in the matter of intellectual prowess. It would be easy in my experience to support that claim. The most intelligent people I know seem to be men. Men who passionately support presidential candidates, men who exert authority, who command whilst I obey, who drill and hammer and produce and create and invent with an ingenuity I can often find myself marveling at. I’m drawn to these men, these challenges creatures; I seem to find myself admiring for their specific base of knowledge.

But maybe while they were perusing internet content at their leisure since the age of 10, those of us on a tragically lower socio-economic scale were playing outside and enhancing our unity with nature, or coming to understand something about changing bed sheets often (like a friend’s son didn’t know was required, and slept in the same sheets for 5 months)Maybe I’m attributing the certain kind of knowledge I’d like to attain as “the” knowledge, while ignoring the many more things I’ve allowed myself to absorb, although quite distinct. The question in establishing an intrinsic quality of greater intelligence to men becomes then, defining intelligence, and as I realize this relief is sort of seeping into my veins, because I know a great many things about nutrition or sustainability that many of my tech savvy guy friends don’t know anything about at all.
I had to empower myself to change. I live the beliefs I uphold. I’m vegan, resourceful, anti-consumerism. I see this disastrous world and have decided not to add to the depressing quantities of destruction, but retract. My bleep of meaning in the universe, so insignificant it could drive me to useless depression, propels me forwards. It’s disgraceful to be given such a little bit of existence, such a small chance for joy or love, and to sacrifice it because of how little it affects are felt. All I know is little, all I am is little. I can live with that and still drive myself to madness or illness in an attempt to guarantee its outcome. I’m an altered hedonist, a pleasure seeking- selfish being with a conscious. I don’t want to hurt anyone; I don’t want to cause my virtually useless bleep in the universe to be a negative one, a small, indecisive victory towards the end of destruction or destitution. I can do good, I really can. The more ideas I spread, the more I can personally catalyze change, the more I stand to finish my days as a calm and contented person; I’m ruled by selfishness that way.
So I’ve decided, against my impulsive, abstract, caricature of a personality, to make a plan. Not just “It’s not that serious” the motto I’ve followed to avoid the neurotic constraints of my type A personality. I’ve established some goals towards improving the lives of the people around me. I want the brilliant men I know to question their views on feminism. I want ALL the women I know to become more tech savvy, and to question what they believe in truly, as members of the human race first an foremost, and as women second. If equality doesn’t come at any point in history, if technology doesn’t lead us to an Eden of permaculture and the sustainable nature of humanity, then it won’t be because of my essentially futile blip. And If I’m lucky (and seriously underestimating) myself, it might be in part because of it.

Empower the Oppressed

Isabel Allende's video discusses the passion of women, and the need to empower the women ( and men, almost with special fervency) to take up the cause of the oppressed woman. I've been struggling internally with a lot decisions about humankind and women as a suppressed group, not just in our culture ( where it's subtle enough at the surface to be scoffed at and disregarded) but in this overwhelming and diverse world. Allende speaks of the resounding influence of men; even the poorest male can find a woman or child to abuse. 80% of those displace are female. Allende has defined feminism as the cause above all other, the unity of humanity as a means through with ingenuity and hope can flourish, a savior of healthy and good ideologies, a preserver of our deteriorating culture and even, planet. Women are 51% of the world! 51% of people are missing their chance to bring new and fresh ideas to the table. Putting women in power is giving the human race a chance to expand it's ideas, and it's clear that that is something that needs to happen. I wanted to scoff at her idea that alpha males define reality; put it's scary message and hidden idea I've passionately exclaimed; a frustrating message I've been trying to spread for a long time, while wringing my hands and grabbing my head in the agony of expressionless thoughts and unconvinced, suspicious glances. I want to empower women, but the blockades I find are much different than those I would expect. The culture we're born into is so infused in our personalities, it takes a detailed amount of introspection to fight the things we assume we know about ourselves as women and separate them from our true selves. I never liked pink, I like brown and green and the dark and richer shades of nature. I NEVER sucked at math and science, and those fields should have never been closed doors to me. I've reopened them, more than just one day too late (try five or six years) . I don't want to buy clothes, I don't want to wear colors that complement my skin tone, I don't want to learn what pleases my man in a weekly Cosmo ad. The quest for every woman to introspect. Does fashion truly interest you, or is looking good an expected interest and a worry you focus on without examining the reasons.How about make-up? If you knew people didn't judge you based on beauty, would you still slop on the stuff? The distinctions I find between women and men are unbelievable and many of those may be nature, in that eternal debate between environment and genetics. But catalyzing a change in values for women, infusing within them strength to overcome the stigma attached to self proclaiming feminism as your ideological standpoint could go a long way into bringing ingenious solutions to global issues. Standing for something you believe in now is as simple as social networking. That may be as easy as sitting in front of your computer and passing on a little knowledge, or linking people to some thought provoking online content. The first step into stopping the world injustice against women is to remind ourselves that we are the majority and we are not lesser versions of humanity. United we have new powers; united we could usurp the alpha male as the writers of history and the decision makers of our ideologies and cultures...
We, are, after all, overly emotional and overly impassioned ;-)

Watch Isabel Allende. know that empowered women change the world. Share these ideas with your friends. Spread the world. Always share what you know.

Virtual Glass Ceiling

I spend a lot of time examining cultural phenomenon, specifically those associated with the internet. I find it completely fascinating how dynamic the American culture has become, impossible to define in any specific terms. What makes an American culture? What unites us as a people? And with the collaborative freedom of the internet, sub-cultures exist across previously unimaginable divides. Without the barriers of socio-economic class, geography, or race, people have access to pursue interests in a shared and exploratory way. There are thousands of self described “geeks” who pursue gadgets and gizmos and podcasts and vodcasts to keep up to date on the latest trends in gaming, hobby programming, and electronic consumer products. Even amongst those interests are the varieties of games, from second life (an entity all its own, I know) to the online versions of Halo, Civilization and World of Warcraft. There are so many ways to entertain yourself, aren’t there? The irksome thing about all this could easily be the huge amount of time being wasted to pursue absolutely useless tasks. At least, it would be if I was a giant nag who didn’t know how to have fun. But I’m not. I’m also absolutely and completely uninterested in gaming. Civilization piques my interest, as playing god can be quite gratifying, but after an hour of imaginary rape and pillage, the novelty wears off and I’d much rather be sifting through videos, planting flowers, or throwing a Frisbee (I know that’s way to 20th century for some people). Oh yes, it must be the complete lack of exercise involved that reinforces this feeling of unease I have towards the tech-geek-gamers. Though, most people who don’t sit around all day and play video games sit around all day and do something equally useless. And some people vote for Bush. You can’t win ‘em all. So, that isn’t the issue either. No, it’s the relative obscurity of women in this world that disturbs me. It’s not that I don’t feel slightly proud of women for not being so slovenly, because, I am. But, just the same as gamers with bad posture, most chicks seem to find even more utterly useless things to do all day, like play on facebook. Here’s the real issue; I don’t think games are nearly as useless as facebook. Ignoring for one second the entire idea of satisfying your social needs from the internet, facebook is utterly useless in a much more profound way than these absolutely crazy popular games. Civilization, for instance, is a game consisting of a lot of critical thinking skills. You don’t think god has a lot of tough decisions to make in the realm of logic? It helps you understand something about the world at large. Also, a lot of the awesome podcasts and vodcasts are done by average Joe kids, trying to have some fun. So much creative content is poured into the tech world, which means creativity, critical thinking and math is poured into the dynamic world of the geek subculture. So while many facebook users have gotten into slightly more stimulating activities like making facebook apps or exploring politics through facebook, most of the girls I know wouldn’t have a clue how to go about building an App (that’s for those hobby programming boys, who also play WOW) . In fact, finding out all the happenings of your friends online seems to limit the need to actually talk to them. It’s not keep in touch so much as snooping and I think we all lose something in the process of e-gossiping. I’ve suspended my account twice from FB and I find myself back on it, like an addict.

I’m not saying that there aren’t facebook boys. Facebook isn’t even the worst girly vice I can think of. Let’s talk our obsession with make-up, fashion, consumerism and my personal favorite thing to hate on, nail polish(which women don’t obsess about regularly, but I’m still a hater). So E-gossip is just one comparable example

Yet from gamers to amateur podcasters the geeky, screen gazing fellas are almost certainly absorbing information online that will be useful to them in the future. I’m becoming relatively aware of a lot of internet social networking involving the “geek” label, and I’ve found that they are a large group of (almost exclusively) guys who seem to be using the internet very efficiently and taking advantage of all it’s resources. We all have the tools available to shape and mold the internet into a very personal and easily maneuverable portal of communication, inquiry and ingenuity. Its just those boys whining about carpal tunnel seem to have the 1-up on knowing where to source the useful tools and how to use them. In fact, that’s almost a defining factor of geeking out.

We all know that our world is being shaped by technology. It may become virtually ( ha-ha) unrecognizable in just a few short years because of the incredible exponential growth we’re seeing in technology, from brain neuron mapping( which we have the technology for!) to product development to the glorious pull of high definition screens. I really think we’re heading towards utopia or dystopia, crashing down (or up) so fast it’s already out of our hands. Technology is like culture that way; forces humanity established that seems to have taken on a life of its own. We can’t stop culture from shaping our societies, nor can we stop technology from expanding (or destroying) our horizons. Tech-culture should be watched very closely, it’s full of microcosmic examples of cultural ideologies, expressed in rather unique ways. This is why the missing female exposure to the underground internet world is scaring me. In the scene of man-made and man-manipulated electronics, are the stereotypes about female nature being confirmed, or are they being propagated?

Women are shut out of math and science sectors of education because they’re thought to have less of a natural inclination for those areas of academia. It’s been proven to be a false claim; women are not less able to process math and science. But the facts don’t lie; women are few and far between in these areas. So either women are naturally catty and superficial or we’re being objectified, taught that physical attractiveness and sexual attributes are more defining than our personalities or our dreams. It defines who we are too society, so we obsess over it. As we’ve been taught. So, women seem to be on equal footing now and feminists are scoffed at for their overzealous, passionate natures (?) but I only know one girl pursuing an education in a science/math field, the rest are dreamy liberal arts majors. Traditional views about women and their capabilities do not deteriorate overnight. Statistics and observation paint a picture about the state of gender equity that’s hard to ignore. I’m scared the next boom of the technological revolution could destroy the gains that have been made, or at the very least, stagnate any progress. It’s possible, even likely that the future leaders of our generation may be singled out because of their ability to perform in the fast paced world of technology, the industry which will soon (if not already) manipulate all other societal functions. During this rapid acceleration towards unbelievable technological advance, women may find themselves left behind, trapped beneath something much more tangible than a glass ceiling.