life as i know it...

Check out this fantastic mash-up of Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I liked the movie, but watching this and reading the commentary made me think of the male/female roles in a whole new light (I still plan to see the new movie, though!).



According to the author:

Buffy vs Edward is essentially an answer to the question “What Would Buffy Do?” My re-imagined story was specifically constructed as a response to Edward, and what his behavior represents in our larger social context for both men and women. More than just a showdown between The Slayer and the Sparkly Vampire, it’s also a humorous visualization of the metaphorical battle between two opposing visions of gender roles in the 21ist century.

...It has sparked a wide-ranging and timely online conversation about how obsessive and predatory male behavior passes for romance in too much of our pop culture.

...In the end the only reasonable response was to have Buffy stake Edward – not because she didn’t find him sexy, not because he was too sensitive or too eager to share his feelings – but simply because he was possessive, manipulative, and stalkery.

...I would like to say that the video is not intended as a stab at the fans. Rather, it’s an argument against the specific way in which romance and gender roles are constructed in the Twilight series. Ultimately, Buffy’s triumph over Edward is only one small part of much larger story: the story of our collective journey towards a world of gender equity and empowerment.

Read the full story behind the video by Jonathan McIntosh here.

Posted in: equality, feminism, videos on July 07, 2009 5 comments    

Scott from Progressive Bloggers asked me to write a list of 5 things feminism has done for me. For those of you who haven't read one of these lists yet, here's the background: Despite having a $13 billion surplus this year, the government has cut $5 million of funding to Status of Women Canada. In response, many Canadian bloggers have been posting lists of '5 things feminism has done for me', to show their support for the goals of the SWC.


Before I begin, I'll say that although I support women's rights and equality for all, I've never really considered myself a 'feminist'. I'm not quite sure why.. perhaps it's because today feminism almost seems to have become a dirty word. It seems like a lot of people associate feminists with radical man-haters, although that's certainly not a universal trait. But, while I may not agree with every stance of feminist groups, I value the changes that women's groups have made in our society, and many of those that they continue to lobby for.


5 Things Feminism Has Done For Me

1. It has made me realize, from a young age, that women can do anything.
Women can be politicians, scientists, astronauts and firefighters, and they can do their jobs as well as men. We need not be forced into predetermined gender stereotypes.

2. It has made me realize that while women can do anything, we don't have to do everything.
We can be anything we want, but we don't need to force ourselves to try to be superwomen. To me, feminism is about recognizing your options, and making the choices that work best for you. Someone who is a stay at home mom isn't necessarily less of a feminist than the CEO of a large company. We all advocate in our own, different ways.

3. It has made me expect to be judged on my merits, not only my looks.
Realistically, almost everyone is judged on their looks these days - men included. But I'm happy to see that most women no longer expect to get (or not get) a job because of the way they look. They expect employers to read their resume and evaluate their relevant skills. Thankfully, in many professions, employers do that.

4. It has made me proud to live in a society where I have the freedom to speak my mind, regardless of my gender.
I have the right to vote, debate in a public forum, enter politics, and challenge my husband or father if I think they're wrong. I need not keep quiet because of my gender.

5. It has shown me that while we like to think that we live in an equal society, we still have far to go, and must continue working.
The funding cuts to the Status of Women Canada are a big one here, but two big (personal) moments of enlightenment for me were firm interviews, and also hearing young, well educated male university classmates scoff at the idea of pay equity. We still have far to go to reach equality in practice, and in people's minds and hearts.


Wikipedia entry for feminism

Over at Progressive Bloggers, they're suggesting that everyone who writes a list should 'tag' 5 other (male or female) bloggers to see if they're willing to participate. I'd like to invite Apartment Girl, Vickyth, Becky, helmut, and Heather.

Thanks to Politics & Poetry for the link to Status Report.

Technorati tags: feminism, politics, feminist, human rights, equality, Canada, women,

Posted in: body image, equality, feminism, law, meme, politics on October 23, 2006 3 comments    

I've voted conservative in provincial elections in the past, but I really dislike Stephen Harper and much of what the new Conservative party stands for.

The Conservative party's stance on the gay marriage issue particularly bugs me. I totally support same-sex marriage. People are people; marriage need not always be a religious union, or for procreation, and I believe that two consenting adults who want to get married should be legally allowed to (let's not start the incest & polygamy debates right now, shall we?).

It frustrates me to no end that the party hopes to re-open debate on the legality of same-sex marriage, and I wish they'd just let it go. But while I feel that way, I actually support one idea behind their proposed Defence of Religions Act.

I don't know the details of the Act yet, so I'll reserve judgment on the whole thing, but I at least agree with the main principle - I don't think that religious officials should be compelled to marry same-sex couples if it's against their religious beliefs (I'm unsure if I agree with allowing civil servants to opt out, so that's something I'll have to think about more).

But back to priests, ministers, etc. I don't think that they should be required to marry same-sex couples, just as I don't think that medical students should be required to learn how to perform abortion procedures in medical school. I know, they're very different issues, but they're both strong and widely-held values/beliefs issues. While it would be really disappointing for a couple wanting to have a religious ceremony to be told that their local minister won't perform the ceremony for them, a couple doesn't need the religious element to get married, and it's just a gut feeling for me that someone whose whole life and profession is based on his/her religious beliefs shouldn't be legally compelled to do something that violates those beliefs.

As for the legislation protecting religious leaders' rights to publicly voice criticism of homosexual behaviour without risking complaints of human rights violations, I don't agree with that! Sounds like preaching discrimination from the pulpit, to me.

Just a few thoughts.

Posted in: equality, politics on October 04, 2006 2 comments    

On same-sex marriage in Canada:

"In the years since the courts started marrying gays, society has not collapsed. The Church has suffered more damage at the hands of a 435 page novel about a Renaissance painter."

(via the long walk)

Technorati tags: equality, same sex marriage, gay marriage, politics, discrimination, Stephen Harper, Conservatives, Canada

Posted in: equality on June 04, 2006 0 comments    

Why doesn't this surprise me??

Bush asks Senate to ban gay marriage

Harper to hold vote on repealing same-sex marriage law


Technorati tags: gay marriage, politics, same-sex marriage, Canada, USA, George Bush, Stephen Harper, discrimination

Posted in: equality, politics on 0 comments    

As an update to my previous post, Halifax school board wants to know all teachers' sexual orientation, the Nova Scotia Teacher's union has told teachers to consider leaving several sections blank on the school board's workplace identification survey.

Canadian Press reporter Alison Auld reports:

While the union can't offer direct advice about filling out the survey, spokesman Grant MacLean warned of the risks in completing sections that ask respondents to identify themselves as homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual, and then list their name and employee number.

"We are not advising teachers to complete those sections," he said. "Teachers are very, very concerned about the protection of their privacy.
...

MacLean said several teachers have indicated they won't complete the document, citing fears the information could be used against them in light of a recent human rights commission decision that found the board discriminated against a gay physical education teacher.

One gay teacher said he would leave the bulk of the survey blank and angrily criticized school administrators for not giving employees the opportunity to fill it out anonymously.
...

Officials with the board defended the move, saying they are merely trying to get a better picture of the diverse groups of people that make up the workforce and to create an accurate, up-to-date database of staff.
...

Gilles Marchildon of Egale Canada, a gay rights organization, said the board's decision to proceed with the survey in the aftermath of the Willow case might be ill-timed. But, he added, officials could be trying to understand the diversity in their school district.

"Is this a genuine attempt to make changes in welcoming people or is it prying into people's personal lives?" the group's executive director said from Ottawa. "We're still evaluating that."

Technorati tags: school board, Halifax, Nova Scotia, sexual orientation, gay, discrimination, EGALE

Posted in: equality on May 31, 2006 2 comments    

Outrageous. The Halifax Regional School Board apparently wants to understand the diversity of its workforce, and it plans to ask teachers to list their sexual orientation in an upcoming survey.

"The survey, which will be distributed Thursday, contains the question, "Are you heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian?"

The school board expects its teachers to sign the survey once it's completed. However, respondents have the option of refusing to answer some questions."

Board spokeswoman Shaune MacKinlay says: "We understand that there could be some reluctance on some people's part to do this."

No, really?! This coming just weeks after the same school board was ordered by the Human Rights Board to apologize to a teacher who was discriminated against by her principal, another teacher, and the school board after she was labelled a lesbian.

The school board has refused to collect the information anonymously.

Sexual orientation is none of the school board's business. I hope no one answers that question on the survey.


Update: The Nova Scotia Teacher's union has told teachers to consider not filling out several sections of the survey.

Technorati tags: school board, Halifax, Nove Scotia, sexual orientation, gay, discrimination

Posted in: equality on May 30, 2006 3 comments    

This has been one hell of a day.

And the icing on the cake...

"We're not talking today, we're not talking yet, about constitutional amendments, but my position is known."
- Stephen Harper

Ahhhhh! I hate him I hate him I hate him!!

Posted in: equality, politics on April 20, 2006 0 comments    

I've been corresponding with Melinda Terry, a teacher in Seattle who is asking Canadians to help her create a lesson plan on Canada for her 6th grade class. I came across this story, and decided to share it with her. I find it really inspiring. Not only does it show the hospitality and generosity of a place that I love, but it reminds us all that one person really can make a difference.

I was reading Alan Doyle (of the band Great Big Sea)'s road journal tonight, and read that there are talks of making a movie about a black sailor who survived the shipwreck of the U.S.S. Truxton off the coast of Newfoundland in 1942.

This story is about the people of Newfoundland affecting the U.S. civil rights movement.

I'm almost embarassed to say that I didn't know the sailor's story; I feel that I should know the history of this disaster better. My Dad & Grandmother are from the small town of St. Lawrence, which helped to rescue drowning sailers from the stormy waters.

I've heard about the incident in general. Two U.S. Navy ships (the U.S.S. Truxton and U.S.S. Pollux) ran aground on Newfoundland cliffs during World War II, on February 18th, 1942. 203 sailors died; 185 were saved.

Well, it turns out that there was only one African American survivor of the U.S.S. Truxton, named Lanier Philips, and he says that it was the hospitality he received from the people of Newfoundland after the disaster which led him to become a civil rights leader for equality for all races in the U.S. military.

I wanted to know more, so I did an Internet search and found a National Public Radio program about Lanier Philips. Listen to it - his story is pretty amazing!

There's a second, shorter story from Carleton University here, which has some additional information, but listen to the NPR one first, it has more background information, and is more like a story than a news report.

If you'd like to know more, the St. Lawrence town website has more information about the tragedy.

FYI, I first read about the Seattle teacher's request on Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy (forgot to post the credit/link back in this post earlier - oops!)

Technorati tags: Newfoundland, Canada, United States, Navy, Truxton, civil rights, Lanier Philips

Posted in: equality, inspiring, Newfoundland, war on April 09, 2006 1 comments    

Oh dear God...

Will somebody - the Liberals, NDP, Green - somebody! create a party stable enough to bring down the Conservative government, before Stephen Harper starts messing with the constitution?! I shudder to think of the changes he would like to make to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
CBC article

Food for thought: a quote from Stephen Harper's acceptance speech:

"The West has wanted in, the West is in - now Canada will work for all of us!"

I grew up in Alberta. I like it there, and I don't buy into the stereotypes. But does that sound like a man who is focused on creating a fair and balanced government?! That's a scary statement to make in an acceptance speech.

The recent media restrictions and the fact that the Conservatives have stopped funding the One Tonne Challenge really worries me...

Edited for language - my mother might see this! ;)

Technorati tags: Stephen Harper, politics, Conservatives, Charter, Canada

Posted in: equality, politics on April 02, 2006 2 comments    

Today, March 8th, is International Women's Day.

The theme for International Women's Week this year is: Beyond Laws: The Right to be Me. This week is a time to celebrate the progress that has been made to advance women's equality around the world, and is an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that remain; not only within the law, but in our daily lives.

We all know that women in many developing countries are still strugling for equality under the law. Although many legal battles have been won, and women in the developed world are perceived to have equality, they still face struggles such as the pay gap between the sexes, stereotypes of what is considered "women's work", and women who choose to stay home and raise their children - no matter what their education level is - are often considered to be contributing less to society than those who try to balance a full-time career and motherhood.

There is still much progress to be made.

Technorati tags: women, International Women's Day, motherhood, laws, equality,value

Posted in: equality, feminism, politics on March 08, 2006 0 comments