Every year I do Thanksgiving with my old neighbors from WV. Since the dad, Mr. Bill*, is the only person who appreciates the magic of Black Friday as much as I do, we go out as a team every year. We get up at the crack of dawn. Get dressed. I'm wearing my usual jean skirt, boots (flats for the Walmart run; the heels come out later when I hit the malls with my 6 foot tall friend), and a sweater. Mr. Bill, a rather beefy 50 year old with a round, cheerful face, is wearing saggy jeans, a t-shirt with holes, and a wind breaker from the 1980s. After a breakfast of day-old doughnuts, we head out. We climb into his green truck, circa 1970, and bounce up and down the back country roads blasting Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, and other old-time country legends.
As always, the Walmart parking lot is packed. People have been camped out all night to get the greatest Black Friday deals. We join the line, our hearts beating rapidly. Mr. Bill is anxious to get his hands on the 32in LCD HD flatscreen for a mere $250, but we're pretty far back, so he's twisting his advertisement, mentally preparing himself for the dangers ahead. Tickets are passed out to those in the front of the line. The campers get to go in first. We wait. I sharpen my elbows. As the doors open for the rest of us, we rush inside. Mr. Bill tries to use his size to his advantage, pushing his way through the crowd like an ogre, intent on the electronics department. I also use my size, slipping under elbows and dodging carts, racing to get Mr. Bill's TV. I beat him to the pile.
Shoppers with carts are already milling around, yelling at each other and grabbing for TVs. I dive into the pile amid the screaming, shoving rednecks. A cart slams into my side. I ignore the pain and kick out, sending the cart slamming back into my greedy attacker. Knowing that I'm too weak to lift a box and carry it through the mob, I pull one out of the pile and sit on it, yelling for Mr. Bill. He pushes his way through, grabs the TV and muscles it out of reach of the bitter crowd. Once safely in the check out line, we high-five and slap each other on the back.
We emerge from the store victorious, both having gotten that for which we came: a cheap TV for my host and, for myself, the entertainment that comes with what I have dubbed the Redneck Shopping Olympics. We return to the house to celebrate our success. I wake my friend Anne*, change into my heels, and drag her out to Target, where the relatively sane people shop and I feel less dirty spending my money.
The Walmart experience, however, is incomparable. I go not for the deals but as a test of my athleticism, ingenuity, and West Virginian roots. I imagine it is somewhat comparable to the Running of the Bulls. Are we crazy to risk being trampled for so slight a prize as a low-end television? Perhaps, but it is the thrill of danger that is the battle's true reward.
Happy Thanksgiving y'all.
*Names have been changed
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Breaking News: Sexism Knows No Party!
Full disclosure. I am a feminist. I am proudly feminist. I am also a liberal. I'm sure this surprises very few people (especially since my friends are the only ones who read this). Generally, I'm a fan of the Democratic Party. I say generally, because all too often the nut-jobs disappoint me. Frankly, I hold Democrats to a higher standard. We should be better than this. We're supposed to be the party of equality, not the party of "I'll pull out the race card or the gender card when it helps, but I'll willingly use racist and sexist attacks on my opponents." Let me also emphasize that I cannot help but be disgusted by 90% of the things she says, not to mention that stupid winking thing. That being said...
There is a lot of sexism flying around out there. It isn't as "flashy" as racism. People don't instantly react. It's subtle. People aren't aware enough to see it and how it affects our perceptions of people. Mostly, people can spot it if it hurts someone they like, otherwise, it's just the way the game is played. If you can't stand the heat...
This post came about because I was on huffington post reading some fine ranting articles by liberals about how they should denounce certain republican talk show hosts for calling the senator from Louisiana a prostitute because she managed to extract $100,000,000 from the Democratic Leadership to benefit her state in exchange for her support of the health care bill.
Those liberals are right, that is sexist, and disgusting beyond words. I spent a good portion of my childhood in West Virginia. Actually, I'm heading back there for Thanksgiving (can't wait!). This state runs on federal pork. Is WV a border state? No. But the fricken coast guard is located there. Where do you think your tax papers are kept and processed? How about the distribution of Veteran's Hospitals? Yep, the federal government provides a lot of jobs in WV thanks to the seniority system and Sen. Byrd. Also, WV freeways are fantastic, though they're always under construction. I wonder why?
Some people have a problem with "pork." I really don't. While I recognize that WV doesn't really need a new freeway every year, they do need the jobs. It's that or Walmart. WV played the system. The voters (or at least enough of them) understand how the Senate works, how seniority works. Byrd certainly understands his power. He is doing a lot to keep an otherwise rather impoverished state above water. Michigan should take lessons. I did a quick google search. Would you believe that, despite all the "necessary government expenditures" (ie pork) Byrd funnels to WV, he has never been called a prostitute? Shocking.
Sen. Landrieu has figured out how the game works. Her state still badly needs money to rebuild, money which the federal government has been loath to supply. She realized that the Democrats want their health care, so she did what all savvy politicians do in that position--she ordered up some pork.
So, is it sexist to call Sen. Landrieu a prostitute for doing her job? YES. Is it wrong to photo shop a picture of her with sperm in her hair a la Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary? Absolutely (Thank Time magazine for that piece of brilliance) Should liberals be upset. YES. Are conservatives the only sexist assholes out there NO.
Wait, what did I just say? Naturally, I skipped the bulk of the article, because I know what it says. Frankly, I probably know more about it than the author, so I went right for the comments. That's where the interesting stuff is.
Sure enough, a lot of screaming liberals denouncing this and claiming that "this would never happen to Sarah Palin", or, as one of my favorite blogs regularly refers to her, "Sexy Sarah."
That Newsweek Cover, was it sexist? Yes. Was it as sexist as calling Landrieu a prostitute? Nope. Still, both examples show how we demean women seeking public office: we're making them sexual objects, not serious candidates. Unfortunately "she looks hot" does not win women votes, and it certainly doesn't win men votes. The difference is that the media isn't constantly trying to make male candidates hot (a seemingly impossible task to be sure).
The reality is that women who are too good looking are not taken seriously. Yes, Palin plays into that at times. She overdoes the cutsie-wootsie. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch. But she would not have chosen that picture to be on the cover. That picture was taken for the purpose of being used in a running magazine, not a political magazine. It was used without her permission. It's not illegal, and she's a public figure, but it does not say good things about our media. I somehow doubt Newsweek would do a "serious" feature of a male political figure and put him in running shorts and a tight fitting top on the cover. While that kind of picture sometimes appears in such magazines (the Obama swimsuit picture comes to mind) it is not a "cover" photo, certainly not when the article is supposed to be a political assessment rather than a fashion critique.
If Democrats and liberals really oppose sexism, then we need to oppose it all the time, not just when it's convenient. Call it out when you see it, whether you hate the woman or not. One of my best teachers in high school used to say that insults are a sign of weakness. If the best you can do to fight off Sarah Palin is Photoshop a picture of her wearing an American Flag Bikini and holding an M-16, well, you probably don't know much about the issues either.
So, here are some links to let people start thinking:
Sen. Landrieu
There is a lot of sexism flying around out there. It isn't as "flashy" as racism. People don't instantly react. It's subtle. People aren't aware enough to see it and how it affects our perceptions of people. Mostly, people can spot it if it hurts someone they like, otherwise, it's just the way the game is played. If you can't stand the heat...
This post came about because I was on huffington post reading some fine ranting articles by liberals about how they should denounce certain republican talk show hosts for calling the senator from Louisiana a prostitute because she managed to extract $100,000,000 from the Democratic Leadership to benefit her state in exchange for her support of the health care bill.
Those liberals are right, that is sexist, and disgusting beyond words. I spent a good portion of my childhood in West Virginia. Actually, I'm heading back there for Thanksgiving (can't wait!). This state runs on federal pork. Is WV a border state? No. But the fricken coast guard is located there. Where do you think your tax papers are kept and processed? How about the distribution of Veteran's Hospitals? Yep, the federal government provides a lot of jobs in WV thanks to the seniority system and Sen. Byrd. Also, WV freeways are fantastic, though they're always under construction. I wonder why?
Some people have a problem with "pork." I really don't. While I recognize that WV doesn't really need a new freeway every year, they do need the jobs. It's that or Walmart. WV played the system. The voters (or at least enough of them) understand how the Senate works, how seniority works. Byrd certainly understands his power. He is doing a lot to keep an otherwise rather impoverished state above water. Michigan should take lessons. I did a quick google search. Would you believe that, despite all the "necessary government expenditures" (ie pork) Byrd funnels to WV, he has never been called a prostitute? Shocking.
Sen. Landrieu has figured out how the game works. Her state still badly needs money to rebuild, money which the federal government has been loath to supply. She realized that the Democrats want their health care, so she did what all savvy politicians do in that position--she ordered up some pork.
So, is it sexist to call Sen. Landrieu a prostitute for doing her job? YES. Is it wrong to photo shop a picture of her with sperm in her hair a la Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary? Absolutely (Thank Time magazine for that piece of brilliance) Should liberals be upset. YES. Are conservatives the only sexist assholes out there NO.
Wait, what did I just say? Naturally, I skipped the bulk of the article, because I know what it says. Frankly, I probably know more about it than the author, so I went right for the comments. That's where the interesting stuff is.
Sure enough, a lot of screaming liberals denouncing this and claiming that "this would never happen to Sarah Palin", or, as one of my favorite blogs regularly refers to her, "Sexy Sarah."
That Newsweek Cover, was it sexist? Yes. Was it as sexist as calling Landrieu a prostitute? Nope. Still, both examples show how we demean women seeking public office: we're making them sexual objects, not serious candidates. Unfortunately "she looks hot" does not win women votes, and it certainly doesn't win men votes. The difference is that the media isn't constantly trying to make male candidates hot (a seemingly impossible task to be sure).
The reality is that women who are too good looking are not taken seriously. Yes, Palin plays into that at times. She overdoes the cutsie-wootsie. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch. But she would not have chosen that picture to be on the cover. That picture was taken for the purpose of being used in a running magazine, not a political magazine. It was used without her permission. It's not illegal, and she's a public figure, but it does not say good things about our media. I somehow doubt Newsweek would do a "serious" feature of a male political figure and put him in running shorts and a tight fitting top on the cover. While that kind of picture sometimes appears in such magazines (the Obama swimsuit picture comes to mind) it is not a "cover" photo, certainly not when the article is supposed to be a political assessment rather than a fashion critique.
If Democrats and liberals really oppose sexism, then we need to oppose it all the time, not just when it's convenient. Call it out when you see it, whether you hate the woman or not. One of my best teachers in high school used to say that insults are a sign of weakness. If the best you can do to fight off Sarah Palin is Photoshop a picture of her wearing an American Flag Bikini and holding an M-16, well, you probably don't know much about the issues either.
So, here are some links to let people start thinking:
Sen. Landrieu
And here, so you fully appreciate the Byrd reference, a rather critical portrait of the Sen. from WV...without any prostitution references.
Monday, November 23, 2009
I never learn...
It's a bit nippy in my apartment. Nippy enough that I've been shivering since I got home. I refuse to turn on the heat because I'm too cheap. Being a certified genius, what do I do?
Eat ice-cream. Actually, Rainbow Sherbet, which mini-chocolate chips. I also store my mini chocolate chips in the freezer because I like them to be nice and crunchy. Basically, I just ate a bowl full of cold.
Sigh, I suspect it's time to find where I stuffed that comforter...
Eat ice-cream. Actually, Rainbow Sherbet, which mini-chocolate chips. I also store my mini chocolate chips in the freezer because I like them to be nice and crunchy. Basically, I just ate a bowl full of cold.
Sigh, I suspect it's time to find where I stuffed that comforter...
Life: Faint of Heart Need Not Apply
So, I had the most depressing conversation with a friend today. She told me that she knew what she really wanted to do, but that she couldn't put in the money to get the proper degree when she knew that finding the right job in the field would be almost impossible. In short, the risk of unemployment is just too big. She believes that it's better to find something that she kind of likes that's a guaranteed job.
The problem? There is no such thing as a guaranteed job, not anymore. When I entered law school, the motto was "It's UVA, everyone finds a job." Indeed, everyone was expected to find a job--a job at a big firm with a big firm salary. There was "no risk" in investing hundreds of thousands of dollars (emphasis on the plural at the end of hundreds) in getting said degree, because "EVERYONE FINDS A JOB." Then the economy crashed, and there are a lot of depressed people around school because not everybody is finding a job. Not all the 3Ls, not all the 2Ls, and, come spring, I suspect that there will be some very disappointed 1Ls.
Out of everyone, you know who is the most depressed? The people that came to law school because "everyone finds a job." That's, thankfully, not why I came. I came to law school because I have a passion for women's issues, for lobbying, and simply for helping people. I knew that I would be taking out a lot of loans (I could have purchased my dad's house kind of loans) and that I would not be getting a big firm salary. I knew that finding a job in the public interest sector would be more difficult. Frankly, openings in my field don't happen every year. I know that I'll probably have to defer the dream, work in something that's not ideal for a time, live off Ramen Noodles while trying to pay back my loans, but I came here anyway, and I'm still glad I did.
I'm not a risk taker in every aspect of my life. I find the prospect of failing to pay off my credit card in full every month terrifying. We won't even go into relationships and my lack of risk taking in that arena. School, however, is something I've always been willing to take risks on. No matter how tough the odds, how scary the job prospects (let me impress once again on how terrifying they are), how much debt I'll be in when I graduate, I know I will make it. Somehow, I will make it. Maybe I'll end up with a financial need deferment on the loans. Maybe I'll have to live in the basement of some old person's house and wash their smelly, wrinkly old feet when I get off work for a discount on the rent, but I will find a way.
My advice to anyone reading this? Don't settle for a job you're not passionate about. Aim high, aim for what you want to do. In my mind, it's better to be a passionate and starving artist than a semi-successful person trapped in a job that is merely tolerable.
At least my happiness doesn't depend on the state of the economy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
