Near the Old Man of Storr, Scotland I took this in 2004

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The ranking system

A car commercial once reminded me of a simple, basic fact, there are no races, just the human race. Very profound shit from a car commercial, but they wanted to sell their car, and clearly didn’t want to alienate even one potential buyer, it’s a good marketing strategy. I didn’t buy their car, but I did buy their message, because it was a refreshing change from the maelstrom of everyday “Us versus Them” paradigms.

The “Us versus Them” paradigm is a product of the ranking system. The ranking system is what patriarchy stands for; it’s the system of divide and conquer. We are so used to ranking things, we just take it for granted that what we are actually doing is saying we agree with colonial patriarchy.

We rank women: body size, shape, height; hair colour, texture, length; breast size and shape.

We rank skin colour.

We rank men: testicle shape, body-shape, size, sexual prowess,

We rank in terms of the highest, the biggest, the fastest, etc.

I would love to climb Mount Everest one day, but not because it’s the highest mountain, or the most daunting, but because it would be amazing to see the view from the top of the world, so high up, and in such sacred land. Though, for most men climbers the two sealing points for them are that they are going to climb the highest and biggest mountain in the world; they focus on these points because they haven’t left kindergarten. In kindergarten boys are taught that to be a man you must rank, and rank everything.

What would the world be like without superlatives or even comparatives? Well, we wouldn’t have systems that tell us one thing is better than another, and that might very well end all idiotic wars, but, as Big Gov oh- so-subtly reminds us, we need wars to keep our economies healthy. Plus, wars are great places for bringing out the big artillery; the big superlatives; the enemy makers.

The ranking system is behind slavery; all forms of hate and racism, all systems that say one group is better and more deserving than another; like think jim crow and apartheid. The ranking system is what was used to ensure women were “seen and not heard”, and were legally regarded as chattel; as property of a male, such as their fathers, or husbands.

The ranking system is war, its’ the sports field which is war’s cousin.

Patriarchy relies heavily on maintaining the ranking system, in ways such as ensuring women stay insecure and “catty” with each other—“dissent among the ranks”, as it were. The more in-fighting among women patriarchal systems can create, the less likelihood of a female overthrow. The motto of patriarchy is “Keep ‘em scared, keep ‘em silent.”

Corporate giants also operate along patriarchal systems. Companies who refuse to unionize their workforce are able get away with not unionizing by leading their workforce to believe that unionizing would be detrimental for various reasons, that it would be costly, and it could even result in job loss. Therefore, the Goliath is able to maintain it’s position of fear and dominance by dropping poison into the water, as it were, and letting it spread, by word of mouth, throughout the ranks, at which point, the execs get to sit back and laugh and breathe a sigh of relief, because they have averted a political overthrow.

All governments, and different forms of governing systems rely 100% on the ranking system, if they didn’t, we would actually be able to experience democracy: from Gk. demokratia "popular government," from demos "common people," originally "district" (see demotic), + kratos "rule, strength" (http://www.etymonline.com/)

Therefore, democracy means, rule by the common people, but it’s anything but that.

Wouldn’t it be great if governments provided its citizens with full disclosure of all their actions, including spending, action plans, lies, fuck ups. If governments stopped pitting people against each other, rich against poor, black against white, …, and actually did their jobs; paved the roads, cleaned the streets, ensure protesters were guaranteed the right to protest safely, the ranking system would start to become more and more superfluous. I’ll harken back to the G20 summit, here in Toronto last year, where people only now are being released from jail. What was their crime? Existing, and not remembering patriarchy’s motto; the protesters at the G20 were not silent and that terrified Big Gov, so it really had no choice, but to “pull rank”, and throw those noise makers in the clinker, that’ll learn them.

The best way to combat patriarchy is to never stay silent—keep speaking, yelling, screaming, laughing, singing!

Monday, May 23, 2011

The rain and Faux Feminsim

I love rainstorms, and I love the way the earth and air smell after the rain.

In other news, I feel unimpressed by singers who try to pass themselves off as feminists, the likes of lady cokehead gaga, and beyonce, aka beyond ok come to mind. Both of these two females assert that they are sticking up for female kind and ergo are feminsts. Just being female doesn't make a femisnist. The fact that they sing about “girl power” type issues, like say, getting proposed to by your ‘man’,and getting a “ring on it”, and wanting love of any kind, including sexual diseases, and all, should be proof enough that these two "monsters", isn't that cokehead's name, are indeed not feminists.

Both of the two “singers” I’ve mentioned actually have heaps in common, lets’ take a look:

1. Cokehead and beyond-ok both have blond hair; both dye it.

2. Both believe in the less-is-more policy when it comes to clothing

3. Both are under 30 years old

4. Neither have more than high school education; why is this important?Because their whole thing is to be empowering role models for young women, but , really what kind of modelling are they truly doing?

5. Both sing songs that are all about sex and “love” and faux empowerment

6. Both rely heavily on their looks to keep working

7. Neither of them have ever addressed real issues, such as poverty and women, rape, patriarchy, menial wages, teenage pregnancy, using condoms, the list could surely go on.

8. Both of them are very skinny, and sadly they both wear their skinniness as a badge of honor or pride.

I’m tired of lady drug addict. The world wouldn’t be even remotely be interested in her if she kept her clothes on, had a lot more weight, and was political, because then she’d truly be dangerous. Right now, she’s an over sexed retard who talks about sleeping with every member of her “band’, as an empowering action. Wow!

I’m equally fed up with beyonce. Her synchro-dance numbers and her jazzy crap about what girls should do to get and keep a man is pathetic. Also, I can’t stand her voice. I read some quote where she said she’s really happy that Oprah’s been such a great role model to black women, did she include herself?

Here are some women who are singers who are worth lauding for their feminist stances: Annie Lennox, Sinead O’Connor, Michelle N’Decello, Madonna -to a degree, P.J Harvey, Lady Saw, Salt-n-Pepa( I had to go to Google for a memory jog), I'm sure there are more, though these are the women that I like, know and remember.

Cokehead and Beyond reinforce the patriarchal attitude of cattiness among women, and that your virtue is in your body; nothing more. These days, young women are wearing less and less and, because their idols model that for them. Sadly, these same idols are not modelling strength, owning your power, political activism.

A shame.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Royal Wedding, and all that Jazz

So, I did finally get to watch the whole wedding, in it's entirety, even with all the weird shit about giving one's body to your spouse, and other such religious crap, and there was a lot of religious shit. One of the preists asked who was giving her hand away, and her father had to take her arm, and give it to the priest who gave it to William, who then wrapped both their arms witha cloth..to tie the knot. But wholly fucking chattle!
Well the body giving part's already happened, as
evidenced by her swollen-ass finger. That was funny!

Al the same, the whole show was pretty nice. She looked beautiful, he looked as boring as ever, but happy. She'll break his heart, and leave him most certainly.

Anyway, Spring is finally here.
Beltane or May Day's come and gone, which now leaves us at Election Day..oh my! Yes, a Federal Election, and my choices, 3 white men, woot!