This is my longest video to date about some feminist struggles I've had in my life and how I've dealt with them.
Showing posts with label Feminism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Feminism. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Starting my Vlog (Someday)
I was going to start my Vlog today, but heath issues popped up and I wasn't able to.
My subject was going to be my background in fighting to be taken seriously in my life. I was a girl, growing up on a reservation who wanted to be Han Solo. I read Science Fiction, I read Comics, I played Video Games whenever the opportunity presented itself, and later, after I grew up, I became a Computer Technician. I've been fighting to be taken seriously in my life, and not treated like a token or a special snowflake or a fragile flower, for a long, long time. And, for the record, I started dating my husband when I was 18 (he was 19), so I wasn't faking interest "to meet the boyz".
Here is what I posted on Facebook and sent a screen shot to Twitter. It was going to be the base of my Vlog:
I am so outraged right now that I can't speak, and I know I'm a month late on this, but it was just brought to my attention. Here are quotes from David Auerbach's Slate article titled "Letter To A Young Male Gamer". (I had to read the article twice to see if it was sarcasm, and it doesn't appear to be) :
"But I do have a request for you: Stop publicly criticizing LW. Go after the men. Criticize the games themselves. But leave the women alone, even if you think they merit criticism."
"Women in gaming have it way rougher than men, and to be blunt, it is simply not the end of the world if LW gets a free pass for whatever sins she may have committed"
What. The. Hell. David Auerbach.
I have been fighting all my life to be taken seriously. Now you are telling me I'm too fragile for criticism.
Chris told me this is why I am a Thorn and not a Flower. You sit on a flower and it is crushed, destroyed. You sit on a Thorn and jump up and say, "Holy Hell, That hurt."
I'm proud to be a Thorn today.
My subject was going to be my background in fighting to be taken seriously in my life. I was a girl, growing up on a reservation who wanted to be Han Solo. I read Science Fiction, I read Comics, I played Video Games whenever the opportunity presented itself, and later, after I grew up, I became a Computer Technician. I've been fighting to be taken seriously in my life, and not treated like a token or a special snowflake or a fragile flower, for a long, long time. And, for the record, I started dating my husband when I was 18 (he was 19), so I wasn't faking interest "to meet the boyz".
Here is what I posted on Facebook and sent a screen shot to Twitter. It was going to be the base of my Vlog:
I am so outraged right now that I can't speak, and I know I'm a month late on this, but it was just brought to my attention. Here are quotes from David Auerbach's Slate article titled "Letter To A Young Male Gamer". (I had to read the article twice to see if it was sarcasm, and it doesn't appear to be) :
"But I do have a request for you: Stop publicly criticizing LW. Go after the men. Criticize the games themselves. But leave the women alone, even if you think they merit criticism."
"Women in gaming have it way rougher than men, and to be blunt, it is simply not the end of the world if LW gets a free pass for whatever sins she may have committed"
What. The. Hell. David Auerbach.
I have been fighting all my life to be taken seriously. Now you are telling me I'm too fragile for criticism.
Chris told me this is why I am a Thorn and not a Flower. You sit on a flower and it is crushed, destroyed. You sit on a Thorn and jump up and say, "Holy Hell, That hurt."
I'm proud to be a Thorn today.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
On How My Lady Parts Have Nothing To Do With My Employment
I'm going to start off this post with a little bit about myself.
I'm a computer technician. I started working with computers in 1994 in Germany at AAFES (Army and Airforce Exchange Service). Since then I have worked at a Fortune 500 company, a national computer sales/repair franchise, and, currently, at a small family owned computer store.
Attitudes towards women technicians have changed a lot since I started, and in my opinion they've changed for the better. When I started at the Fortune 500 company only 10% of the technicians were women, and now that number is closer to 30%. We are making strides forward in the corporate environment.
The small locally owned business environment though... that one can be a little tricky.
I left my last job because I have health issues. I have my current job because I was lucky enough to know the manager of my Friendly Local Computer Store (FLCS). He hired me part time, and I am so grateful to him. Because of him I feel like I'm still contributing to my family. I get out of the house. I get to talk to people. I get to work with computers. I love my job and I love all my co-workers.
When I first started working at the FLCS I dyed my hair to cover the gray, and I was routinely asked if the manager of the store was my husband/boyfriend. Since I got tired of explaining how old I am, I decided to let my hair go grey. And now, I'm routinely asked if my coworkers are my children.
Now, if I was a certain type of Feminist Social Justice Warrior, I would spin this to mean that the people asking these questions were implying that the only possible way a woman could get a job as a technician was through her vagina: either letting someone in or pushing someone out.
That isn't my thought process. My thought process is that these people are not malicious, instead they are all well meaning and just want to indulge in some harmless gossip. So I laugh and say no, we're not related. And then I get on with my life.
It's all about putting things into perspective, most people don't realize that their words can be spun into something malicious, so don't judge them harshly. And I believe we have to keep this perspective in everything we do, even #GamerGate and #NotYourShield.
I'm a computer technician. I started working with computers in 1994 in Germany at AAFES (Army and Airforce Exchange Service). Since then I have worked at a Fortune 500 company, a national computer sales/repair franchise, and, currently, at a small family owned computer store.
Attitudes towards women technicians have changed a lot since I started, and in my opinion they've changed for the better. When I started at the Fortune 500 company only 10% of the technicians were women, and now that number is closer to 30%. We are making strides forward in the corporate environment.
The small locally owned business environment though... that one can be a little tricky.
I left my last job because I have health issues. I have my current job because I was lucky enough to know the manager of my Friendly Local Computer Store (FLCS). He hired me part time, and I am so grateful to him. Because of him I feel like I'm still contributing to my family. I get out of the house. I get to talk to people. I get to work with computers. I love my job and I love all my co-workers.
When I first started working at the FLCS I dyed my hair to cover the gray, and I was routinely asked if the manager of the store was my husband/boyfriend. Since I got tired of explaining how old I am, I decided to let my hair go grey. And now, I'm routinely asked if my coworkers are my children.
Now, if I was a certain type of Feminist Social Justice Warrior, I would spin this to mean that the people asking these questions were implying that the only possible way a woman could get a job as a technician was through her vagina: either letting someone in or pushing someone out.
That isn't my thought process. My thought process is that these people are not malicious, instead they are all well meaning and just want to indulge in some harmless gossip. So I laugh and say no, we're not related. And then I get on with my life.
It's all about putting things into perspective, most people don't realize that their words can be spun into something malicious, so don't judge them harshly. And I believe we have to keep this perspective in everything we do, even #GamerGate and #NotYourShield.
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