Flying Shortbread

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions ... Working with large groups of guys and large groups of girls I have noticed that with girls the relationships interfere, with guys relationships don't interfere. With guys it is about the work. Guys might go out and drink a beer together, but they remain work colleagues, now drinking buddies. Guys don't think that it means more, they don't think it means that now they are friends - in any case the word 'friends' to a guy is a totally different word than 'friends' to a girl. In fact, I think there can be no emotional displays of any kind between men, and then, after 20 years, they sit down and are astounded that they are 'good friends'. Guys don't need emotional displays. They get the work done. They don't have to drink together to get the work done. They don't have to NOT drink together to get the work done. With girls it's different. The drinking or NOT defines the work. That...

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions... womensspace asked the question... "What have you done for me lately?" doing my bit to get rid of the Ms-Miss-Mrs to None offer a place to stay to women who have been abused (several) rescued a woman in a violent-home situation pick up women hitchhikers disseminate information about feminism actively support the activities of other women, even when the women themselves would not self-identify themselves or the activities as feminist promote a theme of the-man's-friends-are-culpable-in-an-abuse-of-women-situation act against women who abuse raise awareness in relationships that one of the partners is not enhancing the goals of the other partner make sure that women enter their houses safely before I leave, after dropping them off blog raise consciousness about informed choice raise awareness of sexual gratification do general computer-fun training for women at every opportunity took the education of the ...

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions ... A FRIEND ASKED: I would really be interested to understand how you've managed to come to a place of self acceptance despite being overweight. So I responded... Sjoe. That would be very hard to quantify. I will give it a bash. In my case, firstly....My sister used to parade herself half-naked in front of guys I brought home. Probably not intentionally, she wears really tiny clothes. Of course the guys would drop me like a hot potato! Boing! Eventually I thought to myself, what a brilliant test of the guy - so I brought them home on the first date! My girlfriend passed the test. Secondly...I also realise that I would have to lead a life of severe deprivation to get and keep a society-envisaged weight. I would have to do mind-vacating exercise almost all day long. I am WAY not going to do that. That would make me unhappy. I am prepared to lose some weight, do some exercise. Become normal like I used to be (what other people ca...

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions ... "The most hardcore radical feminists, Mary Daly, Andrea Dworkin, Sonia Johnson, agree that there is nothing genetically or biologically predetermined such that men/boys are certain or destined to behave in ways that are destructive. That’s the reason for the urgency, you know? If it doesn’t have to be this way, then why is it? How can we make the world a better place, given that we know change is ours to make?" by womensspace Why are prisons bulging with boys? The Columbinists, the abusers, the murderers, the rapists, the serial killers - does no one else think that it's a bit odd that there are so many male perpetrators? Doesn't it signal that something has to be done, that there is something out of whack? Don't the men think there is something a little odd about themselves when they have their hands wrapped around a woman's throat, and while doing that they are thinking, Gee I think I should do this agai...