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I don’t understand feminism. Are they asking for equality or chivalry? You can’t have both. You can not ask the world to ignore all of the differences between men and women and then be asked to be treated with kid gloves because you are a woman. There are two examples of women being asked to be treated with kid gloves in the modern feminist world.
Bella Thorne recently went on a tearful rant against Whoopi Goldberg because Whoopi suggested that she not take nude pictures of herself and store them in a cloud. Bella took nude pictures of herself to send to her boyfriend. Once she discovered that her information had been hacked and the nudes were stolen she decided to release the photo herself. The incident was discussed on “The View” and Whoopi told her to protect herself by not taking nudes.
Bella then takes to Instagram to tell Whoopi that she should be ashamed of herself for telling Bella that there are consequences for actions and she can’t naively do whatever she wants and expect everyone in the world to be honorable. Watch.
Bella’s IG post had a feminist under tone to it. She felt that Whoopi should be ashamed because of how young women will be affected by her comments. Feminism tells women to be bold and adventurous enough to take nude photos to transmit and store electronically but if your security is breached you should make yourself out to be a victim. I would imagine that if you’re bold enough to take nudes in 2019 you’re probably no shrinking violet.
There is always the possibility of the file being stolen from Bella or the boyfriend. And if Bella breaks up with the boyfriend he could share the picture with God knows who. I kind of figured that people that sent nudes in 2019 didn’t really care where the photos ended up. There are dozens and dozens of cautionary tales out there about the consequences of nudes ending up in the wrong hands. Whoopi was just giving Bella some pretty sound advice. Make the man wait until you are together again and when you’re apart he’ll have sweet memories.
I want to start by saying I can’t stand Lavar Ball. I don’t know why we even know who he is because all he is is a stage parent and it doesn’t even seem to me that his boys are setting the NBA on fire. But for some reason the sports media eats him up. I don’t get it. Lavar was being interviewed on ESPN by a sports journalist by the name of Molly Qerim. She said that she wanted to switch gears in the conversation and Lavar said he would switch gears with her any day. Ms. Qerim thought that the comment had sexual undertones. Watch.
Good grief what a prude. I don’t know how someone equates this with sexual harassment. If you’re not familiar with Lavar Ball he’s not shy, he likes the spotlight and he speaks his mind. He probably does have a flirtatious personality but I don’t think that a cutesy flirtatious remark necessarily equals harassment or an unbearable work environment. Is Molly saying that she was afraid for her safety because of that remark? If so she should stay home and be a housewife.
Lavar has been banned from ESPN. I honestly don’t care because he shouldn’t have been on there so much anyway. But I don’t think he should have been banned for this. He should have been banned because he isn’t employed by the NBA and is one of these new kind of celebrities that is famous for absolutely no reason.
I had never heard of Molly Qerim before this but she has undoubtedly been influenced by the Me Too movement. Why else would she be so sensitive to that remark? She was in no danger because she and Lavar were not even in the same room.
Let’s be honest sports fans. Most of those women of the sports shows are ornaments and there is no way that they don’t know that. The women fit a very narrow beauty standard and most of them don’t say much. They are there to look pretty and facilitate conversations between men. They are similar to Price is Right models.
Their presence is sexist and demeaning to women because we all know that there are women that know a lot about sports but they may be bigger than a size 4. My mom could do a good job as an anchor on ESPN because she is pretty darn knowledgeable when it comes to sports and she analyzes games pretty well. But she is seventy three with two artificial hips and a bad back. She’s not eye candy for the mostly male audience which is the true job of women on sports channels.
I want to give an honorable mention to Josina Anderson who is smart as a whip and knows what she is talking about. And the red head that comes on the NBA show isn’t bad either and she’s quite likeable. I think her name is Samantha. And we can’t forget the OG Hannah Storm.
So these women that work on these sports channels benefit from sexism and they don’t mind playing into it for a paycheck but the minute a man that is known to be a smart alek makes a cheeky remark they make a complaint with HR and act as if they have been damaged. It makes no sense to me. Toughen up girls. And if Molly thought Lavar’s remark was disrespectful she should have spoke up for herself in the moment. That seems like the action of an empowered person as opposed to asking someone else to stand up for you because you are such a delicate and meek flower.
Anyway, I just wish feminism would make up it’s mind about it’s identity. Do you want protection and chivalry or are you as tough as any man? You can’t claim both identities and claim to be a coherent adult. Feminists are delusional.
Amendment:
I forgot about the Cuba Gooding Jr. incident. The Cuba Gooding Jr. groping incident is easy to forget about because it was a bunch of nonsense. There is a boring and confusing video which confirms that the allegations of groping were a bunch of nonsense. Watch.
After I watched this video for the first time my initial reaction was “What the heck did I just watch?”, because I didn’t see anything happen other than a bunch of people socializing and flirting at a bar. Cuba put his hand on her knee during the video but I don’t know the nature of their relationship so I don’t know that that was an inappropriate touch. The woman claimed that her breasts were groped but I didn’t see that happen. Perhaps he brushed her chest with his hand but I didn’t see that either.
I could understand how a woman from the Jane Austen era could be very offended and upset if she was transplanted into a happy hour in an urban setting and a man brushed against her breasts even accidentally. Those women had expectations of men and upheld feminine standards. Women could have that kind of society if that’s what they wanted because women set the standards and make the rules. But women have decided that they want to be thought of as independent women that are completely in charge of their bodies and sexuality and can speak up for themselves.
But evidently they can’t. None of the situations in this post are about rape. The Cuba Gooding incident isn’t even about sexual assault because he has been arrested, released with no charges filed. Bella Thorne wasn’t as angry with the person that stole her images as she was Whoopi Goldberg who gave her opinion on a matter that Bella made public. All of these women claimed to be victims after they were simply criticized, made uncomfortable or perhaps a man brushed against her. And now they want people arrested and kicked off TV and such because they felt dishonored.
Oh but wait, I thought that women didn’t want their femininity honored. Obviously they do but there is give and take. A lot of modern women just want to take. That’s what feminists want. I’ve answered my own question.
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Watch “Woman with the Alabaster Box” on YouTube
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Watch “Jesus Forgives an Adulterous Woman John 8 1-11” on YouTube
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Watch “The Woman at the Well John 4:1-26” on YouTube
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90s Songs Based on Mental Illness and Depression: Volume II
I published a list of 90s pop songs based on mental illness and depression earlier today. I thought of a few more so I decided to make a second list. Please enjoy.
Offspring, Self Esteem
This is a song about a man that stays in an emotionally abusive relationship with a woman because he has low self esteem. During the bridge of the song he screams “The more I suffer, “The more you suffer means the more you really care, right?” I have to admit that I’ve been in that head space.
Cypress Hill, Insane in the Membrane
I don’t speak Spanish but thanks to Cypress Hill I know the Spanish word for crazy. Insane in the Membrane is their most recognizable hit. Their insanity is probably drug induced but insanity is a problem regardless of it’s cause.
Mary J. Blige, Not Gon’ Cry
Mary J. Blige had a lot of problems in the 90s. I was debating on whether she belonged on this list or not because a broken heart is not quite the same as a mental problem. But I love Mary and it’s my list so I decided to add her. I wonder if Mary has ever met the guy from Offspring. Perhaps they would get along.
Garbage, I’m Only Happy When it Rains
I remember this band and this song but it was never one of my favorites. This is a little gift from You Tube suggestions. But it’s perfect for this list and now that I’m listening to it I like it. As the kids would say it’s a bop. For the most part I’m a happy go lucky girl but I can identify with the sentiment of this song. I personally enjoy a bit of internal drama. It’s fun. And I do love rain.
Way back when there was a band called Lords of the Underground. I only remembered one song of their so I decided to do a bit of research on their song lyrics. With a name like that I figured they were a little off and they made music expressing that. I hit the jackpot. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, “Psycho”. No one has a video with lyrics uploaded to YT.
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90s Songs Based on Mental Illness and Depression
The passing of Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys made me think of the hip hop classic “My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me”. I began to ponder if other 90s tunes were based on psychotic episodes. I came up with a short list. The list is random and not ranked.
Geto Boys, My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me
This is a cautionary tale that teaches that even when you’ve gotten away with wrongdoing you can’t escape the guilt and paranoia that your deeds brought about.
Blind Melon, No Rain
This is a perky and upbeat song about feeling stagnant in your life and depression. Blind Melon’s lead singer Shannon Hoon died from a drug overdose in 1995.
Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, Natural Born Killas
This is a creepy song with the stand out lyric “Can’t be around my mama ’cause I scare her”. It’s also a sweet vow to undying friendship and loyalty with the unforgetable lyric “I’m down for Dre like ACs down with OJ”. I kind of want that to be a part of my wedding vows.
Green Day, Basketcase
This was my introduction to the Bay Area band Green Day circa 1995. Green Day owns this genre. They have other hits inspired by hopelessness and discouragement such as Longview and When I Come Around. They’ve built a solid career in modern rock and have been going strong since the early nineties. The band is still together and they are all still alive at the time this was written.
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I’m writing to pay my respects to Houston rapper Bushwick Bill. He was truly a unique and talented individual. None of us will ever see anything like him again. He was charming, eloquent and very short. He was a dwarf and didn’t stand four feet tall. Bill and his bandmates from the Geto Boys were one of my favorites from the 1990s rap scene. He died earlier this week after a long illness at age fifty two.
Their most popular song is “My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me”. It’s about an ongoing struggle with schizophrenic episodes. It’s a classic. Now that I think about it there were a few 90s hits across genres about mental illness. The Geto Boys music is dark, introspective, edgy and honest. It was filthy and gritty. They didn’t ask for sympathy or pity. They didn’t try to be heroes. They simply and artistically told their stories of Houston ghetto life with sharp wit and intelligence. I will always have an appreciation for the Geto Boys and artists like them.
https://www.npr.org/2019/06/10/731076691/bushwick-bill-of-houston-rap-group-geto-boys-dead-at-52
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<<SPOILERS AHEAD>>
I finished watching season two of “The Handmaid’s Tale” last weekend. For the most part I enjoyed it but it was a bit slow moving in parts. In other parts it felt like the writers were writing and adding things to the story line in order to fill up time that was already allotted per episode. And a lot went on in season two.
I read the book and watched seasons one and two so the trials of the handmaids is turning into a blur to me now. It took me a while to get through season two and I had to check it out from the library twice. Binge watching shows is a lot of work but I’ve also been very preoccupied with the NBA Playoffs and Finals. But this is what I recall happening in “The Handmaids Tale: Season Two”, not necessarily in this order. SPOILERS AHEAD!
June is captured, imprisoned and brainwashed after being a fugitive while pregnant. Emily is sent to The Colonies. Janine is sent to The Colonies. Moira works as a surrogant mother while in exile in Canada. A handmaid that had her tongue cut out goes on a suicide bombing mission. She’s successful. Nick gets married in a state sanctioned arranged wedding. Due to the suicide mission there is a shortage of handmaids so Janine and Emily are taken from The Colonies back to the lives of handmaids. Janine is happy to be back.
(The writers did a great job transitioning Janine from the novel to the screen. There wasn’t much to her in the book but she’s a likeable character on the show and she’s tough as nails with a good heart and manages to find the bright side despite her bleak circumstances. The actress does a wonderful job of playing a long suffering woman who has lost her mind but continues to function in her daily life.)
Nick’s marriage is a disaster. His wife Edend finds a new man and the two of them defect from Gilead in the name of love. They get executed. June/Offred goes into false labor. Nick drives Offred/June to an empty house where she is reunited with her daughter and the daughter’s new mother. The visit was arranged by Commander Waterford without Serena’s knowledge. June had several flashbacks of her first pregnancy and the birth of Hannah. Nick gets attacked by guardians and June/Offred is left in the house alone where she gives birth to a girl.
Commander Waterford and Serena Joy look for June in the empty house where she saw Hannah. The couple argues while June listens. Meanwhile June finds a gun in the house and puts the pair in her cross hairs. She doesn’t pull the trigger. The Waterfords leave in frustration because they didn’t find June. The didn’t really look. All they did was scream out her name as they stood in the center of an empty mansion. Nick returns to the house to get June. His attack was a misunderstanding. June could have driven off in a car that looked like a Hot Wheels and headed north to freedom but she couldn’t open the garage door.
June finds Eden’s Bible in the house. Gilead is obsessed with religion but owning a Bible is contraband and reading it is illegal. Serena leads the wives in a petition to their husbands to make Bible available to citizens. She is punished by her husband and has two fingers amputated.
Serena is a founding mother of Gilead but begins to lose faith in the nation only after being mutilated by guardians under her husband’s orders. Oh, and she had the opportunity to escape earlier on in the season but decided to remain loyal to her husband and country. She met an American politician while on a diplomatic trip to Canada that was willing to help her leave Gilead behind. While she was in Canada she was stared at and treated with coldness and disdain by Canadians.
June makes another run for it with her baby in her arms with the aid of Martha’s. They have an Underground Railroad system that guided June through a series of backyards in the neighborhood where she was met by a car that waited for her by the side of a conveniently empty, untraveled city street. She took way too long to get in the car. Emily was in the car too. The escape was planned by Emily’s new commander who is a tough one to figure out. He’s a compelling character that creates some interest in Season Three.
BIG TIME SPOILER ALERT:
Oh yeah, Emily killed Aunt Lydia! It was fast and brutal. That took me all the way out. I was a bit sad. Aunt Lydia is a villain but I felt a bit bad for her when she died and I kind of miss her.
June handed her baby off to Emily who misses her son who is in Canada with his other mother and shuts the door. She’s going back to liberate the handmaids a la Harriet Tubman. And that’s how the season ends. (I enjoy dystopian novels. I’ve noticed everything that happens in all of them has already happened to Black people in America.)
While all of this is going on I’m thinking of more reasons why Gilead would never work and why the plot of this story isn’t feasible. First of all there are way too many men standing around. There are a bunch of men standing around all day and they don’t do anything other than watch women. There is no way that relationships like that of Eden and Isaac wouldn’t be common. Eden and Isaac seemed to have sweet young love so perhaps that would be rare. But there would at least be a lot of hanky panky and drama going on. And the men would literally kill each other or stage their own revolution. That’s usually what happens when men a bunch of men are bored.
The amount of idle people are problematic in this story in other ways. What is the GNP of Gilead? All of their human resources are tied up in enslaving women and there is no money in having babies. A bunch of men are standing around with guns outside. A few men drive people around. A bunch of women are imprisoned in homes and are only let out to go to the store. Who’s making the money? What fuels their economy? Is there a stock market? I’m not sure the currency of Gilead was ever mentioned. I think the only currency is the food stamps the marthas and handmaids use at the store.
The United States military is the most well funded in the history of mankind. This story wants us to believe that a bunch of uptight religious fanatics that dress like Pilgrims overthrew the US government and defeated the American military within three years tops. And if the Gilead army is so powerful why would these men tolerate a government that regulated sex in such a way? It wouldn’t happen. I say three years tops because the young actress that plays Hannah looks the same in “The Before” and the scene where she is reunited with her birthmother and children grow and change fast.
What was stopping all those women in The Colonies from rebelling against the overseers and making a run for it? They had absolutely nothing to lose and the authority figures were far outnumbered.
The most interesting character in season two is young Eden. Eden is a patriotic daughter of Gilead and she is young enough to not remember “From Before”. She believes in the values of Gilead and wants to honor God as a dutiful wife and mother.
The problem here is that her state issued husband is in love with the handmaiden that is pregnant with his baby. Actually that’s not the problem. Even if there was no June/Offred or baby the marriage would still be a mess because Nick isn’t attracted to Eden in the least. It’s as if someone sent a kid to come live in his house without talking to him about it first.
Eden followed her heart to the very end. She never turned away from God or Isaac. She could have lied and spared her life. She could have tried to conceive a child with Nick which would have spared her just as pregnancy spared June. But she remained true to herself to her watery death.
Eden’s death was an honor killing of sorts. Her father snitched on her. Side note, Isaac is a jerk. He had a soft spot for Eden but her life may have had a similar ending regardless. Isaac was brutal.
Season Two was OK. I enjoyed Season One much more because it was more focused. Season Two was doing too much. I’m guessing Season Three will be about June liberating the handmaidens and bringing about the downfall of Gilead. Then the series will end. It kind of needs to end.
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Watch “The Lord Did Not Judge Women Harshly: Don’t Let Anyone Discourage You Proverbs 2:6” on YouTube
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Watch “Growth & Maturity 1 Corinthians 13:11” on YouTube
Thoughts, Observations, Impressions
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Shannon's Life in the Midwest 