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.

Our Shared Shelf: January

Much to my delight one of my favorite actors and people living on this planet, Emma Watson, decided to create a feminist book club for this year.  My title suggestion of A Feminist's Reading Agenda was not picked, sadly.  But Our Shared Shelf seems like an acceptable choice.  The first month's pick was My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem.

The book chronicles Gloria's life of travel.  First, she is stuck in the car with her family driven around the country by her father.  His appetite for life on the road dictated the family and their situation.  This childhood will lead Gloria to desire the feeling of home, but live her life traveling anyway.  She shares her stories from many different perspectives.


Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"What seems to be one thing from a distance is very different close up." -Prelude

"I worshipped dead men for their strength, forgetting I was strong." -Pg 39

"[...] but younger and more radical women didn't want just a job and a piece of the existing pie.  They wanted to bake a new pie altogether." -Pg 48

"Altogether, if I had to pick one place to hang out anywhere, from New York to Cape Town and Australia to Hong Kong, a bookstore would be it." -Pg 52

"Because adventure starts the moment I leave my door." -Pg 70

"Girls need to know they can break the rules." -Pg 79

"'Filters let in a cup of water,' he says, 'but keep out the ocean.'" -Pg 82

"'We have long known that rape has been a way of terrorizing us and keeping us in subjection.  Now we also know that we have participated, although unwittingly, in the rape of our minds.'" -Pg 98

"Roots can exist without flowers, but no flower can exist without roots." -Pg 117

"'Always look at what people do,' as my mother said, 'not at who they are.'" -Pg 127

"This was my first hint of the truism that depression is anger turned inward; thus women are twice as likely to be depressed." -Pg 129

"When the past dies, we mourn for the dead.  When the future dies, we mourn for ourselves." -Pg 138

"'The purpose of ass-kicking is not that your ass gets kicked at the right time or for the right reason,' she often explained. 'It's to keep your ass sensitive.'" -Pg 170

"Polls show that what women fear most from men is violence, and what men fear most from women is ridicule." -Pg 180

"Laughter is an orgasm of the mind." -Pg 181

"The simple right to reproductive freedom--to sexuality as an expression that is separable from reproduction--is basic to restoring women's power, the balance between women and men, and a balance between humans and nature." -Pg 204

"'I'll see you on the other side of the mountain.'" -Pg 244


My favorite chapter was by far Gloria's experiences with cab drivers.  There is so much to learn from those that drive people everywhere and are often the driving equivalent of priests or bartenders.  These are the people that overhear some deepest, darkest secrets just by sitting in the front seat and driving around.

Recently, Gloria made some comments that disturbed me.  Reading this book at the time of my life that I'm at was very powerful.  This book made me feel stronger and made me very enamored with her life story.  But then she had to go make an asinine comment about women who support Bernie Sanders. Saying that young women who support him are only doing so to catch a guy because the young men are following him is not only sexist but minimizing.  I follow Bernie Sanders because he sticks to what he believes, he isn't controlled by corporation donations, and he actually seems like a genuine person.  Her half-hearted apology was more of an excuse than an actual apology.  I understand from her writing that she is in Hillary's camp, and that's fine.  But please don't minimize women who support someone else.


Next Month: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Today I Voted For the Very First Time

I know what you're thinking: Alex, you're such a socially conscious individual; how is it that you've never voted before?

Yeah, I know.  I'm a late comer to the political foray.  And I have a reason.  It's not a particularly good reason, but it's my story.  I was raised in a very Conservative family.  At first, I didn't question anything.  Not religion, not politics, not anything.  When I finally got around to college, I realized that I had problems with organized religion.  Then I also realized I problems with Conservative points.  I wanted to talk about politics and try and learn, but I found people unwilling.  That any discussion about the differences in politics descended into yelling or judgments.  Wanting no part of that, I decided to not take part in anything political.  I didn't discuss nor take part in politics.  I didn't vote.

Eventually, through growing up some and becoming the very social justice forward person I am today, I realized that if I wanted things to change, I needed to be part of it.  While I am only one vote, it matters.  My vote and my voice matter.  So I'm proud today to say that I voted for my very first time.  That I voted for people whose beliefs mirror my own.  And that while my vote won't likely be a deciding vote, I was able to stand up for what I believe in and know I did my civic duty.  I only wish I had realized my feelings sooner.