I Am a Feminist, Liberal, Hippy, Social Justice Warrior; And I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

With the upcoming election, my life has been inundated with political propaganda. Some I agree with, and others I do not.  My opinions on politics have shifted dramatically over the short life span I've accrued.  I was raised in a conservative, Republican environment and my political expression consisted of, "That's what they believe, so that's what I believe."  Once I got into college, I started realizing that I what I truly believe is in fact not what my family primarily believes. And that's okay.  I know they have their reasons for believing what they do, just as I have my reasons.  All I ask for is respect.  I do not want anyone to change me, or try to convince me that I'm misguided.  I'm not changing my mind.  So in the spirit of self disclosure, allow me to express what I believe.

Legalize Marijuana Use

If marijuana is completely legalized, you can tax it the same way you tax cigarettes.  This will bring in government revenue to be used for public programs.  Marijuana is less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol, so let's gain a little perspective here.  It would also put less taxes into the correctional system which by the way, is where your money goes a lot of the time.

LGBT Rights

People love people. People are not all the same. Why is this difficult? Everyone deserves to feel safe in the world and in their own skin.  Figuring out who you are is a difficult process anyway.  But when people spew hatred and vitriol, you can feel isolated and scared.  Newsflash: someone who is trans has already used the same bathroom as you.  Guess what? You're fine. Newsflash: you've interacted with someone who is homosexual. And I'm guessing you're fine.  So let them be fine too.

Women's Rights

This is something that will never change for me. First, the idea that life begins at the moment of conception is a religious belief.  Which means, it has no business governing politics. Separation of Church and State. It's a thing, shockingly enough.  Second, for the government to enforce their belief means it has more autonomy over my body than I do. Which is akin to rape. Taking control of my body away from me, is what a rapist does.  Lastly, I was sexually assaulted.  I was lucky I wasn't raped. But if I had been, and I had gotten pregnant, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have gotten an abortion. I have rights over my body. When raped, that is taken away. Telling a woman who has gotten pregnant from rape that she has to keep that reminder for 9 months is heinous. I respect any woman brave enough to carry a child of rape. You are stronger than I can even imagine. But no woman should be forced to do so. I can shorten this argument quite easily: No Uterus, No Opinion.  Unless you've got the materials, keep your mouth shut about mine. I'm equal to you.  We're all equal. So can we legislate to make sure women are actually treated as equals?

Immigration

America is the great melting pot.  Or now at least, it's the great melting pot for the white people who usurped the Native Americans, but no one else.  Especially not brown people.  What makes America great is the collection of people and ideas and cultures that make us well rounded and informed.  If you don't want that, you are free to leave and usurp someone else somewhere and make your own walled in country.  I hear Siberia has lots of space.  Lady Liberty still stands, with welcome arms.  That's why people want to come here.

Respecting the Earth

It is truly mind boggling that people don't believe in global warming when we can quite literally see from photographs that ice is melting and ocean levels are rising.  Earth's resources are finite.  Conserve energy. Recycle. Don't have five fucking cars. Take a bus. Walk. Bike.  Do what you know you can do to make a difference.  It may be small.  It may be fucking minute. But it's a difference.  If everyone in the world made a minute difference, think of what we could actually achieve.  If animals raised for slaughter were actually treated like living beings and respected?  If food wasn't pumped full of chemicals? If we all actually gave a damn about the planet that we continue to suck dry of resources and fill the air with chemicals? What if everyone just cared?

Money Stuff

Did you know, that when a person has more money, they spend more?! Quite insanely logical, right?!  So this whole notion that raising the minimum wage will cripple the economy is utter and complete horseshit.  A person who makes more money can afford their bills and have money to spend on other shit, which stimulates the economy. I don't understand why this is so fucking hard to comprehend.  If you're going to spend thousands of dollars a year eating McDonalds, the person flipping your damn burger deserves to be able to feed their own family.  Just because a person is poor doesn't mean they are a welfare junkie sucking the life force from your tax teat.  Have you ever stopped to think that maybe they were born into poverty? Is that their fault? Is it their parents' fault? What about theirs? Or theirs? Here's the thing: an unequal system perpetuates inequality.  You have to fix the system and continue to help people along the way.  Everyone pays for everyone else in this country.  My tax dollars go to the roads you drive on, and vice versa.  Stop bitching about your money sucking welfare "queens."  It goes more towards corporations than anything else.


So you might be wondering why I've put this together.  Why I am putting my views out there so plainly?  Really, because this is the first election I have felt confident in what I believe.  I've grown into who I am and what I believe, and I refuse to apologize for it. If you're going to post retorts, don't bother.  I'm not changing my mind and I'm certainly not going to stoop to arguing. Accept me for who I am, or walk away. That's it.  I'm a feminist, liberal, hippy, social justice warrior. And I wouldn't fucking change it for anything.

May Book Club: Frankenstein's Monster; aka Elliot Rodger

This year I’ve been doing banned and challenged books for my book club.  And I had intended that Catch-22 be my post for May.  I had started reading Frankenstein shortly after I finished Catch-22, which was to then be my June post.  But in the midst of reading Frankenstein, the horrific shooting perpetrated by Elliot Rodger occurred in California.  Suddenly, certain phrases and quotes from Frankenstein made far more sense to write about it now.  Catch-22 will have to wait until next month.

For those who are unaware of the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, it can be summed up as this: a young scientist decides to dabble in some questionable sciences, he creates a man from varying body parts of those already deceased, he brings the man to life, the man learns what it means to be alive but hates being lonely, he tries to blackmail Frankenstein (who is the doctor, btw, not the monster) into creating a female counterpart, Frankenstein submits and then changes his mind, the monster seeks revenge, and then Frankenstein seeks revenge.

While the story has far more emotional intricacies, especially when the monster is telling his point of view, it is a very revenge driven story for the most part.  Movie adaptations of the book tend to minimize the intelligence of the creature, and put far more violent anger in the common people towards him.  The book has very few characters and relies mainly on the relationship between Frankenstein and his creation.

What pray tell does this have to do with the shooting?  Allow me to elaborate.

“I am alone, and miserable; man will not associate with me but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me.” pg. 126

“You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being.  This alone you can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede.” pg. 127

“I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive , and it shall content me.  It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.  Our lives will not be happy, but they will be harmless, and free from the misery I now feel.” pg. 128

What these three quotes demonstrate is that the creature, suffering in loneliness, demands Frankenstein make a companion for him.  What is unsaid, though in the story, is that the creature will exhibit revenge upon Frankenstein if he doesn’t comply.  The creature says that is his right to have a companion.  What he doesn’t think about is the female creature.  She has no say in being created.  He hates his existence but doesn’t want to be alone, so he demands a companion even though he doesn’t consider her feelings.  

Sound familiar?

I haven’t viewed Elliot Rodger’s video, because I have the feeling it would not only make me ill but it would also make me despair at the state of humanity.  What Elliot failed to take into account is the feelings of women.  We have them, surprise surprise.  Men have several rights.  There is a bill that explains some of them.  But in no way are vaginas a man’s right.  The same way that penis is not a woman’s right.  You have no right to someone else’s body.  The only physical rights you have is for your own body.

Outside of the book comparison, there’s a few things I want to talk about.  First, article that I have been seeing talking about the event describe Elliot in one of two ways.  He’s either labeled a misogynist.  Or he’s labeled as mentally ill.  He is both.  Most misogynists don’t run out and kill people.  The same way most mentally ill people don’t go on shooting sprees.  Elliot Rodger was a misogynist suffering with a psychosis, and this is what caused him to choose to kill people.  The fact that his family spoke to people about being worried about him indicates that people weren’t entirely in the dark about the situation.

Second, the backlash of the #YesAllWomen hashtag is exactly why the hashtag exists.   Plenty of men are lashing out against this as an attack on men.  We are not saying all men are assholes.  What we are saying is that all women have experienced some form of harassment at the hands of males.  From rape or sexual assault or sexual harassment, or even the phrase “stop being such a girl” or “man up.”  Women experience this, and men do too.  Our point is that it has to stop.  Otherwise, acts of violence such as this will continue.

Lastly, we need to spend just as much time educating girls about awareness as we do boys.  That is not the case right now.  Right now, girls are being taught that what they wear matters and not to walk alone at night.  When really, men need to be taught to respect women and what consent really is.  Something that keeps coming  to mind is a quote Tina Fey says in Mean Girls, “You've got to stop calling each other bitches and whores, that just makes it ok for men to do it.”  While I think men should respect women anyway, I’m certain it doesn’t help that we treat each other that way.

The whole point of the entire thing is that we need to communicate.  We need to talk about gender equality.  We need to talk about mental illness.  We need to talk about what we teach our children.  We need to talk.  About all of it.  There were two articles I saw online about the Elliot Rodgers situation that I appreciated.  The first was posted on the Belle Jar and written by a female.  The second was posted on Slate and written by Phil Plait.

Here are other quotes from Frankenstein that I like:

“I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man.” pg. 4

“Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” pg. 31

“The blood flowed freely in my veins, but a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my heart, which nothing could remove.” pg. 77

“We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep.” pg. 84

“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, [...]” pg. 86

“a devouring blackness overcast the approaching sunshine.” pg. 135

“I had unchained an enemy among them, whose joy it was to shed their blood, and to revel in their groans.” pg. 166

“Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all human kind sinned against me?” pg. 200

The reason the book received criticism comes from two angles: secular and nonsecular.  More religious people found the book abhorrent because it details acts against God, meaning no one should have the power of that kind of creation except the almighty.  Less religious readers found it to be implying that taking technology too far might allow the technology to turn on mankind.  The indecent scientific experiment is against the will of God.  Sounds about right.  Overall, I enjoy the story but sometimes get tripped up by Shelley’s style.  I also feel that film adaptations could easily miss out on the emotional depth of the monster and his relationship with his creator.