philosophies

"in my heart, i think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist" --gloria steinem

"the main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything . . . or nothing." --lady nancy astor

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

girl votes for woman, feels good

I Voted!

i just voted for the first viable female presidential candidate ever. it was more “wow” than i expected, especially because i’m also thrilled at the prospect of obama. but personally, i had to vote hillary. and it’s not JUST because she’s a woman, because i would never vote for a republican female candidate (as if we’d ever see that anyway), but i support most of her policies and think backlash against her is like backlash against feminism—media constructed and then picked up by the masses without much critical thought or engagement. if you oppose her because of foreign policy issues, i “sort of” understand. if you think she’s a little flip-floppy, whatever. her voting record is relatively consistent (relative to politicians). her health plan makes sense. she has a withdrawal plan for the war. she has experience. she’s pro-choice. she’s feminist. AND she’s a woman.

if she wins, it will be a tougher road for the democrats, because sexism is still socially accepted. if obama wins, it will also be tough, but he generates more excitement and will increase liberal voting. thankfully, all the republicans suck (as usual), but mccain has draw and it looks like he’ll be the one to beat. maybe it’s the activist in me or maybe it’s because i just watched iron-jawed angels for the millionth time (i show it in my Intro to Women’s Studies classes every semester), but i know that if everyone votes, particularly young people, women, and minorities—we will not have to suffer another four years of Republican rule. whether progressive woman or progressive man—we need progress, we need change, and we really, really need a revolution. if you haven’t voted yet—go!! whether you plan to vote obama or clinton, you must vote. and if you plan to vote huckabee, we can't possibly be friends. sorry.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait

A must-see!
"This new series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on."
Link Here:
current work

Friday, January 11, 2008

Women are Never Front Runners by Gloria Steinem

You'll probably have to copy and paste the link, but it's a great article.

Op-Ed Contributor
Women Are Never Front-Runners
By GLORIA STEINEM
Published: January 8, 2008
Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life, whether the question is who must be in the kitchen or who could be in the White House.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?ex=1357534800&en=9f6d8783ff1b15c9&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

new years glitterati

new year’s eve/day was never my favorite holiday. perhaps because of the general chaos, sudden cover charges for free bars, heightened expectations, intensity of endings and beginnings, or that one underage year we gave some guy $40 to buy us booze and he never returned (go figure—what a busted new year’s that was). aside from the most incredible year when alison and dakota married (and liz and i reunited, sorta), it’s always been underwhelming—not worth the hangover or money.

this year i decided to revolve my new year celebration around family instead of madness, and skip the lost phone, wasted money, dangerous travel, and morning-after-“where am i?” confusion. i was with my lover, my family, and my family friends. i drank too much wine, danced it off, then passed out in my gold sequin dress.

my year still started with a hangover, but i was surrounded by people i love and people who love me and woke up at my sister’s to the best bloody marys and breakfast in town, followed by a good-luck dinner and beer. we played Rock Band all day (a la Guitar Hero fame—but with the whole band; i hope you’ve seen the Guitar Hero South Park); i’m a rockstar on guitar, a disgrace on the drums, and a funny joke on mike. but it was awesome.

and i love(d) new year’s.






thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for their stellar hosting skills and hospitality (xoxo).