You Must Be Crazy

Ok, the Republicans have gone crazy. And for the record: shut up Glenn Beck! You taught yourself about communism by going to the library. Do you know that there was a backlash against library goers during the Red Scare? Not to mention McCarthy's lovely censorship of dozens of authors that he personally deemed communist. Nothing like close-minded people in power. Please, dear heaven's let there be enough educated people to stop this nonsense. We are not going backwards, period. And for the record, "progressivism" is the reason we are not still living under British rule and we have even a semblance of a working infrastructure. So please, teabaggers, join those rotten barrels you're so in love with in the bottom of Boston Harbor and stop treating education and just plain intelligence as this horrible, elitist plot to undermine God and guns.

My Grandmothers' Feminism

I want to be like my grandmothers. (Hold the "ah-has" conservatives, I'm not done.) My two grandmothers were truly the same women in many ways. They both held careers, raised two kids and maintained a well-run home. Now, in my paternal grandma's home, the father was very old-school as far as a man doing housework. He was a good man in many ways, but he still held some of the old beliefs. Despite this, she was still a strong, intelligent, hard-working woman who commanded respect from everyone.
My maternal grandmother, likewise, was a career woman. She was married with two children and maintained a house. However, there was equal housework between husband and wife. He had a honey-do list as long as hers and was just as accountable for the care and keeping. There was also, as my mother has said, none of that "wait til your father gets home" business. There was the equal fear of god from both parents. The truly stunning thing is that my grandmother had something amazing she did for herself. She saved money all year and once a year she went to Hawaii with her best friend. JUST her best friend. No husband, no kids. People hear that and recoil in horror, accusing her of everything from neglect to adultery. How absurd! She just wanted some "me" time. She understood, even back then, that the woman does not have to disappear behind husband and kids. Once a year, she was selfish and did for just herself. In exchange for this week of neglect, her children lived a fine upper middle class life and were loved dearly. To this day, they speak only of love for their mother and what a great mom she was. (Given the chance, I'm sure my mother would have done the same.)

These are the women I want to be. I want to be educated and work for my living. I want to travel and experience the world for myself. I also want to maintain a house and do all those little domestic things I've grown to enjoy (I'm a cooking fiend). IF I ever chose to have kids, I will want to be a great mother and always be there for them. HOWEVER, I will do it with a man who respects me, pulls his weight, and truly loves me.

"Good luck" you scoff? I have fantastic luck, because I've already found that man. Unlike the stereotypical career women who find themselves alone at thirty and must be tamed, I have found that I can have both! (What a shock!) And now, I'm off to work, just like Grandma!

My Kind Of Feminism

Feminist is a dirty word to a lot of people. The scoffs and insults we get are sometimes astronomical. Here are a few I've gotten:
"So, you hate men and wanna take everything over?" (I don't)
"So you just think abortions should be a normal thing and there shouldn't be restrictions?" (I don't)
"You'll stop this nonsense when you're married and have kids!" (I doubt that)
"Women have already gotten everything! Now you feminists are just being greedy!" (Suuure)
I am not a "radical feminist" or a "feminazi" nor am I a conservative "feminine-ist" masquing as a feminist. I am just a normal, run of the mill feminist. These are the things I stand for:
*I am going to college and I will continue to go.
*I have a job and I am working toward a career, I will not "just stay home".
*If I decide not bear children in my life, I have that right.
*If I decide to never get married, that is my right.
*If I decide to have sex, AS LONG AS I AM RESPONSIBLE, it is my right.
*If I want to love a woman instead of a man, I have that right.
*If I am in a position where an abortion is an option (more on that later) and I choose to have one, that SHOULD BE my right.
*I SHOULD have the right to get my car fixed, buy a big-ticket item, or rent an apartment without the fear of being screwed over by people who think I don't know the value of things.
*I have the right to vote, hold public office, have political views, worship in the manner I see fit and dress in the manner I deem appropriate without interference or harassment.

These aren't astronomical demands, just basic human rights. So why do I face resistance every step of the way? EVEN FROM MY OWN FAMILY?

Let Me Climb Up Here...

This my tanzanite soapbox (tanzanite being my favorite stone!). From here I will express my views as they are. However, I am not unreasonable and willing to have a rational discussion with anyone with legitimate points to share. I will even make a blog post about the best debates. So don't be afraid to question me, for only by questioning do we learn.

I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. -Voltaire