To the writers of women's magazines and websites:
I am writing to express my feelings about the messages your magazines and websites send. You claim to be for women, but the messages you send are toxic. At best, you have reduced women to their sexuality. At worst, you act as if a woman's worth is based on her ability to please men sexually.
For example, you will write an article about how anti-abortion laws are bad because they "control women's bodies," but the next article endorses Fifty Shades of Grey, a book that glamorizes a relationship where the man is in control of the woman's body, the very thing you claim to be against. The message you are sending is not feminist. Instead, you are sending the message that anything that advances sexual "freedom" is good, even when it hurts other people. Whether it's a woman being abused or an unborn child being aborted, sexual freedom should never infringe on another person's rights. Ever.
I am not saying that sexuality and feminism cannot coexist, because they can. While I may personally have my own moral beliefs regarding sexuality, I believe that people should be free to make their own choices. However, you act as if sexual freedom is the only kind of freedom that matters, and that is problematic.
Another problem I have with your magazines and websites is that they send the message that all women are the same, or that all women should be the same. If a woman is overweight, asexual, pro-life, or otherwise not conforming to your standards, you act as if there is something wrong with her, that she is less of a woman. As an overweight, ace spectrum, pro-life woman who doesn't follow trends, you do not speak for me. But am I any less of a woman?
There is nothing feminist about unrealistic beauty standards, erotic
novels that glorify abuse, or reducing women to their sexuality (or
worse, their ability to please men sexually). As long as you're going to send these messages, admit that what you are advocating for is sex, not feminism.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
To all of you who think Rammstein are Nazis
My favorite band Rammstein has been in the news recently. Their music video for the song "Deutschland" portrayed parts of German history, including the Holocaust, and people automatically assumed they were Nazis.
I wish I could say I did Nazi these accusations coming, but this isn't the first time Rammstein has been accused of Nazism. People assume that because they're German and have a militaristic aesthetic and sound that they must be Nazis. People have also accused them of being Nazis because their lead singer Till Lindemann rolls his r's, and Adolf Hitler also rolled his r's (by that logic, all Austrians and people from southeast Germany are Nazis).
But anyone who actually knows the band knows that this could not be further from the truth. Their song "Links 2 3 4" is pretty clearly anti-Nazi. One of the rules for being part of their official fan club is to avoid spreading "right-wing extremism" in the online forums. Till Lindemann said, when asked by his daughter if he was part of a Nazi band, that he may have gone too far with his imagery and lyrics (and this is coming from a guy who does A LOT of controversial stuff). So these guys definitely aren't Nazis. If they were, I wouldn't be listening to them.
But apparently doing anything that even remotely resembles what the Nazis did, makes one a Nazi. Next thing we know, people will call them Nazis because they breathe, and Hitler also breathed.
I wish I could say I did Nazi these accusations coming, but this isn't the first time Rammstein has been accused of Nazism. People assume that because they're German and have a militaristic aesthetic and sound that they must be Nazis. People have also accused them of being Nazis because their lead singer Till Lindemann rolls his r's, and Adolf Hitler also rolled his r's (by that logic, all Austrians and people from southeast Germany are Nazis).
But anyone who actually knows the band knows that this could not be further from the truth. Their song "Links 2 3 4" is pretty clearly anti-Nazi. One of the rules for being part of their official fan club is to avoid spreading "right-wing extremism" in the online forums. Till Lindemann said, when asked by his daughter if he was part of a Nazi band, that he may have gone too far with his imagery and lyrics (and this is coming from a guy who does A LOT of controversial stuff). So these guys definitely aren't Nazis. If they were, I wouldn't be listening to them.
But apparently doing anything that even remotely resembles what the Nazis did, makes one a Nazi. Next thing we know, people will call them Nazis because they breathe, and Hitler also breathed.
Will the LDS church ever change its stance on homosexuality? And if it does, will I come back?
Recently, the LDS church reversed its policy against baptizing children of LGBT+ parents. As someone who was raised in the church but is inactive partly due to their stance against homosexuality, this seems to be a step in the right direction. It got me thinking, will the church ever accept same-sex relationships? If it did, that would be fantastic, but then I realized that a lot of other things in the church will have to change.
In order for the church to accept same-sex relationships, it would have to completely change its views on gender roles. It makes sense that a family would need someone to provide for the family and someone to nurture the children, and if people are limited to only one of those roles because of their sex, then it wouldn't make much sense to accept gay and lesbian couples. It's like that joke on the internet: who makes the sandwiches in a relationship between two men, and what is a lesbian couple going to do with all those sandwiches? But if the church were to realize that people are not defined by their sex, then they might be able to accept same-sex relationships.
Another thing I asked myself was, would I come back to the church if it changed its stance on homosexuality? Maybe, but that alone would not be enough. The church would have to abandon its authoritarian tendencies as well. Currently, I live a life that is culturally out of line with the church, and I plan to do even more once I leave my parents' home. I don't really observe the Sabbath. I listen to music with swear words and other "inappropriate" content. I dress like a goth. I practice witchcraft. I have a whole list of R-rated movies I plan on watching. I plan to get more piercings. I plan to wear clothes that show my shoulders. And so on. Besides, I have found so much more fulfillment from my current spirituality, and limiting myself to one religion would take that away.
In order for the church to accept same-sex relationships, it would have to completely change its views on gender roles. It makes sense that a family would need someone to provide for the family and someone to nurture the children, and if people are limited to only one of those roles because of their sex, then it wouldn't make much sense to accept gay and lesbian couples. It's like that joke on the internet: who makes the sandwiches in a relationship between two men, and what is a lesbian couple going to do with all those sandwiches? But if the church were to realize that people are not defined by their sex, then they might be able to accept same-sex relationships.
Another thing I asked myself was, would I come back to the church if it changed its stance on homosexuality? Maybe, but that alone would not be enough. The church would have to abandon its authoritarian tendencies as well. Currently, I live a life that is culturally out of line with the church, and I plan to do even more once I leave my parents' home. I don't really observe the Sabbath. I listen to music with swear words and other "inappropriate" content. I dress like a goth. I practice witchcraft. I have a whole list of R-rated movies I plan on watching. I plan to get more piercings. I plan to wear clothes that show my shoulders. And so on. Besides, I have found so much more fulfillment from my current spirituality, and limiting myself to one religion would take that away.
March 2019 thoughts
(On the decision to pull the "Simpsons" episode featuring Michael Jackson's voice) Okay, this is dumb. A lot of great movies and TV shows feature terrible
people. Lots of terrible people write great songs. Just because a person
is terrible doesn't mean we should censor all their creations.
Besides, pulling this episode is like saying it never happened. Instead they should acknowledge that it did happen and try to do better.
Next thing we know, they'll stop teaching about Picasso in art classes because he was a jerk.
***
Edward Scissorhands is a great movie, but it has a lot of plot holes. Like why didn't the inventor give him hands earlier? How does Edward wipe after using the bathroom? Does Edward even go to the bathroom?
But perhaps the biggest plot hole is (spoiler alert) where the heck did the ice come from at the end of the movie? If he got it through Amazon, how did he get the computer in the first place? How did he get a credit card? That's what I want to know.
***
"Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 is dangerous! 18-year-old brains aren't fully developed! People will die!"
Okay, fine. Keep the minimum drinking age as it is. But while we're at it, let's raise the minimum age to join the military to 21. If an 18-year-old can't enjoy even the occasional alcoholic beverage because people might die, then they're definitely not old enough to go to war where people WILL die.
(This is all coming from someone who has no interest in drinking alcohol.)
***
It's hard to enjoy Rammstein when the guy sitting behind you is talking really loudly and obnoxiously.
(I'm on the bus)
***
Being sick during Spring Break is the worst.
***
I'm sick of alt right people calling themselves libertarians. Because it makes us all look bad. Liberty means nothing if it's only for white, straight men.
***
Just heard the new Rammstein song. I'm so excited for the album to come out!
***
People who are offended by the new Rammstein video are stupid. They didn't even watch the whole thing. They just saw a few images from the video and thought it was pro-Nazi.
Stupid people, always assuming the worst of Rammstein.
***
Stop trying to make me feel bad for having problematic faves! So maybe a lot of my favorite movies don't pass the Bechdel test. Maybe Tim Burton is a racist. Maybe Rammstein made a pornographic video. But that doesn't make their work all bad.
***
Dear Rammstein,
Please come to the pacific northwest. And please sing "Frühling in Paris" even when you're not in Paris because it's one of my favorite songs of yours, I'm too broke to fly all the way to Paris, and it's not fair that only the French can hear it live.
Also, my birthday's coming up. Hint hint.
Besides, pulling this episode is like saying it never happened. Instead they should acknowledge that it did happen and try to do better.
Next thing we know, they'll stop teaching about Picasso in art classes because he was a jerk.
***
Edward Scissorhands is a great movie, but it has a lot of plot holes. Like why didn't the inventor give him hands earlier? How does Edward wipe after using the bathroom? Does Edward even go to the bathroom?
But perhaps the biggest plot hole is (spoiler alert) where the heck did the ice come from at the end of the movie? If he got it through Amazon, how did he get the computer in the first place? How did he get a credit card? That's what I want to know.
***
"Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 is dangerous! 18-year-old brains aren't fully developed! People will die!"
Okay, fine. Keep the minimum drinking age as it is. But while we're at it, let's raise the minimum age to join the military to 21. If an 18-year-old can't enjoy even the occasional alcoholic beverage because people might die, then they're definitely not old enough to go to war where people WILL die.
(This is all coming from someone who has no interest in drinking alcohol.)
***
It's hard to enjoy Rammstein when the guy sitting behind you is talking really loudly and obnoxiously.
(I'm on the bus)
***
Being sick during Spring Break is the worst.
***
I'm sick of alt right people calling themselves libertarians. Because it makes us all look bad. Liberty means nothing if it's only for white, straight men.
***
Just heard the new Rammstein song. I'm so excited for the album to come out!
***
People who are offended by the new Rammstein video are stupid. They didn't even watch the whole thing. They just saw a few images from the video and thought it was pro-Nazi.
Stupid people, always assuming the worst of Rammstein.
***
Stop trying to make me feel bad for having problematic faves! So maybe a lot of my favorite movies don't pass the Bechdel test. Maybe Tim Burton is a racist. Maybe Rammstein made a pornographic video. But that doesn't make their work all bad.
***
Dear Rammstein,
Please come to the pacific northwest. And please sing "Frühling in Paris" even when you're not in Paris because it's one of my favorite songs of yours, I'm too broke to fly all the way to Paris, and it's not fair that only the French can hear it live.
Also, my birthday's coming up. Hint hint.
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