Executive summary of a few posts that have been in draft mode entirely too long. Bold part is the current title of the draft.
- class privilege - it’s not a game of pick-up-stix
There was a meme going around several months ago where you have this big list of things that supposedly indicate class privilege, and you bold the ones that apply to you, and… I guess everybody gets to compete to see who wins the Oppression Olympics. It was apparently adapted from an exercise for a college class, where everyone stands in a row and you take a step forward for each thing that applies to you. But the whole thing annoys the crap out of me because of all the assumptions it’s based on - and I think THAT speaks volumes. Like, one of them was, “You had a lot of books in your house.” And?? How does that indicate class privilege?? Give me a freaking break! We always had a lot of books, because my parents valued reading very highly, not to mention that my mom worked at a bookstore in the 70s so she got a bunch of free books - so I guess that makes me more “privileged,” except for the part where we never had health insurance. Funny, that. Just goes to show, yet again, that you can’t judge by surface appearances only. Sure, someone may have a lot of books, but that tells you exactly jack shit. And why the assumption that only “upper class” people have books?? - If you can’t stand the heat, and other meaningless clichés
I hate when people say, “Well, if you can’t stand criticism, you shouldn’t be blogging; huff huff huff!” They’re always so proud of themselves, and they wipe their hands of the issue and that’s that. They’ve got it all figured out. Except, that’s total crap. So basically what you’re saying is that if I’m not okay with being treated like garbage and having things that are not meant to be open for “criticism” being micro-analyzed, then I basically need to just shut up. I don’t deserve to speak my truth; my voice doesn’t deserver to be heard. What if this is the only place I can speak such truths, and now you’ve told me I can’t even do it here? As if it’s up to you anyway. - SitPS local action idea
Elizabeth’s comment made me think, there really should be local action committees to mobilize around issues of sexual freedom in specific communities. I wish someone other than me would get it together for Georgia, though. I just can’t right now. - youth sexuality
Yes, teenagers are sexual beings. Why can’t anybody admit that without having a conniption fit about it? Look, admitting that simple fact doesn’t mean you’re saying you want to have sex with teenagers. Why are we all so weird about it? Have we forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager? Sexuality doesn’t magically appear at age 18, and teenagers are not children. Maturity levels vary greatly, obviously, but that’s true in people who are over 18, too. Frankly when I was a teenager I was offended at being treated like a child, and being told that my feelings and wants didn’t count, because clearly I just didn’t know myself yet, I was too young. - Two things
Men absolutely must call out other men on sexism. <– That’s the only thing that’s in the draft. I don’t know what the second thing was supposed to be.
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5 Responses to "Summaries in lieu of completion"
We got our lights cut off once. But we always had books. Because my mama knew I liked to read.
Re: youth sexuality: Yes. Yes.
I remember posting on a message board about my boyfriend, who, yes, is 21 years old (And I’m aware of the fact that sounds a little sketchy, but it’s really not. I’m almost 17. Going to be a high school senior in a week. It’s perfectly legal. And even my dad likes him.), and soon enough, there were a stream of posts calling him a pedophile and a pervert. And saying how it’s ridiculous that I’m over the age of consent. Because I’m just a child, don’t you know it. Grrah.
Can’t wait to see it!
Well at this point I might not get off my ass and write a full post… but I’ll try to motivate myself! I said the bulk of what I’ve been thinking above, though, but it can’t hurt to expand on it.
I’m an observer of my daughter’s and her friends’ burgeoning sexuality. There’s no holding it back. But as parents, we can certainly be available to offer advice and to guide them to be wise about their sexuality. I’d be a huge hypocrite if I pretended that I wasn’t having sex when I was a teen. I don’t see the point of lying about it. I don’t get the parents who like to pretend that all that change isn’t happening in their kids.
Wrt “If you can’t stand the heat”:
if you can’t stand to be banned from my blog and have your name and email published on my quarterly list of asshat bloggers, maybe you might want to act like a human being.”
You have freedom of the press, Amber, because you own this press. Use it and make them pay for being dickheads.
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