ff (fw)

seeing as i skipped over last week's feminist friday, i'm going to throw this out there today. because i am having strong feelings about it and don't feel like waiting till friday rolls 'round again. in the wake of the string of sexual assaults around toronto. thanks to john for passing along this piece.

* communal fear

i have tried one hundred thousand times to get to the heart of what it feels like to be afraid. to just be afraid. often. everywhere. anytime. after dark. early in the morning. when alone. when somewhere new. when somewhere familiar suddenly seems so unsafe... women have vigilance and fear dug into them very very early. or at least i and so many people i know have had. (and if we haven't, well, aren't we naive and foolish and putting ourselves in danger? say the voices.)

{stacey may fowles}

last night i went to a book launch party in toronto's east side. super hip and happenin'. i had some drinks and danced and tweeted. then i went home alone on the streetcar and subway a little after midnight, and held my breath as i held my head up hoping that tonight was not the night that i stupidly assumed i was safe in my city. knowing that if it was in fact that night, people would wonder about my sky-high clog heels, my short dress, my few drinks. the female friend i was with at the party asked that i text when i got home, which i appreciated. i am always the one who worries about my girlfriends going home alone. i always feel like a broken record. telling them to be careful as if it gives them any power. telling myself i am prepared and aware and vigilant as if it will help me if i ever am one of the unlucky ones. it is constant. it makes a girl very tired. 

     {stacey may fowles again. exactly.}

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ff

why do i feel the need to talk and talk and talk about feminism? and yell and shout and scream about things that seem maybe small and unimportant to y'all. because. of stuff like this:

* the kind of violence done to women speaking their minds online

this woman. she says 'hey! let's create some multi-dimentional female characters in gaming!' and she gets bullied and attacked and harrassed. hooooray! and this shouldn't happen ever ever ever. as long as there are whole collections of human-people who think this is an okay response, i'm-a keep talkin'. because there are a million horrible things out there, sure. but we have to start small. or. smallish. and the deep-seeded level of hatred that is bred into our western perspective on women these days is baaaad. and we cannot improve things, truly, without beginning there. shaking and breaking it up. okay! that's all for this week. i hope you'll really think on it.

happy friday!

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ff

oh rage buckets!

i was just writing on a friend's facebook about rage buckets... he posted this ol' infographic i believe i linked to a while back (or maybe just tweeted?). and i was all 'come on over to the blog where i help top up your rage buckets weekly with articles and infographics!' but also too there is the good news. sometimes. on feminist friday. and this week! IS GOOD NEWS WEEK!!! woooooo!

there is this, first, which is great:



* and here is zerlina at feministing using a few more words to say that it is great.

and also...

* this great olympic news, guys, cause the OLYMPICS ARE COMING!!!

it may not be perfection, but it is something, right?! and we must celebrate our somethings when we get them! so party it up this canada-day long weekend (you can party elsewhere too, as long as it is red and white themed..) and enjoy yourself because this is a goooood week here at the irishdiet!

{canada's emilie haymans and jennifer abel, photo borrowed from here}
 

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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ff

last week. the grammys. i didn't watch them. not because of the chris brown debacle... i didn't even know about that until midway through, due to the chatter on twitter. i had read over 300 pages of 1Q84 in under a week, and i hadn't been paying attention and i don't much care about the grammys anyways.

but.

i do care about the chris brown debacle. for the last three years i have been constantly disturbed by the fact that almost no one seems to care that chris brown hit rihanna in the face and sent her to hospital. or they sortakinda care but, you know, not enough to not like him, you know?

sure, i never listened to his music before or after... but generally i feel that people who hit their girlfriends are BAD people. and shouldn't be supported and idolized. anyways.

readings for you on the topic. the first is a very well handled piece by sasha pasulka.

* not okay

and here's a nightmare wrapped up in a neurotoxin!

* what is wrong with us?!

and finally this gem from jill at feministe:

* isn't being a woman in this world top shelf?

sometimes it is all i can do to put clothes on my body and get out the door, knowing that this is the world that waits outside for me. a million hooorays!

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