If you are part of a privileged group and have to constantly demand that somebody in an oppressed group say “not all (insert privileged group here) are like that”

what you are really demanding is that they reassure you that you’re not like that and you’re not being held accountable

which is a cowardly thing to do and also shows the great lengths you will go to in order to avoid examining your role in a toxic system

(via wretchedoftheearth)

Source: stvincentinexile

Tagged: this is a good one privilege

Monday April 29, 2013 10:59 am • 3 weeks ago

83491 ❤

+ ZOOM +

cynicaldouche:

elainemorisi:

aiffe:

chainofaffection:

“Have you ever come across a homeless individual and felt totally uncomfortable?

You see them and you know they are in need, but you are not sure what to do. You know that handing them money is not the best thing. But, you also see that they clearly have some needs. Their lips are chapped. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They are asking for help.

How can you help?

Here is a simple idea - blessing bags.

This was such an easy project. We are now going to keep a few “Blessing Bags” in our car so that when we do happen to see someone on the streets who is homeless, we can hand them a Blessing Bag. I first learned of these bags from my friend, Julie. I am using the picture of her bags (see above) because the ones we took were taken in horrible lighting and turned out really grainy and hard to see what is inside of them.

If you’d like to make your own Blessing Bags, this is what you would need:

Gallon size Ziplock bags

items to go in the bags, such as:

chap stick

packages of tissues

toothbrush and toothpaste

comb

soap

trail mix

granola bars

crackers

pack of gum

band aids

mouthwash

coins (could be used to make a phone call, or purchase a food item)

hand wipes

you could also put in a warm pair of socks, and maybe a Starbucks gift card

Assemble all the items in the bags, and maybe throw in a note of encouragement. Seal the bags and stow in your car for a moment of providence.

This would be a great activity to do with some other families. Each family could bring one of the items going into the bags (ex: toothbrushes). Set up all the items around a table and walk around it with the ziplocks and fill the bags.”

http://kwavs.blogspot.com/2011/05/blessing-bags-how-to.html

Hey, words from an actual former homeless person here.

Those people you see who make you uncomfortable? Those aren’t homeless people, they’re beggars. Well, some of them are also homeless. Some of them are not. NOT ALL HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE BEGGARS. (Also, they’re not all addicts, though some are. You literally know nothing about a beggar’s life except that they are beggars.)

Beggars have a uniform like any other kind of worker. They have to look as bedraggled and dirty and pathetic as possible. If you gave a beggar a chance to shower and wash their clothes, you would be damaging their earning potential. They make their money by manipulating the feelings of people who don’t know much about poverty. That means they have to play to stereotypes, some of which are like a hundred years out of date.

When I was homeless, I did not beg. (I stole, dealt with charities, sometimes even worked. Yes, you can be homeless with a full-time job. I’ve worked 60 hours a week and been homeless. And I mean sleeping in a car or a tent homeless, not on somebody’s couch homeless, though that’s an under-counted form of homelessness. I asked for food once or twice, but I didn’t look like a beggar.) I kept myself clean. I looked like anyone else. That person you pass in the store, on the bus, someone who looks just like anyone else, they could be homeless. The sales clerk who helps you for minimum wage. They could have lost their apartment because you can’t pay rent on that salary.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with begging. And it’s true that some people do actually just look like that because due to mental illness or addiction they sincerely can’t take care of themselves. Some of them are honestly nothing more than scam artists who have no real need, though, playing off people’s sympathy for those who genuinely do need help. But let’s assume that you were giving these to an actual homeless person.

- soap is not that difficult to come by if you are so inclined to have/use it. Many public bathrooms have it. Homeless shelters will give you a bar of it. If you have $10 or so for a truck stop shower, soap is provided. Running water is a lot more difficult.

- believe it or not, they may already have a toothbrush and toothpaste, and if they don’t, it’s unlikely they have any interest in using them. Homeless people commonly cache useful items wrapped in plastic in a bunch of hidden places. If you want to help the homeless, next time you find one of those caches, don’t throw them away. I mean, think about it. If you had to start living on the street, would you stop brushing your teeth? I didn’t either. Plus, if everyone gave homeless people one of these packs, they’d have more toothbrushes than they did teeth. Same with the deodorant—one stick lasts a long time, and they give them to you in shelters. This kind of mismanagement and waste is incredibly frustrating. People are willing to flush money down the toilet to avoid helping you TOO much.

- food is nice! But keep in mind that not everyone can eat stuff you give them. Dietary restrictions like diabetes and Crohn’s unfortunately don’t go away when you become homeless. Maybe this is why they were hoping for cash? Also, some (though not all) homeless people have access to food already through food stamps, soup kitchens, charities, etc. A granola bar is nice, but they likely have other problems. If they need food, they will usually have a sign asking for food, or ask for it verbally! Otherwise food might not be a problem for them.

- I’ve given medicine to beggars when it was asked for. Medicine can be super useful if you have a need of it. But when you don’t have a place to put your shit, you realize what a luxury it is to be able to store shit you don’t need at the moment. At best, it could go into one of those caches, if that individual uses caches, or into a shopping cart if they haul one of those around. Or in a car if they have one.

You know what’s useful, lightweight, and portable? MONEY.

You know what money can be used for?

- the nightly fee of some pay-shelters to keep you out of the elements.

- minutes for a pay-as-you-go phone, which can be used for emergencies, scheduling appointments with therapists, doctors, and addiction counselors, even searching for jobs or housing. There is a TON of bureaucracy involved in getting help when you have nothing, and that shit burns through your minutes. Payphones? What is this, 1980? I still have and use a phone I bought while living in my car. It was $10.

- gas for a car, if they have one. (Commoner in rural areas.)

- a hot shower at a truck stop.

- medicine, including prescription medication.

- items that protect against the elements, in their size!

- transportation. News flash, no bus will let you on for pocket change.

- items you might not even think of, like pet food (some homeless people have pets!) sanitary napkins (even if they don’t look female—remember how the homeless rates go up if you’re queer? Yeah.) condoms (possibly for sex work? Not something you want to assume though!) diapers (adult or otherwise! seriously! You don’t know their lives!) or pretty much anything else THAT IS BOUGHT AND SOLD WITH MONEY.

Does that include cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol? You bet it does. But you know what, if that’s what they need, you’re in no position to judge. I’ve never been through withdrawal, but I’ve seen people go through it, and it’s complete shit. If that were you, yeah, you wouldn’t want to get drug sick, are you fucking kidding me? Offset it with a contribution to a rehab center, whatever helps you sleep at night.

And all this is assuming the person giving you a case of the guilts is actually homeless. When they may not be. And other people you don’t notice around you almost surely are.

That uncomfortable feeling you get, though? That has a name. It’s called INEQUALITY. It means that you know you have shit other people don’t have access to. You probably have resources so that even if you were in trouble, there’d be safety nets. You have the kind of money that you can buy a bunch of care packages to assuage this horrible guilt you feel every time you’re in bed in the rain and you know someone else out there isn’t. Those feelings are right. The world shouldn’t be this unequal. We shouldn’t have houses standing empty while people live on the street. We shouldn’t have food sitting in warehouses till it spoils while people starve. We shouldn’t be punishing people for trying to medicate away the pain we gave them.

If you want to REALLY help the poor, go buy a pen and paper and write to your representatives. Stop blaming “generational welfare users” for being “leeches on the system.” Tell them you want to see real aid going to people in your community. Tell them to fund the mental health system, which is inadequate for the demand and constantly getting slashed. Tell them you don’t want to see food stamps cut for bad grades! Tell them a stitch in time saves nine, and if they helped people who were losing their homes, maybe there wouldn’t be so many homeless. Tell them to decriminalize drug use and prostitution. Tell them to support programs like Insite. Support universal healthcare, because you’d be surprised how many people end up homeless due to illness, either in themselves or a family member. If you’re ever in a position of power, such as a landlord or employer, don’t discriminate against people who don’t have a current address. Also don’t discriminate against marginalized groups by race, gender, orientation, ability, etc. These people are more likely to end up homeless because of this BS. Check out charities in your area doing actual outreach with the poor, many of whom are not beggars and not visible. And if you’re going to give a beggar something, either ask them what they need or just give them fucking money.

You can’t make that uncomfortable feeling go away with the wave of a magic wand. You can’t buy exemption from the fact that you HAVE and others DON’T with some soap and granola.

And if you’re going to give a beggar something, either ask them what they need or just give them fucking money.

All
Of
This

So glad this wonderful commentary came of this; the original post was making me more uncomfortable than beggars do, especially with its tone of “what a fun family activity!! let’s pass on the time-honored white western tradition of not actually helping people while patting ourselves on the back for it!!”

Not to say I’ve never given money to a useless/mismanaged charity or something like that, but this one is simple enough just give them some cash if you can damn

(via alexandraerin)

Source: yourpersonalcheerleader

Tagged: homelessness begging charity idk tags reference this is a good one COMMENTARY

Thursday April 25, 2013 10:18 am • 3 weeks ago

4069 ❤

Classist justice

vanillaandlavender:

alostbird:

eshusplayground:

myintersection:

Far too often, I’ve heard radical queers and feminists, in their hipster garb, talking their academic jargon about checking one’s privilege and being accountable, and in the same breath mocking poor people. It’s not always explicit. Actually, in social justice circles, it hardly ever is. Many of you know not to say words like ghetto or white trash, or at least I hope you do, because of its classist and racist implications, but that seems to be where the anti-classist work stops. So, let me help you.

Every time you push your vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian diet on people, remember that your diet is a privilege that doesn’t make you superior or more of an environmentalist, food justice champion, animal lover or good human. I know you know about food deserts. Well, you don’t have to live in one to not be able to afford to have a restrictive diet.

Furthermore, poor folks went green along ass time ago. I don’t get why you feel so special about your mason jars and bicycles. Oh good for you for taking the bus when you could’ve driven. Do you want a vegan gluten-free cookie?

Yes, Wal-Mart is evil. So, is Urban Outfitters. Get over yourself. The only reason why Wal-Mart is singled out is because poor people shop there and it is easier to distance yourself from the problem. So, stop judging poor consumers who are just trying to feed and clothe their families, and start working to dismantle capitalism, or at least organize for workers’ rights (preferably in a non savior complex kinda way).

Your shitty college dorm room, apartment or shared house, does not make you poor, neither does shopping at Good Will.

There is a difference between being broke and poor, much like the difference between acute and chronic pain. Learn the difference.

For those of you who do work with poor folks, you are not special, and you are not a savior. Like I said before, drop the savior routine. It makes a big difference when you take the cues from the communities you are serving. And, just because someone isn’t a college educated career activist, doesn’t mean they don’t know what is best for them and their communities. So, don’t be a condescending ass when people don’t talk like you, and practice some real nonjudgmental allyship.

Pro tip: classy, trashy, hood, ghetto, dangerous/sketchy/seedy (in reference to poor PoC neighborhoods), white trash, etc are all really classist terms and hella racist too. Think about it, why do we specify that the trash is white? Because all other trash must be brown, right? If you don’t have a claim to these words, don’t use them.

Anyway, the examples could go on, and if anyone wants to add onto this, please do. I just don’t understand how a community that prides itself on fighting body-shaming and slut-shaming, could be so unequivocally class-shaming. In your own words, you better check your privilege.

To add:

Every time you focus on shaming poor people instead of dismantling the system that makes it cheaper to exploit and abuse human, animal, and environmental resources, you are doing it wrong.

Reblogging again for this comment.

“Yes, Wal-Mart is evil. So, is Urban Outfitters. Get over yourself”

(via bitchouttahell)

Tagged: classism activism this is a good one

Thursday April 25, 2013 7:12 am • 3 weeks ago

605 ❤

If MRAs actually wanted to mobilize behind the issues they raise, they’d stop whining about how hard it is to be a white North American dude and take action by, say, campaigning for workplace safety measures, or helping men and boys who are survivors of rape and domestic violence access the resources they need. But MRAs aren’t as interested in making things better for men as much as they’re interested in reasserting male dominance by silencing women.

Since their arguments are so laughably spurious, MRAs can’t successfully combat feminism with facts. That’s why so many of them resort to intimidation via threats of rape and violence. Hey, it’s how the patriarchy has operated for centuries. That’s how they know it works.

Katie JM Baker - Rape and Death Threats: What Men’s Rights Activists Really Look Like

That first paragraph, seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an MRA mention male rape victims unless it’s to derail a conversation about the rape of women. They don’t actually give a shit, I bet half of them would laugh at a prison “don’t drop the soap” joke in any other context. They only bring up male victims whenever it’s helpful in interrupting feminist conversations about how rape of women is so common because we live in a misogynistic culture.

(via misandry-mermaid)

(via thisisrapeculture)

Source: misandry-mermaid.tumbr.com

Tagged: this is a good one mra men's rights Katie JM Baker

Wednesday April 24, 2013 11:30 pm • 4 weeks ago

33448 ❤

Stop telling women that we should find ourselves beautiful and that we should love ourselves when you are standing right there, judging us on how our knees look in short skirts and how prominent our boobs are in a sweater and how much makeup we are or are not wearing.

Instead of us working harder on “love your body” and “find your inner beauty”, the rest of the world should be working harder on “stop telling women their bodies are a shameful place to live but that if they’re strong enough, they will learn to embrace that shame.”

This is my body. It’s not “beautiful”. I don’t “love it”. I don’t have to. I don’t have to have any strong feelings about my body. And whatever feelings I do have are not somehow invalid if they’re not glowing reviews.

Elyse Mofo, “Don’t Tell Me to Love My Body” (via caramelfeathers)

(via bitchouttahell)

Source: nightrevelations

Tagged: this is a good one body image body positivity quote

Monday April 22, 2013 9:20 pm • 1 month ago

30350 ❤

A List of “Men’s Rights” Issues That Feminism Is Already Working On

Feminists do not want you to lose custody of your children. The assumption that women are naturally better caregivers is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not like commercials in which bumbling dads mess up the laundry and competent wives have to bustle in and fix it. The assumption that women are naturally better housekeepers is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to have to make alimony payments. Alimony is set up to combat the fact that women have been historically expected to prioritize domestic duties over professional goals, thus minimizing their earning potential if their “traditional” marriages end. The assumption that wives should make babies instead of money is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want anyone to get raped in prison. Permissiveness and jokes about prison rape are part of rape culture, which is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want anyone to be falsely accused of rape. False rape accusations discredit rape victims, which reinforces rape culture, which is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to be lonely and we do not hate “nice guys.” The idea that certain people are inherently more valuable than other people because of superficial physical attributes is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to have to pay for dinner. We want the opportunity to achieve financial success on par with men in any field we choose (and are qualified for), and the fact that we currently don’t is part of patriarchy. The idea that men should coddle and provide for women, and/or purchase their affections in romantic contexts, is condescending and damaging and part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to be maimed or killed in industrial accidents, or toil in coal mines while we do cushy secretarial work and various yarn-themed activities. The fact that women have long been shut out of dangerous industrial jobs (by men, by the way) is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to commit suicide. Any pressures and expectations that lower the quality of life of either gender are part of patriarchy. The fact that depression is characterized as an effeminate weakness, making men less likely to seek treatment, is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to be viewed with suspicion when you take your child to the park (men frequently insist that this is a serious issue, so I will take them at their word). The assumption that men are insatiable sexual animals, combined with the idea that it’s unnatural for men to care for children, is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want you to be drafted and then die in a war while we stay home and iron stuff. The idea that women are too weak to fight or too delicate to function in a military setting is part of patriarchy.

Feminists do not want women to escape prosecution on legitimate domestic violence charges, nor do we want men to be ridiculed for being raped or abused. The idea that women are naturally gentle and compliant and that victimhood is inherently feminine is part of patriarchy.

Feminists hate patriarchy. We do not hate you.

If you really care about those issues as passionately as you say you do, you should be thanking feminists, because feminism is a social movement actively dedicated to dismantling every single one of them. The fact that you blame feminists—your allies—for problems against which they have been struggling for decades suggests that supporting men isn’t nearly as important to you as resenting women. We care about your problems a lot. Could you try caring about ours?

Autostraddle (via notaprincessdestinedtobeawitch)

Guys. You need to read this.

(via abaldwin360)

(via connoririshwright)

Source: notaprincessdestinedtobeawitch

Tagged: this is a good one lol 'yarn-themed activities' lololol feminism mra men's rights

Friday April 19, 2013 10:30 pm • 1 month ago

9965 ❤

grantaires:

let me fucking tell u a lil something something about the day of silence

when i was in 9th grade i joined my school’s gsa and found out that gay straight alliances dont really do anything at all

it was pretty much just an hour after school where obnoxious gay boys and self righteous straight girls making posters and shit that would eventually be torn down and vandalised the day after they were hung up

so heres a brief summary of my first day of silence:

in french class my teacher called on me repeatedly and mocked me every single time i didnt verbally answer until i couldnt stand it anymore and had to answer her

throughout the day kids made fun of me and mocked me and wouldnt shut the fuck up and listen when i tried to explain what it was for

other than that i was ignored

same thing in 10th grade

mocked ridiculed and overall ignored

and the same in 11th grade

and this year i finally fucking realised

im angry

im pissed

and its time to get really fucking loud

today this self righteous ally in my public affairs class went up to the board and wrote: “if you’re not doing the day of silence youre—”

the bell rang and she erased it

but if was really bothering me all day

im what

if im not doing the day of silence im what

wrong? homophobic? a disgusting piece of human garbage?

no

i dont need a self righteous straight person telling me that i am wrong and bad and evil on a day that is supposed to support and help my type of people

i dont need people who dont know oppression and who dont know what silence is except on one fucking day in the calendar year telling me what i should and should not do

in lunch this straight kid at my lunch table had a white board and i told him that what he is doing is 5000000% useless and it made me angry

do you know what he told me

“stop being so cynical”

yes

stop being cynical

stop being cynical and mad and angry when i am the only one at this lunch table with the right to be so

stop being cynical when i have done this for four years and not a single thing has changed and this is doing absolutely nothing to help me at all

im going to be cynical and im going to be mad and im going to be angry and im going to be loud but im not going to be SILENT

what good has silence done me

what good does silence do me when my straight friends talk about their new boyfriends when ive had a girlfriend for months and i can n e v e r talk about her because my poor poor straight friends might be uncomfortable

what good does silence do me when im on the bus and someone’s calling someone else a pussy faggot or a dyke and im too afraid to say anything because they know where i live and they are Those Kinds Of People and im afraid to even breathe near them in fear that they might physically hurt me

silence does nothing for me

do you know what being loud and angry does for me

being loud and angry when a guy in the breakroom at work started throwing around words like tr***y and he-she and i told him to fucking cut it out and not a single person who works at my store has said a single problematic thing in my presence since

being loud and angry when everyone in my women in lit class did the same thing and telling them that they should be ashamed of themselves for being so blatantly disrespectful and they shut up instantly and my teacher thanked me for doing her job for her

being loud and angry when people support rape culture and slut shaming and every single problematic thing in this universe has gotten me places

thats right

newsflash: silence gets you nowhere and being loud and angry is what actually works

silence is a tool of oppression and should not be appropriated to make a trendy social statement

silence is not the tool of my trade

im going to be loud and im going to be angry

and you are going to listen

(via eeriekiri)

Source: grantaires

Tagged: IMPORTANT perfect silence day of silence oppression activism idk tags this is a good one

Friday April 19, 2013 9:53 pm • 1 month ago

264 ❤

feministdisney:

So I was briefly on youtube and it recommended me an Albinwonderland video on Girl Geeks and I was like “fine youtube, I know you’ve been itching for an opportunity to show me a Papa John’s Pizza ad”

I don’t try to go toooo into the issues of girl geek shaming etc. here because it’s posted about on so many other blogs and I’m not into most “geek” stuff so I’d rather let the experts handle it haha, BUT, this video was surprisingly funny (like really funny when she read the note) and a pretty good summary of the issues with treating girl gamers/geeks/cosplayers/etc like they’re “not good enough.”

Idk TLC Friday post or something

(ps inbox still closed sorry! I stare at a screen all day at work and it really hurts my eyes to go on tumblr a lot after that so I’m trying to help myself adjust and not be tempted by new messages etc)

Source: feministdisney

Tagged: LOL perfect sexism geek girls fake geek girls nerd culture yes video this is a good one

Tuesday April 16, 2013 11:16 pm • 1 month ago

1457 ❤

On self-esteem and the struggle, or why I’m not into that Dove ad.

thisisthinprivilege:

bigfatfeminist:

By now it’s entirely likel you’ve seen it: Dove put out an ad where a bunch of women sit down and describe themselves to a forensic artist. Then, a stranger they just met describes them to a forensic artist. Surprise! They’re not as ugly as they think they are!

Look, here’s some real talk: I do not know a single person who doesn’t struggle with body image on a daily basis, male or female, to varying degrees. And when I first watched this ad, I was moved. Of course I was — they’re paying a lot of people a lot of money to ensure I am moved. And it is, in fact, moving to see an advertisement so clearly focused on pointing out that people are often their own harshest critics, and that being hard on yourself isn’t fair. I loved that. Let me repeat: I loved that, and was nearly in tears for a good part of the ad.

I am all for things that make people feel more beautiful. To paraphrase Margaret Cho, I’m gutted by those who don’t find most others beautiful, because they’re missing out on a lot of beauty in the world. I have no doubt that the women featured in this ad did feel shitty about themselves, and might still. Listening to them describe themselves felt like… Well, like listening to myself. Can’t be too vain, here. Gotta be “honest.” Gotta play ourselves down, all the time, as if admitting that we like something about ourselves is a cardinal sin.

God, it hurt.

And then we got to the strangers, and the first stranger says, “She was thin, so you could see her cheekbones… And her chin? It was a nice, thin chin…”

God, that hurt too.

Thin, thin, thin. The mantra I’ve been repeating to myself my whole goddamn life. No part of me is thin or ever has been. My wrists, maybe? Uh?

Of course, they show the women seeing their portraits, too — the ones they described and the ones others did. And most of them tear up. I would, too. Hell, I did, too, because when I watched this the first time I was emotionally tangled up in it in a way I didn’t expect. I wanted to like it; I wanted to be moved. I was moved.

One woman looked at the portrait of herself that she’d drawn and said, “This one looks more… closed off. Fatter. And sadder, too.”

Ah.

I wanted to love this ad. I wanted so badly to believe that an advertising company is using its considerable powers for good. I wanted to feel like acceptance is a thing, like at least one ad company really is trying to expand the ideas of what beautiful is and what people want to see.

Instead, I got more of the usual: Thin good. Fat bad. It triggered serious body dysmorphia in me today that I had a lot of trouble dealing with and tried to ignore or circumnavigate instead of approaching head-on.

Why are we so validated by this dichotomy of fat versus thin? Why are we so relieved when others tell us we’re thinner than we think we are, or that we’re not fat? I ask these rhetorical questions because I have answers: we equate good traits with thinness and bad traits with fatness. Thin people are friendly, open, healthy, beautiful, and good. Fat people are lazy, stupid, gluttonous, unhygienic, ugly, and bad. When you tell someone you don’t think they’re fat, what you’re usually telling them is that you don’t associate any of the aforementioned traits with them. This has nothing to do with whether or not they are actually fat.

Ultimately, Dove is trying to sell us something, and that something is a cosmetics product. Given this, I understand that my frustration is probably a little unfair, but God, am I sick of feeling alienated by campaigns promoting “real beauty” that want nothing to do with my fat ass.

Thin privilege is a body acceptance campaign that includes your body type but excludes fat people.

-FA

Source: bigfatfeminist

Tagged: this is a good one body positivity advertising dove

Tuesday April 16, 2013 11:00 pm • 1 month ago

2993 ❤

nocturnuslibertus:

We are Black Americans, and WE NEED FEMINISM!

(via youngblackandvegan)

Source: nocturnuslibertus

Tagged: feminism intersectionality this is a good one photo

Monday April 1, 2013 1:45 am • 1 month ago

978 ❤

However, our dialogue about twerking reflects a larger system of cultural appropriation, commodification, and sometimes exploitation that has resulted in the birth of “ratchet culture.” Ratchet has become the umbrella term for all things associated with the linguistic, stylistic, and cultural practices, witnessed or otherwise, of poor people; specifically poor people of color, and more specifically poor women of color. (Yes, ratchet is a very feminine gendered term. See: Ratchet Girl Anthem). Remember when people who weren’t actually from the ghetto started to use the word “ghetto” to describe everything from their friend’s booty to a broken blender (real life examples)? The same phenomenon is happening with ratchet, even for those who do not use the word itself. It is super easy to borrow from the experiences of others as a way to be “fun,” or stretch boundaries on what is “acceptable,” without any acknowledgement of context or framework.

But being ratchet is only cool when you do it for fun, not if those are valid practices from your lived experiences. We watch shows like Basketball Wives, Real Housewives (of all the cities), and Bad Girls Club where women act ratchet as hell all the time. But they do so in designer clothes and at 5-star restaurants, and this paradox acts as a buffer for the ratchet that is the real reason for the shows’ success. Internet sensations like Sweet Brown are the perfect example of how “ratchet culture” is appropriated and commodified. “Aint nobody got time for that” has made its way to memes all over the internet and is used by folks from different backgrounds as punchlines and witty retorts. Sweet Brown has been contracted to sell everything from real estate to dental services. We witnessed the same trend with Antoine Dodson. It is becoming more and more common for folks to use “ratchet” to sell their not-at-all-ratchet products.

On an (inter)personal level, ratchet works to simultaneously police and defy gender, class, sexuality, and respectability norms. Folks with certain privilege are willing and able to float in and out of ratchet at will. The term ratchet became popular for me when I was still in undergrad about three years ago. All of us young, black scholars (constantly trying to justify the black side of the coin or the scholar side, as if they are polar opposites) were enamored with this term as a way to distinguish when we were or were not on the “right side” of the respectability table. When it was time to party we would say, “Let’s get ratchet!” But when I would go check my mail with my hair still wrapped in a scarf or was overheard talking to my friends from “back home” in our local dialect, I was just ratchet. Another example of the fluidity of ratchet was playing double dutch on the quad. At our predominantly white institution we were presenting a form of community building and fellowship that fell outside the boundaries of “appropriate” and “acceptable.” But our privilege as collegiate scholars allowed us to present ourselves in that way without the same push back we may have received if we were just black girls playing double dutch in a predominantly white community park.

I know that for me and many of my friends, the use of the term ratchet was a constant navigation of our identities as young, sexual, inner city hood Chicago-raised, black girls and privileged, college educated, Western women. I can’t stress enough that pop culture trends like twerking, “aint nobody got time for that,” or even just using the word ratchet to define the wild things that happened at last night’s party are all rooted in someone’s lived experience. Sometimes it’s your lived experience, but if it’s not, please stop for a moment to consider your privilege and what role you may be playing in the appropriation of someone else’s exploitation.

Let’s get ratchet! Check your privilege at the door

By SESALI BOWEN

(via unapproachableblackchicks)

(via southernfeminist)

Source: feministing.com

Tagged: this is a good one ratchet appropriation racism food for thought idk tags Sesali Bowen

Wednesday March 27, 2013 2:30 pm • 1 month ago

15851 ❤

A gang rape happened in Ohio and no one heard about it. A gang rape happened in India and everyone heard about it (as we should). The American media has represented India as a misogynistic country where women need to be constantly wary of the men that surround them. And after that gang rape, large-scale protests blocked the streets and clogged the media. Now, I am in no way saying that rape and domestic violence are not problems in India. As an Indian-American woman who has been to India many times and is incredibly familiar with the culture, I am in no way denying that. Rape, in India, is a serious problem. Rape, especially in lower class areas in India, is an extremely prevalent problem that needs to stop being ignored and taken seriously. Violence against women in India is a serious issue.

But violence against women in America is also a serious problem. Violence against women in South Africa, and Sweden, and Chile, and Thailand, is a serious problem. Violence against women is a serious problem. Period. Full stop. While our media went out representing India as a typical place for these deplorable events to happen, another woman’s similar story went ignored and without subsequent societal action. This country outright refuses to admit that it is a rape culture.

Our media and our country are so obsessed with presenting foreign countries as worse than us or uncivilized or, most importantly, undemocratic, they will blast our radios and timelines and homepages with news of rapes in India, but refuse to acknowledge that the same thing happens here and is happening here.

Anisha Ahuja, Why Does America Pretend it Doesn’t Hate Women? (Feminspire.com)

(via rapeculturerealities)

Source: feminspire

Tagged: SERIOUSLY rape rape culture Anisha Ahuja quote this is a good one

Tuesday March 26, 2013 3:42 pm • 1 month ago

2997 ❤

"Some have a difficult time with feminism. ‘Why not a human liberation movement?’ they say. The answer is that the power differences between the sexes, races, and classes are still so extreme that invoking humanism, at this time, dangerously denies that fact."

Loraine Hutchins and Lan Kaahumanu, Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out (via thissinkingboat)

(via mscoolcat)

Source: thissinkingboat