Tag: Understanding

Then and now

Just this past Tuesday, March 8th, marked the 100th International Woman’s Day. And instead of posting a largely symbolic bunch of words declaring my solidarity with all the day represents, I chose not to post. I didn’t have anything relevant to add. That was then. This is now.

Yesterday, while sitting on my throne I was listening to CBCs The Current, and their reading of their listeners mail specifically, when they featured responces (at 8 minutes and 30 seconds) to a piece, Women’s Work & the State of Feminism, that The Current aired on Tuesday.

When it hit me! Before I get into it, to be fair, it wasn’t so much anything that was raised yesterday, but rather a culmination of opinions I’ve heard spoken this past Tuesday, yes, but previously on the CBC, as well…

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‘Someday it may come knocking on your door’

So with condemnation, and rightfully so, of John Galliano’s stupid anti-Semetic needle-dickery in the news this week, I can’t help but wonder why similarities, as in any, between Galliano’s bigotry and a recent US anti-Muslim rally, in Yorba Linda California, fail to be connected?

Elected Republican, Deborah Pauly, can be seen in this video from al Jazeera actually saying;

I don’t even care if you think I’m crazy anymore. […] I know quite a few marines who will be very happy to help these terrorists to an early meeting in paradise…

But I’ve taken her words out of context, you say? It’s quite possible I have. I can admit it. Not that I care. I’ve no idea where or why she was talking when the footage was shot that was featured in this piece. I guess it’s possible, like conservative Tea Party “activists” claim, she was speaking towards the “presence of speakers [that are linked, but not charged, in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing being] at the event.” Fair enough. Anything is possible. Even the validity, however unlikely, of some of the Tea Party’s extreme assertions. But, that said, it’s not like the Tea Party’s record against inciting reactionary ignorance is clean. But that’s not really my point…

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You’re Vegan? And Healthy?

I’ve recently had quite a constructive, speaking from my point of view at least, back and forth, concerning veganism, with an old friend. And yesterday the subject of health and the merits of how I eat came up.

All Starting with said friend forwarding me a link to a blog post — that I found fairly problematic and somewhat short sighted — of an ex-vegan intent on bashing veganism for its supposed poor health consequences. With absolutely no valid arguments toward the reasons for his alleged feeling bad, other than a few horrible pictures of himself. I digress.

This was largely my response to his forward — to which I’ve added since sending…

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Things Aren’t Always So Black Or White

So I’ve spent a fair amount of my time recently — the past 6 months seems to be a nice round number — thinking, or better yet, re-thinking how I really feel about a number of things. My approach to ethical veganism and animal rights specifics being most significant.

My previous stance didn’t stray too far from the Francione school of thought;

“[T]o provide a clear statement of an approach to animal rights that (1) requires the abolition of animal exploitation and rejects the regulation of animal exploitation; (2) is based only on animal sentience and no other cognitive characteristic, (3) regards veganism as the moral baseline of the animal rights position; and (4) rejects all violence and promotes activism in the form of creative, non-violent vegan education…”

That said, and recent gaffs aside, I can’t say my views have changed all that much. Meaning I still think much of what I thought, but I’m no longer convinced it’s a “strict,” or, more specifically, such a black or white issue…

Continue reading Things Aren’t Always So Black Or White