I make it a point to stop in the campus bookstores often. You never know what you might find for a good price. A sale display of Chief Illiniwek stuff in all three of them really caught my eye, though, and really made me wonder where the priorities of some students are.
Many of you know the whole "Chief Illiniwek" debate and the story of how the former mascot, a Native chief, was discontinued. Well, I am not going to bore you with the history of the chief or the story behind his controversy. The main issue now is that the chief is gone, and judging from the responses of university administration, he is not coming back.
The debate over the chief has spurred a huge backlash on both sides and never the twain shall meet. On the one side you have the students who support the chief. These folks (and alumni!) have been actively trying to wear their chief gear, recruit freshmen to join them, and do whatever it takes to get the darn mascot back into the university. They see it as one of their traditions being taken away, and they argue about it on "legacy" grounds. On the other side are the anti-chief folks. These ones argue that having a dancing Native chief is racially and culturally insensitive and that any and all regalia with him on it is showing insensitivity.
For both sides, I have this to say, You both are completely right--and completely WRONG.
For those of you who are pro-Chief, I would like to remind you that the issue is OVER. The administration is not going to see all of you in your Illiniwek gear and think "Oh, let's reinstate the mascot!" They're not going to do that once their mind is made up, and knowing this administration, they're just as flexible as a suit of armor. Move on! What is the chief, anyway? He is a mascot. A mascot is a symbol for the school. No matter what the mascot is (or if we even have one), the school is still the same, with the same triumphs and the same problems. If you really want to take pride in a mascot, why not try and create a new one yourself? Use some of your creativity and your smarts to create a new mascot, one that you can take pride in just as much, if you really want another one. You're an Illini, so act like what the word means!
To the anti-Chief people who claim that he promotes racial insensitivity, I cannot claim to speak as a native American, nor can I say I know what it feels like. However, I see a much more effective course of action than just complaining about a bygone symbol. You want to fight racial injustice? Why not start by fighting some of the racial injustice that's been springing up in the past few years? Going to or hosting a "taco and tequila" party that has the guests dressed up like negative stereotypes of Latinos is racially insensitive (and screw you, OBO, for saying that it was a "celebration of other cultures" and comparing it to Dia de los Muertos!). Not speaking up or brushing it off when your campus newspaper publishes the Jyllands-Posten anti-Muslim cartoons is REALLY culturally insensitive. You want to see inaccurate/hatefilled depictions of cultures unlike your own, then look up those two instances. Dressing like a Latino stereotype or portraying all the Muslims as terrorists is nothing short of hateful. THAT is cultural insensitivity that you can actually do something about. If you want to be really culturally educated, then why not start educating yourself? Take a class or two (or three...or more...) about American minorities to learn about them. There's a lot you can choose from! Read up on race or class-based issues. Head over to the multicultural houses and drop in on one of their programs to get some hands-on experience in learning about different cultures. There's a Native American house if you want to learn more about Native issues today. Hell, support these programs (funding, publicizing, etc.) so other people can learn and not be racially intolerant!
There's so much more you can do (on both sides) than just siting around grousing about a bygone symbol. Stop reading my blog (for now), start learning, and REALLY make a difference with this university.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
I think he says it better...
I made a big decision a little while ago.
I don't remember what it was, which probably goes to show
That sometimes a simple choice can prove to be essential,
Even when at times it seems to be inconsequential.
I must have been distracted when I left my place because
Left or right, which way I went (I wonder which it was!)--
Anyway, I chose my path, set forth in that direction,
Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.
For no reason I can think of, I just led myself astray.
And that is how I came to where I find myself today.
--Bill Watterson
I don't remember what it was, which probably goes to show
That sometimes a simple choice can prove to be essential,
Even when at times it seems to be inconsequential.
I must have been distracted when I left my place because
Left or right, which way I went (I wonder which it was!)--
Anyway, I chose my path, set forth in that direction,
Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection.
For no reason I can think of, I just led myself astray.
And that is how I came to where I find myself today.
--Bill Watterson
Recap!
Sex Out Loud was a huge success, and I am eternally happy that my feminists got so into it as they did. It sure did create an atmosphere of discussion, as the participants were visiting each other's displays and talking to each other. (Although I am still curious as to what the legal and the Focus guy were arguing about, before Ross came in and calmed them down.) Everyone loved the Post Secret project the Office of Women's Programs set up, and Pure Romance and Illini Arcade made sure to spice things up with their free giveaways! PRIDE and MASV generated a ton of interest with their recent events, and everybody was psyched that NARAL came all the way from Chicago to talk about being pro-choice. (If I had a penny for every time someone said, "Ohmygod, you got NARAL to come?? That's so cool!," I could build a women's center for my campus and fully staff it!) The feminists were outside screaming, "Sex out Loud! Get wild, get crazy, get educated!" and inside selling merch. I think we got a couple hundred people to come, because many of the groups that were doing petitions proudly told me that they got over a hundred signatures.
I have an internship for the summer, and better yet, it's in something I have an affinity for. When I interviewed for it, I asked the woman in charge of hiring when I would know if I had it. She just gave me a weird look and said, "Alex, we usually don't turn down undergrads with your credentials. If you want it, it's yours." Of course I wanted it. So the internship is mine, and I am home for the summer helping my clients and doing legal training.
Thursday is the multicultural committee, and Friday is the Joan Jett/Cheap Trick concert. I am so on top of the world right now.
I have an internship for the summer, and better yet, it's in something I have an affinity for. When I interviewed for it, I asked the woman in charge of hiring when I would know if I had it. She just gave me a weird look and said, "Alex, we usually don't turn down undergrads with your credentials. If you want it, it's yours." Of course I wanted it. So the internship is mine, and I am home for the summer helping my clients and doing legal training.
Thursday is the multicultural committee, and Friday is the Joan Jett/Cheap Trick concert. I am so on top of the world right now.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Tease! Squeeze! Please!
Let's talk about sex, baby, let's talk about you and me...
It's far too bad that this is not the case.
Mind you, I am not encouraging everyone to share every little detail of their private lives. That's not what I'm talking about. It's been on my mind that although people say we live in a hyper-sexualized culture, there is still a lot of shame and secrecy regarding sex and not nearly enough information for easy access. There are not nearly enough outlets for one to express oneself and explore what one prefers.
As a woman, it's even more difficult to bring those issues to light and engage in any kind of a frank discussion about it (which is why I seriously considered becoming a health peer next year). We're encouraged to be sensuous and sexy--but not too much so, or else we're called sluts/whores/hos/bimbos/insert-your-favorite-term-here. We're encouraged to keep it quiet--but not too much so, or else we're labeled frigid and prudes. So where does educated or informed come into the picture? It's not even on the spectrum, as that can get us dumped into one category or another.
I myself have had this happen, as I am sure many of you ladies have as well. One time, I went and got some Plan B. I always carry Plan B in case something happens, and lucky for me, my workplace gives the stuff out for free. When I was telling a mixed group about it, many of the people seemed disgusted that I would even think about that stuff. The first response? "Well, I don't use that, I'm not promiscuous or anything." This seemed to imply that knowing or using it would make one promiscuous. I didn't know whether I should tell my friend that many of my clients needed or used Plan B in order to avoid a pregnancy that wouldn't have been their fault. Would anyone call them promiscuous? I sure hope not. When I was telling a male friend about the Vagina Monologues a couple years back, I told him that he and his girlfriend should come to it. His response was, "Well, I'll come but I don't know if she will. She's a good girl...she's not into stuff like that." I don't think I need to tell you what a good girl is or does.
My Feminist Majority group is putting on a sexual health fair called Sex Out Loud. Sex Out Loud is, and has always been a collaborative effort between campus and community organizations promoting a healthy sexuality. This year we have: us, NOW, Men Against Sexual Violence, Pride, PAVE, NARAL, the Office of Women's Programs, the Gender Studies Program, Campus Acquaintance Rape Education, Planned Parenthood, Rape Crisis Services, Pure Romance, Illini Arcade, the Vagina Monologues, Focus, and the health peers. Great list, isn't it? All of these express a different preference, pleasure, and aspect of one's sexuality, and they are diverse enough that if you don't like what one has to say, you're bound to find another you do agree with. All about options. That's exactly the climate I want to create.
The event is not without its fair share of controversy. Many of the articles I have read about it seem to deem it as a den of debauchery and nothing more. When in reality, this is so not the case. We try to provide an open atmosphere of dialog and discussion, as opposed to keeping sexuality something quiet and shameful. Most of these articles seemed to zero in on that group, Focus. Focus is a large group that does a display about chastity and abstinence. I like Focus. I think they do a good job and that they're very tolerant of different views. And because chastity is one option regarding a healthy sexuality, I figured they must be included as well as the others. The articles I've read, though, show them as the one "moral" group in this fair, and they gloss over all the others by saying they're all out to shock and provoke. While I like that group, I find it highly unfair that they're promoted as the bastion of morality in the sea of suggestiveness. When in reality, they're an option among all the others. If you're into saving yourself for marriage, that's fine. If you're not, that's fine too. Who am I to judge? And I'm sure that the Focus people could very easily agree with the missions of the other groups. (The girl who contacted me asked specifically if PAVE, MASV, and the health peers were going to be there because she liked what they had to say! Go figure.)
The one thing I have to judge, though, is keeping something quiet. I recently read a pundit who posed the question regarding the health peers, Vagina Monologues, and advocates: "Aren't some things better kept veiled and mysterious?" And here is where I have the problem. If you can't name something, you cannot talk about it, and if you cannot talk about it, you cannot own it. You must be able to own something that was always yours. If you're into the whole chastity thing, like the Focus people, that's fine (as long as you're doing it for yourself and not because you fear being called a "slut"). If you're not, that's fine too (as long, again, as it's for you and not because you fear being the only twenty-something-year-old virgin). Veiled and mysterious is just another term for shut-up. Groups like the advocates and Vagina Monologues actresses also deal with ending violence against women. If they were to keep THAT veiled, then nothing would get done in trying to end the violence. (Actually, there is a term for that issue, and it is called masking.) If you're more quiet and private and mysterious, that's fine, but there is no excuse for not even wanting to educate yourself. You don't have to tell about every little detail of your private life, but you do owe it to yourself to educate yourself. We're not about debauchery so much as we are about discussion, dialog, and development.
It's far too bad that this is not the case.
Mind you, I am not encouraging everyone to share every little detail of their private lives. That's not what I'm talking about. It's been on my mind that although people say we live in a hyper-sexualized culture, there is still a lot of shame and secrecy regarding sex and not nearly enough information for easy access. There are not nearly enough outlets for one to express oneself and explore what one prefers.
As a woman, it's even more difficult to bring those issues to light and engage in any kind of a frank discussion about it (which is why I seriously considered becoming a health peer next year). We're encouraged to be sensuous and sexy--but not too much so, or else we're called sluts/whores/hos/bimbos/insert-your-favorite-term-here. We're encouraged to keep it quiet--but not too much so, or else we're labeled frigid and prudes. So where does educated or informed come into the picture? It's not even on the spectrum, as that can get us dumped into one category or another.
I myself have had this happen, as I am sure many of you ladies have as well. One time, I went and got some Plan B. I always carry Plan B in case something happens, and lucky for me, my workplace gives the stuff out for free. When I was telling a mixed group about it, many of the people seemed disgusted that I would even think about that stuff. The first response? "Well, I don't use that, I'm not promiscuous or anything." This seemed to imply that knowing or using it would make one promiscuous. I didn't know whether I should tell my friend that many of my clients needed or used Plan B in order to avoid a pregnancy that wouldn't have been their fault. Would anyone call them promiscuous? I sure hope not. When I was telling a male friend about the Vagina Monologues a couple years back, I told him that he and his girlfriend should come to it. His response was, "Well, I'll come but I don't know if she will. She's a good girl...she's not into stuff like that." I don't think I need to tell you what a good girl is or does.
My Feminist Majority group is putting on a sexual health fair called Sex Out Loud. Sex Out Loud is, and has always been a collaborative effort between campus and community organizations promoting a healthy sexuality. This year we have: us, NOW, Men Against Sexual Violence, Pride, PAVE, NARAL, the Office of Women's Programs, the Gender Studies Program, Campus Acquaintance Rape Education, Planned Parenthood, Rape Crisis Services, Pure Romance, Illini Arcade, the Vagina Monologues, Focus, and the health peers. Great list, isn't it? All of these express a different preference, pleasure, and aspect of one's sexuality, and they are diverse enough that if you don't like what one has to say, you're bound to find another you do agree with. All about options. That's exactly the climate I want to create.
The event is not without its fair share of controversy. Many of the articles I have read about it seem to deem it as a den of debauchery and nothing more. When in reality, this is so not the case. We try to provide an open atmosphere of dialog and discussion, as opposed to keeping sexuality something quiet and shameful. Most of these articles seemed to zero in on that group, Focus. Focus is a large group that does a display about chastity and abstinence. I like Focus. I think they do a good job and that they're very tolerant of different views. And because chastity is one option regarding a healthy sexuality, I figured they must be included as well as the others. The articles I've read, though, show them as the one "moral" group in this fair, and they gloss over all the others by saying they're all out to shock and provoke. While I like that group, I find it highly unfair that they're promoted as the bastion of morality in the sea of suggestiveness. When in reality, they're an option among all the others. If you're into saving yourself for marriage, that's fine. If you're not, that's fine too. Who am I to judge? And I'm sure that the Focus people could very easily agree with the missions of the other groups. (The girl who contacted me asked specifically if PAVE, MASV, and the health peers were going to be there because she liked what they had to say! Go figure.)
The one thing I have to judge, though, is keeping something quiet. I recently read a pundit who posed the question regarding the health peers, Vagina Monologues, and advocates: "Aren't some things better kept veiled and mysterious?" And here is where I have the problem. If you can't name something, you cannot talk about it, and if you cannot talk about it, you cannot own it. You must be able to own something that was always yours. If you're into the whole chastity thing, like the Focus people, that's fine (as long as you're doing it for yourself and not because you fear being called a "slut"). If you're not, that's fine too (as long, again, as it's for you and not because you fear being the only twenty-something-year-old virgin). Veiled and mysterious is just another term for shut-up. Groups like the advocates and Vagina Monologues actresses also deal with ending violence against women. If they were to keep THAT veiled, then nothing would get done in trying to end the violence. (Actually, there is a term for that issue, and it is called masking.) If you're more quiet and private and mysterious, that's fine, but there is no excuse for not even wanting to educate yourself. You don't have to tell about every little detail of your private life, but you do owe it to yourself to educate yourself. We're not about debauchery so much as we are about discussion, dialog, and development.
Monday, March 10, 2008
My gift
I have nothing to give you or share with you...
Save for my blood, sweat, and tears,
Strength of mind and muscles,
Countless hours,
Energy and enthusiasm,
Pep talks and encouragement,
Tons of determination and drive,
Ears for listening to whatever it takes,
Commitment to a cause,
Rescheduling of priorities,
And willingness to stick it out alone and unpopular if need be.
I have nothing to give you except everything.
Save for my blood, sweat, and tears,
Strength of mind and muscles,
Countless hours,
Energy and enthusiasm,
Pep talks and encouragement,
Tons of determination and drive,
Ears for listening to whatever it takes,
Commitment to a cause,
Rescheduling of priorities,
And willingness to stick it out alone and unpopular if need be.
I have nothing to give you except everything.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
[Insert group here] Unite!
How do you rally a diverse group of people and unite them?
Every effort that can be made to stir up solidarity and pride will invariably leave someone out. There has never been a social movement that has included everyone that it tried to involve. The early American feminists stemmed from the abolitionist movement, but they did very little to address the concerns of black women. Even today, feminism is dismissed as a white, middle-class women's movement and many minority feminists have had to be larger-than-life speakers and activists like Audre Lord and Angela Davis to get any much-needed attention. Any nationalist movements in countries all over the world have left out people who didn't fit the definition of being a patriotic citizen. Labor unions, though claiming to be about workers' rights, have had histories over being selective about who they let in, who they left out, and how they treated their members. Hell, the first sexual harrassment lawsuit was filed against a union by one of its own members (watch the film North Country to learn all about it!). Americans were all in a tizzy about being "patriotic" after September 11th, but this led to a huge amount of backlash against liberals (by saying they weren't patriotic) and a surge of hate speech and crimes against Arab Americans and Muslims (by falsely linking them with terrorists, even though Muslims are one of the largest religious minorities in the country).
So how do you unite any group successfully? Or are there always some people who will be left out? And how do we decide who is left out and who may stay?
And who decides, anyways?
Every effort that can be made to stir up solidarity and pride will invariably leave someone out. There has never been a social movement that has included everyone that it tried to involve. The early American feminists stemmed from the abolitionist movement, but they did very little to address the concerns of black women. Even today, feminism is dismissed as a white, middle-class women's movement and many minority feminists have had to be larger-than-life speakers and activists like Audre Lord and Angela Davis to get any much-needed attention. Any nationalist movements in countries all over the world have left out people who didn't fit the definition of being a patriotic citizen. Labor unions, though claiming to be about workers' rights, have had histories over being selective about who they let in, who they left out, and how they treated their members. Hell, the first sexual harrassment lawsuit was filed against a union by one of its own members (watch the film North Country to learn all about it!). Americans were all in a tizzy about being "patriotic" after September 11th, but this led to a huge amount of backlash against liberals (by saying they weren't patriotic) and a surge of hate speech and crimes against Arab Americans and Muslims (by falsely linking them with terrorists, even though Muslims are one of the largest religious minorities in the country).
So how do you unite any group successfully? Or are there always some people who will be left out? And how do we decide who is left out and who may stay?
And who decides, anyways?
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