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“Me Too” Thoughts

“Me Too” Thoughts

For the confused: Sexual harassment and assault have nothing to do with the erotic. They are the core expressions of a pure power dynamic, a form of bullying and manipulation by immature and weak people who can sometimes become very dangerous, even violent.

If you do not consent, do not enjoy, that is harassment and often assault. The harasser, the stalker, the abuser, the rapist, the murderer – they persist despite (and often because of) resistance and lack of consent. They don’t take “no” for an answer. They are wielding power aggressively to intimidate you because they think they can. They are not paying attention to you as a full human being, but only to their own internal dynamics. You are then just an object, not another person with their own boundaries and thoughts and feelings and rights.

Mutual seduction is NOT that. Flirting is NOT that. An expression of interest, or even a sexual advance, is NOT that, in most cases, unless it creates a fearful toxic situation where you are somehow trapped. If you move away, or say “hey” or “no thanks” and they still won’t leave you alone – and the culture supports that in thousands of ways – then that is what is being addressed by “me, too.”

Awareness is a small step, easily rationalized, denied, and rejected.
With awareness, pay attention.
With growth, discard previous assumptions and construct better questions.
With better understanding, understand and disrupt toxic behavior.
With more insight, communicate to others when you see similiar inappropriate behavior and structures (whenever you can).
Navigate as best you can with what you know, and hold yourself accountable in the mirror.
Know thyself, and listen to others.
Know your friends, family and tribes.
Name what you know, in the active tense.

Ask more questions.

See where toxic things structurally and institutionally intersect.

Find allies. Be an ally.

The way forward is like this.

 

Visually

Visually

I intended to write a blog post, but I have only managed to change out my blog template again and upload a bunch of rotating headers from my photo collection.

headers1 headers2 headers3 headers4

Thanks for the readers who have continued to read posts while I have been on a rest from it. 🙂

worldblogvisits30days

 

Life Soundtrack Snapshot

Life Soundtrack Snapshot

For historical purposes, here are my current 50 most-played songs on the iPod.

A Thousand Years Sting 5:58
All I Have to Do Is Dream The Everly Brothers 2:25
All I Really Want Alanis Morissette 5:25
All This Beauty The Weepies 3:20
Big Wheel Tori Amos 3:18
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) Concrete Blonde 6:07
Comfort Deb Talan 3:16
Counting Stars Sugarcult 3:38
Daily Living Eldar Djangirov 6:12
Down to Nowhere Thea Gilmore 3:54
Dream of You Mary Fahl 3:44
Drink Me (Acoustic Version) Anna Nalick 3:03
Everybody Knows Concrete Blonde 4:44
Feelin Way too Damn Good Nickelback 4:15
Goodnight Moon Shivaree 4:04
Gotta Have You The Weepies 3:22
Green-Eyed Lady Sugarloaf 3:40
Hold On KT Tunstall 2:58
Hushabye Mountain Stacey Kent 2:38
I Summon You Spoon 3:56
I Want You Rachael Yamagata 2:56
In the Summertime Roger Miller 1:45
Infinity Merrick 3:21
Jonathon Fisk Spoon 3:16
Kiss Moi Sportes 3:27
Kryptonite 3 Doors Down 3:54
Life During Wartime Talking Heads 3:42
Love Hurts Nazareth 3:53
Make My Day yes but 3:52
Novocaine for the Soul Eels 3:09
Persephone Kula Shaker 4:43
Phantom Doll Tracy Grammer 4:09
Raise the Veil Lily Frost 2:42
Rollin’ And Tumblin’ Bob Dylan 6:02
Sexybeast Paul Sabo 3:51
Sister Moon Thomas Hellman 5:48
Sleep to Dream Fiona Apple 4:11
Song Beneath the Song Maria Taylor 4:00
Strawberry Fields Cyndy Lauper 4:24
Sweet Dreams Tori Amos 3:40
Take Me As I Am October Project 4:38
The Creationist Kerli 3:38
The Dreaming Dead Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter 6:04
This Will Be Our Year The Zombies 2:08
Trouble Over the Rhine 4:01
Velvet Revolution Tori Amos 1:19
Waltz of the Malcontent Lily Frost 3:53
Without a Word yes but 4:15
Writing On the Wall Blackmore’s Night 6:01
Your Rocky Spine Great Lake Swimmers 3:36
Person or Not a Person?

Person or Not a Person?

An American Category Sketch of Personhood vs. Non-Personhood – not exhaustive, but representative.

  • So much is under debate.
  • So much is culturally modulated.
  • So much has a history of discussion rather than a solid truth claim.
  • So much seems a little strange.

Warning: Your answers may differ.
This is meant to be thought-provoking; sorry for all the things I’m leaving out.

Comments are welcome, but only if you’re civil. All comments are moderated.

For each of the following, is this a person?

Non-living:

  • Rock – NO!
  • Table – NO!
  • Book – NO!

Beings:

  • Flower – NO!
  • Tree – NO!
  • Monkeygrass – NO!
  • Frog – NO!
  • Beetle – NO!
  • Ant – NO!
  • Tilapia – NO!
  • Worm – NO!
  • Dog – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Cat – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Cow – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)

Scale/Boundary:

  • Electrons – NO!
  • Nuclei – NO!
  • Fungi – NO! (LIFE, MAYBE GROUP INTELLIGENCE OF A KIND, NOT PERSON)
  • Bacteria – NO! (LIFE, MAYBE GROUP INTELLIGENCE OF A KIND, NOT PERSON)
  • Virus – NO – um… probably not! (DEAD/ALIVE, IMMORTAL? SOME UNKNOWN)
  • Prions – NO! (DEAD/ALIVE, IMMORTAL? MUCH UNKNOWN)
  • Mitochondria – NO! (MAY HAVE DEVELOPED HUMANS, HISTORY OF DISCUSSION)
  • Planet – NO! (ECO-REACTIONS, SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Star – NO! (HISTORICAL SMALL DISAGREEMENTS)

Sex/Gender:

  • Female – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Male – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Hermaphrodite – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Transvestite – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Transgender – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Heterosexual – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Homosexual – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Bisexual – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Married – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Single – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Complicated – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)

Class/Money/Economy:

  • Poor – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Rich – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Middle-class – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Blue-collar – YES!
  • White-collar – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Upper-class – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Migrant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Inner-city – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Rural – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Suburban – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Socialist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Communist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Crony Capitalist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Regulated Capitalist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)

Education:

  • Highly educated – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Highly trained – YES!
  • Untrained – YES!
  • College – YES!
  • No College – YES!
  • Under-educated – YES!
  • Literate – YES!
  • Sub-literate – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Intentionally ignorant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)

Political Values:

  • Democrat – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Libertarian – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Republican – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Independent – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Green – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Reconstructionist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Imperialist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Fascist – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
  • Nazi – YES! (HEATED DISAGREEMENT)
  • Uninterested – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Fanatical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)

Nationality / Ethnicity / Race:

  • American – YES! (MINOR DISAGREEMENT)
  • Non-American – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Registered US Immigrant – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Non-registered US Immigrant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • American Terrorist – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Non-American Terrorist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Same Ethnic/Racial Composition as Yourself – YES!
  • Different Ethic/Racial Composition from Yourself – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • German – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • French – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Kenyan – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • British – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Chinese – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Iraqi – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Afghani – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
  • Iranian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)

Religion:

  • Christian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Muslim – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Jehovah’s Witness – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Wiccan – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Buddhist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Fanatical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Orthodox – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Evangelical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Reformed – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Unitarian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Atheist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
  • Eclectic – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)

Corporate Groupings: (UNDER CONTESTATION!!!!!)

  • Homeland Security – NO!
  • CIA – NO!
  • Dept. of Eduction- NO!
  • NRA – NO!
  • ACLU – NO!
  • Catholic Church – NO!
  • US Marines – NO!
  • Al-Qaeda – NO!
  • Taliban – NO!
  • KKK – NO!
  • Halliburton – NO!
  • Chevron – NO!
  • Microsoft – NO!
  • Google – NO!
  • MacDonald’s- NO!
  • Citibank – NO!
  • Walmart – NO!

Stage / Distinctions:

  • Egg – NO!
  • Sperm- NO!
  • Fertilized egg – NO! (DISAGREEMENT – UNDER CONTESTATION!)*
  • Zygote – NO! (DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
  • Fetus w/Beating Heart – ALIVE, BUT NOT PERSON! (DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
  • Fetus w/Brain Waves – MAYBE! (DISAGREEMENT – UNDER CONTESTATION!)
  • Late-term Pregnancy – MAYBE! (HEATED DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
  • Baby – COULD BE! (SOME DISAGREEMENT, HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
  • Toddler – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT – HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
  • Child – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT- HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
  • Teenager – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT – PAIN IN THE BUTT, AND SOME CONFUSION ABOUT RITE DE PASSAGE)
  • Adult – YES!
  • Middle-Aged – YES!
  • Elderly – YES! (DISAGREEMENT – HISTORICALLY SO, MAYBE STILL IS)
  • Corpse – PROBABLY NOT (SOME RELIGIOUS DISAGREEMENT)
  • Australopithecus – NO! (EXTINCT HOMINID! SOME DISCUSSION)
  • Neanderthals – NO! (EXTINCT HOMINID! SOME DISCUSSION)
  • Early Modern Human (EMH)/Anatomically Modern Human’ (AMH) (also referred to as Cro-Magnon) – UNKNOWN (DISCUSSION and DISAGREEMENT)
  • Homo Sapien Sapien – YES! (MINOR DISCUSSION, MOSTLY BY CURMUDGEONS)

* Fertilized chicken egg does not equal chicken either.

Gettin’ into the Mood

Gettin’ into the Mood

For Hallowe’en, that is.

I had a heck of a time changing the theme and updating some plugins, but all is well now.

We’ve got a scary creature set up at the door. The kid’s costume is set. For those that don’t celebrate Hallowe’en, I have my own plans (muah-haahahahaha).

It’s been kind of strange and upsetting period with me lately, but things are getting better all the time.

I get a kind of wanderlust in the fall, but I used up all my vacation time. Once my mom gets home from the hospital, I might be taking a couple of weekend road trips to help her out, but I’d really prefer to go west or north. Or both.

I’ve got nothing to say, but it’s ok. All you need