Text
February 16, 2012
1 note

The [label] for me. Or [label]s.

Is there someone out there for me to love?  Of course there is.  There are several.  Hundreds.  Millions.  No, I haven’t hit any stellar romantic relationships yet, but don’t take that as a sign that I won’t.  There are a lot of people out there, and I’ve met so few of them.  I’m only now getting the chance to live in the communities that interest me; I’m only now meeting people as passionate about my interests as I am.  I’ve known so many wonderful people who weren’t quite right, romantically, and gotten some magical friendships out of the deal.  I’ve fallen for a few people, and a few people have fallen for me, and it’s just chance that those two categories have not yet synced - now, in the worlds I inhabit, my chance for romantic success is higher than ever.  Come and woo me.

Tags: blather romance labels

Link
January 09, 2012
32 notes
Culture Of Resistance: So, Derrick, what exactly do you want us to do?

cultureofresistance:

I want you to make the time to find what or whom you love—whether it’s salmon, sturgeon, a patch of forest, survivors of domestic violence, your own indigenous tradition, migratory songbirds, coral reefs, or Appalachian mountaintops—and I want you to dig in and defend your beloved with your life,…

This makes me think of the “star” of the Peace Studies major at school (not me, I’m too busy being an Environmental Studies hanger-on).  Ze isn’t known for hir intelligence, or informedness, or personality, but for hir ability to push entire clubs into action where they would otherwise be stymied by decisions about what sorts of action to take.

This (underclass)person is a big role model for me.

(Source: orionmagazine.org, via socialuprooting)

Tags: action activism issues

Photo
January 06, 2012
27 notes
Scroll down for boycotting options. catzlovesherson: paucisverbis: These past few weeks, I have seen a number of women who got offended by the Dr Pepper’s most recent soda commercial, “10 calories just for men, a drink not for women” or something of that nature.  I am not talking about the ones who passively sneer at its silliness.  I am talking about those sensitive women who were seriously offended by the assertion. Dr Pepper’s claim of “10 calories just for men, a drink not for women” is no different from an act of a general store labeling certain products by gender.  It is a marketing statement. There is no act of discrimination or prevention of gender equality.  Any woman is free to purchase the soft drink and quench her thirst for those masculine 10 calories if she desires to do so.   The obvious marketing strategy here was to create a splash by emphasizing a possibly controversial statement that will very likely leave a lasting impression.  In this day and age, where a lot of things are becoming unisexual, this is a stimulating claim for the general public. Perhaps some men would feel less guilty about drinking it, while some women would feel the need to prove they can handle it.  Regardless, I say it did its job: drawing attention. I’m actually really offended by the ad myself so I felt the need to reply to the OP. In this day and age (and this AD campaign started in 2011), the gender binary should be disappearing, not being reinstated. I could go on about how a drink cannot define what a ‘man’ is, (and what about trans-men? A lot of society is still ridiculing these people, saying they are just ‘butch lesbians’) but this binary AD campaign excludes not only women (implying that women are not strong enough to handle the ‘bold’ taste, and reinstating the idea of the weaker sex.) but it also excludes the transgender community, the genderqueer community, and anyone who does not believe in gender binary or that gender even matters. Advertisements are a big influence on what society as a whole views certain issues, especially subconsciously. Sure, maybe Miss Suzie can go to her local supermarket and buy some of the ‘Just for men’ doctor pepper, but what if Suzie is stuck in the gender binary and feels even the slightest bit nervous that she may be going against the gender norm?! Even if she doesn’t remember this AD campaign directly, subconsciously she may feel nervous, because thats how the majority of society wants her to feel, ‘to keep her in her place’. And further more, this is still going on in all aspects of the retail environment. I get strange looks on a daily basis if I choose to shop in the “men’s” section. Well I’m sorry, but the tanktops that cling to my body and oversexualize me and feminize me that the women’s section has to offer do not interest me. Masculine clothing goes with my gender queer status. This does not bother me so much anymore because I’m educated now and know what is really going on in people’s minds, but unfortunately, not everyone is an owner of tumblr or is even aware of what other types of thinking are out there, and ad campaigns like that close the minds of the masses so when they are educated, they become less receptive to the idea. So yes, theres much more I could say on the subject, but the ad is offensive, and a bad marketing move in my opinion, especially in 2011/2012 Feel free to start boycotting this company.  They want to pretend that I-a strong, badass woman-do not exist?  Cool, two can play that game. List of Dr Pepper Snapple brands From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This is a list of brands owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. [edit][edit]Products by country United States 7 Up A&W Root Beer A&W Cream Soda Barrelhead Root Beer Cactus Cooler Canada Dry Clamato Country Time Crush Deja Blue Diet Rite Dr Pepper Hawaiian Punch Hires Root Beer IBC Root Beer Margaritaville Mott’s Mr and Mrs T Nantucket Nectars Orangina Peñafiel RC Cola ReaLemon Rose’s Schweppes Snapple Squirt Stewart’s Fountain Classics Sundrop Sunkist Venom Vernors Welch’s Yoo-hoo [edit]Canada Canada Dry (club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, diet ginger ale, cranberry flavoured ginger ale, green tea ginger ale) C’plus (orange, C’plus Wink) Crush (cream soda, birch beer, grape, lime, orange, pineapple) Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper Hires Root Beer and cream soda Orangina RC Cola Schweppes (tonic water, ginger ale, diet ginger ale) Vernor’s Snapple Stewart’s Fountain Classics (Root Beer, Orange & Cream, Wishniak, Black Cherry, Key Lime, Cream Soda) Garden Cockerel (ginger beer) Sussex Mott’s Clamato (regular, the Works, Extra Spicy) Mott’s Garden Cocktail (Regular & Low Sodium) Mr & Mrs T (daiquiri, margarita, pina colada Realemon Realime Rose’s Lime Cordial Rose’s Cocktail Infusions (cranberry, blueberry, green apple) Rose’s Grenadine Mott’s Fruitsations (Fruit snacks, apple sauces, juices and Fruit with Supplement) Welch’s [edit]Mexico Peñafiel Mineral Water Peñafiel Fruit Sodas Peñafiel Naturel- Low calorie fruit sodas sweetened with Splenda. Peñafiel Frutal- Peñafiel Mineral Water with a hint of fruit flavor (strawberry, apple), sweetened with Splenda. Peñafiel Twist- Peñafiel Mineral Water with a hint of lime. Squirt, Squirt Light and Squirt Rusa (salt and lime). (distributed by Pepsi in some states and by Aga in other states). Canada Dry (distributed by Pepsi in some areas) Aguafiel purified water, frutal (jamaica, lime, mango, orange) and frutal cero (jamaica, apple) sweetened with Splenda. Clamato Crush Snapple

Scroll down for boycotting options.

catzlovesherson:

paucisverbis:

These past few weeks, I have seen a number of women who got offended by the Dr Pepper’s most recent soda commercial, “10 calories just for men, a drink not for women” or something of that nature.  I am not talking about the ones who passively sneer at its silliness.  I am talking about those sensitive women who were seriously offended by the assertion.

Dr Pepper’s claim of “10 calories just for men, a drink not for women” is no different from an act of a general store labeling certain products by gender.  It is a marketing statement. There is no act of discrimination or prevention of gender equality.  Any woman is free to purchase the soft drink and quench her thirst for those masculine 10 calories if she desires to do so.  

The obvious marketing strategy here was to create a splash by emphasizing a possibly controversial statement that will very likely leave a lasting impression.  In this day and age, where a lot of things are becoming unisexual, this is a stimulating claim for the general public. Perhaps some men would feel less guilty about drinking it, while some women would feel the need to prove they can handle it.  Regardless, I say it did its job: drawing attention.

I’m actually really offended by the ad myself so I felt the need to reply to the OP. In this day and age (and this AD campaign started in 2011), the gender binary should be disappearing, not being reinstated.

I could go on about how a drink cannot define what a ‘man’ is, (and what about trans-men? A lot of society is still ridiculing these people, saying they are just ‘butch lesbians’) but this binary AD campaign excludes not only women (implying that women are not strong enough to handle the ‘bold’ taste, and reinstating the idea of the weaker sex.) but it also excludes the transgender community, the genderqueer community, and anyone who does not believe in gender binary or that gender even matters.

Advertisements are a big influence on what society as a whole views certain issues, especially subconsciously. Sure, maybe Miss Suzie can go to her local supermarket and buy some of the ‘Just for men’ doctor pepper, but what if Suzie is stuck in the gender binary and feels even the slightest bit nervous that she may be going against the gender norm?! Even if she doesn’t remember this AD campaign directly, subconsciously she may feel nervous, because thats how the majority of society wants her to feel, ‘to keep her in her place’.

And further more, this is still going on in all aspects of the retail environment. I get strange looks on a daily basis if I choose to shop in the “men’s” section. Well I’m sorry, but the tanktops that cling to my body and oversexualize me and feminize me that the women’s section has to offer do not interest me. Masculine clothing goes with my gender queer status. This does not bother me so much anymore because I’m educated now and know what is really going on in people’s minds, but unfortunately, not everyone is an owner of tumblr or is even aware of what other types of thinking are out there, and ad campaigns like that close the minds of the masses so when they are educated, they become less receptive to the idea.

So yes, theres much more I could say on the subject, but the ad is offensive, and a bad marketing move in my opinion, especially in 2011/2012

Feel free to start boycotting this company.  They want to pretend that I-a strong, badass woman-do not exist?  Cool, two can play that game.

List of Dr Pepper Snapple brands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of brands owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.


[edit][edit]Products by country

United States

[edit]Canada

  • Canada Dry (club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, diet ginger ale, cranberry flavoured ginger ale, green tea ginger ale)
  • C’plus (orange, C’plus Wink)
  • Crush (cream soda, birch beer, grape, lime, orange, pineapple)
  • Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper
  • Hires Root Beer and cream soda
  • Orangina
  • RC Cola
  • Schweppes (tonic water, ginger ale, diet ginger ale)
  • Vernor’s
  • Snapple
  • Stewart’s Fountain Classics (Root Beer, Orange & Cream, Wishniak, Black Cherry, Key Lime, Cream Soda)
  • Garden Cockerel (ginger beer)
  • Sussex
  • Mott’s Clamato (regular, the Works, Extra Spicy)
  • Mott’s Garden Cocktail (Regular & Low Sodium)
  • Mr & Mrs T (daiquiri, margarita, pina colada
  • Realemon
  • Realime
  • Rose’s Lime Cordial
  • Rose’s Cocktail Infusions (cranberry, blueberry, green apple)
  • Rose’s Grenadine
  • Mott’s Fruitsations (Fruit snacks, apple sauces, juices and Fruit with Supplement)
  • Welch’s

[edit]Mexico

(via idontgetnosleep)

Tags: Dr Pepper sexism advertising campaign boycott Snapple binary diet food culture

Text
December 24, 2011
16 notes

Tumblr, I love you, but

you are just too depressing for me right now.  I think you have always had a bad influence on my moods, but now I recognize it better.

I also recognize that feeling bad about my exposure to the world is a result of the awful things in the world, and that I still have a duty to stay informed and active in the [social justice] issues that concern me.

So I wonder, how do other people deal with the ‘problem’ of awareness?

Tags: social justice depression awareness mood Tumblr

Photo
December 19, 2011
3,485 notes
glittergeek: amydentata: epochryphal: dopegirlfresh: oh shit, son. [image: New! From Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” Campaign: a tub of “I Can’t Believe It Got Better!”  Made with White Privilege!  White-r + Male-r.  0% Class Awareness.  Adopt Babies + Go to Europe!] ACCURATE and… TRANS & FAT free!

glittergeek:

amydentata:

epochryphal:

dopegirlfresh:

oh shit, son.

[image: New! From Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” Campaign: a tub of “I Can’t Believe It Got Better!”  Made with White Privilege!  White-r + Male-r.  0% Class Awareness.  Adopt Babies + Go to Europe!]

ACCURATE

and… TRANS & FAT free!

(Source: kfffunk, via bumbleblu)

Link
December 19, 2011
20 notes
"Billboard Babylon" by Cherisse Scott

detroitandsoforth:

prolongedeyecontact:

Black Children Are An Endangered Species?

Every 21 Minutes The Next Possible Leader Is Aborted?

The Most Unsafe Place For An African American Child Is In My Womb? 

I Guess You Assumed You Could Say What You Wanted In Jesus’ Name 

And I Would Let It Slide

Let It Ride Like You Rode A Ship And Talked Some Shit 

To Bring Me To A Land That Wasn’t Mine

Told My King I’d Be Fine And That You’d Be Kind 

But As The Story Goes 500 Years Later 

And You Still Lying

You Wasn’t Trying To ‘Make Me Betta’

At Night Together We Conceived That Child 

Forced Me To Breed That Child 

More Stock To Tend More Crops For Your Hard Labor

Back Broke, Culture Choked 

Vilifying Me ‘Cause I’m Trying To Survive

Blaming Me Of Committing Genocide?

I Just Been Trying To Live Inside America And This Dream

Trying To Keep Hope Alive While You Keep The Pope Alive

And The Pedophiles Who Would Rape That Same Child And Sweep It Under Rugs

Hail Mary’s And Hugs With Hues Of Red White And Blue

With Liberty And Justice For Only You 

My Womb Produced All The Leaders You Constantly Kill

Every 21 Minutes A Black Child Is Faced With The Real Deal 

On 58th & State 

Swallowed The Blue Pill But The Matrix Is Hate, Racial Profiling, And Rape

Prayin’ For A Clean Slate After Bargains And Pleas

Endangered In A Land Of Thieves, But A Species?

Insensitivity At Its Best 

Culturally Incompetent

Civil Unrest

Misinformed

Unworthy To Lead A Charge Then Charge Me With Murder!

Where Are You After Our Babies Are Born?

You Scorn, Jack Welfare & Health Reform

Sons And Daughters Mourned Over Caskets And Graves

But Not By My Hand

Ain’t Never Been My Plan To Kill The Next Black Man

Yet You Stand Blameless As If You Really Give A Damn

You Eating Filet Mignon, Baby Eating Spam

Food Deserts, Polluted Air

Shit Schools Setting Rules For Ritalin Ridden Babies

You Take A Time Out! 

And Put Some Time In  

Cause You Don’t Comprehend My Beginning Or My End

Covering My Roots Like Thieves Cover Tracks

One Nation Under God

Indivisible ‘Til We Visualized A Leader 

Targeting Me Again As A Breeder

With His Picture To Mock Me

Billboards To Shock Me 

This Ain’t Shit But The Next Plan To Block Me

But I See You…Pharisee.

Black Preachers Gon’ Wild 

Crucifying Queens 

Pimpin’ King James For Fame

In Jesus’ Name Pitting Blame

Like God Is Pleased 

You The Disease In The Village That We Just…Can’t…Shake

But My Back Is Something You Just…Can’t…Break

Flexible Like The Willow

Bosom Soft Like A Pillow That Was Used To Nurse

Yo Foul Ass

If I Wasn’t Spiritual I’d Curse 

Yo Foul Ass

But You Already Done

Til You Do Right By Me The Race Ain’t Run, The Spin Ain’t Spun 

You Think You’ve Won But It’s Only Just Begun

Like A Sucka Punch When You Least Expect It

I’ll Be There

Leading A Healthy Life In Spite Of Your Hypocrisy

I’ll Be There

Raising A Healthy Family Rooted In Democracy

I’ll Be There

Doing What Black Women Have Always Had To Do In Spite Of You

Rebuke That Shit…

And Continue.

Beautiful!

(via propaganda-for-life)

Text
November 17, 2011
3 notes

While living in a country that doesn’t even acknowledge queerness,

Is it possible to be transgender without being transsexual?

Yes. So many people present as a gender that was not the one assigned at birth with no intent to pursue sex change measures. This is a fairly common state of being.

Is it possible to be transsexual without being transgender?

I hadn’t thought about it until I encountered this question for myself. Yes, my quality of life would skyrocket if I could somehow exchange my body for one with a prostrate. But do I really want to take on the label of “man”?

Nope, it’s not for me. I thought it was and got all confused and I guess that studying abroad really does help people sort out their heads.

So, yes, I’m trans*. No, I’m not currently identifying as a man. My preferred pronouns are ze, hir, hirs. Thanks for your respect and decent person-ness.

Tags: trans* transsexual transgender pronouns gender sex study abroad

Text
November 12, 2011
6 notes

Want to rant, too lazy.

So instead, have my love and a picture of a lemur that I took.

[Image: a lemur.]

Tags: rant lemur lazy nature love

Quote
November 02, 2011
6,748 notes
"[TW: violent cissexism]
The average life span of a transgendered person is twenty-three years. The statistic is shocking, until it begins to make sense. Gender non-conformists face routine exclusion and violence. Transgendered people are disproportionately poor, homeless, and incarcerated. Many of the systems and facilities intended to help low-income people are sex-segregated and thereby alienate those who don’t comply with state-imposed categories. A trans woman may not be able to secure a bed in a homeless shelter, for example. Spade writes that just as the feminist movement tended to “focus on gender-universalized white women’s experience as ‘women’s experience,’” the lesbian- and gay-rights movement has focused primarily on a white, middle-class politic, centered on marriage and mainstream social mores."

—

Guernica / Trans-Formative Change

Dean Spade is the first openly trans law professor. Meaghan Winter interviews him for Granta.

H/T The Rumpus

FUCKING READ THIS SHIT. NEXT TIME ANYONE THINKS IT’S OKAY TO RAG ON TRANS* PEOPLE (BECAUSE LOLOL THEIR EXISTENCE IS JUST SO FUNNY, ISN’T IT FUNNY THAT SOME PEOPLE AREN’T EXACTLY LIKE ME), I AM GOING TO PRINT THIS QUOTE OUT AND STAPLE IT TO THE ASSHOLE’S FOREHEAD. Fucking read this shit and think hard, think as hard as you can, about how tragic this is. Your tittering and joking and mocking and bullying — which is, painfully obviously, motivated by an indoctrinated discomfort that you are too ignorant or complacent to question the morality of — is what facilitates violence against the trans* community. No, you don’t have to personally pull the trigger, or raise your fist, or deny care and shelter.

All you have to do is systematically dehumanize. All you have to do is deny the weight of your words and the pedestal of your privilege, ignore the suffering that you can conveniently shrug off after an insensitive SNL skit or forum post because what does it matter to me if these people are dying?

(via gadgetry)

If you are not foaming-at-the-mouth angry right now, read that first sentence again (unless you’d like to protect your blood pressure, in which case have a soothing non-invasive hug from me right now).

(via mumblingsage)

I feel like it’s something of a surprise I made it to 19. This stat doesn’t shock me at all as a gender-variant person.

23 feels like a long fucking way away, and if I’m not around for it because this is a really fucking difficult life, even with the immense privileges I hold as white and (previously) middle class. There are so many days where I am just waiting for it to all snap and for me to end up without any form of support.

(via zladkohasaboaraffe)

(via bumbleblu)

Tags: trans* transgender transsexual violence cissexism suicide

Photo
October 10, 2011
510 notes
[Image: Chameleon perched on a twig looking up at a light source.] animalstalkinginallcaps: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, JESUS? I’VE SHIT ON THE POOR, OPENLY DERIDED GAYS, USED ALL MY MONEY FOR PERSONAL GAIN, SUPPORTED ILLEGAL WARS, BLAMED ALL OF MY PROBLEMS ON MUSLIMS AND IMMIGRANTS AND I GO TO MASS EVERY SUNDAY. EVERYTHING YOU ASKED FOR IN THE BIBLE. WHY IS MY 401K IN THE TOILET?

[Image: Chameleon perched on a twig looking up at a light source.]

animalstalkinginallcaps:

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, JESUS? I’VE SHIT ON THE POOR, OPENLY DERIDED GAYS, USED ALL MY MONEY FOR PERSONAL GAIN, SUPPORTED ILLEGAL WARS, BLAMED ALL OF MY PROBLEMS ON MUSLIMS AND IMMIGRANTS AND I GO TO MASS EVERY SUNDAY. EVERYTHING YOU ASKED FOR IN THE BIBLE. WHY IS MY 401K IN THE TOILET?