Awareness | Posted by Ashleigh J on 06/12/2010

Emotional/Verbal Abuse IS Abuse

emotional/verbal abuse

“You are worthless. You are nothing, but a worthless slut.”

Have you heard this before?

Is a vile name your term of endearment? Does your partner tell you how pitiful you are? Instead of complimenting your many beauties, he casually makes you aware of all your supposed physical ’flaws’ (the ones he knows will cut you way down deep) and then plays it off like he was just kidding. Has this ever happened to you?

It alarms me that many people think that unless you have a black eye or a broken nose, you are not being abused, or that verbal and emotional warfare is somehow excusable.

I have heard opinions like: a woman is simply making a big deal of nothing or ‘playing’ the abuse card; that it’s ridiculous to classify ‘name calling’ as ‘real’ abuse.

That…

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Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 05/19/2010

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

The MLK Jr. Memorial…bam

One of the ultimate highlights of my middle experience was the concept of the “Window Trip.” Our middle school, dedicated to giving us ignorant brats a broader view of the world, forced us onto a bus every year and shipped us off to a set destination in order to give us a “window” into history/the lives of others. In 6th grade, we were bussed to colonial Williamsburg, which I must say was a pretty awesome experience. We each had to interview somebody there, and I recall stalking the Thomas Jefferson impersonator to give him the third degree about his status as a slave owner. In 8th grade we went on an ubran outward bound trip to New York City where we visited an African cultural center and…

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Awareness | Posted by Talia W on 05/14/2010

Females and Four-Letter Words

no more swearing

58% of women curse in public. Are you of that 58%? Is it a fact that you’re proud of, or a bad habit that you’re trying to kick? Cursing is something that should be avoided, and definitely by girls, because of the negative effects, double standard, and anti-feminist terms.

There are many negative effects of cursing. When you curse and people around you don’t, people may feel you’re unpleasant to be with and may become uncomfortable with you, which can endanger relationships. It’s commonly accepted that people who use bad words are ignorant, unimaginative, disrespectful, immature, whiny, offensive, and have nothing better to express themselves with. People will also assume that you have a bad attitude, lack of control, and little character if you curse. Society has deemed cursing…

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Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 05/13/2010

Kiana Firouz

Kiana Firouz

Today I received an email from FBomb reader and contributer Katherine C. She alerted me to the situation involving filmmaker Kiana Firouz. Kiana is a 27 year old Iranian LGBT rights activist who stars in Cul de Sac, a documentary about the condition of lesbians in Iran. The film was largely produced in the UK as clips of her work featuring the persecution of gays and lesbians in Iran were found by Iranian itellegence who began to harass and follow Firouz in Tehran.

Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death in Iran. Generally, homosexuality is punishable by 100 lashes with the death penalty being enforced after the fourth offence.

Although Firouz is currently in Britain, the British government has refused her asylum. She is being forced to return to Iran where she…

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Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 05/11/2010

Yeardley Love: Why Domestic Violence Is Serious

Yeardley Love

Many of you may have heard by now about the murder of Yeardley Love, a senior lacrosse player at the University of Virginia. Last Monday, Yeardley was found by one of her roommates in bed, face down and unresponsive. Police found blood on her pillow and reported that her face was bruised as a cause of ‘blunt-force trauma.’

George Huguely, also a senior at the University of Virginia, and Yeardley’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, was charged with killing Yeardley, and admitted to acting violently with her the night she died, stating that he “entered Ms. Love’s unlocked apartment early Monday, kicked his foot through her bedroom door and forced his way in. He then ’shook Love, and her head repeatedly hit the wall’” (NY Times)

Of course, this is a tragedy. Yeardley Love…

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