#iamafeminist

In response to: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/girl-explains-why-shes-not-a-feminist-guess-why/

I'm not even going to get into the problem that this woman only uses a handful of well chosen facts to promote her side... What I will say is that I have never seen another movement to end the oppression of a certain group so widely misunderstood or so widely hated on by members of the group it is attempting to liberate. Yes, feminism's goal is for equality, BUT it is still called FEMINISM. It's main goal is to raise women's political, social, and economic status to that of men. The movement in its very name is centred on women's issues, so it's no wonder men's issues are not given equal weight in the feminism community. I've never seen anyone bash environmentalists for posting about carbon emissions instead of child labour issues, because that is not what the group is about. That doesn't mean environmentalists think child labour violations are just, but that is not their focus. That being said, throughout the history of feminism, feminists have been some of the greatest allies for other oppressed peoples from the abolitionist movement to the civil rights and gay rights movements. Third Wave Feminism itself focuses on the concept of intersectionality, which is about how people face different forms and degrees of oppression and privilege based on various facts about them, such as sex, race, gender, religion, sexuality, age, health, etc. If this woman knew anything about feminism or intersectionality, she would be educated enough not to speak about gender as though there are only two options.

The other point I want to stress about this video and all of those ridiculous ‪#womenagainstfeminism‬ posts is how ridiculously American-centric and narcissistic they are. These people are posting about how they don't need feminism in a world of 7 billion people, roughly half of which are women. Who cares if you don't need feminism? Other people do. As a white female raised on the west side of vancouver I can say that though I see how gender has affected my life and worldview, I have not faced any significant oppression due to my gender. There are places in the world where women aren't allowed to go to school, where they are ostracized for being raped, where they are treated like property (and not like an iphone6; like an old pair of runners). Even in Canada we have clear inequalities represented by things like the wage gap, the lack of diversity in government, etc.

Feminism aims to promote equality by breaking down gender roles and allowing for all people to express themselves the way they choose. That's why‪ #‎iamafeminist‬

Dead White Males

Lately, lots of posts have been popping up at me about the gender and racial representation in the media and in literature––this probably has something to do with the fact that 90% of the tumblr accounts I follow have to do with literature, the media, or feminism. Anyway, these posts made me realize that I have read very few books by authors that are not white, and this realization made me really embarrassed and upset. So naturally, my bag is currently stocked up with books by women and men from a whole slew of different cultures.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one who is almost solely exposed white authors; many of us do not consciously think about it, but we all know that there is an extreme lack of representation of women in general (particularly of women of colour) and of men of colour in literature. I started thinking about the mandatory books studied at my high school and this is what I discovered:

64% of the books we read are written by WHITE MALES

29% are written by WHITE FEMALES

1% are written by MEN OF COLOUR

0% are written by WOMEN OF COLOUR

What's even worse is that I go to an all girls school, which means that the number of books by female authors studied is even lower at most other schools.

These statistics are a problem. Yes, I understand that a lot of the "classics" that are deemed "must reads" are written by white guys, but that does not excuse the fact that we do not read a single book by a woman of colour and that we only read one book by a person of colour. There are so many great books written by people who are not dead, white, straight males that it is absolutely ludicrous that these percentages exist in a school that considers itself multicultural and female-empowering.

Reading is about connecting with characters and their stories, but it is also about connecting to the author. You get a little peak into the author's view of the world. There is no better way to foster understanding and acceptance between people of different ethnicities, genders, sexualities, etc. than to read stories written by a wide-variety of people.

So the next time you go to the bookstore (or click on the amazon store on your Kindle), consider trying a book written by someone of a race, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. that differs from your own.

The Lucky Ones

I was talking with my mom about what feminism means today and how it differs from when she was a teenager and even way back when my great-grandma was a teenager. She said that she thinks that nowadays feminism should be focused on developing countries and that we should feel lucky to live in North America. I disagree with both of her statements, but her latter opinion in particular bothered me.

A lot of the time when people talk about being a woman in North America or any place where women have equal rights, we use the words like "fortunate" or "lucky." We're so lucky to have the opportunities we have. We're so fortunate that we are born in a society that is where there are laws against rape, where women are seen as persons, where girls are not only allowed to be educated, but legally have to. I resent this. We are NOT lucky. We have simply claimed our birthrights as human beings; things that we never should have had to claim. If anything the other women––the women that live in places where they are seen as property, where they have no voice, and where they are not permitted to get an education––are unlucky.

But even describing women in other countries as being "unlucky" is wrong. There is no luck involved in the way people are treated; there are only the decisions and actions of the people who choose to oppress. There is no choice, no pre-determined action in luck, and there certainly is in rape, in violence, and in legislation.

So please do not be so ignorant as to call yourself or anyone else fortunate because you/they are being treated the way you/they should be treated. And do not think of people as being unlucky if they are treated unjustly; instead, think of the people who treat others badly as being the sick, ignorant humans they are.

Why Schools Ruin Reading

If someone said to you, "I don't like games," you'd probably be pretty skeptical. There are so many different types of games that it seems illogical for someone not to like any of them. The same thing goes for books. The only difference is that no one has ever told me they don't like playing games and that people frequently tell me they don't like reading.

The problem here lies in the education system. The books that kids are forced to read in high school turn teenagers off of reading. The novels that are read in english class are generally quite dry, slow, and full of unlikeable and/or boring characters. As someone who loves reading and writing, I see value in these books because of the influence they have had on other writers and because they often have significant historical meaning. But kids who already lean towards watching TV or playing video games over reading, can shine no positive light on these books. And I don't blame them.

I feel like schools have this crazy notion that the only options are these dry but "important for everyone to read in their life" novels or completely commercial books with absolutely zero depth. But there are so many other options. There are countless books that have important messages, use literary devices effectively, and are appealing to modern-day teenagers. We need books that teenagers can relate to! We need characters that they care about, that they are eager to see through to the end!

I'm not suggesting a completely change in the current selection of books that schools use. Not every book read in class needs to engage every student. But we do need to have some variety. High school is where we're supposed to try a whole bunch of subjects to help us figure out what we like. Schools should treat books in the same way. If students are given a taste of all sorts of books, they will be able to actually find the kind that they enjoy.

I'm worried that if students keep having to read these books, the number of people who "hate reading" is just going to increase. The more of the same, boring books students have to read, the more teenagers are going to assume they hate books in general.

5 Great Spoken Word/Slam Poems

So I go through my stages when I get really into watching Slam Poetry/Spoken Word on YouTube. I love how both of these styles mix poetry with performance. After all, poetry was originally written to be performed. Here are some of my favourite pieces that I have watched over the years. I hope you enjoy them! Comment any of your favourite poems below :)


When Love Arrives by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye
––This one is just about love. It is honest and adorable. Both Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye are crazy talented. The fact that it's a duet just adds to the poem. This piece truly stresses the performance aspect of Spoken Word.

Pretty by Katie Makkai
––This one made me cry. It is about how our societies ideals are very centred around looks. It reminds me a bit of the quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby: "...the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” I totally feel what this woman is saying. This one's for all the pretty excellent people out there!

Worst Poetry by Sarah Kay
––Again, I love this one because it is a cute poem about love. But it is also pretty funny. Sarah Kay is just great to watch. She's such a performer.

Parents are the Hardest to Please by Suli Breaks
––I think this one will resonate with a lot of people. Even if your parents are supportive, society may not be. I hear so many people say that they want to be doctors, lawyers, or business people, and I wonder how many of them are just regurgitating what has been shoved down their throats by their family, by their educators, by society. If law or medicine or business is your passion, by all means go for it. All I'm saying is none of those things have to be what you love. As cliché as it sounds, you only live once (#yoloswag), so do what makes you happy, not what'll make you money or make your family "proud."

S for Lisp by George Watsky
––This is just pretty badass and hilarious. I commend George Watsky for responding to all the people who have made fun of him with such sassy confidence. LOVE it!