#‘we should appeal to the public’s sense of humanity and empathy for the oppressed’ ??? that’s not gonna work

[bookwyrminspiration]

i understand where letty’s coming from but also I desperately want to shake her silly and throw her over a bridge to knock some sense into her the social system is cruel to people on purpose it’s not an accident you can just point out and have righted it’s not that people just haven’t noticed it’s ingrained in its functioning and fundamentally flawed letty you can’t politely petition that away

[lunelantern]

Respect HER for what SHE is

~I'm a woman, not a mother ~

🌺💐💃🏃‍♀️🧘‍♀️👯‍♀️🤽‍♀️🧠👗👘🥿👛👠👜💍💄💎👑👒

For eons, women have been ascribed to motherhood so much that it turned into a toxic hive mentality which promotes that the two concepts are interchangeable.

Women are burdened with the weight of motherhood from childhood. Society crafted a clever mishiveous way to wire the women's heads into thinking that motherhood is an obligation that no woman can evdade; a sine qua non value to her very existence, therefore negating and annulling her own principles and feelings.

Young girls are introduced to motherhood via baby toys, social media and society so that they'd grow up with the already inoculated idea that motherhood is the rightful, karmic life purpose of any woman, in order to accede to happiness.

The kernel of modethood is cleverly ingrained into the minds of the young girls and nourished until it becomes a poisonous plant they impairs judgement and hard-wires the brain into craving for motherhood with their lives and beyond - - like a powerful drug that's self-destructive and alters the personality.

Baby dolls - - the creepiest toy ever designed! - - advertised in an eye-grabbing glamorized manner to appeal to young girls, women who force them to interact with real human beings and ramming it into their brains that their life goal is to become mothers because that's exactly what society expects from them.

Most of the women grow up with the earmark of motherhood under the pretense that a woman's life purpose is to bear and rear offsprings.

From the first human vestiges in prehistoric times and the first female statue unearthed, women were synonymous to motherhood.

Human beings didn't make statues or women; they made statues of mothers. It's motherhood and fertility that's celebrated as rites and cultes, not women.

Instead of celebrating women, society celebrates her reproductive organs and the ability to host fetuses which is as sad as it is unfair because it negates the uniqueness of a sentient being in lieu of one of the most infinitesimal of a woman's attributes.

A woman is far more than a pair of reproductive organs and just because she was equipped with a pair of reproductive organs doesn't mean that they are her identification card too; it's not a pair of ovaries and an uterus that make her a woman!

Womanhood and femeinity are cushioned in the mind, in the heart, in the soul; womanhood is a state of mind, with a psychological and a spiritual component annexed to it. I am a woman because that's how I FEEL, and not because a pair of organs and a rush of chemical substances - hormones - anticipate fecundation every month.

Nature and evolution are impersonal entities and life on earth is the product of chain-events and extraneous factors. They ensured that any sentient species survived and reproduces to ensure the perpetuation of the species.

But it also created a paradox; human beings are equipped with superior intellect that are capable to rationalize, to think critically, to be self-conscious, to analyze and quest their very purpose and the origins of their existence. Also, we have the superb ability to introspectively reflect about our feelings.

We developed goals and ambitions, we listen to our own inner tones and write our own music. We listen more to our brains and hearts than our bodies.

We prioritize and we learnt to have self-control. Critical thinking helps us discern that we're more than biologically programmed mammals in a crave to replicate our DNA.

So, women learnt that they are more than mindless bipedal human incubators for babies. It's just disgusting that her feelings are often negated and her hopes and dreams crushed en route, just because society dubbed women as fertile grounds waiting to be ingrained. 🤬😡🤬😡🌩️

The concept of womanhood and femeinity is metaphysical in all the glory of her ineffable wort; a woman is a mesmerizing enigma that no universal law of biology can ever describe.

She's a woman because she feels like it from the bottom of hear heart. Womanhood doesn't reside in the pits of her belly. It oozes from her spirit.

That's where the core of transgender discrimination and oppression lies - - in the fact that the hearts and minds have been banished into nothingness by biology alone. She, isn't defined through a pair of reproductive organs because reproduction isn't what define a sentient human being.

What defines a woman, what makes her her is the unparalleled delicacy, her untouchable wisdom and cleverness, how creative her vivid mind is, how empathic to capture human emotions, how she can be as strong as a lioness without losing her grace and elegance, how she refers to beauty and her unborn sense for aesthetics, how she can be multidimensional and polivalent with such irresistible tenacity and eloquence.

How she personifies eternal beauty, tenderness and innocence, while striving to accomplish her dreams with cleverness and inegabale mental and physical fortitude.

Grace, beauty, intelligence and fortitude fused together into the elixir of the universe. She is in everywhere, in every single particle, in every sun and star. She, isn't a an incubator or an eggs releaser, no. She is spirit and beauty and wisdom.

The glamorized exacerbated concept of motherhood crushes a woman's inner ambitions. Childfree or infertile women are shunned as outcasts and ostracized by the society, gaping as a deep, dark rift into her self-esteem. In ancient times, childless women were viewed as witches or damned creatures that are to be avoided or disposed of.

Women were the messangers of misfortune bad omen if they didn't host fetuses.

Modern society isn't far behind either. Society looks down own childfree women who reject the imposed motherhood in favor of pursuing their own dreams.

Motherhood is used as a romanticized instrument to control women and strip them off their reproductive rights.

Wives are EXPECTED to give men children, it becomes their obligation and thus a woman's body becomes a PUBLIC GOOD to be used upon convenience.

And not only they are shamed for not complying but also abandoned, raped, abused and the heavily patriarchal society encourages it.

When a childfree woman summons the courage to come clean with her CHOICE she steals gaping and horrified reactions from the society; her choice is welcomed with rejection and violence.

Women don't have ownership of their bodies as they are tricked into thinking that they don't have a FREE CHOICE in the matter.

Women don't even THINK that they CAN legitimately THINK about reproducing, because society teaches them from early years that reproduction is MANDATORY.

An intrinsec condition to being a woman - - like an inescapable curse. Beauty =/= fertility; womanhood isn't synonymous with fertility. A woman's body is to be loved and treasured for hosting the beauty of her soul, the light in her heart and the brille of her mind, and not because it could become a vessel for a child.

Her body deserves love because SHE deserves love and appreciation and not because it can become a host.

Being a woman shouldn't become a sentence to an unwanted life. Womanhood isn't a curse. Womanhood is a gift, a blessing, but not because it comes with a pair of reproductive organs.

Not all women have motherly instinct and that's perfectly normal. SHE, who is NOT a mother is perfectly normal. She isn't some bewitched monster to be avoided and annihilated at all costs, she isn't an alien from outer space.

She is a sentient being with her own set of values and goals and principles and she's beautiful and perfect just the way she is.

Women have a myriad of qualities and endless potential. They can be and they have the RIGHT to be whatever they want to be. They have a voice to express themselves and they must be heard and acknowledged and respected for it.

Just because someone is different it doesn't mean that she poses an attack to the very identity and existence of another. She just wants to be herself and that doesn't mean that she must fit into a predesigned pattern; she, isn't a pattern, a model. She is unique.

Maybe she wants to devote her body to arts, to love, to intimacy, and not to grow children, and that's perfectly ok.

Maybe she wants to use her delicate hands to create, to mold with clay, to forge in fire, to drive, to create, and not to change diapers. And that's perfectly normal.

Maybe she wants to life for herself, to spoil and pamper herself, to devote her undivided time to herself or her friends or her her lover, and not to rear another human being. And that's perfectly ok.

Women can contribute infinitely to society and they don't need to bear and rear children for it. She can already use her amazing skills to make the world a better place for the millions of suffering people or save endangered animals.

Women live in perfect communion with nature, intoning the same solfege as understanding the secret language and poetry of nature itself, through empathy and wisdom.

Her very existence is a blessing. She doesn't need to be a mother to prove her worth. She ALREADY is worthy in all her splendid beauty.

Women deserve love and respect for what they ARE and not for what they are EXPECTED to be, for no one is entitled to decide for her.

I'm a woman because that's how I FEEL. I'm a woman because that what I WANT. Womanhood and femeinity can be in everyone of us as an undeniable GIFT and no one has the right to strip a woman off this privilege.

Childfree women ARE women. Because a pair of reproductive organs can't postulate and define the soul and the heart of a sentient human being.

Womanhood and women aren't synonymous to motherhood and mothers and motherhood should never be used to invalidate and negate the self-identity of a sentient being.

And motherhood isn't innate and instinctual. There are many women who don't have motherly instincts. Respect them.

Respect women.

Respect her for what SHE is.

[lastkidpicked-blog1]

POST 8. Snowflake to Avalanche. Some cast writing.

Rhain was the first to send some writing in, in relation to the project. This will now change some as we are aiming for a humorous delivery. I thought she had some very strong ideas. 

Matthew also provided some writing but mistook Rhains questions as ones the whole group would answer. Despite this some strong ideas still emerged.

RHIAN’S 1st Draft. 

From Snowflakes To an Avalanche

 A few thoughts…

 Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 (54-72 years old) Generation X: Born 1965-1980 (38-53 years old) Millennials: Born 1981-1996 (22-37 years old) Post-Millennials: Born 1997-Present (0-21 years old)

 1.      Why are Millennials so depressed?

Older generations do not understand that a new era has came with the internet that has changed the functioning of society forever. Young people are now experienced widespread guilt, shame and disillusionment from a hand held device that they never let go of. We are bombarded constantly through social media that has affected our attitudes negatively, as seeing posts about atrocities or violence constantly and only able to help by feeding into a go fund me page is debilitating to any person. We are also confronted with racial issues, terrorist attacks, bullying, body shaming and suicide, on top of this contemporary shame, inherited colonial trauma affects our generation the most due to its ever growing acceptance of otherness and feelings of empathy. We also face unrealistic success standards everyone feels they must portray, this is isolating for those who feel less accomplished. We are constantly bombarded by the entire worlds every day, all day on our most prized possession. Then trying to live up to our parents standards, who expect young people to be able to go out and get a job when the economy is vastly different from when they were young and the jobs that are available are a much more competitive process than ever before.

 2.      Why do millennials treat sexuality and mental illness like fashion statements?

The acceptance of difference has never been higher among society and so has resulted in many claiming dignity in their sexuality or gender. The older generation say there are more gay people than ever or is it just that more gay people feel able to express themselves in today's climate? Perhaps our generational guilt and depression stems partly from the oppression systematically enforced by generation Z? It has not become in style to self harm or self destruct or self express, we just now have the internet to try and not feel so alone and through the internet have found ways of supporting one another.

 3.      Why are millennials so concerned with political correctness?

A struggle for the baby boomer generation is understanding the difference between political correctness and causal racism. The younger generation is in constant cahoots with all other races, we do not have time for casual racism let alone brexit, as we see the struggle of refugees daily and we see ourselves in people from other countries as we are more exposed now to other cultures than ever before, a reason to be grateful for our privilege of being able explore further in the world more than ever before through travel agencies or social media.

 4.      Do you really find traditional family life so appalling?

A traditional life is no longer appealing to a millennial who has inherited a need for something greater than the generation before. New families are being introduced and a nuclear family setting although still a viable option is seemingly not stimulating enough in this new GO GO GO media society.

5.      Everything has been handed to you. When you are so pampered, how do you feel an existential loneliness?

The previous generation believe they have pushed the world in a state of progression and although this is true in a sense that millenials are the most privileged generation yet in terms of material possessions. Now our things are collectively worth years wages of the baby boomer generation and this is supposed to make us the happiest generation! All this proves is that material things are worthless and due to our higher education standard, we are also more aware that there are more homeless people on the street than ever with empty housing being held by the government, government aid being stripped from the disabled and redirected into military programs and referendums and the government are the enemy to our generation with tensions that were beautifully displayed between Stormzy and Theresa May after the Grenfell Tower Fire.

 6.      Why are millennials so worked up over bodily ownership?

The fact that a room full of mostly rich men decide what people and more particularly women can and can not do with their bodies regardless of context is a disturbing, whether they were voted by a majority into power or not, these issues are for a body and a body alone and laws regarding the body should all depend on its autonomous state. This isn’t generational just common sense???

 Phrases and images

 Inspiring-

‘Keep on truckin’’

‘A minute at a time’

‘This too must pass’

 MATTHEW’S FIRST DRAFT.

why are millennials so depressed? It seems the ideas of success and wealth are now measured more than ever on celebrity ideals, with talentless kids such as lil pump being worth a reported 6.5 million dollars at 18. How can anyone in the real world live up to these ridiculous ways, social media is at the forefront of almost all depression id argue. Whether it is girls comparing themselves to cosmetic Barbie dolls or guys seeing footballers flashing super cars, when it comes down to it social media is a place where life looks so perfect. Thus leaving kids to believe in this perfection and in turn ask why they aren't perfect or as happy as others. Why do millennials treat sexuality and mental illness like fashion statements? We live in a society where we are told to think outside the box and be different and if you aren't different you are somehow boring or just seen as 'normal' which is something nobody wants to be branded as. therefore this generation is using sexuality and mental illness to try and define themselves and stand out from the crowd. However the numbers of people in this generation that suffer with depression and anxiety are astronomically high, and therefore it is probably more individual and different to say that you don't have a mental illness, which is sad. As for sexuality it is getting more and more socially acceptable to be openly gay, and even though some say that this causes people to think they are something they are not. some people disagree with the fact that there were probably just as many gay men and women in the 80s as there is now, it is just acceptable for gay people to be open and public about it now as was not the way in the 80s. Why are millennials so concerned with political correctness? Political correctness is often misinterpreted as just not accepting 'causal racism' we all know someone who will start a sentence with "I'm not racist but..." and then proceed to say something which is in fact just racist. usually this will be from someone of an older generation but not always and where as with the older generations I find it easier to forgive as that was the norm back when they were growing up so they have not changed with the times and is harmless, however there are some members of these generations that are just ignorant and really are racists this is often not the case. it is members of my own generation which I can't forgive this casual racism, I was brought up in the same world as them and I don't use these racial slurs or statements so why should they, it is out of pure bigotry that they choose not to accept that racism should just simply not be acceptable in this day in age. Do you really find traditional family life so appalling?

I feel this is born out of some misconstrued idea that to be successful you have to have no 'distractions' and a family is seen as the main 'distraction'. It feels like people have to make the decision to either be successful or be happy, but why can't we have both?. Everything has been handed to you. When you are so pampered, how do you feel an existential loneliness?

It is this idea that we have everything given to us and we are the most equipped generation to succeed that there ever has been that causes this existential loneliness, as we are told we have the tools to do whatever we want yet we still fail. But rather than putting it down to being human and having to fail in order to succeed, we bury any dreams we have in the fear that we won't succeed. And it is this which leads to the loneliness. The pressure put on kids now is greater than ever before as there aren't as many jobs for people and we are told if you don't have a degree you won't be able to get a job, where as generations of the past were born in to a Britain which had more opportunities as they could go and work down the pit or work in a ship yard or some sort of manufacturing jobs. where as now we have been replace by machines, and we have to fight and scratch to get opportunities for jobs.

[izziehensby]

Blog Post 3

Reading: 

‘Drama and Social Justice’, Chapter 5.

UK Government document on Social Justice.

If ‘Social justice is about making society function better – providing the support and tools to help turn lives around’ (UK Gov.co.uk), how well do you think the UK is achieving this today? What role can drama or theatre play in this? 

From reading the UK Government document on Social Justice, it became evident to me that early action to support young children and vulnerable parents to give them the best start in life is crucial in helping to prevent future drug and alcohol abuse, mental health issues and poor education. I believe the UK Government could be doing more to prioritise better care for new parents that lasts longer than the duration of the mother’s time in hospital. This is especially vital if a newborn is being brought home to a vulnerable home or ‘broken community’ where the parents are suffering from addiction, mental health issues or debt which can lead to the neglect of the child and ultimately the poverty cycle can start again. 

Additionally, there is a lack of opportunities for young people from more poverty-stricken areas which can ultimately lead to young people turning to crime and putting themselves in a vulnerable position to create an income. The opportunities that are provided are often through charity organisations, some of which are funded by the general public through nationwide appeals such as Children in Need and the National Lottery. It could be argued that the UK Government could review its tax system and start budgeting income from taxes for charities making sure these organisations have sufficient funding to support vulnerable communities. 

I believe theatre can be used as a vital tool for those vulnerable to help with skills in communication, empathy, teamwork and a sense of achievement and should be introduced as a prominent part of the school curriculum at the beginning of the education system. 

Gallagher states that some of the young people that they studied seemed to have internalised robust neoliberal messages, taking full responsibility for their social and economic struggles. In what ways do you think this might apply to you in the context of your life and your third level study of drama? 

Neoliberalism is an ideology and policy model that is characterised by free-market trade, privatisation, individualisation and the shift away from state intervention. George Monbiot from The Guardian claims neoliberalism “has played a major role in a remarkable variety of crises: the financial meltdown of 2007‑8,...the slow collapse of public health and education, resurgent child poverty, the epidemic of loneliness, the collapse of ecosystems, the rise of Donald Trump.” (Monbiot, 2016) Yet society responds to these crises as isolated issues that aren’t exacerbated by neoliberalism. 

Neoliberalism rewards competition among human relations and merits consumerism, the more you have the bigger your success. These values combined with a shift away from state welfare provision leads to the rich persuading “themselves that they acquired their wealth through merit, ignoring their advantages” and the poor beginning to “blame themselves for their failures, even when they can do little to change their circumstances.” (Monbiot, 2016) Due to this, I am unsurprised that the young people featured in Gallagher’s study feel they need to take full responsibility for their social and economic struggles. 

Personally I have felt the pressures of neoliberalism in the context of my life, the demands to further my education and the burden to get on the property ladder as soon as possible as if this is the only measure of success. In the context of my third level study of drama and my upcoming final project, I intend to explore how neoliberalism encourages loneliness and how the context of self-isolation has exacerbated this. 

Describe in your own words what ecological thinking means? 

Ecological thinking is the realisation that all living things are interconnected. In order to seek an optimum environment, we must embrace this fact and respect what every living thing can offer. 

Self-Reflection: Can you think of when you first became aware of or interested in social justice? Are there any specific things you do in your life that contribute to the notion of a just society for all? 

I think I’ve become more aware of social justice through travelling the world and embracing different cultures where I’ve discovered more about different communities and the justices they face. I believe my time at university has taught me to examine current social justice affairs critically. Additionally, my time in the workplace has made me more aware of the social justices that affect women in a male-dominated workplace. 

There are a few small things that I do that I believe contribute to the notion of a just society, for example, always exercising my right to vote, using my voice to communicate the opinions of those who feel oppressed and using my social media platform to spread the word about social justice issues that I feel passionately about. 

References:

Monbiot, G. (2016) ‘Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems.’, The Guardian, 15th April.