Gloria Steinem's Birthday???

OK...... who is Gloria Steinem???? I was looking for something to write about and it wasn't until my sister said who is Gloria Steinem and why do we care about her birthday that I realized I had an idea. (Even though this blog was due by midnight-so I am losing points while I am typing) But it really hit me-The media really tells us what they feel is important!!! Media is owned by corporate America and nothing is put in front of us with out a reason. It pisses me off for them to take advantage of our ignorance!!! Families all over think that the "killer tube" has something of impertinence and great significance to share with the rest of the world. But NO they want to control your every waking moment you are alive and have a half of a dime to spend.

Gloria Steinem just happened to catch this rage I really have nothing against specifically but I do have something to say about her birthday being on every Internet media site. What has she do that immediately effects me???? Why would I consider her birthday important??? That is what should be relayed not that fact that she is now 75 years old-my Nana is 82!!!!!!

I want that in the news she has raised 6 children she works full time, cuts her own grass, and cooks every Saturday a full course dinner just for all of the family to come together. That is worthy of news, a student that has broken unbelievable boundaries and is the first generation of college graduates is worthy of news!

The "Lil Wayne" Craze

Recently I had the displeasure of listening to Lil Wayne's new single. Fortunately I do not know very much about the song except that it has been played on the local radio stations with edits. However, the chorus repeats, "I wish I could F*** every girl in the world"!. And while this is one of many, this song has a connotation and blatant disrespect to both men and women in general that I find unparalleled to other songs used as a single.

It is clear that the general public, or at least those the prescribe to this genre or music, has become extremely tolerant of this kind of message. It begs the question, is little Wayne simply the most chauvinistic, small minded, VD wad or is he only the art imitating the life... ? In my estimation, it is probably a little bit of both which is always the dispute around this kind of music. Musicians only make the music because they know that someone will by it. Why will someone buy it? That is the question. This song should be offensive to every women in the world, literally.

This young man and many of his listeners probably believe that this is some type of compliment. That women are so wonderful that he wishes that he could be with all of them. Ignorance will tell you that this is the case. However, women are constantly and consistently seen as simply a nice place to put someones erection and nothing more. That it is even close to being something that a women would find flattering is saying what men think about what women think of themselves.

It is also clear that perhaps we have not come so far. This man is glorified and seen as more manly because while he cannot screw every girl in the world, he will try and sing it in a song. Whereas a woman would be condemned for that kind of obscenity. Not even Lil Kim has said she would like to sleep with every man in the world. It is as if a woman is only as good as her vagina. The lyrics of this song include sleeping with mentally challenged people! How horrid!

It is extremely disturbing to know that, while this is not perhaps how Lil Wayne lives his life, he has no problem encouraging all males to think of all women as opportunities to have intercourse and to help women be even more confused about their own sexuality and usefulness in life outside the bedroom.

P.S. Lil Wayne, perhaps next time you would like to exclude your mother and child from this lovely aspiration.

Gardasil Dilemma

I was listening to WPFW 89.3 some time this week and they were discussing the law in the Disctrict of Columbia that mandated the vaccine GARDASIL to all girls entering the 6th grade in DCPS. I understand the reason they feel it is important to give the vaccine to women but it just isn't safe for girls. Instead of taking the time and money it takes to mass produce and distribute this vaccine they can spend it on more research. As I was researching this topic I can across a few websites that were dedicated to exposing the side effects of this vaccine on young girls-and the more I read the more angry I got.

The vaccine only contains 2 of the 15 high risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and the other 13 are not protected at all. Instead of pushing for the vaccine why don't they push harder for annual PAP smear testing, which is another way to reduce to risk of HPV. By educating women about the reproductive system you are saving money as well as promoting a overall healthy lifestyle. The parents and residents should be in an outrage right now why are they pushing this crap on poor children in the city.

The first report that was filed in the District of Columbia by the National Vaccine Information Center gave a very detailed account of a young 14 year old that had severe neurological side effects form the first injection. "Already, there have been more than 600 reports made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System documenting that young girls are collapsing and suffering seizures, loss of sensation in the hands and feet, vision and speech problems, Guillain Barre syndrome, facial paralysis, and other serious neurological symptoms. Merck also admits in its product insert that GARDASIL was not studied for the ability to affect female fertility, cause other kinds of cancer or be toxic to the genes."

There is also very little or no scientific evidence that Merck's GARDASIL will actually protect 11 year old girls from getting cervical cancer considering it only contains 2 out of the 15 that can manifest into cervical cancer. They are also not telling you that "90% of boys and girls who become infected with HPV, and are asymptomatic clear the infection from the body. It takes many years of chronic infection for undiagnosed pre-cancerous cervical lesions to progress to cervical cancer, usually because the women have not had routine cancer -detecting pap smears. Cervical cancer has dropped by more than 74 percent in the US since pap smears became part of routine health care for women and today less than one percent of all cancer deaths and newly diagnosed cancers are due to cervical cancer in America."

So remind me again why have they passed this vaccine into law?? This to me seems that it has one agenda in mind and it's monetary gains they will achieve by scaring everyone to thinking that this vaccine is good for young girls. I am a mother of a nine year old girl and she will NOT have this vaccine-first I am promoting abstinence and when she turns 35-I will let her out of the basement!

No, really I see that our society has not changed much they are still wolves in sheep clothing that are out to destroy and conquer, but it is the parents job to weed them out. This is one of those times where parents all over need to band together and say no to GARDASIL it just isn't safe-no one knows the long term effects of this drug and it could potentially be devasting to young girls and it just isn't neccesary.

Here is a link to one of the sites I found about the side effects of GARDASIL-You will not believe your eyes!

Islam and Homosexuality

I was trying to figure out what to write about for this weeks blog. I began a search on the world wide web and I came across a documentary on the LOGO website called "A Jihad for Love". In this documentary they revealed the lives of gay and lesbian Muslims living in the southeast Asia. This amazing film showed social struggle as well as the religious conflict they were faced with in accepting their sexuality. I was really moved by the film-in many of the Muslim states being a homosexual is a capital punishment and they can be stoned to death and or even sentenced to jail.

The word "jihad" is thrown around in the American media as if it is a bad word but in actuality the word literally means"struggle". The one thing that stuck out to me while I was watching the films was the fact that even though the people they were interviewing were not accepted in the Muslim community they still had a very strong sense of religion and were not going to give up their religion. In essence they were not being accepted by their "God" and not worthy of love. Being Muslim and homosexual is a subject that is not discussed because it is taboo therefore no attention is being paid to the subject. A lot of them are forced to flee their countries and move to Europe and North America where it is not illegal to be a homosexual. But after 9/11 it is difficult for Muslims all over so moving is not necessarily the best thing given the racial profiling they often face. They are faced with daily fear of incarceration, death, and shame in the name of their sexuality.

An amazing film it opened my eyes to their "jihad" and showed that at the end of the day everyone is looking for acceptance and peace.

Looking Good Ladies!!

I was flipping through the cable channels this evening and I came across a show called "How To Look Good Naked" hosted by Carson Kressley. I was thrilled to see a show that celebrated women of all shapes, sizes and colors and in a very therapeutic way showed the women how to appreciate their bodies!!

On the episode I saw the host Carson takes two women(mother and daughter) places them in just a bra and under ware. And through a series of very clever task and techniques he shows the women how to feel good about their bodies and themselves. Carson showed the daughter three different body images, and asked her to pick the one that she thought had the best overall body.

Not knowing that one of the three bodies was hers and believe it or not she choose her own body! That spoke volumes to me, how can you look at your body everyday, shower your body and dress your body and not know what it looks like. Carson is able to address some real issues with real people that will prove to be a priceless form of intervention.

Society bombards us with images of beauty that are so far from what the average woman's shape is there's no wonder women are ashamed of their bodies.But in his own very unique way Carson has come up with a way to combat some of the negative stigmas attached to women that do not fit into mainstream beauty and I applaud his efforts. Great show!!

Blame It On The What????

I went on recent trip to South Carolina and while driving I like to listen to the local channels to see what they consider worthy of the radio. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and other times I am get exactly what I expect. Music that really isn't music just a beat from a beat machine layered with derogatory lyrics. On this occurrence I listened to the Jamie Foxx song "Blame It" I have vaguely heard the song but never really listened to the whole thing. I honestly was not that impressed with the lame chorus (it seemed a bit cheesy at first). On this trip I had the pleasure of hearing the song a whopping 23 times!! (can you believe it-and that was after I refused to count anymore) So of course the chorus is stuck in my HEAD!

I talked to my sister Kelly about what she thought of the song, she said to me "I love that song, it is so true!" So I went to YouTube watched the video and listened again with a in tuned ear. I began to think how many women can say they did things out of character because of alcohol? I came to the conclusion that probably a lot can think of a moment when they were under the influence and made a comment or had a little extra courage or even tried something they would not have under sober circumstances. So I ask why not "blame it on the alcohol"-the only problem I am having is that it really sends the message that it is OK not to be responsible for your actions. The world does not need another excuse for irresponsible risky behavior. Because unfortunately "blaming it on the goose" is what leads to rape and other unlabeled sexual assaults.

I read a article at Mentalhealth.net regarding drinking and rape and I was amazed to read that women that are raped while intoxicated blame themselves and not the assailant for the assault. In some cases they don't even consider what happened to them rape, they respond "I was drunk, that doesn't really count" Just because you had too many drinks does not make you worthy of rape. A song like this does a huge injustice to the acts of rape that take place in the environment of intoxication. There should be a sense of responsibility from the artist to produce music that is not only entertaining but socially appropriate.

Just as a foot note-what is done in the dark will eventually come to light and the question will be just how far will blaming it on the alcohol take you?

Black Barbie?

Earlier this week in class we discussed Barbie and how Barbie has made a huge impact on the American culture. Basically, Barbie has set the beauty standard unrealistically high and as a result women are under an extreme amount of pressure trying to attain and keep the look of Barbie. Since the development of Barbie she has lead a life that a lot of women envy-that's right, women not children although the children that play with Barbie ultimately grow up.

Unfortunately, Lil Kim is a victim of this Barbie theory. She has changed her appearance by having multiply plastic surgery procedures in order to look more like Caucasian or "Barbie" like. She has had skin lightening, cheek and breast augmentation, rhinoplasty(nose job), and a brow and fore head lift all in the name of beauty. Barbie has crossed the culture line, at one time Black women embraced their natural beauty and was proud of it what happened? I believe that Lil Kim is a product of the White standard of beauty trend that African American women are now taking a part in. In my opinion Lil Kim is a prime example of how powerful it is, and to what measures people or "women" rather are willing to go to be accepted by mainstream. I don't but maybe her change in physical appearance is an attempt to bring a more positive image to her character Lil Kim. Maybe it is a desperate attempt to keep herself in the public eye? Whatever it is it is clear that celebrities are not exempt from the culture standards of society if anything they are the ones that exacerbate it.

(Check out the interview Lil Kim did with BET, I tried to put a link to it on the side bar but I was not successful at doing so but the second highlighted Lil Kim will link you to the article. It was pretty interesting when the reporter asked her about plastic surgery she immediatley hung up!)

Human Trafficking for the Sex Industry

I came across an article on line trying to find something to write about for this weeks blog. The article speaks about the very lucrative business of sex trafficking also called sex slavery. Young girls are bought and sold-often times bribed into the sex slave market. Trying to escape the meager financial situations that most if not all of these young girls come from. Human trafficking is a huge problem according to the World Health Organization, this ugly and degrading form of slavery is 30-40 billion dollar industry each year. Once they are sold into slavery they are then placed in the personal care of a "pimp" or a "mistress" at this point they young girls have to work off their debt to the them and it can take any where from 3-5 years . "An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders, due to the “hidden” nature of trafficking activities, gathering statistics on the magnitude of the problem is a complex and difficult task. The statistics are accurate as possible, given complexities, but represent an underestimation of trafficking on a global and national scale." The real numbers will almost never be known because of this, in America alone an estimated 18,000 persons are brought over the borders and held against their will.

Activist against human trafficking argue that there is a huge market for prostitution globally and the US is not exempt even though the problem is greater in Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia. If there is no demand there would be no market, prostitution is not a new profession but in all fairness some prostitutes choose their profession unlike these individuals. There are looking for a better life in most cases trying to escape their poor and option less situations. Instead they are exploited, tortured, abused physically and emotionally and forced to live like commodities instead of a human being. Because of the rate of sexual exploitation all over the world the "UN finally reached a n accepted international definition of trafficking and an agreed upon set of prosecution, protection and prevention mechanisms which countries can base their national legislation."

Disabled on TV

When I wake up in the morning I like to listen to the morning television shows to hear what the world thinks is important today. This morning I over heard a host talking about a British TV show for children called"CBeebies" that has a host named Cerrie Burnell who was born without the lower part of her right arm. The picture to the left shows the 30 year old host and co-host Alex Winters. When I first saw the picture I honestly didn't notice her arm missing, but some parents in the UK are terribly upset about it.

I was actually pleased to see woman born with a physical handicap was the host of a television show, in my opinion this would be the ultimate in acceptance towards disabled individuals. But instead of this being considered a significant step forward for disabled individuals equality, there were parents that complained about her presence on television. The BBC reports that, "parents had complained that their children were asking difficult questions about her missing arm" and some were "scared" of her. I am the mother of a nine year old daughter and for another parent to make a bigoted comment like is in the name of your child is despicable. You should use this time to teach your child about differences and how to accept them. A parent should love and accept their children not matter what they LOOK like and instill the very same thing in them- that looks do not matter it is who you are inside. Very basic social skills at least I thought, I do not believe children are asking their parents about "the one armed woman" I think the parents are ignorant, intolerant people that should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe the parents should watch a few episodes of the children's show they may learn a thing or two.

Race and Media

Race and what it means to identify with a particular race is based on a number of characteristics, for example the color of your skin, the shape of your eyes, the texture of your hair or is it? In the DISCOVERY magazine there is an article called "Race Without Color" by Jared Diamond, the author relays that there are other valid ways to determine race. It seems to me that the "traditional" way of determining race is of no significance any longer. "Basing race on body chemistry makes no more sense than basing race on appearance". But what does that mean to the rest of us who are not scientist. Diamond makes an excellent point, that the "classification of humans is different only in that it shapes our views of other people, it fosters our subconscious differentiation between us and them to justify political and socioeconomic discrimination". It seems that this very ideology of different "races" has driven everything in the media, film and radio, as a society people look to the media for a sense of who they are and what it means to be a part of a specific race. So if this is where we get our identity from why isn't accurate and fair, it almost feels like an impossible task. The media conglomerates control everything from who is on TV to what they act like, perpetuating the very stereotypes that need to be destroyed.

The Price of Having Children

On just about every morning show lately you have heard something about the new octuplets. But instead of this being a joyous occasion like it normally is the new mother, 33 year old Nadya Suleman has been receiving a mountain of negative publicity. I am trying to understand why?? In the past when women have had multiple births it is celebrated at large. In this case what is the problem?? Is it because she is single or is it because she does not fit the typical image of the usual multiple birth mother. In other words, married homemaker with no education and relies on her husband completely financially. I believe Nadya is like no other mother of multiples before her. The big issue seems to be the fact that she gets "food stamps" to provide food for her family and I am sorry to say this-but she is not the only woman in America receiving "food stamps" . With the current economic crisis in the U.S. the face of "food stamp" recipients is not what is was in the past. Many Americans are feeling the pinch of this economic situation the fact that she receives food stamps does not make her less worthy of receiving positive media coverage. CNN reports on their website http://www.cnn.com/, not that the children are healthy and doing well, but "behind the kisses and the coos is a mountain of bills and you might be paying the bill" what a horrible take on the birth of human beings. The only thing that is of significance is the medical bills?? Get over yourselves people! What happened to Huggies donating pampers, Oprah building a house for her, or what about the lifetime free groceries? In the past companies have lined up in the name of multiple births to lend a hand why not now? There is no law against having children and being unemployed, single, poor, uninsured or under insured. When that day comes we all will have bigger issues to deal with other than medical bills. If there were laws against having children when you are not financially prepared many of us would not be here.