Statistics vs Lived Experiences for Women at College

By Liberate Zealot
*Content Warning for discussion of sexual assault, rape, stalking, domestic violence, and rape culture*

Recently in the feminist/social justice sphere of social media that I inhabit a variety of people have been naming Cards Against Humanity and one of its originators, Max Tempkin, as good examples of those with privilege listening/learning/and properly apologizing for when they harm others.  And this regard for the game, and its creators, especially of Max, is something I take great issue with.

Not only because it is a game created by a bunch of (to my knowledge) heterocis white dudes who are upper middle class and therefore its hard to take any of its racist/sexism/homophobic/transphobic/ableist jokes as "ironic".  After all Max Tempkin wrote a lovely apology about that using all the appropriate language of "privilege" and how irony doesn't "punch down."

The issue with this apology and Cards Against Humanity is that I know Max.  We attended the same small liberal arts college, we have many mutual acquaintances, and Max Tempkin is a rapist.

Focus on the Silver Lining

By: Liberate Zealot

Content Warning: Stalking, abusive relationships

This is J-Cat, we're fostering him for a friend who has to leave the state for a while.

Problems with Valentine's Day

By: Liberate Zealot

Content Warning: stalking, rape culture

I love dressing up, chocolate, good food, romance novels, wine and other romantic things, so you'd think I'd be all over Valentine's Day.  So not the case.  Valentine's Day is not just "not for me", I have major objections to the method and meaning of the whole day.

The accouterments of Valentine's are problematic.  Chocolate is often produced in slave like conditions by child workers.  Flowers are grown in South America where women work for limited pay and in unsafe conditions.  Then there's the prevalence of blood diamonds that make jewelry shopping ethically difficult. But, there are Fair Trade options, so this alone is not enough to ruin Valentine's Day for me.

However, there's also the problem with Grand Romantic Gestures and the stories around them.  One day of romance, one grand gesture, isn't enough to make a good relationship.  It's the everyday caring, support, and love that matters (and that Valentine's Day fails to celebrate).  I don't like the idea that if you don't do something dramatic on this one day then you're a bad partner (partially because there's a certain amount of classism involved, though that exists with every material driven holiday).   And then there's the stalking aspect of grand romance, which some people really went with this year.