Tuesday, July 05, 2011
there once was a time...
Of course, blogging was relatively new then, and those of us women who jumped on that band wagon were usually ones of strong and well-versed opinion who, while we might be moms and wives, opted to share, in this blog and in our own, less of those parts or our lives and more of our more intellectually creative and adventuresome pursuits. We questioned; we challenged; we ranted.
How times have changed in so much of the blogosphere!
Except the same issues still exist to plaque us as women. Yet somehow our voices have quieted. Maybe, with Facebook and Twitter etc. etc., there's just too much noise out there with which to compete.
But the same issues still exist, and I am motivated here to share a situation and discussion going on in several blogs and even on youtube.
Beause I'm a feminist and a humanist, because I still, on occasion, rant, I invite you to start here and link backward to discover what young feminist, humanist, atheist, and skeptic Rebecca Watson has stirred up among those who still think deep, blog wide, and rant fearlessly.
We used to be thinkers here on Blog Sisters -- thinkers and critics and fearless ranters. What happened?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
real women have....
But that was before I checked over at a blog from Saudi Arabia written by an American woman who lives there. If you haven't found Sand Gets In My Eyes yet, you're missing out not only on some excellent writing, but even more important, on a perspective on that country that is both honest and personal.
Her post Is Phyllis Chesler Right? is infuriating because it's so honest, so correct (although not politically), and links over to an even more infuriating article in the Times Online by Chesler entitled How My Eyes Were Opened to the Barbarity of Islam.
Now, I have been a fan of Chesler since I read Women and Madness at a time in my life when I was both mad/angry and wondering if I were going mad/crazy. That book helped to launch me into the heart of feminism.
Just as I can't understand how savvy, smart women can tolerate the demeaning attitude toward them from the Catholic and other "Christian" churces, I have never been able to understand how anyone with an ounce of humanity in them keep finding excuses for the way women are treated in so many of the Islam-based cultures. I find it infuriating.
And so do Lori of Sand in My Eyes and Chesler of the long list of
publications challenging women to stand up and men to wake up.
I'm not going to quote from either of them here because both of their pieces (see third paragraph above for links) should be read whole.
I continue not to understand why the most "religious" people totally ignore the Golden Rule.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Virginity Soap??!! WTF!!!
Read Lori's post in her blog, Sand Gets in My Eyes, where she reports:
Her entire post includes more links and info. It would be great if other Blog Sisters would post about this issue as well.According to Peaceful Muslimah, the soaps are indicative of a larger problem in the Middle East (and likely other parts of the world), where a woman’s virginity is her most important asset." Unfortunately in many Muslim societies, as well as non-Muslim underdeveloped nations, there is an extreme pressure brought to bear on women's chastity. As I recently discussed here, lack of chastity or even the perception of it can lead to fatal consequences. So is it any wonder that Muslim women are willing to go to extraordinary measures to maintain the appearance of the virginal bride on their honeymoon."
[snip]
I did some checking, and the soaps are readily available throughout the world, thanks in large part to the internet. The idea is that the soap’s astringents “constrict and tighten" , creating that coveted "look and feel" of virginity.
One manufacturer boasts their product is...."Used and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of women in the Middle East and Asia, it has brought back youthful passions, rekindled sensual yearnings, and completely intensified sexual experience.”
Ha! What a lot of bunk!
Cross posted at www.kalilily.net
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