Shout That's What It's All About!

So I was talking to my professor yesterday and he introduced me to this really interesting theory in sociology called Queer Theory. This theory completely blew my mind, well I guess not completely, because I had been thinking about some of these issues for a while now, but it was nice to know that others have thought about this before me. From my understanding, at the heart of queer theory is the notion that the categories and labels that we have in society (often related to identity, etc.) are limiting to our human creativity and nature and actually limits how we think and interact with the world. In its most radical form queer theory looks to abolish all forms of categories and live in a world where the labels that we have for each other does not exist and we just are. Queer theory often focused in the concepts of sexuality and gender, although the principles can apply to any identity. With regards to gender, can you imagine society without the man and woman binary? Why does ...

This article made me really sad and brought back a lot of memories of what I learned Freshman year in a Globalization class. It makes me really sad that a lot of our society is so caught up on making a profit and making a living for themselves that they sometimes do not consider the impact that their profits have on other individuals and the environment. I am sure a lot of people don't like living or working near these factories, but with a lack of funds and public voice they often have no choice, they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The need for money to survive, but not having the funds to move away, leads to this dilemma. I know that I have mentioned this before, but I believe that often people get too caught up in the present and now that they don't think about what impact their actions could have in the future. I can only hope that in a couple of years when the toxic waste is starting to affect the factory owners lives, etc. then they will see the mistake th...

Day 2 Environmental Justice: Piles of Poison in Mexico Due to NAFTA, many U.S. companies have been able to export their product production, along with its hazardous byproducts, across the border to Mexico. Although this is an older article it sums up a lot of the trends in a lack of hazardous waste management up until 2002 but not a lot has changed, so just add on 10 more years of damage. (And for folks wanting to look at other impacts of the maquilladoras, just wait until day 6) http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/162/28045.html

Don't know if I posted this video, but I thought it was a good little informational piece with some different points of view, so here you go:

What privilege do I have? I have a lot of privilege, some of which I notice, but I know that there is a lot that I miss on my radar on a daily basis. For one I am white, which leads me to have copious amounts of privilege for I live in a society in which for many people my 'race' (albeit a social construct is very prevalent in our reality) does not exist and it is simply the air in which we breath and the ocean that we swim. Also as I am part of the majority my views are often seen as individual and I do not have to take on the responsibility of being a spokesperson for others of my race. Another privilege that I have is that I am often read as straight in a predominantly heterosexual society. Regardless of what my actual sexual orientation is, the way people interpret and perceive me, changes the way that people interact with me. I do not have to justify my actions like others might be asked to in different situations. I am just seen as another fish in the sea that is he...

Day 1: Check Your Shit Before starting on a social justice journey, you gotta make sure that you have everything together. Take this day to reflect on where you have privilege, and what you are willing to do about it.   Think on both large and small scales, systemic and international to individual and in your sphere of influence.   If you are considering starting a blog this might be a great time to reflect on what you are thinking and feeling about this challenge. Oh, and don't forget to brush your teeth. ;)

So I went on a Social Justice retreat earlier this year and someone from this retreat has come up with a 30 day challenge with regards to social justice, activism, advocacy, etc. The objective of this challenge is to for the next 30 days do 1 task a day that will lead to self reflection and discovery. Discovery of who you are and what you bring to the table in the way of being a better advocate, etc. Because it is not until we truly know ourselves and where we come from that we can help others. I will be completing this challenge over the next 30 days and posting the challenges and discussing them on this blog. Feel free to join in with me or to discuss my posts. :)