Arizona? Quit bullying people.

Years ago, when I was a young girl, I was continually told by my brother that I was fat and ugly and all his friends said I was the ‘ugliest girl they knew’. This went on for years. I won’t lie. Those words crushed me as a child. But I never showed it because I wouldn’t allow a bully to see that I was crushed or that I feared his words. I endured to spite him. It was a relief when he left home. Why do I bring this up? I believe my strong beliefs and views on human rights and equality were born from this bullying. It made me who I am – an individual with definite beliefs and opinions who will not stand quietly and let things slide. Anyone who has ever been bullied will not stand and allow others to be treated the same way.

When I read headlines like this, I instantly arc up...

"Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must decide if she will sign a bill allowing business owners to deny service to gay and lesbian customers."

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/25/politics/arizona-brewer-anti-gay-bill/

This essentially reads as ‘someone’ must decide if other human beings with certain defined sexual and romantic preferences can be allowed to go into some places of business and purchase good and services.  What. The. Fuck. How is this right? How is this having respect for other human beings regardless of what they think, believe or act? How can you slam one group of people and deny them rights? And to wrap it up in some talk about “as long as they (the shop owners) assert their religious beliefs" while they’re denying someone else their own particular beliefs to me is bullying in its worst form. It’s saying ‘well, you can’t be normal like us so I’m not going to interact with you and I’m going to make you feel ostracized because I can wave a moralistic banner saying my god allows me to do it.’ Bollocks. Remember when people were fervently denied human rights because of the colour of their skin? Remember how much we look upon those days as appalling and wrong? How is it okay to cite God to smite down people who just want to love who they love because it’s their right to do so as a human being?

If you have ever faced a bully, you know and I know, you bear scars that will never allow you to let another person feel the same way you did. Arizona? Quit bullying people. 

Now a word from the overweight, white woman...

Well, didn’t I piss off some people on facebook on the weekend?  And the emails I got? Why? Two reasons. The first? Weight. I posted this link on facebook –

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/be-beautiful-project-inspires-month-of-naked-selfies-in-public/story-fneszy80-1226724623374

My exact words were – “Interesting concept...nope, not about to do it myself but I admire her.”

Why do I admire her? Because people make a decision for themselves and take action based on how they feel and what is important to them. You may not like it. I may not like it. But it’s their decision. We don’t have to understand it. People choose to act as their conscience dictates and what’s important to them. This lady made a stand because she wanted to. She wasn’t asking people to like it or agree with it. What she did was for herself.  If she did this to make herself feel better about who she is then good luck to her. It is not for me or other people to point out the possible flaws in her plan. Yeah, ‘her plan.’ You don’t want to look at her? Don’t look. You declare she needs to lose weight? Look at what you need to change in your life before you judge another. You think she eats indiscriminately, like a self obsessed pig and deserves to be fat? We have no idea of what she eats or her metabolism or what exercise she does. I don’t know what’s going on in her head. No one but she does. And the criticism that really got me was from two people indicating their disgust  in that she was trying to make a place in society to be accepted as a human being around other human beings. Well, fuck me, what a bitch she is to want to find her place in the world and be at peace with who she is.

Now onto the other thing. I’m a white woman. I’m me. I’m average. I have strange, crazy beliefs that everyone should be treated equally regardless of how they look, the colour of their skin and regardless of gender. I know, call me crazy.  What I object to is being blamed as a 'white woman' for all the ills in the world. Bollocks! Yeah, shitty things happen to good people regardless of their skin colour. I'm not about to apologize for my skin colour or who I am. You want to hate me for that? Grow up. Blame one type of person over another and point to them as evil? Oh for fuck sake. Haven't we got enough war in the world  

Yeah – you can email me – amarinda_jones@yahoo.com.au

Love is not all you need....

...freedom to live in peace without violence is. 

But we have not ended violence. Today 1 out of 3 women in the world -- more than 1 billion women -- will be raped or beaten.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/one-billion-rising_b_1277501.html?utm_hp_ref=womens-rights


One out of three women...
One billion women... 
One billion women too many...

Ah, what?

I was talking to someone I work with quite regularly on the phone. She was annoyed that someone we both deal with on a daily basis said to her ‘you remind me of my mother.’ She’s, at a guess, late 50’s. He’s early 30’s. He’s supposed to be a manager of people. Here’s what I think, to manage people you work with you have to assess who that person is and if unsure of what to say for fear of offending them then shut up and say nothing. And yeah, you could blame lack of life experience for saying something so crass to a woman like that but that would be a cop out. You are paid to be a figure head – someone people are supposed to respect – not an insincere twit. I called him out on it. Me - lowly office manager that I am. I pointed out it was inappropriate and also rude because the lady in question had taken offense at it. I’m not sure he understood but he was very quiet. You know, big corporations talk about equality in the workplace and they have a gazillion policies written on it to show they care but in the end it’s all lip service. I've seen it too many times. Men treat women like crap in the workplace.

You say she looks like your mother? I say you act like your 5 years old and do your parents know where you are? 

Discrimination against women and children in the middle east.

I dunno'...I just don't know understand discrimination...

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Gay? Female? Too bad, so sad…

The Victorian government is expected to announce on Sunday that religious groups will be allowed to discriminate against gays and single mothers in a controversial compromise reached on workers' rights.
Attorney-General Rob Hulls has approved of a plan to let church-run organisations refuse employment to anyone they believe undermines their beliefs, The Sunday Age says.

The newspaper says the plan will allow church groups to discriminate on grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status and parental status, but in return these groups will cease being able to discriminate on the basis of race, age, disability, political beliefs, breastfeeding and physical features.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/6104482

I had to read this twice because I couldn’t believe anything so stupid could be true. Discriminating “on grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status and parental status.” So in essence what this means is women, anyone not straight as a ruler or single parents or those ‘living in sin’ are not acceptable as they undermine the beliefs of a religious body who in theory is preaching God’s word about love, equality and humanity. I’m sorry…what century is this again?

How is this a ‘compromise’ to ‘workers rights’? Does this mean a 60 year old, black, heterosexual male will get precedence over a white, gay man just because he’s straight and they’ll over look the black thing due to him being deemed more ‘normal’? Will a radical feminist raising three kids on her own be shown the door because a woman, with a limp and a big nose, but is married, is more acceptable to these bigoted twits?

No one should be ‘allowed to discriminate’ against anyone let alone a government body condoning it. If this is politics then it’s true any nong with a healthy bank balance can enter the game. If this is religion then I pleased I’m a heathen. I’m often accused of being a rampant socialist. I have this crazy belief that no one is better than anyone else and everyone should be treated equally. Bargaining and compromising with people’s lives? It’s just plain wrong. ‘Victorian government’? Yeah you belong back in that century.

"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS"- George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 10

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

Femininity versus stupidity…

"To us Caster is simply the best 800m woman World Champion and must be given a heroine's welcome upon return to South Africa on Tuesday," the minister said.

The gender-testing debate has sparked outrage in the 18-year-old's home country, with the ruling party and its youth and women's wings saying the test smacked of racism and sexism.

"Accordingly, all of us as South Africans, especially women, must rally around Caster and reject with the contempt it deserves the insinuations being made about her gender."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5851307/s-africa-to-give-semenya-heroine-welcome/

I was not going to comment on this issue at all. Why? Because frankly I found it both sexist and racist and I’m not about to judge anyone ever on the way they look. But after hearing someone today crap on about how this woman, Caster Semenya, could only be a man ‘because no woman looks like that’ – well frankly that just shits me off no end.

What is a woman supposed to look like? What is beautiful? What is acceptable? Big boobs? Blonde hair? A pretty voice? Who defines femininity? When did being an individual and unique become a bad thing? When did not being the standard stereotypical pretty woman mean you were a man? How many women do I know who are flat chested? Lots. How many have deep voices? Heaps. Are they men? No. Would anyone question their femininity? Only superficial nongs. I remember several years ago when a female French tennis player’s femininity was being questioned. They were wrong then. ‘Got to wonder why we rarely question the looks of a man like this. Sexism? Oh hell yes.

I’m not beautiful. I’m plain and average. I’m no one’s ideal. But I have big boobs and a 'standard' feminine voice so – phew - I’m safe from accusations. I believe people should seriously look at themselves first before they question the appearance of another or demand someone jump through a hoop to prove who they are. No one is that perfect that they can judge. Leave the woman alone. She won. Get over it.

www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book