"Why do you say that book/movie/song/whatever promotes bad values if you haven't even read/watched/listened to it?"
The same reason I think stealing is wrong, even though I've never been robbed. Just because I haven't experienced something firsthand, that does not mean I don't know what's wrong with it!! Seriously, ever heard of reading plot summaries? Or looking up song lyrics? Gosh.
Sooooo... A lot of feminists are complaining about how "first world problems" are trivialized (example: "why are you so against stereotypical portrayals of women in the media when women in the Middle East are being oppressed?"). Here are my thoughts on this:
It is good to speak out against things that are wrong, even if they aren't the most horrible things that could happen. It's good to criticize the media's portrayal of women, harmful messages about sexuality, everyday acts of discrimination, or whatever. The "first world" isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and it's good to acknowledge that.
It becomes a problem when people act like their problems are just as serious as things like violence and oppression. Calling a political decision you disagree with a "war on women" trivializes the truly horrible things that happen to women. It's also a problem when people ignore those who are struggling in other parts of the world. If modern feminism is so focused on intersectionality, why do mainstream feminists focus mostly on the status of middle-class American women?
We were discussing genetic disorders in Biology and this one student pretty much said that if someone is severely disabled or elderly that their lives aren't worth living and that it's pointless to help people who can't contribute to the world. Knowing that some people feel this way makes me sick. Especially because people actually tolerate such attitudes.
It makes me sick that so many horrible things happen to women in the world. So many women are victims of rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, abuse, murder, and other horrible acts of aggression. What also makes me sick is that not many people do anything about it, or even talk about it. People will make comments like "there are nice people in (insert name of country here)" and "men have problems, too" when these injustices are mentioned. While both of those statements are true, it kind of downplays the seriousness of the horrible things that happen to women. Then there are the people who trivialize these injustices by calling everything that they disagree with a "war on women." Which is really offensive. I mean, I'd much, much, much rather pay for my own birth control (assuming I needed or wanted to use it) than undergo FGM. That should be a no-brainer. Seriously, talk about first-world problems. There are people who have it way worse than you and I.
I guess I'm trying to say that injustice really sucks and we should be more aware of it.
I really hate how our culture romanticizes rape and other horrible acts of sexual violence (okay, all of you should agree with that). This is especially relevant now with the Fifty Shades of Grey movie coming out. I am extremely appalled by this book/movie because it glamorizes abuse. No, I am not using that as shorthand for the type of sex they're doing (you know what I mean, but I don't want to teach any new terms to my more innocent friends). I honestly don't care if people are into that stuff, as long as it is consensual and healthy. Fifty Shades of Grey does NOT portray a consensual, healthy relationship. This book/movie is about a traumatized man taking advantage of a woman. What appalls me is that some "feminist" and "sex-positive" groups and individuals have endorsed this book because it "embraces female sexuality" or "decreases the stigma against certain sexual activities." Fifty Shades of Grey actually reinforces the stereotype that people who are into that sort of thing are traumatized by past experiences and/or disrespectful to their partners. It also sends the message that it's okay if a relationship lacks active consent and respect. In a healthy sexual relationship, the people involved respect each other and the sexual activity is pleasurable for all people involved. No exceptions.
I know that I have friends with attitudes ranging from "any sexual activity that goes against my idea of what's normal is immoral" to "our culture needs to be more accepting of consensual sex" and everywhere in between, but I think we can all agree that sex has to be consensual.
On the NSA's official Facebook page: "In honor of Women's Equality Day, NSA would like to thank the many dedicated women who contribute to our nation’s security."
Says the government program in which men spy on their ex-girlfriends and look at nude photos of women... sounds totally feminist to me. Not.
Note to self: NEVER date a guy who is part of the NSA.
Okay, so how can anyone possibly hate Gerard Way? I mean, it's one thing not to be into that type of music, or to not be attracted to him, or to have no interest in the things he creates. That's fine. But there are people who say they hate his personality due to past events, even though most people who have met him said he was really sweet.
A common criticism against Gerard is that he's a poser and that he's a sissy compared to the "true" goth/punk/hardcore/whatever bands. Look, I actually dislike A LOT of the bands associated with MCR (you know, the bands people talk about when they say "I like bands"). I don't really identify with the whole emo thing, either. But MCR is cool because they have traits that separate them from all those other bands. Besides, MCR and Gerard Way's more recent music is a totally different thing than what those people are complaining about.
Then there are the people who act like it's "unfair to the rest of MCR" if Gerard is your favorite band member, even though no one complains if your favorite is, say, Frank. First of all, MCR isn't together anymore, so it's not like it matters anyway. Also, preferring Gerard over the other band members doesn't mean you think Gerard makes up the entire band. I recognize that all of them are important and awesome (although the Way brothers are definitely my favorites).
Lastly, a lot of people accuse the Gerard fangirls of only caring about his appearance or whatnot. First of all, not every female fan of MCR is attracted to Gerard (and not all people who find Gerard attractive are female). Second, it IS possible to think someone's hot without being shallow. I will admit that some fans go too far with the sexual comments they make about him (especially over the Internet where he could potentially read it) but that doesn't mean that all people who think he's attractive are objectifying him.
In other words, think before you criticize Gerard and/or his fans.
Is it possible to have education without the brainwashing?
I love how people always first talk about how much of a struggle autism can be for families. Because it's totally not difficult for the person who actually has autism. Because we like to make our families suffer.
Seriously, though. I'm not saying it's easy for parents to raise kids who have special needs, but they're not the only ones with challenges. I know it's probably easier to relate to a person's neurotypical family members, but please try to walk in an autistic person's shoes for once. (BTW, I mean that figuratively. Please don't wear my shoes without my permission. Although it might be tempting because some of the shoes I own are pretty freaking awesome.)
Although I think it's good that people are making new discoveries, my first thought when I read this [article about autism research discovery] was "oh no." I really hope this doesn't lead to the testing and abortion of unborn babies with autism, or anything that will stop autistic people from, well, being who they are. I hope people will use studies like this one to improve the lives of people with autism rather than to get rid of them completely.
I had written this amazing post about how ignorant people are and how I don't want people to start aborting their unborn babies because they have autism, but then I switched to a new tab and it was GONE. I just hope this research is used to treat ACTUAL problems people may face because they have autism rather than to take away the an autistic person's individuality or even deny them their right to life so that life will be "easier" for ignorant people. Unfortunately, it will probably be the latter because SO MANY PEOPLE are ignorant about autism. Seriously, people talk about it like it's cancer or something and they treat autistic people like a burden on society rather than as individuals. Would you say to my face that I shouldn't have been born or that I'm a burden on society? NEWSFLASH: Autistic people have feelings, too. When we have meltdowns or whatnot, we're not trying to give you a hard time, we are having a hard time. And it's not like we don't try and work on it. Look, is it too much to ask to be treated kindly? Or at least to not have our rights violated?
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