Hi Ana, Yes, the Women in Black really cheer me up. Knowing that there are activists getting on with it out there and so many of them as well. The anti-war lobbying group seem pretty dynamic also, internationally and local. "As women experiencing these things in different ways in different regions of the world, we support each other’s movements. An important focus is challenging the militarist policies of our own governments. We are not an organisation, but a means of communicating and a formula for action."
I am also very aware that you have been very active yourself in trying to change the world, making an effort beyond say the Internet and getting involved in real-life struggles that are out there, in the past and now... "15th. 370 women coming from 40 different countries, are gathering in Valencia to discuss endurable peace, how to deal with weapon dealers and warmongers." http://mujeresdenegrovalencia.blogspot.com/2007/08/women-in-blackmujeres-de-negro.html I remember how disappointed I was when listening on the radio to our government as they voted for a war and to invade Iraq. I also realised that they were really voting for their jobs, their wages rather than saving the lives of innocent civilians in another culture, these pro-war-voters sadly, lacked honour. If we look at the mechanisms put in place, it does not matter if it is communism, marxism, capitalism or religion - they are all dominated by men. The irony is, when a female takes the helm of any of these systems the infrastructures themselves have been constructed to defy any real, intuitive reflection in respect of how to approach humanity - due to the traditional and mannerist, and hegemonic defaults already set in place, which of course seem as if needs a revolution to change them - a big one. But here is the nub, I actually do not believe in revolutions. I also see these forms of toppling regimes to be much more explosions of male aggression, splurting out of male frustrations which just take over (as usual) and get carried away with imposing another regime of patriarchal dominance. Although, there are some changes which have transpired in history that have been labelled a revolution yet perhaps need a different tag or name to separate such accomlishments from the cliche of the term revolution, especially when one hears so many crap songs spouting out revolution, in adverts just as much as adverts are devaluing the idea of love. Perhaps it needs reclaiming... The so called war on terrorism is a war between men, that kills civilians, men, women and children. The reality is that, people are not worth much other than for power struggles, whether this be local or internationally. Whether it's a bunch of men fighting in a pub in Basildon, a man beating his wife and children in Newcastle, or a terrorist bombing people in Australia, Turkey, Italy, New York or London, whether it be Generals ordering civilians to be murdered and then thrown into unmarked graves. We are dealing with an extreme form of male insecurity, and no matter how many times this happens one is always shocked with how amazingly stupid and shallow such acts are. My disappointment with (in)humanity never rests, and shamefully men seem to be the main problem with over-mechanistic, organised, power-based projects set up to support such actions, hurting so many for such useless reasons because they cannot step out of their own perspectives and let go, for others to build something more worth while and less delusory. Activism, is a state of mind and of course is not always about the extremes, but like feminism a personal thing and each of can offer different forms of it to make changes, it does not have to be all the same but we do have to begin agreeing rather than dividing and deconstructing because of mannerist behaviours, move on and choose our targets well. marc > Interesting discussion, Marc and Byrd! I "discovered" a book by the > Lacan psychoanalyst Juliet MacDonnell Flower for many years ago, "The > Regime of the Brother". She is a true post-feministic and she means > that after the French Revolution we, the women, and the whole society, > are opressed by our brothers and not by our fathers. She develop > futher the notion saying in the Second World War the father > dissapeared as concept since the father was not able to save his > children from the camps and from the crematory chambers. > Her theory is we have a lot more difficulties fighting our "brothers", > since they are more invisible and they don't seem to exerce the same > pressure than the fathers. > MacDonnell says in the old feudal contract the feudal lord, the > "father", the heir of Rome's "pater familiae", the father had absolut > power but also obligations toward his family and his serfs. He was due > to defend them in case of war, to revenge them if someone hurted them, > etc. But the brother has the power but not the obligations. > > I have found a real meaningsfull feminism in the activism, people as > the women of Clapham common or Women in Black, www.womeninblack.org, > are for me now the real feminists. A feminism integrated in social > struggles and not excluding but including, a feminism where men are > also welcome as a part of the activism. The men I know are as > prisoners of their role as we women are. > Ana, who participated in the conference of Women in Black in Valencia, > Spain, and got new courage and new friends!! > > http://mujeresdenegrovalencia.blogspot.com > > > On 8/29/07, marc garrett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Hi Severn, >> >> >my apologies >> >> I will be clearer next time:-) >> >> One of the big problems in the UK in the 70's and early to mid 80's was >> that, at Universities and Colleges Feminism was surviving well within an >> infrastructure, but not getting its message successfully across in poor >> council estate areas such as where I lived when I was younger. It was >> considered as something that was middle class women a practice for the >> privileged and well off, and working class women just had to carry on >> surviving and working on low wages. >> >> What is also interesting is that, my sisters have a much better life >> than my mother did as in better working conditions etc, yet are less >> likely to even think about Feminism and how what they have now was >> thought for them originally. In a consumer culture such as what we are >> all engulfed in there really needs to be a radical update of feminism, >> and I don't mean the kind of lifestyle magazine'ish, media friendly term >> of 'Post-Feminism', it needs to be as approachable as consumerism and >> offer civil liberties that communicate across all classes and race. >> >> Any ideas? >> >> marc >> >>> On 28/08/2007, at 1:00 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Hi Severn, >>>> >>>> Do you really need me to explain what I meant? >>>> >>>> You are presuming something which is not even true, if you want me to >>>> let you know about my own experiences with having two females raped in >>>> my family, plus two crap fathers and a homeless family I will... >>>> >>>> Your anger is being directed at the wrong individual. >>>> >>>> marc >>>> >>> hi marc >>> >>> I am not angry. >>> >>> What I am doing is drawing attention to feminist issues which seem to >>> be increasingly overlooked. So much so that it seems timely to >>> reintroduce seventies feminist practices, ie to start pointing out >>> every time someone makes a sexist {or racist} comment. >>> >>> Its the increasing of public awareness in these matters that brings >>> about anti discrimination laws such as those achieved in Australia, >>> and which are sadly lacking in the rest of the world. >>> >>> my apologies >>> >>> byrd >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> > > _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
