So, would you guess it's International Women's Day...

[VelmaD]

from looking at the thread titles in GD today? *sigh*

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Maybe one of these days every day will belong equally to all of us.

[FloridaPat]

1. Thanks. Forgot all about it.

[dweller]

2. has this day been banned in SD yet?

dp

[kitkatrose]

3. No, it's International "Let's Protest Male Bashing" Day today.

How silly of you to forget. :sarcasm:

[VelmaD]

4. Damnit...someone forgot...

to send me a version of the revised 2006 Man-Hating Holiday Calendar. :evilgrin:

[kitkatrose]

22. I know, there's just so much going on

what with "fasle rape report" week and "Let's hook a man for child support on another man's child" month, it's hard to remember. You're forgiven. :evilgrin:

[Katherine Brengle]

45. Not "Day"---"Week"---it's starting to wear thin... n/t

[Solly Mack]

5. Yes, it was mighty big of

patriarchal societies to give women a whole day doncha think?

sad thing is - some would call that progress

[VelmaD]

7. Hell, giving us a whole day is obviously a sign...

that we've taken over and are oppressing and disrespecting men. *snort*

[Solly Mack]

9. Good point.

I'll run out right now and find me a man to oppress. I'd hate to disrespect any men by not living up to their expectations of me as a woman.

[VelmaD]

11. Make sure you get one to knock you up...

so you can force them to give you money for the next 18 years. :evilgrin:

[Solly Mack]

12. Oh no! You're giving away the Woman's Agenda!!!!!!!

Bad, VelmaD! Bad! Bad!

[EFerrari]

20. I have a framed check for $36 which is the sum of child support

paid to me by the sperm donor.

It was such a perfect expression of paternal concern, I enshrined it. :evilgrin:

[EFerrari]

18. Take mine.

:rofl:

[Solly Mack]

19. you forgot the please

:)

[Coexist]

6. someone tried!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x604463

[VelmaD]

8. Yes and if you note the time...

you'll notice it was shortly after I posted this thread. And we won't even get into the whole "ladies" thing. I'm trying to just take that thought in the spirit in which it was intended.

That thread is having the same lack of response that this one has as well.

[Coexist]

10. sorry - didn't see this one.

I think the "ladies" was well-intended.

[VelmaD]

13. And that's the problem...

people use language with no bad intentions...but without thinking. And I'm particularly atuned to this issue right now. I was livid to discover during the olympics when I hit the International Skating Union site...that they still refer to the female SPEEDSKATERS as ladies. Not just the figure skaters which is bad enough.

Plus it's coming up on March Madness and I get so agry at "Lady Volunteers" and "Lady Raiders" and "Lady Bulldogs" etc. It may seem like a little thing to some people...but it's got this weird insidious compounding impact on keeping us "in our place" and acting like "ladies".

[Ufomammut]

14. So...

Does "international" translate in America as donning thong underwear and acting like a vapid girl "gone wild" while simultaneously demanding to be respected for high reaching intellectual and altruistic aspirations?

[VelmaD]

15. What the fuck does that have to do...

with anything I said in my post or in this thread?

And gee, do you have a "madonna or whore" worldview or what? Women are perfectly capable of being intellectual and sexual beings at the same time.

[Solly Mack]

17. Having now suggested that a woman can either be sexual or taken

seriously - but not both...what will you do to top such ignorance?

Scratching your balls while typing? Oh wait....

[Marie26]

47. Well thank you

for proving the OP's point.

[lastliberalintexas]

35. He's French

I agree with you that Monsieur Toqueville's post was probably well intended, and I also agree about the language issues. But I just thought I'd point out in his case, there might be *other* language issues involved than the ones that you and I see! :)

[atommom]

16. In honor of that, here's the Carnival of Feminists.

http://indianwriting.blogspot.com/2006/03/carnival-of-feminists-no-10.html

[Ufomammut]

21. Missed the point

Inherent sexuality and expression of that needn't comply with a sexist, pornographized, dehumanizing corporate "version" of sexuality, and to suggest otherwise, imo, is to display a giant blind spot in your "worldview." Big difference between sexual liberation and glorified sexual exploitation masquerading as "liberation;" it's psychological imprisonment and cultural affectation disguised as liberation.

[atommom]

23. I don't disagree with that, but I think you replied to the wrong person.

What you mention is a hotly debated topic around here, especially as it relates to porn. Don your asbestos suit. :hide:

[Ufomammut]

26. Well...

I wasn't rplying directly to you, but someone above who accused me of thinking that women cannot be simultaneously intelligent and "sexy." So I tried to clarify the underlying joke: in my mind's eye, there's nothing exciting about seeing a trained circus animal going through the motions it's been taught and instructed to do, strictly to appease its "masters" wishes. My point is, what people have been conditioned to accept and "define" as "sexy," is nothing more than corporate exploitation. Someone willing to be a doormat and act the fool seems even more ridiculous yet when they adamantly defend their own subjugation. ...sort of how average, non wealthy people will defend the Bushco in spite of the fact that its policies are literally screwing them, their country, their children's futures, etc.

[VelmaD]

29. That's why they have "reply" are the bottom of each individual post...

so you can actually respond to that post. Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the site layout.

That said, you are just digging your hole deeper by comparing women to trained animals.

When you get to the bottom of a hole...the best thing to do is to stop digging.

[atommom]

30. Well, your first post sounded a bit

Madonna/whorish, but now that you've explained your position, you sound more like a radical feminist. I'm glad you stuck around to explain.

[VelmaD]

32. I'm not sure I agree with you...

he's using an awful lot of derogatory language...trained animals, doormats, fools. Doesn't sound like someone with a lot of respect for women...or for any human beings for that matter.

And I still have to wonder at someone who's first thought coming into a thread about international women's day is to ask how women can wear thongs and demand respect at the same time. Seems like a very strange way to enter the conversation. Especially when you're new to the board.

[atommom]

40. Yes, it is strange, but it's hard to discern intent on these boards

sometimes. I'll give benefit of the doubt for a post or two...

[bloom]

43. I agree with you

Sounds like just a different way of women hating - than what you normally run across.

[Ufomammut]

34. Thank you :)

I was actually perplexed at the amount of hostility. Sometimes it's hard to discern intent and inflection in this limited medium.

[Solly Mack]

24. but that's not what you said originally

I agree a woman's sexuality should not be defined by a sexist society and women should blow off a male's idea of what her sexuality should be

however, originally, your wording suggested - be seen as intelligent or be seen as some girl expressing sexuality -...as if it's an either or kind of thing, when it's most certainly not.

[VelmaD]

25. What you seemed not to get

in your post is that you have no more right to determine what is acceptable female "inherent sexuality" than anyone else does.

Your original reply to me came across as condescending in the extreme. And I wasn't the only one who read that into it. You jumped into a thread about International Women's Day and the VERY FIRST THING you could think of to say was that we shouldn't wear thongs and demand respect. Where the fuck did that come from?

[Ufomammut]

28. Unsure on the anger

Inherent sexuality simply means that in a very universal way, as human beings, we are sexual beings. From there, the specifics are varied.

Beyond that, I've already explained some of my views on this in my prior post. You ask "where did that come from?" From my own subjective views, based on my personal experiences. Someone who chooses to have something jammed up their behind, does so willingly, seems rather silly and remote for what I'd site as painfully obvious reasons. But hey, you'll believe what you wanna believe... I'll move on.

[VelmaD]

31. Ok...you are completely beyond comprehension...

we've moved from thongs to people having things shoved up their butts. :wtf:

I'm thinking moving on might be a good idea for you.

[Ufomammut]

33. Define

a thong, how it's worn, how it fits. My point is simple, according to what we know of our species' history, the idea of choosing to wear something that is wedged into one's behind is unprecedented, and I would suggest, the choosing of that stems soley from a corporatized view of sexuality. In other words, people following instructions. In other words, good girl. Yet you're apparently angry with me for pointing that out, when one would think you'd be angry at a system that encourages such contradictory positions.

[VelmaD]

37. Why do you assume...

that just because I disagree with you or call you out for your original post that I'm angry at you. I don't care enough about you or your opinion to be angry. Mostly I find you baffling beyond belief.

you can go on and on about corporatized sexuality all you want in an attempt to backpedal...but it will not change what you said in your original post. You came in here into a thread where thongs and girls gone wild had not been brought up...and the first words out of your mouth (metaphorically) were that women couldn't expect to wear thongs or party and be taken seriously. Now do you honestly think THIS is the place where you need to be preaching that? Do you honestly think most of the women on this board are "girls gone wild"?

No. Most of the women I've met on this board have a healthy sexuality and demand respect as equal human beings. So you BADLY misjudged your audience and frankly sounded like someone with a badly outdated perspective in the process.

BTW, you probably should try on a pair of thong underwear before ranting about how they actually fit. ;)

[Ufomammut]

41. ???

That's your extrapolation. I've made zero "assumptions" about anyone posting here, or anyone specifically at all; we're debating ideas and concepts. I've made no accusations against anyone in particular, even though you'd apparently prefer others to see it as such for your own undisclosed reasons.

If you didn't like my initial post, you could've easily ignored it. I've only continued in response to you ...and yes, you do sound angry and especially quick to level personal attacks against me - ironically, the very thing you've accused me of - simply because I've explained my views, which you refer to as "back pedalling." That doesn't fit the definition of the term.

I'm willing to concede we don't share similar views, and that's that. But if you want to put words in my mouth and assign your own intentions to my views, sorry, I will call you on it.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

46. Well,

welcome to DU, Ufo.

Enjoy yourself.

[Kerrytravelers]

51. VelmaD, you are not alone.

I read the whole thread. I consider myself rather agile in reading and comprehending (that MA in Writing should be useful for something, no?) and I am completely baffled as to the intent and the content of the posts.

My final conclusion is the same as my initial reaction. :crazy:

[Binka]

27. Big Day Here In Italy My Landlord Brought Me Flowers For Fuck Sake

But I wish I would get the other 364 days as well. The flowers are nice! Grazie Mille Roberto.

[lastliberalintexas]

36. **Adds to list of why we need to move to Italy

:)

[Marie26]

49. Awww

Go Italy.

[soup]

38. Thank you for the reminder.

In 1967 Syracuse University student Kathy Switzer challenged the Boston Marathon's men-only tradition. Officials tried to pull her from the course but with the aid of fellow runners she completed the race. Women became official entrants in 1971.
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/tindall/timelinf/marathon.htm



Women, you must learn to be warriors


Women, you must learn to be warriors

Now when times are dark and our men
Are afraid to tell us what is in their hearts
There is so much trouble in our land
That it is up to you to decide
Which direction the wind must blow

Women, you are our tree of life

Just as you were a long time ago
When men said: carry my seed
If you go forth from this darkness
Telling our story of courage and survival
Then our tree will grow strong with your words

Women, do not worry about tomorrow

Even when daylight is long in coming
The sun remembers its place in the sky
Take this blue shawl of knowledge and
Wrap it around your daughters, telling them
That women must not be afraid to be warriors

by Nancy Wood

NGU

[tigereye]

39. Thanks for that

I think a lot of people have forgotten that not that long ago there were a lot of things we women weren't "permitted" to do.

Happy Women's Day.

[soup]

42. and Happy Women's Day to you, tigereye.

and for the Sisterhood of all Women on Earth

I'm having trouble putting my own words together today, so please forgive my using someone else's. They are just as heartfelt as if they were my own:


>>We all originate from the same Creative Source: our incredibly, lavishly abundant and loving mother. She is within us, and if we don't share her heart and her vision, who will? If not now, when?

From the highest mountain to the lowest state of despair, we can help one another remember that we are here and that we deeply care. By connecting with each other, we encourage the awareness of the true bond we have with one another, and all life everywhere will benefit. It is magical.

Welcome into The Sisterhood of All Women on Earth.

In the spirit of truth, In the name of love, Your sister and friend, A Woman
http://www.thesacredfeminine.com/sisterhoodpage.html

[femrap]

44. That's a great site, the sacred feminine. Thx.

I sent some e-cards for International Women's Day. Sure will be nice when we don't have to recognize such a day.

[NoPasaran]

48. Happy International Women's Day, Velma!

I've been in a funk today after all that went down yesterday.

[ripple]

50. Thank you for posting this thread!

Of course, it's hard to miss International Women's Day, what with all of the commercialism and media hoopla over it. :sarcasm:

I hope it isn't lost on anyone here that this day comes at a very dark time in American history for all women. I hope we can come together to meet the incredible challenges we must face on behalf of future generations of women who will grow up in this so-called free land.

We also can't forget the struggle of women who fight oppression around the world on a daily basis, or the women who live in fear of even putting up a fight.

Although this is the day that's been chosen for women (as ridiculous as that seems), it serves as an important reminder to celebrate, empower, teach, learn from, love, fight for, and respect each other every single day.

Happy International Women's Day to every woman who reads this. :grouphug: