The Future West Point Cadet and Military Axe Grinding
what does it mean to be a soldier
Not a single female was to be found in my first semester history course.
Our class discussed this curious state of affairs extensively, and it was decided after much deliberation that another history course offered during the same block – Gender, Culture, and Power – had absorbed any females interested in learning about current affairs in the Middle East and Central Asia course. Do women find hardcore politics unappealing? I think that would be a gross generalization, but the better question is: Do men find gender studies emasculating?
In any case, one morning, my favorite history teacher who taught the class, started a conversation about the military. As was her style, she often began the day with some relaxing banter before pulling out the academic big-guns.…
Ever since Roe vs Wade legalized abortion, the fight against it has been strong, and in a lot of attempts successful. The Hyde Amendment prohibited federal funding for abortion, unless it fit certain criteria established in the bill. This year, a new bill has been proposed by the GOP which will limit the rights of women once again. This new bill proposes a new definition of rape. It states that only women who have been “forcibly raped” will receive federal funding for their abortion.
It’s very difficult and disturbing to pin point what counts as “forcible rape,” because it is my understanding that the meaning of rape according to Merriam Webster is “to seize and take away by force.” There is that word “force” right in the definition. How dare anyone try to redefine the…
“Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end.?” – Rigoberta Manchu Tum.
Women are quite possibly the most disadvantaged section of the human population. With the onset of the 21st century, their status in society has improved, yet at the same time it remains far behind what the radical feminists envisaged during the feminist revolution.
I think to myself that even all the money in the world can’?t change men?’s attitude when it comes to allowing women and young girls the right to learn. As Indian society becomes more westernized, Indian girls are rebelling. However, their attempts are proving to be very futile because at the end of the day they’?re still minors…
These days, the only way I can get my friends together is through Facebook. That handy little “Events” section has really helped organize my social life. So, imagine my surprise when I logged on today to see“Smack a Slut Week” as an event I was previously invited to. Smack a Slut week, if you aren’t privy to such information, lasts from October 3rd to October 7th and can be celebrated “anywhere you like,” by, you guessed it, smackin’ sluts.
Most of the comments were your standard derogatory jokes about those darn sluts and their slutty, evil ways. Some of my more enlightened folks bravely attempted to battle this obviously sexist malarkey. But then I saw this gem from one of the event’s attendees. She said, “Nobody realizes the levels of…
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers.
Case recorded and toured for several years as Neko Case & Her Boyfriends before performing solely under her name. She primarily performs her own material, but also performs and has recorded cover versions of songs by artists such as Harry Nilsson, Loretta Lynn, Tom Waits, Nick Lowe, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Scott Walker, Randy Newman, Queen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Hank Williams. She frequently infuses humorous narratives into her live sets and is known for her views on animal rights. In 1994, Case moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to attend the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. While attending school she played drums…
According to a recent report by ActionAid – an international NGO – there’s a rising, incredibly homophobic and violent trend amongst South Africans. In addition to waves of homophobic attacks and murders in townships like Johannesburg and Cape Town, South African lesbians are the victims of “corrective” rape.
“Corrective rape” is the practice of a heterosexual man raping a lesbian with the intent of “turning” her heterosexual. As if the act of rape weren’t enough, many of these women experience after effects of contracting HIV/AIDS and lasting psychological trauma, including a rise in depression and suicide attempts.
What’s even more frustrating than the occurrence of Corrective Rape is the South African government’s complete unwillingness to act on behalf of the victims. South Africa’s national prosecuting authority, in response to the rising…
On our way to high school recently, I asked my friend, “Do you consider yourself a feminist?”
After a slight hesitation, she responded, “Well, I support women’s rights and all, but I’m no bra burner.”
Besides the fact that the bra-burning story is apocryphal, I was surprised by her answer. Is that what feminism meant to this smart girl?
As I’ve discovered what feminism means to me over the past couple years, I am repeatedly shocked by what others think of the movement. One highly accomplished woman I know declared that feminism was dead. Another scoffed when I said I was interested in attending a women’s college. Why is there so much animosity toward such a simple, important ideal—that women deserve equal rights?
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