Achilles Stiletto, Sex and Feminsim

On a chilly damp afternoon a handful of activists huddled in a small park pavilion to discuss Important Issues of the Day. The group was mixed by gender and race (although predominately white and majority male) and among the topics was the role of women in activism. As we often do we digressed into the larger subject of Feminism as it is perceived through the lens of each participant. "Feminism" as a topic is pretty broad subject, if you will pardon the pun, and the conversation was initially intended to pose the question of how to get more women involved in activism. In the process of brainstorming the conversation turned to examining potential barriers that exist which may prevent women from participating.
Ultimately these conversations frequently boil down to the same stuff, the different and sometimes conflicting views of what it means to be a feminist. It is both amusing and frustrating that most women I know agree that we all share the same basic desire and goal, to be treated equally and respectfully as co-creators of culture and society. It's the definition of what it means to be a "productive member of society" and the means by which this is accomplished that gets the whole movement gummed up. I believe it is our dualistic all or nothing thinking that gets in the way. That, and the most favored target of that kind of thinking-sex.
How is it that some women insist it is their right to dress "slutty" (and it is) and yet these same women look down their noses at their sisters in the sex trade? How is it that women, often those who are powerful advocates for workers rights, fail to take seriously the formation of worker managed unions in the sex trade? Why is it that a Woman's right to chose doesn't address the way we give birth when we chose to do so?
Sex and sexuality (including reproduction) is probably our most vulnerable place, our Achilles heel, or Achilles stiletto if you will. Personally at age 54 I no longer have a desire to dress provocatively, but when I was younger yes, I enjoyed playing dress up. I think there is far too much emphasis on how we dress and with whom or how often we have sex than on who we are in the remaining hours and days of our lives.
But it makes perfect sense in our culture that this is the ring in which the fight gets dirty. It is the place we as women are the most competitive, jealous and insecure. All the images of sexuality that are used to sell products are a training ground on the lessons of "how to get a man" which translates to how to 'win out' over the competition.
We are affected by these images from the time we are old enough to notice advertising, or catch a glimpse of Cosmo  in the grocery store checkout line as our little girl hands reach innocently for the candy that is placed right next to the magazine rack. Daytime television is packed with hour after hour of 'real life paternity testing' and women physically fighting over who gets the winner of said test, while the men who have been cleared of parental responsibility jump, dance and gloat as the audience chants "whore, whore, whore". The winner gets the babydaddy, the loser the bastard child and is therefore somehow less desirable a woman and mother.
What kind of a society does that? The producers of these shows claim they are only giving the viewers what they want, as if they are providing some kind of public service.
Ok so these examples represent the commercialized lowest common denominator of society and most of us activists like to think we are above and beyond all that (even though I'm sure it seeps in on a subliminal level especially in the early formative years). I'm even more disturbed by what I hear coming from the so called sophisticated echelons of society. The academic world has never been the pinnacle of objectivity it claims to be and this is especially evident in Social and Cultural studies. Based on my experiences over 20 years ago and what I'm hearing from current students, professors of womens' studies are not immune to their own personal bias and no matter how subtle the delivery, they pass those biases onto their students. And then there is always the Flavor of the Month, the favored theoretical perspective, of any given era.
Thankfully, I couldn't tell you what it is this year. But I can tell you I have some concerns that it hasn't yet risen above that elitist, entitled framework that has produced most theories for...well forever most likely.
By the end of our conversation yesterday there seemed to be one uniting belief that we need to talk to one another openly and respectfully within a safe environment. This would be an environment where all former beliefs and preconceptions are left at the door, from Jerry Springer to Womens' Issues in Contemporary Society. In order to be safe we need to walk through that door with open hearts and minds, and with the knowledge that we are in the same ring fighting the same battle...and we are not the enemy.
2012, Jennifer Hazard

NATO Part 2

I've had a few days to reflect on the events of Sunday and to take in the reactions of other observers. I've been browsing Facebook, you tube, newspapers and the mainstream media looking at pictures, videos and reading snippets of other peoples experiences at the NATO protest. I checked out the mainstream media interpretation not because I am a glutton for punishment, but because I tend to forget that large segments of the US population does not see the world through my Aquarian Flower Child eyes and that for many of those people the news is 'reality'. If I am to put myself in a position to challenge another persons beliefs about reality I have to understand the nature of that perception. Even if it pisses me off.
The most significant development of this event is that we have turned our focus on the the most heinous arm of the self perpetuating machine of economic injustice and false democracy that has been the target of our resistance since day one. We have finally taken on the Beast that is War.
The Occupy message has always targeted economic injustice including the misuse of money and power in destroying democracy. Our focus has been directed toward Wall street, banks, investment firms and the politicians who are beholden to them. But we have overlooked the connection between all these entities and the Military Industrial Complex, the machine of Imperialism.
In Chicago, we finally stood up to it, took it on, we called it out and (pardon the expression, bitch slapped it) We exposed it's most brutal and unthinkable atrocities, raw and uncensored in the light of day before an audience of thousands. I say we in a collective sense, but the real credit goes to the Soldiers, Marines, and other service men and women who courageously told their stories, opened their emotional wounds and apologized to the victims of the crimes committed in the name of "national security". I can't imagine the strength it took for these men and women to speak out and to reject the symbols of what was once, in their world, symbols of courage, honor and achievement. They now see those symbols for what they are; empty tokens meant to pacify those whose lives are being destroyed so that the ruling elite can maintain their false sense of security and superiority in the global community.
And then there were the Women. Afghan Women. Refugees, children of refugees, survivors of unimaginable acts of violence and terror. They stood on the same stage with the troops...and they forgave them. It was the most incredibly emotional, transcendent moment of restorative justice many of us will ever witness. It was living proof that the power of love and redemption is stronger than money, or weapons or hate.
And it was completely ignored by the majority of the media. Even the independent "liberal" media was more focused on the protesters and of course the clashes with the police. The sources that did cover this incredibly moving climax to the day long event recorded the troops, but the women were barely given mention.
Can you imagine having your home invaded in the middle of the night, your parents raped and beaten, children murdered and you surviving, carrying those memories with you for the rest of your life? Now imagine telling your story to thousands of strangers in the midst of the country that perpetrated those crimes, not ten feet away from men who had played a role in that kind of carnage...and forgiving them?
I beg you to please, step away from the computer a moment and picture this. Picture your family, yourself, if you can ( because how can we, really?) in these circumstances. Holding within you the horror that will never, ever leave you.
That is war. That is war every day. For over a decade that has been happening every day to people in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That is the real enemy. It is the sociopathic mentality that underlies every act of selfish greed that is perpetuated by everyone from lying bankers to cheating politicians. It is embedded in our culture.
 So what is the solution? How can there be any hope for a Nation so steeped in greed and arrogance?  I believe that what took place on that stage between the former oppressors and victims, contains the elements to a the solution, or at least the beginning. It is up to us to share these stories, second hand it's easier for us, but no less powerful. The Human Connection, the raw honesty of experience and emotion, even terror and rage, is the only chance we have for survival.
 Please, watch the videos. Read the stories. Listen to the experiences of Veterans and Survivors. Their truth is our truth. Their blood is on our hands for all the years we have remained complacent.
We must no longer choose silence. We must no longer allow crimes against humanity to be inflicted upon innocent civilians in our name. We owe it to those who have lost everything to honor their memory by telling their stories.
Here are a couple of links to get started. As always feedback, stories and links are welcome!
Peace,
Jenny

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51108
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/21/us_army_vets_join_with_afghans