I know, three posts practically in a row. So unusual for me. But Sour Duck’s post really jumped out at me:
This is why it’s so important to read feminist publications, participate in feminist communities and events, and generally do what men do so well: network. Feminism and feminist actions (like blogging) help fight against the constant assault women live under. Even when—or especially when—you are not consciously aware of it. Even for those who say, “I’m not offended by that. I don’t feel oppressed. And I’m a woman.â€
Even for those people.
Blogging, and reading blogs, is a kind of catharsis for me. Just when I look at the world – at all the sexism, racisim, classism, ablism, etc – and look at myself and think, “I just can’t do this anymore. What’s the point? Why should I fight when no one else will?” someone writes on my blog how my article touched them, or I see an article that touches me. And it makes it all worth it. Oppression will still exist, people who perpetuate oppression because of ignorance or malice will still exist, but just knowing that I’m not alone gives me the strength to continue to fight for the right to be who I am.
This is so true. I read other blogs, especially blogs by women, to feel sane and to feel like going on when everything seems hopeless. The thing about “knowing I’m not not alone is really hitting the nail on the head. When I feel like giving up, I surf around my “blog friends” and always find something to inspire me for the next round. Thanks for this post.
Very true! I’m so glad that I discovered blogging–better late than never–because of all the people and ideas I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise.
Glad you liked it, Andrea. (And DeviousDiva and Lake Desire! :))
Andrea: Actually, I was a bit leery of the paragraphs you highlighted. I was concerned that the last part was patronizing to women who may hold different views to mine. (Sort of setting myself up as “enlightened” and other women as “unenlightened”.)
Of course I don’t mean it that way *at all.* But I couldn’t think of any other way to put it! I was feeling my limitations then…
Anyways many thanks for this post it made my day.
Completely off-topic: how can I highlight the amount of text I want to highlight in an entry to quote?
DS: I’m not quite sure what you mean. It should be a straightforward copy/paste situation where you enclose it in a blockquote. Or are you asking something else?
as DeviousDiva said, it’s always such a relief and an inspiration to read feminist blogs and to realise that you’re not alone. My bloggy friends are a lifeline!
I’m using IE. When I click and drag, it highlights everything from the point I’ve clicked to the end of the table cell, as well as the two bordering cells, regardless of how little I drag.
I’m stumped, DS. I opened IE on this machine and, aside from formatting my CSS completely wrong, everything seemed to work. I could highlight stuff just fine. I’ll try it on multiple browsers when I get back home.