In response to the Santa Barbra shooting on May 23rd, there was a tag created on Twitter. In this tag, #YesAllWomen, women were able to express their fears and struggles with misogynistic encounters. Some of the posts included confessions like:
"Because in 2nd grade when I was sexually assaulted by an 8th grader, my teacher asked me why I didn't run away faster. #YesAllWomen" @HipsterMama
"Because I once told a group of female friends my story of being sexually assaulted, and every last one had a story of their own #YesAllWomen" @shinyalice
"Because I feel LUCKY I've never been raped. #yesallwomen" @shelbyfero
and even main line news stations have noticed this:
"#YesAllWomen explodes into a powerful campaign speaking out against misogyny after the California gunman's rampage. http://t.co/w37SUl2JN7" @ABC7Chicago
Why haven't women been saying these things earlier? Society often covers up these encounters by making them look normal. NORMAL. If that isn't enough, Elliot Rodger posted his misogynistic manifesto on YouTube prior to May 23rd, and a police checked him out (at the request of a family member) and he said there was nothing wrong. That means that the police may have just said, "He is just an angry man. Nothing out of the ordinary." Why do we assume that men and anger should go hand-in-hand? The manifesto focused on the fact that he wasn't having sex (which he was told during college you have to have sex) with beautiful women so he has to show them he was the "true alpha male". Whoa whoa whoa. Apparently, I am obligated to sexually please men who want it. God forbid that I am an actual human being with a voice. The media is calling him a "madman", dismissing that his ideas are limited to the clinically insane. Ironically, it was the media and society that created his ideas. He even acknowledges that it was "humanity" that made him that way, and all he wanted to do was "fit in". He thought that he was playing by society's rules. He felt like he was "cast out" because he didn't have attention and sexual encounters from women. It is heart breaking and it fuels the fire.
I realized how true misogyny is by watching How the Media Failed Women in 2013. And let me tell you, I am out raged! How could we see this sexism happening and not notice there is something wrong with it? Or, notice but not think there could be a change. The word "feminism" is associated with "lesbians who don't shave and hate men" (not that being a lesbian or not shaving is terrible). Feminism to me is a strong, powerful, beautiful word. However, I feel the need to say everything but feminism because I am afraid of being dismissed. Even the women who started #YesAllWomen blocked her account out of fear of harassment!
To point out the misogynistic cover-up, a feminist group did a cover of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and called it "Defined Lines". Huffington Post writer and founder of Equality Women, Charles Clymer, is a man that is dedicated to feminism and getting men and women understand how important it is. It is refreshing to know that there are people dedicated to equality, but those people are still too few.
There is something about Miley Cyrus that makes me intrigued with her and follow her on Twitter. When I step back, I see that she is confident in herself. She doesn't become obsessed with all of the bad things people say about her. Miley knows what she wants, and she is determined to get that. She is driven and hard working woman.
On the other hand, she drives me crazy. She her actions sometimes point out things that are wrong with my generation.
This generation, with the help of famous leaders, are on a road filled with drugs, poor attire, and 'dgaf/yolo' lifestyles. And these leaders and praising it! They are clapping and saying "Good job! We are making change! Stick it to your parents and all of the haters!". With a mixture of 'hipsters' and 'swag', most of these kids are grabbing hold of their 'dgaf' (don't give a fuck) ideas and forgetting the consequences. People in my generation are forgetting to create beauty and art while they are at it! Throw together some auto-tuned voices and computer sounds and that is it. No artwork, no books, no poems. Just fake 'music' to party to while they lift their egos, it is all about the individual. And because they are centered on having fun and parting, they are running with what they feel in the moment. They have been letting their emotions control them.
It reminds me of the Romanticism movement, A caricterist of that movement is the focus on feelings as ultimate truth. It is as if the movement is repeating and becoming less and less beautiful. In the beginning there was beautiful poetry, like John Keats, then in the 1960s, like the Beatles (Everyone can agree they were artists in their form of art), and now the music is centered on getting "pussy, weed, money".
Another thing that is a disappointment is that teens and people in their young twenties are getting tattoos that mean barely anything. I have seen people who get tattoos simply because it seems like the style. Don't get me wrong, I do really like tattoos. However, I believe that tattoos should be seen as a beautiful art form, not an easy way to fit into a style.
Lastly, it seems as if electronics are stealing our hearts. Life is out there, with trees and sky and human contact. Go dark. Delete your Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and experience life. Or go without it for a week and see how you feel afterward. I promise you, it is well worth it.
I do have a large heart for my generation. I am not bitter or angry. I want them to understand that they need to open their eyes. Remember, your life is longer than this crazy party this weekend. Life is more than emotions and life goes past the internet. You are worth more.
