After an emotional heartbreak that wasn't really a heartbreak because you didn't really love him but you were nice enough to invest time in him and now you regret it because, even though you knew he was an egotistical arrogant fool from the start, you let him pour all these lies over you to then later find out that he takes another girl out to the Spring Fling dance, but as much as you don't give a snuggie about silly college events for the dating scene and you don't really like him anyways and you told him you weren't really in a relationship, somehow --- just somehow you are affected over the fact that he hid it from you that he was accompanying a mutual friend to this 'thing' that you usually wouldn't care less about but the fact that to him and others it has sentimental value, it hurts you....it really really hurts you and you can't find words to describe how you're feeling because you wont really admit that you're feeling this way because that would mean that you let him have power in your life and so you try, again and again and darn it you try again to confront these feelings that annoyingly came about for him, along with the emotions, and the tears and the hurt and the anger and the fire and the desire --- the raging desire to get back at him. All the while, you hold your chemistry textbook close and flick your calculus scrap papers to the side and your civil scale ruler starts looking like an object that you just want to clench and break and throw at the John Lennon poster still crooked on your wall and hanging, then while denting the New York City script across J.L.'s shirt, you remember, well darn it --- it's more like, you hope to remember that there's a world beyond this and you start to miss your family, your silly little brother, your excessively excited puff ball of a dog... so then you blame engineering and contemplate on why you've never been interested in materialism, prom night, senior ball --- and that stupid Spring Fling, then you begin to wonder why all those Business majors get to party every weekend and sleep in every weekday and go out with the guy you've kinda been seeing and get to act like they're having such a good time, a fricken joyful, stress free life with lots of hand outs, practice problems designed for a middle school math class and tons of those bubbly shade-in multiple choice tests!!!!!
Ya hear me?
And at any point of time, if you feel that shadow of doubt, remember
it's about you, and always should have been. You have done nothing wrong
by being true to yourself. You do not and should not have to compromise
your beliefs, values and what shapes you into YOU. If someone has done
you wrong, there's no room for buts, sorrys or excuses, if you have not
been heard. Speak your mind. Don't settle for any less. Be an advocate
for you, first!
You notice how awful this situation really is -- not necessarily for you but for him -- how in attempt to fill up a
terribly barren life, he makes a scandalous move to ditch the exotic gal to sneak a date with a (wanna-be) go-go chick to an advertised as 'lively', dreadfully professor-chaperoned, two hour long, sombrero-themed
Spring Fling dance. (oh & if you think I'm exaggerating, I'll
also note how the photos from this event testify to this detrimental
experience: flamingo pink heels, fake lashes, gowns dragging on the
sticky cafeteria floors... I kid you not.)
&That's when I begin to laugh and face the
emotions and book my post-finals bus tickets to NY and get back to my 50
question practice quizzes and hot glue my ruler and replace my
calculator batteries and update my Blogger page and with most certainty
say to the Spring Fling flier: hey who's got the power now? I'm a flower-powered engineer!!! I've got it together.
So what to do now?
Be innovative - be creative - upcycle relationships & dispose of any horrendous ones - [check!]
Just some concluding thoughts:
Dear silly boy,
You're not entitled to me, or my feelings, or any reasons to justify how you've done me wrong.
What is that you say? "It's the thought that counts."
You thought about asking me if I was busy this weekend?
Well, yes, I very much am. I'm occupied with this post and more so, detoxing you from my life.
&Maybe you'll think of me when you gulp these reflections.
Did you not know that I'm a blogger too?
Signed,
the artsy earthen gal that you'll consistently be reminded of in every setting, with every color, with every scent, with every song, with every beat, with every look, with every book, with every person you meet and with every lasting moment of vulnerability.
*Friends & readers: if you thrive on men hating too, please read: http://jezebel.com/5992479/if-i-admit-that-hating-men-is-a-thing-will-you-stop-turning-it-into-a-self+fulfilling-prophecy
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Talking 'bout mainstream environmentalists/NGOs and the voices they've ignored.
Hold up.
You want to talk about being an "inclusive" movement? You want to claim ethnic and racial diversity within your organization? AND you're telling me you identify as an ally to marginalized communities?
Bullshit.
No, you wont get brownie points for noting that you have come a 'long' way since the early 2000s or by requiring employees to sign a 'commitment' to anti-oppression or conducting anti racism trainings that are solely facilitated by hipster folk who describe themselves as 'integrated' as if that wasn't racist in itself.
Your network consists of 89% affluent and proud, white folk. With this comes a lot of privilege, ignorance, dominance and assumed entitlement.
Your segregation is sickening.
Want connection, solidarity and greater power in our movements?
First ask yourselves this --- are you willing to step to the side and let us share OUR stories --- the issues WE face in OUR communities, the campaigns WE formed? Are you ready to acknowledge that we may not be looking for your active ally-ship? Yes, I said it! Your self indulging and unspoken attitude that you display to prove your willingness to save us all from ourselves and Big Fossil Fuel industry is called white savior mentality. We will NOT hesitate to tell you that we do NOT need to be saved.
Want to really help?
Work 'with' us --- not 'for' us.
Understand that in an ally-ship to marginalized groups you must,
1) ask whether we are seeking active ally-ship 2) let US determine how you can be a resource/ support in OUR campaigns
STOP speaking for us --- saying things like "we're seeking justice for low income, minority, people of color communities." Your lack of interaction and engagement with our communities says it all --- you don't understand our struggles, our identities, our perspectives!
We're the ones on the front lines, these are OUR stories, this is OUR reality and we have a message: don't claim ally-ship when all you're doing is conveying your white savior mentality!
We don't need your leadership, what we need is for you to back down, listen up and learn your place in our battle --- it's called being an ally!
Throughout history there have been way too many folk like you trying to 'help' by trying to speak/act 'for' us rather than working with the members of our communities and asking whether your ally-ship is needed and if so, where it is needed. Acting your own way without our consent, rapes us of our culture and identity.
WE are the marginalized communities. WE are in the front line of extraction and burning of fossil fuels. WE are not only fighting environmental racism but we're also fighting colonialism, white supremacy, genocide & all intersections of oppression.
So check your privilege --- don't make this a one-sided movement.
This is an ongoing conversation: our struggles, our stories & our resistance. We will NOT be silent and we will NOT be idle.
We don't expect to see anyone that looks like us in your organization that can testify to having shared experiences or similar background. As long as you continue to push the real faces of oppression aside, you will never know true solidarity, ally-ship or community power. So, it's about time you STOP speaking for us as if you do understand.
....talk about privilege....
Signed,
Rebekah
from Tar Sands Action movement
Read more:
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/25/environmental-groups-lack-ethnic-diversity
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1725017,00.html
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/building-an-environmental-movement-as-radical-as-reality-itself/
http://www.mit.edu/activities/thistle/v9/9.05/2greenmovm.html
http://www.pachamama.org/news/race-and-class-privilege-in-the-environmental-movement
http://www.theroot.com/views/how-be-ally
http://www.studymode.com/subjects/a-describe-and-discuss-1-example-each-of-white-savior-mentality-and-deficit-thinking-that-the-white-tutors-had-when-working-with-latino-students-how-did-these-concepts-resonate-with-you-expla-page5.html
You want to talk about being an "inclusive" movement? You want to claim ethnic and racial diversity within your organization? AND you're telling me you identify as an ally to marginalized communities?
Bullshit.
No, you wont get brownie points for noting that you have come a 'long' way since the early 2000s or by requiring employees to sign a 'commitment' to anti-oppression or conducting anti racism trainings that are solely facilitated by hipster folk who describe themselves as 'integrated' as if that wasn't racist in itself.
Your network consists of 89% affluent and proud, white folk. With this comes a lot of privilege, ignorance, dominance and assumed entitlement.
Your segregation is sickening.
Want connection, solidarity and greater power in our movements?
First ask yourselves this --- are you willing to step to the side and let us share OUR stories --- the issues WE face in OUR communities, the campaigns WE formed? Are you ready to acknowledge that we may not be looking for your active ally-ship? Yes, I said it! Your self indulging and unspoken attitude that you display to prove your willingness to save us all from ourselves and Big Fossil Fuel industry is called white savior mentality. We will NOT hesitate to tell you that we do NOT need to be saved.
Want to really help?
Work 'with' us --- not 'for' us.
Understand that in an ally-ship to marginalized groups you must,
1) ask whether we are seeking active ally-ship 2) let US determine how you can be a resource/ support in OUR campaigns
STOP speaking for us --- saying things like "we're seeking justice for low income, minority, people of color communities." Your lack of interaction and engagement with our communities says it all --- you don't understand our struggles, our identities, our perspectives!
We're the ones on the front lines, these are OUR stories, this is OUR reality and we have a message: don't claim ally-ship when all you're doing is conveying your white savior mentality!
We don't need your leadership, what we need is for you to back down, listen up and learn your place in our battle --- it's called being an ally!
Throughout history there have been way too many folk like you trying to 'help' by trying to speak/act 'for' us rather than working with the members of our communities and asking whether your ally-ship is needed and if so, where it is needed. Acting your own way without our consent, rapes us of our culture and identity.
WE are the marginalized communities. WE are in the front line of extraction and burning of fossil fuels. WE are not only fighting environmental racism but we're also fighting colonialism, white supremacy, genocide & all intersections of oppression.
So check your privilege --- don't make this a one-sided movement.
This is an ongoing conversation: our struggles, our stories & our resistance. We will NOT be silent and we will NOT be idle.
We don't expect to see anyone that looks like us in your organization that can testify to having shared experiences or similar background. As long as you continue to push the real faces of oppression aside, you will never know true solidarity, ally-ship or community power. So, it's about time you STOP speaking for us as if you do understand.
....talk about privilege....
Signed,
Rebekah
from Tar Sands Action movement
Read more:
http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/03/25/environmental-groups-lack-ethnic-diversity
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1725017,00.html
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/building-an-environmental-movement-as-radical-as-reality-itself/
http://www.mit.edu/activities/thistle/v9/9.05/2greenmovm.html
http://www.pachamama.org/news/race-and-class-privilege-in-the-environmental-movement
http://www.theroot.com/views/how-be-ally
http://www.studymode.com/subjects/a-describe-and-discuss-1-example-each-of-white-savior-mentality-and-deficit-thinking-that-the-white-tutors-had-when-working-with-latino-students-how-did-these-concepts-resonate-with-you-expla-page5.html
Friday, November 30, 2012
What do we want? REAL food. When do we want it? NOW.
NYC fast food workers are standing up for justice across the food system:
"Organizers expect workers at dozens of stores to join the one-day strike, a bold challenge to an industry whose low wages, limited hours and precarious employment typify a growing portion of the U.S. economy."
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/29/in_rare_strike_nyc_fast_food_workers_walk_out/
"Organizers expect workers at dozens of stores to join the one-day strike, a bold challenge to an industry whose low wages, limited hours and precarious employment typify a growing portion of the U.S. economy."
http://www.salon.com/2012/11/29/in_rare_strike_nyc_fast_food_workers_walk_out/
Dismantle Systemic Problems: Civilization
Civilization is NOT redeemable.
Our culture is unsustainable.
We must organize,
dismantle,
rebuild.
"Environmentalists fight as hard as we can to protect the places we love, using the tools of the system the best that we can. Yet we do not do the most important thing of all: we do not question the existence of this death culture. We do not question the existence of an economic and social system that is working the world to death, that is starving it to death, that is imprisoning it, that is torturing it. We never question the logic that leads inevitably to clearcuts, murdered oceans, loss of topsoil, dammed rivers, poisoned aquifers."
- folks from Deep Green Resistance
https://www.facebook.com/deepgreenresistance
We are UNSTOPPABLE - another world is POSSIBLE!
Our culture is unsustainable.
We must organize,
dismantle,
rebuild.
"Environmentalists fight as hard as we can to protect the places we love, using the tools of the system the best that we can. Yet we do not do the most important thing of all: we do not question the existence of this death culture. We do not question the existence of an economic and social system that is working the world to death, that is starving it to death, that is imprisoning it, that is torturing it. We never question the logic that leads inevitably to clearcuts, murdered oceans, loss of topsoil, dammed rivers, poisoned aquifers."
- folks from Deep Green Resistance
https://www.facebook.com/deepgreenresistance
We are UNSTOPPABLE - another world is POSSIBLE!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Energy overconsumption is forever environmental exploitation. . .
My quick thoughts on this article: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/11/renewable-energy-executive-roundtable
What does this picture reveal to you? It may be prettier than a coal plant, it definitely is, however it's more of the same: extraction - production - enviro devastation - social injustice in the process of taking materials & creating solar panels - more WASTE! Converting to renewable energy is a start in addressing our short term problems (CO2, pollution, conservation, etc.) but it is NOT a long term solution to addressing human needs. We shall not take from the earth and exploit communities in one country just so we can improve our quality of living in another. The root of these problems is our over-consumption of energy! Our economic system is flawed and tells us to take, make, and waste. It is dependent on our finite amount of resources and assumes an infinite amount.
We should be digressing from large scale and progressing to small scale, closed loop, sustainable communities. Ones we're following the "I thrive when WE thrive" ethic, growing food, engaging in cultures, giving, sharing, loving, connecting and building humanity together.
Ya dig?
What does this picture reveal to you? It may be prettier than a coal plant, it definitely is, however it's more of the same: extraction - production - enviro devastation - social injustice in the process of taking materials & creating solar panels - more WASTE! Converting to renewable energy is a start in addressing our short term problems (CO2, pollution, conservation, etc.) but it is NOT a long term solution to addressing human needs. We shall not take from the earth and exploit communities in one country just so we can improve our quality of living in another. The root of these problems is our over-consumption of energy! Our economic system is flawed and tells us to take, make, and waste. It is dependent on our finite amount of resources and assumes an infinite amount.
We should be digressing from large scale and progressing to small scale, closed loop, sustainable communities. Ones we're following the "I thrive when WE thrive" ethic, growing food, engaging in cultures, giving, sharing, loving, connecting and building humanity together.
Ya dig?
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Faith-O-Ween
Jacob, the little boy I play with after
school, was so cheery as he got all dressed up for trick or treating!
(Photos will surely be posted soon.) He urged me to wear one of his
mother's dresses to be a "Bollywood star." Adorable - though it
was too cold for that. As we went from door-to-door, he began to slow
down, became tired of the routine and demanded we get back home --fast! I
was curious why he wrapped up before 7 but didn't think much of it. We
got to his front steps and he combined all of his treats with the candy
bucket inside. He waited as a bunch of children, close to his age, ran
along towards his home. Unsurprisingly they raced to him yelling "Hey,
hey, HEY Jacob! Check out my costume. . ." and to give him a big hug.
Everyone knows and loves Jacob! He smiled and threw lots of candy in
their bags. He looked at me, with his head up, then boldly and cheery
said ". . .just in time!"
Whoa. He finds a way to warm my heart every single day. The night went on and that is all he did and only wanted to do - share his own candy and give more, more, and more to his friends, neighbors and fellow trick-or-treaters.
That's what Jacob, whom is 11 years old, enjoys most about Halloween. Simply, the act of giving.
We, community organizers, can learn a lot from him. The key to building community is relationships. UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are."
Ya know,
I thrive when WE thrive.
I am doing a lot of reflecting today; thinking about kindness and compassion! Would you be willing to lose it all to gain it all? ♥
Whoa. He finds a way to warm my heart every single day. The night went on and that is all he did and only wanted to do - share his own candy and give more, more, and more to his friends, neighbors and fellow trick-or-treaters.
That's what Jacob, whom is 11 years old, enjoys most about Halloween. Simply, the act of giving.
We, community organizers, can learn a lot from him. The key to building community is relationships. UBUNTU' in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are."
Ya know,
I thrive when WE thrive.
I am doing a lot of reflecting today; thinking about kindness and compassion! Would you be willing to lose it all to gain it all? ♥
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A Travelin' Trash Gypsy
Dear friends of love, flowers and green-living,
I am on the road with Pick Up America! I arrived in Colorado three days ago - first touring around Colorado Springs: (an eco-city right below an enormous mountain view) smothered with small vintage shops, vegan cafes, bikes lanes, doggies, friendly peeps and hipsters!!! Four hours passed and I bused to Denver: home to the Nuggets and other sport icons, it's the center of bars, energy and night life. (*Yawn, it's not so eco-friendly!*)
Six hours later, I made my way to Grand Junction: an isolated, peaceful, desert terrain area of Colorado. I met up with the crew there and observed as they went dumpster diving behind a bagel shop. They scored a giant bag of onion, garlic and poppy seed bagels. Sweet!
The Pick Up America bus settled miles away from civilization in public land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. We camped out and fought the freezing desert night and woke up to a bright sun, warming weather and hot tea in the mornin'! We then packed our lunch, camel jugs, gloves and trash bags to set off to reach our next destination: Utah's dirt roads and mountainsides.
On our way there, we met a lovely woman Sharon, her sweet horse and Jack Russel Terrier dog. She rides on the trails of the public land (where we camped) and seems so happy and liberated to be on those desert roads. I think it was my first real encounter with a cowgirl!
1st Day of Clean Up and I'm already shocked by the plethora of trash!
I'm still learning how pick up days work but we split up into group, and started off with a couple of miles into between us on the same road. The car with the trash wagon attached would leapfrog and collect the groups and their bags as we cover our daily mileage. We each walked around 6 miles, dragging our bags full of scrap metal, recyclables and litter along the way. This Utah road was home to hundreds of rusted beer cans seeming to have been left from a party as big as Woodstock and most cans even dated back to the sixties. What a shame!
Why we should pick up litter vs. Why we shouldn't litter!
The prairie dogs, desert trails and mountain breeze accompanied us. Seeing tons of trash in such beauty is saddening. Is humanity to blame for being so overbearing, dominating and selfish? When will we consider the billions of other species we share our planet with? When we will think about the plants, the animals -- and all creatures of green-living? How can we focus on a more inclusive lifestyle that promotes simplicity, self-sustaining communities, waste minimization and living in harmony with the environment and the life it provides for?
Well, in P.U.A., our form of action is turning it all around! We work to restore the outdoors, to experience the feeling of stewardship and to be in tune with the green-living that sustains us all! The natural world is crying to be considered, embraced, cared for and nurtured. To break from the societal ways of tearing it apart is SO rewarding!!! We are setting cultural change across America. We need your help too.
I can tell ya, the sun was just filling us up with hugs, energy and good vibes. Our group felt so connected. Jane Matt, Jeff Chen and I, were so comforted in our work as swayed to folk music, cleaned up our earth and formed such a close team!!!
SO to wrap up my thoughts on the first day, I love simple living, environmental stewardship and tackling anything that takes way from humanity and community ----yes, meaning inconsiderate hurtful things like trash!!!
:) :) :)
I am on the road with Pick Up America! I arrived in Colorado three days ago - first touring around Colorado Springs: (an eco-city right below an enormous mountain view) smothered with small vintage shops, vegan cafes, bikes lanes, doggies, friendly peeps and hipsters!!! Four hours passed and I bused to Denver: home to the Nuggets and other sport icons, it's the center of bars, energy and night life. (*Yawn, it's not so eco-friendly!*)
Six hours later, I made my way to Grand Junction: an isolated, peaceful, desert terrain area of Colorado. I met up with the crew there and observed as they went dumpster diving behind a bagel shop. They scored a giant bag of onion, garlic and poppy seed bagels. Sweet!
The Pick Up America bus settled miles away from civilization in public land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. We camped out and fought the freezing desert night and woke up to a bright sun, warming weather and hot tea in the mornin'! We then packed our lunch, camel jugs, gloves and trash bags to set off to reach our next destination: Utah's dirt roads and mountainsides.
On our way there, we met a lovely woman Sharon, her sweet horse and Jack Russel Terrier dog. She rides on the trails of the public land (where we camped) and seems so happy and liberated to be on those desert roads. I think it was my first real encounter with a cowgirl!
1st Day of Clean Up and I'm already shocked by the plethora of trash!
I'm still learning how pick up days work but we split up into group, and started off with a couple of miles into between us on the same road. The car with the trash wagon attached would leapfrog and collect the groups and their bags as we cover our daily mileage. We each walked around 6 miles, dragging our bags full of scrap metal, recyclables and litter along the way. This Utah road was home to hundreds of rusted beer cans seeming to have been left from a party as big as Woodstock and most cans even dated back to the sixties. What a shame!
Why we should pick up litter vs. Why we shouldn't litter!The prairie dogs, desert trails and mountain breeze accompanied us. Seeing tons of trash in such beauty is saddening. Is humanity to blame for being so overbearing, dominating and selfish? When will we consider the billions of other species we share our planet with? When we will think about the plants, the animals -- and all creatures of green-living? How can we focus on a more inclusive lifestyle that promotes simplicity, self-sustaining communities, waste minimization and living in harmony with the environment and the life it provides for?
Well, in P.U.A., our form of action is turning it all around! We work to restore the outdoors, to experience the feeling of stewardship and to be in tune with the green-living that sustains us all! The natural world is crying to be considered, embraced, cared for and nurtured. To break from the societal ways of tearing it apart is SO rewarding!!! We are setting cultural change across America. We need your help too.
I can tell ya, the sun was just filling us up with hugs, energy and good vibes. Our group felt so connected. Jane Matt, Jeff Chen and I, were so comforted in our work as swayed to folk music, cleaned up our earth and formed such a close team!!!SO to wrap up my thoughts on the first day, I love simple living, environmental stewardship and tackling anything that takes way from humanity and community ----yes, meaning inconsiderate hurtful things like trash!!!
:) :) :)
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