A Post in Post-Convo

[eumelia]

This post was inspired in part by this conversation with schniff in regards to this post... thank you Noa for inspiring me, much love and smoochies :)


We live in a "Post" society... or at least that is what the media (as in television, movies, books, newspapers, etc.) is presenting us with. Post-Modernism states that nothing is important, because basically nothing we do will make a difference (this at least, how I have come to understand post-modernism), it's easy to see this trend in the fatalistic attitude so many of the people I am acquainted with and even some of my friends, who if they care about something, it is in the big picture "we have to look at the big picture, because there isn't much we can do anyway".
The big picture is made out of little details that are inter-connected, every issue touches another, from the Tsunami that wrecked havoc over the entire Indian Ocean, to the fact there is still genocide going on in central Africa, but no one cares, because it isn't publicized in a way that makes your heart and mind bend over in agony for the people that are dying there because the people in charge just don't give a fuck.
Does anyone that whales are still being hunted for "Research" by the people of Japan and Finland?
Does anyone care that in Bolivia the biggest financial income comes from trafficking cocaine?
Does anyone care that on the border between Sinai and Gaza there is trafficking in human lives, that women and children of all ages are exploited and that to the people using and abusing them they are worth less than a sheep!?
Lots of people care.
They just don't give a fuck, because it doesn't concern them on the personal level.
In Israel a woman is raped every five minutes.
In the USA it's every four minutes.
I cannot even fathom what happens in "uncivilized countries" like South Africa, Ecuador etc.

Am I just "talking, talking, talking" here?
Maybe.
Ask me what I plan to do about all this...
My answer, I don't know...
Because I don't know enough about the issues.
One thing I do know... all the issues are, as I have said, connected with each other.
One cannot be an environmentalist, without also being a humanist. One cannot care about one thing and disregard the other.
Yes, the main issue I am most concerned with and will probably put most of my efforts will probably be women's issues and queer rights, that doesn't mean I don't care about the other issues, or what to know less about them.

The night I left Israel and had a send off, the conversation, inevitably turned to politics, as it will happen with a bunch of twenty somethings Israeli people, we were talking about the elections, which have since come and gone.
We also spoke about Social Issues and one of my friends said "Women were manipulative bitches", I was not concerned that she said this, I was concerned that she said it with such conviction and such belief, I couldn't believe it, I wanted to argue with her about it, but we past that point during the conversation, but it stuck with me.
It makes me angry and sad, that this very beautiful, very smart, very intelligent, very astute and very self aware human being, a woman, would make such a blatant misogynistic statement. Maybe I took too seriously, but it affected me and still affects me. It saddens me that this courageous young woman has internalized everything society has said about women who are more than doormats!

Feminism is not about finding the wrongs of the world and blaming it on men! It is not about equality either! Because to be an equalist you first need some fucking equality and freedom of opportunities and until that happens Feminism is very much needed, same goes to Environmentalism! Same goes to any progressive ism out there that's main focus is CHANGE! The breaking of the Status-Quo! The realization that at the moment we are NOT in Homeo-Stasis... we are just in Stasis and that only leads to death... and I mean that is every sense of the word.
I am not out to get "the Man" in order to progress "the Woman".
I believe that the minute, the second, humans cease to believe in their superiority over this planet there will be change, I believe that when the Western World gets off it's fat ass and stops "trying to help" actually put money where it's big, fat mouth is, there will be change.
And I firmly believe, that as soon as women stop regarding each other as objects and competitors in a race track built by men and for men, the way men have for thousands of years and realize we have all been subjected to oppression and suppression of our spirit there will be change.
As soon as people stop being White and "everything else" there will be change!
As soon as religion is taken away and the excuse returns to be what it always was - "land, property and money" - concrete terms which cannot be manipulated as easily as the word of a deity, there will be change.


I started writing this at 11:00 it is now 12:15.

Comments

[lifeofresearch.livejournal.com]

Very interesting thoughts. Here is my response on the surface issues. I think we live in a post whatever because we have not had enough time to name it. You are 20 and I am 54. Which means I should not have any interest in what you say. Obviously, by me responding that is not the issue. I love the interchange of ideas. In the last year I have reexamined and reevaluated my life. In the process I have quit my job. I have decided to do several things to make a difference. First, I can't get into every important issue but I can support those who do. Second, religion is not going away but we need to support liberal religion rather than literal religion. Literal religion is homophobic, misogynistic, and always has an enemy that needs destroying. With literal religion the issues are always black and white. Yen and Yang. Mentally healthy liberal religion can free the individuals mind and the world of the issues you mentioned. Back to writing the speech that I will give to speak about the issues you mentioned. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You have a great mind.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Thank you for responding, usually when I get longwinded like this I don't really expect people to respond, I'm happy for them just to read my stuff and am extra delighted if it makes them think.

To me being age is really of little conseqeunce when the people talkning are open minded enough to listen to each other. Being 20, I probably have a false sense of self-importance and come off as a little know-it-all, but I love, love absoloutly love talking to people who are older than I, because they have so much more experience than me.

People taking what I write seriously is a great compliment to me, so again thank you.

I can't get into every important issue but I can support those who do
This is true and I accept that, it's a fact and at this time cannot be changed, but everyone must be aware that the issues are connected and not seperate.
religion is not going away but we need to support liberal religion rather than literal religion
What traditional religion needs to do, IMO, is to just accept change and change along with it, yes, yes, that's my naivite talking again, but I know from personal experience that ancient religion can accomodate progressive thought. The synagouge I go to (when I go) has a very high percentage of women who wear Tallits and Yarmulkah's and there is no seperation between the sexes.
But we pray the same prayers and speak the same language my great-grandparents spoke in prayer. Now the interprtation is different, just like the attitude of the people.

[lifeofresearch.livejournal.com]

I am glad we have found each other and become friends. I have much to learn from you.

Arrgh!

[schniff.livejournal.com]

I started writing a fucking long comment (instead of studying for tomorrow's test), that went straight to hell when Firefox crashed. I hope tomorrow I'll remember what I wanted to say...

Also, you're crazy! Of course I'd want to respond! =)

Re: Arrgh!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Why am I crazy?
I don't get it!

Re: Arrgh!

[schniff.livejournal.com]

Because I said so. Isn't that obvious? =P

OMG, I just realized something very sad: We've had more written communication than verbal. When you read what I write, you can't possibly know what I'd sound like saying it. And all this time, I was writing the exact words I'd say if I was talking to you, and the tone just got lost. Crap.

*sigh* I guess I'll have to start saying what I actually mean. In that case, replace "you're crazy!" with "maybe you haven't noticed, but I like communicating my ideas as much as you do, if not more"... =)

Re: Arrgh!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's why I thanked you!

[riseandshine.livejournal.com]

Sorry, you don't know me, I just stumbled across here. This may not have anything to do with the issue, but I'm curious. Whales are hunted in Finland? Not saying you're wrong, but can you please refer to a specific source where you got this information?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

You can google the information quite easily... I have in fact put in misinformation, since it isn't Finland but Norway... I wrote this is the heat of the moment and all I could remember was that Finland did a hell of a lot of whaling in the 80's.

Took me a while....

[schniff.livejournal.com]

Anyway, post-modernism doesn't state that nothing is important. It simply acknowledges the fact that nothing is objectively more important than other things. Everything is relative. Not everyone agrees with this, but it's easy to see how it's not general values, but public opinion, that determines what does get changed. And public opinion is pretty much dictated by the media (Would you guess that I'm at school now? =))...

Now, I'm not one of those who say that change cannot happen, or that we can't make it happen. I'm pretty sure that if I really cared about an issue, I'd make sure it was as close as possible to the way I wanted it. But I don't. It does have to do with my belief that no serious change will be accomplished in my time. It also has to do with me not caring about future generations. I just don't care about a lot of things these days.

I think the reason I present you with all these questions (May not seem too many to you, because most get censored...) is that I'm trying to figure out why you care so much. But that's not important, because when you do, anything goes. You can talk and you can act, you can do whatever you want, because in the end, everything you feel is good IS good to you, and everything that's important to you IS important to you. So talk on, and remember that age is actually an advantage in your case - You have plenty of time to learn any issue you want, and decide what you want to do about it.

I'm glad I inspire you to think about it, and every time I write you a comment I also learn a few things about myself. I apologize (also in advance) if it ever sounds like I'm attacking you, because I can get a little defensive sometimes... You see, life gets a little empty when you don't care about anything. When there's nothing "wrong", when there's nothing that needs fixing, there's practically nothing that's "worth" doing. It's a little boring, just taking care of your own petty things. I know that even I, המסתפקת במועט, would go a little crazy if all I had to think of was my "land, property and money". I think that we all need something to believe in - be it science, god, cosmic harmony or gender inequality. All these beliefs talk about change, one way or another. Everyone thinks that life will be better if we only do this or that. But better, just like good or important, is relative. There will always be more problems. And so, there will always be something to care about.

I have no idea what I'm saying here, or why, but you get the point: I just like to be heard. =)