A two state solution

When I first found this, I thought that it did a good job of breaking down why there should be two states, and also why people who are seeking a single-state solution on both sides use the rhetoric of legitimate causes to couch their desire for ethnic cleansing and domination. And, who is Israel kidding? This offensive on Gaza is ethnic cleansing of a people literally walled in, with nowhere left to go, no relief in sight. Fuck. That. It is indefensible. And, in all fairness, has been going on for years. The slow starvation, dehydration, and extermination of Palestinians in Gaza is unacceptable. Completely unacceptable, and anyone who thinks that 10 jewish lives are worth hundreds of palestinian lives is a sociopath.

On a personal note, I used to belong to a Jewish and Muslim women's group the last year or two at college. It's since disbanded because we were all too busy and no one day seemed to work well for everyone who wanted to attend, but for a while there, it was an amazing space to inhabit. We always had these dynamic conversations about our shared values and experiences, we never finished our agenda, always talked late into the night.

Of course, teh menz complained that we didn't allow them to attend, or arrange a similar group for them. Well, that's too bad, the women set up their own group, the men will have to learn to organize themselves. Obviously, they never did reach out to each other and set up a mens' group.

Words mean things, imagine that!

I don't like doing the Feminism 101 stuff, but occasionally I'll indulge.

This might be feminism 150, actually. Anyway, if someone wants to claim that they are any of the following:
a feminist
a feminist ally
a humanist (in the contemporary sense)
an egalitarian
not a sexist

Then you should make a concerted effort to not invoke common sexist stereotypes with the words you use. Radical, I know.

Some helpful examples:

Saying that HRC's only qualifications (and therefore lack of substance) is that she was the (bad) wife of Wm. Clinton is sexist. HRC is no more a junior, inexperienced senator than B. Obama, so stfu about her qualifications being limited to her marriage. Her marriage and her political career are not the same thing.

Similarly, criticizing a female public figure for having, oh I dunno, cornrows, cankles, or spending too much on clothes is sexist. Her appearance has nothing to do with her political prowess.

Referring to the likes of Ann Coulter as shrill, also sexist. If you're not also going to call Sean Hannity or Chris Matthews shrill, then yeah, you're a sexist jackass.

Ditto referring to Condoleeza Rice as frigid or closeted for not having a husband and children at her age. Unless you're also going to level that charge against George Clooney, stfu.

When you reinforce and invoke sexist stereotypes, you are reinforcing sexism. You are not being ironic. You are not being un-PC. You're being a sexist jackass. In order to claim to be feminist/ally/not sexist/etc., you should actually make a concerted effort to erase sexist stereotypes from your language and actions. This should be pretty basic, right?

Hope that clears it up!