HAPPY ELECTION DAY!

In many places throughout the country, today was Election Day. And it appears most of you voted the way I would have.

Gays can marry in Illinois, Des Moines has a pro-labor mayor, & the Cooch has gotta stay out of the cooch of the ladies of Virginia!

Congratulations voters! Tomorrow is another day during which we all (including those of us like me who did NOT get to vote today) fight on for more equality, more opportunity, more freedom.

Until then, happy celebrating! (Or sleeping!)

No!

Rape culture means, and I'm simplifying it here, it's a woman's fault if she's raped. Because she dressed too modestly or too sluttily, because she was too forward or not forward enough, because she was too 'bitchy' or not 'bitchy' enough, because she was too drunk.

And now this is being made: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/11/04/ar_wear_these_anti_rape_shorts_update_the_chastity_belt_for_the_rape_culture.html. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Rather than eat away at rape culture, it will give authority figures ANOTHER way to blame rape victims. It will ALSO possibly harm the potential victim. Rape survivors are called survivors for a reason. Some die. Why? Because rape is about power, not sex. These devices will likely cause rapists to get frustrated &/or angry & violent. And these are DEVICES, not comfortable clothing made for you but a protective device made to ATTEMPT to prevent you from being harmed.

And, what message does it send? It's YOUR responsibility, ladies, to protect your sexuality (can't be too close to the whore side of the virgin/ whore dichotomy bc if you're a bad girl no man will ever want to marry you) EVEN IN THE CASE OF RAPE.

It's NOT your job to protect yourself from crimes. If you're mugged or stolen from or killed, NO MATTER WHAT YOU WERE DOING (assuming you're the right color), you aren't blamed, but with rape you are and now here's, not a teaching mechanism in place to teach potential rapists not to rape, but another device for women to protect themselves in case of crime. What the hell?

For any rape victims who read this, I simply want to leave you with this. Much of society will tell you the opposite, but Robin Williams nails it here: http://youtu.be/GtkST5-ZFHw

Crime victims, you're a victim. It's not your fault & society shouldn't be told repeatedly that it is.

The First PSA

I named this post "the first PSA" because I'm sure it'll be the first of MANY on this blog.

Syria - yes, the one our Senate discussed using military action in earlier this year - has an outbreak of polio. Polio was thought to be on its way out due to widespread use of vaccination worldwide. They were hoping to declare it extinct.

I'm not sure of the circumstances surrounding this outbreak, but I am sure of one thing: You should get vaccinated - for everything you can - and you should do the same for your kids. Vaccines do NOT cause autism. That's been repeatedly debunked (though folks like Jenny McCarthy keep trying to rebunk it). The ONLY circumstance under which you or others should not get vaccinated (for MMR, polio, the flu, anything) is if you are allergic. Otherwise, get vaccinated. Lack of vaccines cause outbreaks! To pull out a trope I kind of hate: The life you save may be your own.

What label are you?

Starting very young & continuing for a very long time, folks often look for a label to describe what they are. In high school, it's jock, prep, nerd. In the adult world, it's businessperson, redneck, even hipster. 

As a kid, my little brother loved NASCAR. When he joined marching band the summer before 8th grade, he was mocked ceaselessly, often by the older kids, for his 'redneck' interest. Soon after, he lost interest, probably because of the mocking, & that's when I became much more aware of the labels we give one another & give activities.

I'm not sure *what* I am, but I do generally strive to be on the classier side of things. I also try to avoid 'redneck' activities. I actually hate NASCAR, so that's never been a trouble, and when I was young, I found out I also hated tractor pulls (another activity I gave the redneck title to). But, in the intervening years, I found out I enjoy demolition derbies; monster truck rallies (or at least the one I went to that was indoors); &, this weekend, Punkin' Chunkin.

I think it's quite popular in my age range (20s-30s) to like things ironically, but I don't. I just like these things (& don't really understand why or how to like something ironically). Liking these things a) doesn't detract from my definition of classy, & b) doesn't make me a redneck. That said:

1) Who cares if I am a 'redneck'? I know folks who I like who are great, smart people who classify themselves that way.

And 2) Liking a variety of things - some in the redneck category, some in the hipster category, some in the techie category, etc. makes someone an interesting person.

Figuring out why we all operate by labels probably won't ever occur. I'm 31 & just wrote this post since it's something I still struggle with. But I do think recognizing my interest in labels, labelling it (I really do love labels.), & saying it's ok has merit until I figure out to just like what I like & don't what I don't.

In the meantime, Punkin' Chunkin is AMAZING fun & I recommend you all go with good friends to have a wonderful fall time. Caveat: take TP with you & find the good port-o-pots to have the best time. Sure, you may label it as 'rednecky,' but it's still a great time with a lot of cool science & fun pumpkin hurls.

Cranky

I was cranky today - suuuuuuper cranky. I had a less than stellar day yesterday at work, & today wasn't much better. Today, too, I was super productive which made me more annoyed. I feel on days when you do your total, 110% best, you should somehow be rewarded by having nobody express dissatisfaction with you or your company in any way. Luckily, my bosses are good & understood, but I still was quite annoyed.

I was so annoyed, in fact, that I opted to take it out (partly) on my roommates. They didn't deserve it and now, in addition to having a poor day at work, I feel bad because I was a jerk. Ugh. Luckily, I'm blessed with amaaaaazing roommates, and it doesn't matter that much because they know I'm a better person than I was today, but still: annoying. I also got this much closer to unfriending my libertarian friend on Facebook. (Though I do that any time he discusses entitlement programs being eliminated in favor of charity only, I got a lot angrier & closer today.) I also got extraordinarily annoyed with all the people listing things they're thankful for. Seriously, November is a shit month for cynics on Facebook.

On top of that, EVERY little thing on my commute home made me mad. (SERIOUSLY, THOUGH! WALK AT TOP SPEED ON PUBLIC TRANSIT. That annoys me daily.)

I'm on my way right now to Punkin Chunkin (which you may have seen on Discovery Channel), and I'm having my boyfriend listen to silly songs with me in the car which is great and making me happier. I'm excited & it'll be a grand time with friends.

I just wish I could be a bit more compartmentalized & leave work annoyances at work & home at home. Alas, I'm human & that probably won't happen. Let's hope this month improves.