Stop hurting us.

Dear men who think it doesn’t hurt us,

I want to say that while the media is dominated by white males who make decisions to portray women as non-human and as objects, it hurts us.

An uphill battle to try and salvage our self-esteems and our poise, which you create by gazing a little longer at the altered and augmented image on that television, movie, magazine, or whatever it is…it hurts us.

Teaching my son that his only option to be a, “real man,” is to treat women as pawns in their lives who have less importance and who can be manipulated and maneuvered for their own gain…it hurts us, and it hurts him. Ultimately it hurts us all, including you.

Please stop telling my daughter that the only thing that matters about her is her looks. Well, and maybe also her ability to care for the people in her lives without any recognition whatsoever. And even creating/promoting cartoons in her life that portray women in abusive or otherwise demeaning roles as heroines. That is crap.

Please stop telling me that I am a bitch if I share my opinions. I would appreciate it if you also stopped to think about what I am saying and keep your mouth still for just a few minutes so that I don’t get talked-over or interrupted. What I have to say might really matter…and not just to me.

When you think it is benign that you share with other guys around you a thought about a female (that you have made into a commodity for the purposes of your conversation) and it is overheard by a woman. A dignified human being. You hurt her. And you hurt the other guys…even the ones laughing or  participating with you. You are hurting everyone.

Don’t be fooled. Images that you look at or desire affect the women and little girls around you. We are smarter and more perceptive than you think – and we do take it personally. Even from a very young age.

Please, once you have set this whole cycle into place by acting this way toward your young daughters and other young girls in your life, don’t belittle their struggle to find true personhood and value in their lives. That hurts us too.

I am trying to remain hopeful about your consideration of these suggestions. Despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Sincerely,

The Women In Your Lives

 

ReStart and Refresh

I am thinking about relaunching this site and using it for my own personal gain. You all can follow along as you wish.

I have been thinking a lot about feminism recently. About how I was taught from a very young age that feminism was negative and extreme, and how I see it now as being so much more than what was presented to me as a kid.

I am a woman. Constantly I am forced to observe and internalize images of women who have been altered, cut, augmented, glossed, brushed, etc. It is not something I want my daughter or son to have to deal with. I think that since I was young in the 1980′s when media started to really take the shape of being a part of daily life and consumption for the general population I was one of the early products of that society.

Now media is even more omnipresent and I am frankly quite frightened by what the reality might look like for my children who are 4 and 5 now. Technology and media are ubiquitous and pervasive. I don’t want their lives to be about consuming what the media wants to feed them.

(my daughter who is photobooth savvy)

I am also thinking about legislation in terms of healthcare and health related issues. How even as a doctoral student I am floundering and struggling to find a way to have my voice heard. I am hoping to gain some clarity in that arena.

Bringing those things together, I wonder about how/when we should start looking at the major health implications of our technological and consumer focused society and take action. I mean, things like depression, anxiety, overweight & obesity, eating disorders, and many other health problems can be linked and associated with consumption of media.

I want to do something about that.

Any ideas?

Legal Issues In Caring…

Loving others and caring for others’ needs are central to many people’s values and ethics; so what if public policy changes so that there are limits to who gets certain benefits and public services?

Particularly relevant to this question currently are immigrants who are seeking healthcare and public services. Since people who migrate to the United States generally have higher hopes for their future in their new home, it can be devestating to find that jobs could be scarce, housing can be hard to find (especially without a phone number, past U.S. address, or local references), and family members may not stay healthy.

Healthcare providers and workers need to be prepared with an understanding of how they will stand on the issues of migration that reflect their vows to uphold life and advocate for the health of their patients. Advocating may not be easy, but those who care for others need to take stances that reflect thier deeply rooted values.

Some Thoughts on Ethics and Healthcare

Healthcare. Is it a right? Is it a priviledge?

No matter where you stand on this issue it is absolutely horrendous that in a country where we have the means to address the health of every individual many go without the healthcare that could preserve or greatly improve their wellbeing.

Health is something that we all have in common. Good or bad, we all have health; and this is a leveling factor. Disease knows some discrimation (as far as affecting on a greater level those of lower socioeconomic status due to the lower qualities of sanitation or higher levels of pollution in certain areas of the United States) but on a large scale the diseases that are plauging citizens of the United States have a higher correlation with life-style and access to primary care than at any other time in history. No longer are we treating infectious disease as a number one killer, but we are addressing cardiovascular health, preventative cancer screenings, and screening for diabetes.

This change in focus should be highly impacting when it comes to the ethics of the question of healthcare access to all. Since on some scale the number one causes of death in the U.S. can be treated or prevented, it is impairative that we look at who is with, and who is without that treatment and prevention.

One population that many cannot argue should have access to healthcare are those under 18 years of age. Children in our country should have access to adequate well-child visits and a primary care provider that is consistent and who knows them. Children are vulnerable, on some level they are deemed innocent in our culture and do not assume responsibility to care for themselves – and we can see the logic in providing healthcare to them; but should it stop there?

What about pregnant women? There is an unborn child who is completely dependant upon her access to healthcare in order to have its healthcare considered.

What about the mentally ill? The elderly? Those who are physically disabled? Is there a limit to our ability to provide healthcare to people?

And yet, as it stands we generally provide the most extensive healthcare to those who can (and do) pay for healthcare insurance. Is this right? Is it right to support a health-insurance system that blatantly discriminates in provisions for those who are aging or ill? What are our alternatives? It seems to me that for such an “advanced” society we should be addressing this and problem-solving on a much higher level.

The Fine Print, Edition 1

There is hope in the middle of the despair. There is light in all of the darkness. There is love in the midst of hate. There is enlightenment somewhere in the oppression.

Somedays when I look around and see all the news I feel such turmoil inside, but there are glimpses of hope and true peace. Where do you see peace? Where do you see hope and love?

I hope it is in those around you; I hope it is in you. What do you think brings hope to the oppressed? When I look around I see such obvious oppression. It hurts so much to know that here in my own country there are so many that are without healthcare, without homes, without food, without dignity. To bring dignity to people is to give them a voice. Be that voice.