To break up the ranty-ness, this post is going to be one of two posts full of stuff I like and support and think that you should, too! :D This edition is the People-I-Actually-Know edition.
http://www.myspace.com/bobbyshropshire - This is actually my daddy! :D He's a musician, mostly country/blues/jazz/folk type music. He's pretty awesome. And I'm not just saying that 'cause he's my dad. ^_^ Listen to his stuff on MySpace, become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bobby-Shropshire/112648524002), and buy his albums and comedy DVD on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/bobbyshropshire)!
http://www.myspace.com/bibisellison - Hometown rock star. This girl has RIDICULOUS pipes, man. She's insane. Really awesome. Check her out, friend her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/BibisEllisonBand?ref=ts), go see her live! She needs to be famous. :D
http://www.etsy.com/shop/shaebay - Awesome girl, AMAZING crafts. She's kinda geeky and crazy, so her stuff is always really fun. :D Also here's her blog (http://shaesrandommusings.blogspot.com/)! Follow her!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/acorngirl - Another cool crafter person. She's super nice and makes really cool stuff.
http://christineashleypictures.blogspot.com/ - Follow her too! Her pictures are AMAZING. I went to school with her a long time ago, and she's an awesome person. Seriously though. Her blog is GORGEOUS.
http://advocationofthedevil.blogspot.com/ - Another friend, really interesting blog (when she updates it :D). Follow her, as well. ^_^
http://www.taithompson.com/ - Friend of mine who does graphic design stuffs. It's pretty cool.
http://jamiesessions.blogspot.com/ - If you like home-brewed beer and wrestling, this blog is for you. :D He's an awesome guy and I love him, and his blog should be followed. Do it!
http://www.amyopoly.com/ - A friend of mine from waaaay back in the day is now a makeup artist, and this is her site! She's pretty good at it, too! There's some really cool tutorials, and she talks about a lot of neat things related to makeup, if you're interested in that sort of thing. It's a cool site, and she's also got a blog and a Youtube account. :D Check it out!
All right, that's all I can think of at the mo'. I'm sure there's more, and hey - if any of you guys with cool stuff on the webs sees this post, leave a comment with a link! And return the favor by pimpin' out my blog/Etsy, plzkthx. :D
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I am human and I need to be loved, just like anyone else.
Good morning, everyone! Nothing like some Morrissey lyrics to start off the day.
Yes, I am human, and I do need to be loved, just like everyone else in this world. This is something I feel we do not acknowledge enough in our day-to-day lives. Every person on this planet has the same rights, the same needs, as everyone else. And we forget that. We judge people, we get angry with each other, we punish others - when really, it could so easily be any of us on the receiving end.
I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not just as guilty of these things. We ALL are. The murderer on Death Row is angry with the guy in the cell next to his. The morbidly obese woman in leopard print Spandex leggings and a tube top is judging the man in front of her at the grocery store. We're all guilty, and we all need to remember that most basic of human needs - the need to be loved, to be wanted, to be needed.
Fun fact - I watch a LOT of kids' shows on TV. I regularly watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, iCarly, and True Jackson VP. It ASTOUNDS me the amount of mindless violence, insults, and truly horrific situations that occur on these shows. Nickelodeon is the worst. Disney is usually pretty good about solving all problems and everyone being BFFs again at the end of the 30 minutes, but Nick (specifically iCarly) makes me uneasy. The characters are mean to each other, get in fights or do awful non-violent things, like destroying personal property or some such, and are constantly leaving characters in dangerous or scary situations, like being locked in a cage or treehouse for a weekend alone with no food or water, being tortured by an 8-year-old, or getting in car crashes set up on purpose. And never do any of the others see if they're okay, put a stop to whatever it is, or help anyone in any way.
Now, I realize that this is pretty true to life, and why feed kids lies about how the world is, yadda yadda. But doesn't that scare you? That we're teaching our kids to accept violence, anger, and torture as the norm? I grew up on a healthy diet of fairy tales and pretend, where things were always happy and everyone always got what they wanted, and bad people were easily recognized and always got what was coming to them. I still watch kids' shows because I ache for that to be true. I've seen what the world really is, and I long to run back to the Disney princesses and hide behind their skirts where it's safe. But I can't. The world is a bad place full of scary people and horrible things, and the only thing I can do is make my small corner of it better. I do my best, but sometimes the weight of it all is too much and it gets me down. Sometimes I fail and it gets me down. But I still try. I'm still intent on changing it all.
The biggest change of all would be for people to just be nice to each other. That is what all religion is about - compassion. Treating others nicely. Helping out your fellow man. Unfortunately, people have made this almost impossible, what with homeless people spending their money on drugs, hitchhikers killing the people who pick them up, and generally everyone in the world being out to help themselves and no one else. But we can still do it. Be careful and be smart, and it's possible to help people out without endangering yourself. And at the very freaking least, BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. Don't snicker when someone weighing more than you walks by. Don't bite off the head of someone trying to teach you something (I'm working on it, Mom! <3). Don't make assumptions about someone based on appearance when you don't know who they are or where they're coming from. Ask someone if they're all right if they look sad, offer them a hug, listen to their stories. Smile at people as you walk past them. Give compliments. Just... be nice.
A very wise puppet once said, "When you help others, you can't help helping yourself," and he knew what he was talking about. When you do a nice thing, it makes you feel good, and it inspires other people to do nice things as well. Like those commercials where everyone sees someone else do something nice and they do something too, and then the whole world is happy and they want you to buy a car or get insurance or something. But without that last part. The point is, there's a reason why it's the Golden Rule, and why it's the basis of pretty much every religion in the world. Treat others with respect, do good things, be a nice person, and it'll all come back to you - threefold.
(Yeah, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, AND Wicca all in one go! :D)
Yes, I am human, and I do need to be loved, just like everyone else in this world. This is something I feel we do not acknowledge enough in our day-to-day lives. Every person on this planet has the same rights, the same needs, as everyone else. And we forget that. We judge people, we get angry with each other, we punish others - when really, it could so easily be any of us on the receiving end.
I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not just as guilty of these things. We ALL are. The murderer on Death Row is angry with the guy in the cell next to his. The morbidly obese woman in leopard print Spandex leggings and a tube top is judging the man in front of her at the grocery store. We're all guilty, and we all need to remember that most basic of human needs - the need to be loved, to be wanted, to be needed.
Fun fact - I watch a LOT of kids' shows on TV. I regularly watch The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, iCarly, and True Jackson VP. It ASTOUNDS me the amount of mindless violence, insults, and truly horrific situations that occur on these shows. Nickelodeon is the worst. Disney is usually pretty good about solving all problems and everyone being BFFs again at the end of the 30 minutes, but Nick (specifically iCarly) makes me uneasy. The characters are mean to each other, get in fights or do awful non-violent things, like destroying personal property or some such, and are constantly leaving characters in dangerous or scary situations, like being locked in a cage or treehouse for a weekend alone with no food or water, being tortured by an 8-year-old, or getting in car crashes set up on purpose. And never do any of the others see if they're okay, put a stop to whatever it is, or help anyone in any way.
Now, I realize that this is pretty true to life, and why feed kids lies about how the world is, yadda yadda. But doesn't that scare you? That we're teaching our kids to accept violence, anger, and torture as the norm? I grew up on a healthy diet of fairy tales and pretend, where things were always happy and everyone always got what they wanted, and bad people were easily recognized and always got what was coming to them. I still watch kids' shows because I ache for that to be true. I've seen what the world really is, and I long to run back to the Disney princesses and hide behind their skirts where it's safe. But I can't. The world is a bad place full of scary people and horrible things, and the only thing I can do is make my small corner of it better. I do my best, but sometimes the weight of it all is too much and it gets me down. Sometimes I fail and it gets me down. But I still try. I'm still intent on changing it all.
The biggest change of all would be for people to just be nice to each other. That is what all religion is about - compassion. Treating others nicely. Helping out your fellow man. Unfortunately, people have made this almost impossible, what with homeless people spending their money on drugs, hitchhikers killing the people who pick them up, and generally everyone in the world being out to help themselves and no one else. But we can still do it. Be careful and be smart, and it's possible to help people out without endangering yourself. And at the very freaking least, BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. Don't snicker when someone weighing more than you walks by. Don't bite off the head of someone trying to teach you something (I'm working on it, Mom! <3). Don't make assumptions about someone based on appearance when you don't know who they are or where they're coming from. Ask someone if they're all right if they look sad, offer them a hug, listen to their stories. Smile at people as you walk past them. Give compliments. Just... be nice.
A very wise puppet once said, "When you help others, you can't help helping yourself," and he knew what he was talking about. When you do a nice thing, it makes you feel good, and it inspires other people to do nice things as well. Like those commercials where everyone sees someone else do something nice and they do something too, and then the whole world is happy and they want you to buy a car or get insurance or something. But without that last part. The point is, there's a reason why it's the Golden Rule, and why it's the basis of pretty much every religion in the world. Treat others with respect, do good things, be a nice person, and it'll all come back to you - threefold.
(Yeah, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, AND Wicca all in one go! :D)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Let's just dive right in.
Breaking the ice with the big issue - feminism and women's rights! Let's start by stating some facts here. First - I am a feminist. I'm not a man-hater or a lesbian, I do shave, I'm fairly attractive, and I enjoy cooking, sewing, and other traditionally "girly" things. But yes, I consider myself a feminist. Second - we live in a culture that accepts gender roles as the norm, accepts rape and abuse as something that is inevitable, and thinks it's okay to make sexist jokes or innuendos. Newsflash! These are bad things.
The more movies, television, and music promote the idea that women are sexual objects, meant to serve men, or less intelligent or able than men, the more people will start to believe it. We are all people. Women do deserve equal pay, equal rights, and all of that, but the REAL issue in my opinion is the mindset some men have that women are for sex and are meant to serve them.
Rape is NOT OKAY. I'm just going to throw that out there. It is NOT your RIGHT to have sex with me whenever you feel like it. It's NOT your RIGHT to attack me and force yourself on me. It's NOT your RIGHT to make me do humiliating things for your pleasure. I am a PERSON, with rights and feelings and freedoms of my own, and you should NOT be able to take that away. It is disgusting and repulsive that so many people in the world feel that they are entitled to another person's body. And the crap about the woman "asking for it"? Dressing provocatively and drinking in public are NOT an invitation for some stranger to attack me in a dark alley, kidnap me, rape me, and kill me. If I want to wear a slutty dress, that is my choice. How come it's always like, "Oh well, men can't control themselves and women should know better," when that statement SAYS it's the man's fault? If men can't control themselves when they see a woman in a short skirt, we need to take some action here. Invent a pill, make a device, do SOMETHING to keep our children, teenagers, mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, daughters, ALL women safe.
I know, I know, men aren't the only ones who rape/molest/attack, but they do the bulk of it. And I know, not all men are like that, but ENOUGH OF THEM ARE. One in SIX women has been raped, and that means either there's a few very busy rapists, or there are a lot of them out there. One is too many. It's preposterous, especially in America, that this is happening. I for one am 100% for the Rape-aXe device (a latex sheath embedded with shafts of sharp, inward-facing barbs worn by a woman in her vagina. The attacker's penis would enter the condom and be snagged by the barbs, causing excruciating pain and (ideally) giving the victim time to escape. The device could only be removed surgically, alerting hospital staff and police. Also prevents pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. [from Wikipedia]). I firmly believe these should be mass-produced, if they're not already, and handed out freely at clinics and sex ed classes, or anywhere else condoms are handed out for free. This is the greatest thing I've heard in terms of preventing rape. I promise you, after a couple of these stories hit the media, rapists might think twice before attempting anything.
Anyway. This is just one feminism-related issue that I'm going to write about, but I feel it's the most important. I despise the rape culture we live in. I don't think rape jokes are funny and I refuse to watch rape scenes in movies. If a movie makes rape jokes or has a rape scene, my opinion of it goes WAY down. People need to realize that rape and sexual abuse are not acceptable, not funny, and not things that should be ignored.
I will probably have more to say about this later, but for now, that's my two cents.
The more movies, television, and music promote the idea that women are sexual objects, meant to serve men, or less intelligent or able than men, the more people will start to believe it. We are all people. Women do deserve equal pay, equal rights, and all of that, but the REAL issue in my opinion is the mindset some men have that women are for sex and are meant to serve them.
Rape is NOT OKAY. I'm just going to throw that out there. It is NOT your RIGHT to have sex with me whenever you feel like it. It's NOT your RIGHT to attack me and force yourself on me. It's NOT your RIGHT to make me do humiliating things for your pleasure. I am a PERSON, with rights and feelings and freedoms of my own, and you should NOT be able to take that away. It is disgusting and repulsive that so many people in the world feel that they are entitled to another person's body. And the crap about the woman "asking for it"? Dressing provocatively and drinking in public are NOT an invitation for some stranger to attack me in a dark alley, kidnap me, rape me, and kill me. If I want to wear a slutty dress, that is my choice. How come it's always like, "Oh well, men can't control themselves and women should know better," when that statement SAYS it's the man's fault? If men can't control themselves when they see a woman in a short skirt, we need to take some action here. Invent a pill, make a device, do SOMETHING to keep our children, teenagers, mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, daughters, ALL women safe.
I know, I know, men aren't the only ones who rape/molest/attack, but they do the bulk of it. And I know, not all men are like that, but ENOUGH OF THEM ARE. One in SIX women has been raped, and that means either there's a few very busy rapists, or there are a lot of them out there. One is too many. It's preposterous, especially in America, that this is happening. I for one am 100% for the Rape-aXe device (a latex sheath embedded with shafts of sharp, inward-facing barbs worn by a woman in her vagina. The attacker's penis would enter the condom and be snagged by the barbs, causing excruciating pain and (ideally) giving the victim time to escape. The device could only be removed surgically, alerting hospital staff and police. Also prevents pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. [from Wikipedia]). I firmly believe these should be mass-produced, if they're not already, and handed out freely at clinics and sex ed classes, or anywhere else condoms are handed out for free. This is the greatest thing I've heard in terms of preventing rape. I promise you, after a couple of these stories hit the media, rapists might think twice before attempting anything.
Anyway. This is just one feminism-related issue that I'm going to write about, but I feel it's the most important. I despise the rape culture we live in. I don't think rape jokes are funny and I refuse to watch rape scenes in movies. If a movie makes rape jokes or has a rape scene, my opinion of it goes WAY down. People need to realize that rape and sexual abuse are not acceptable, not funny, and not things that should be ignored.
I will probably have more to say about this later, but for now, that's my two cents.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
First post, no rants.
Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog! I'm Erin, known on these here interwebs as ErisedRhapsodic. This is my non-personal ranty blog. This is not the place where you will hear about my day-to-day life. This is where I will be expounding on my political views, personal opinions on social issues, and promoting things I feel are worthy of promotion.
I'm not totally sure what sort of "party" I would be in, but my ideas usually make people mad, so do with that what you will. If you don't like what I say, feel free to comment, but prepare yourself for a long-winded comment war, because I will argue with you.
Topics I will probably discuss include but are not limited to:
* Feminism and Women's Rights
* Racism
* Gay Rights
* Obama and Bush
* Homesteading/Natural Living
* Frugal Living/DIY
* Compassion
* Religion (gonna have fun with that one)
* Grammar and Spelling, more likely than not
As soon as I get everything worked out, I'll start posting stuff. I'm new to this Blogger fandango, but I'm getting there. ^_^
I'm not totally sure what sort of "party" I would be in, but my ideas usually make people mad, so do with that what you will. If you don't like what I say, feel free to comment, but prepare yourself for a long-winded comment war, because I will argue with you.
Topics I will probably discuss include but are not limited to:
* Feminism and Women's Rights
* Racism
* Gay Rights
* Obama and Bush
* Homesteading/Natural Living
* Frugal Living/DIY
* Compassion
* Religion (gonna have fun with that one)
* Grammar and Spelling, more likely than not
As soon as I get everything worked out, I'll start posting stuff. I'm new to this Blogger fandango, but I'm getting there. ^_^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
