Transform Your Life Through Feminism
Unfortunately, patriarchy still exists. And it often manifests in casual ways that tend to go unnoticed by the majority of people. And women aren’t the only ones who suffer under this everyday patriarchy. Everyone does. It limits their range of experiences and diminishes their worth as humans. This plays out in everyday life far more often than we realize.
Straight men and women are going to find people of the opposite gender attractive and want to let them know that. And that’s fine. In fact, a lot of us love getting compliments. But it’s the intent behind the compliment that can be problematic. We think it’s great if you find a woman attractive and want to let her know that, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.
As able-bodied individuals, we live in a society that regularly and easily accommodates our every need. As such, we often forget the privilege that this entitles us. Keeping these things in mind will help us to relate to those among us who encounter barriers due to physical limitations and to gain more understanding of what they go through on a daily basis.
Ageism against the elderly is still very prevalent and normalized. For those of us who are young, we often fail to realize the advantages we have being younger than age 65 (sometimes even younger). I hope this list of privileges makes us more aware of the stigma we place on the elderly and how we can be more mindful of how we treat the aging generation.
Due to the “no public funding for abortions” mantra, since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has denied federal Medicaid coverage of it and a shrinking number of state Medicaid cover it. So 1 in 4 women who would have had a Medicaid-funded procedure if funds had been available are unable to obtain one. That’s too many low-income women who essentially had their choice taken away due to their income level.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad and a big ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ to you! For a while now, we’ve been hearing that endless loop of holiday music playing over and over again as we walk through the mall, drive in our cars or generally just exist. So in the spirit of the season, we thought we’d offer up a little feminist/social analysis of some popular holiday carols. Enjoy!
Too many of us today struggle with low self-esteem based on the negative messages we’ve received, often related to our gender, sexual orientation, race, class, and other aspects and when we fail to reach impossible social ideals or stay within the narrow boxes of what’s acceptable. Feminism can help you build resistance to these messages and discover your inherent self-worth.
If you’ve been a “normal” size your whole life, you may never have thought of the benefits of being thin. But sizeism is very prevalent, and it’s one of the acceptable “isms” in our society. It’s time we make this “ism” unacceptable, and thus make the world a better place to live in for people of all shapes and sizes.
Commenting on someone’s post in cyberspace can be a great way to engage in stimulating dialogue. But when it moves from a constructive conversation to personal attacks on someone (ie “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You suck and here’s why.”), it can turn into what’s known as the Oppression Olympics.
Some people seem confused on what consensual sex means and end up raping someone without consciously intending to and wouldn’t have if they had known it was rape. So we need to teach both men and women that it’s still rape – intentional or not. And hopefully prevent a portion of sexual assault from happening.
