Posts filed under ‘Politics’
War in Sri Lanka
“378 civilians killed in attack but army denies responsibility”
“RFI, May 11.Three-hundred and seventy eight people were killed during a 24 hour artillery barrage that began late on Saturday, according to a doctor working in the region. A pro-rebel website had said that more than 2,000 civilians were killed. But the army has told RFI that these claims by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are false.A statement posted on the pro-rebel website, Tamilnet, on Sunday claimed that an assault by the Sri Lankan army, “slaughtered more than 2,000 civilians including large number of women and children,” according to a medical sources in Vanni.
Meanwhile, western media reported that a doctor working in the area said that 378 people were killed and 1,122 injured. Both these reports have been denied by the Sri Lankan military”.
***Once again, the blame is being pointed back and forth to justify these killings, however the issue cannot be solved by throwing the blame back and forth. Human rights are being revoked as civilian lives are being taken for a greater “cause”. Intervention is greatly needed.
Conflict in Sri Lanka
“Many people are confused because of horror stories about the Tamil Tigers. But whatever we may think of the Tamil Tigers, it is the human rights catastrophe that must be of primary concern and in that regard it is the Sri Lankan government that has the responsibility to end the bloodshed. There will be a solidarity march organized by the Canadian Peace Alliance and some unions on May 9. It’s about time, progessive people outside the Tamil community speak out in solidarity.”
…Let’s set aside our differences for one day and come together in the name of peace, unity and compassion for humanity!
April 29, 2009 at 11:46 AM thethingswethink7 Leave a comment
A Women Studies Note
I’m studying for a women studies midterm that is focused on the interactions of race, class and gender, and how they intersect to generate further inequality. I’m reading “Doing Difference” by Candace West and Sarah Fenstermaker. It’s funny because there is a section that focuses on white middle-class bias on feminist thought. They go on to explain that some feminist work talks about oppression by women who are not oppressed. While reading this, I was thinking that they speak of colored women as though we are completely marginalized in society. I am a young colored woman, however I never think of myself as an oppressed individual affected by the inter-sectional implications of race, class and gender. Perhaps because I’m a second generation Canadian born female. Perhaps the generations before me have paved the way so that individuals such as myself don’t feel the slap of racism, or the glass ceiling of sexism. Perhaps because “class” is no longer defined by your family, but of what you make of yourself, by making your own opportunities and pursuing what you wish. I study women studies, and find that it does not highlight the changes in society, but focuses on how women were traditionally oppressed. I am definitely a feminist, and will always feel the need for change (especially for those who are not as fortunate), but I greatly appreciate my geographic location for alienating me from such damaging oppression, and would like to thank feminists everywhere, because their work (even if it can be repetitive), has obviously been worth it.
Selling Sex
What do you think of when you hear about selling sex? Prostitution? Celebrities? Women, men or both? As a young female, I feel that women are used more to sell sex as opposed to men. To broaden this topic lets just say you can see the trade of sex on three spectrums. There is the Western concept of sex, exploitation for popularity, lesser is better (clothing wise), and of course, put sex everywhere because that’s all people are really interested in (not the best concept). Then you have the Eastern side of the spectrum, cover it up, it’s as secretive as the black market (everyone knows about it but act as if they don’t), yet the exploitation of females is common and considered normal (practical?). Lastly, you have the combination of the two, such as mail-order brides (women exploiting themselves to the Western world to gain entrance into it), pornography industry which definitely combines the two, and the well known concept of sex trafficking.
Now in the Western world, selling sex is done almost as easily as it’s said. It’s freely available online to people of all ages, therefore making it a societal norm. When the youth of today grow up, indecent exposure might be considered normal, or even necessary to warrant fame. Sex is used to sell all types of products, it’s in the bud of many jokes, it’s all over television, movies (the general pop culture data base). Why does sex sell so easily? Because the formalities of society has been constantly lowered. Sex went from a liberating concept, to that of indecent exposure over the course of a few decades. Do we want sex to be as easily accessible as it is today? I guess this question may be more difficult for a parent to answer rather than me. The vulgarity and somewhat offensive nature that sexual content produces objectifies women quite severely in the Western world. However, whose choice is it to stop it? I mean, playboy bunnies such as Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, etc feel completely comfortable and liberated going on TV, strutting around naked, and having men gawk at them. They know they’re objects of lust to those men, and they embrace it. I have no problem with that. In fact, I have a little bit of respect for them because they’re proud of themselves inside out (even though the outer parts may be fake). But this does not mean that I want to be viewed in the same context by men. So I them problem that is proposed is the border. Do people know when they’ve crossed the line when it comes to sex?
In the East (I have not been so this may not be completely accurate), I feel that sex isn’t as mainstream as it is in North America. It’s as though cultural restraints have still kept their nations from being fully exploited. Do nation that consist of largely religious populated areas have less risk of this exposure become of their common shared morals? Is North America in faster decay because of its diverse, ever so modern and changing persona? Well not quite, the East is definitely catching up in the exploitation isle. Sex trafficking generates a good part of funds going into these growing economies, but obviously enough is greatly supported by the people of North America. Women are forced into prostitution, brothels, and are commonly sold between pimps and gangs to generate funds from tourists. Thailand and Cambodia hold high reputations for child sex trafficking, and the tourists flock for their piece.
This leads me to ask one more question. When sex is made main stream is it safer? Although sex trafficking, brothels, child pornography, etc all exist in North America, it seems to exist on a much smaller scale than that of the East. Is this because human rights are so greatly honored, or can some of the contribution be because sex is mainstream, therefore the right and wrongs of sex are also acknowledged? Is the selling of sex much more dangerous where it is being ignored? I suppose so.
Jessica Alba aka the Dumbass
We all love Jessica Alba. She’s cute, sweet and has a rockin body. Yes many of us women completely envy her, but we were wrong ladies, she’s not as great as she seems. Apparently Alba has earned quite the reputation as a typical Hollywood b****. Not only is she rude, but lil miss goody bimbo shoes has proved that she’s an idiot. Did anyone catch the TMZ clip of Alba questioning a reporter during Obama’s inauguration? OMG, this woman looked so dumb. I didn’t get to see the full clip, but what I caught was good enough. She was asking the reporter why he wasn’t happy or something about Obama being in office, and arguing that the reporter should be neutral about the situation…oh that’s right, neutral like Sweden! Oh Jessica, when will you learn that you’re the hottie in movies, no one cares what you say, and that is exactly why. No worries everyone, I found the link that further confirms that Jessica Alba is an idiot…ENJOY!
Thankfully Sweden was neutral at one point in history...60yrs ago
http://www.tmz.com/2009/01/21/jessica-alba-the-ditz-on-switzerland/
Genocide in Sri Lanka
Check out this article posted by the Boston Globe:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/03/31/the_silence_surrounding_sri_lanka/
At this time there is a mass genocide taking place in Sri Lanka. For those of you who are not familiar with this issue, it is somewhat similar to that of Rwanda. The global arena is being true to form, and ignoring or “silencing” the genocide and political issues (as in the case of Rwanda), when global relief, aid, and intervention is needed. Please help spread the word! Check out the link.
