Interdisciplinarity vs Geraldine Ferraro

So I just happened to check in with one of my favorite blogs-- feministing.com
And discovered this lovely commentary (way at the bottom, I had a lot to say first, whoops) that is technically about Geraldine Ferraro, but really discusses the (more important) growing divide between 2nd wave and 3rd wave feminists.

Nowhere is this divide more evident than in the political debates of non-runners about this year's two most exciting candidates for President. Old-school feminists (ie: 2nd wavers) support HC simply because she is a woman. And I understand the point. They've been forced to act on one-party politics for a long time-- just to be taken seriously in politics at all. They've had to focus their clout very specifically for it to be enough force to enact changes. Important changes. But the latest wave of feminists (ie: 3rd wavers-- may there be many more waves to come, and may my cat's snores not wake the neighbors)... we see things a little differently. It's a bit of a one-world approach. And you can see it beginning to take root in the offerings of many small liberal arts colleges around the country.

You see, we have an interdisciplinary approach. We understand that it isn't just about being female. It's about being black and poor, or female and muslim, or any number of other intersecting (and now interdisciplinary) realities that we AS PEOPLE face every day. We are proud of who we are, and often of where we came from as well. But not everyone sees it that way. What we DO see is that if all underprivileged groups work together in support of a better world for all of us, we'll all win. Not just the women who choose to define themselves (and vote) exclusively by the shape of their genitals. In fact, while respecting greatly the progress and fights and sacrifices that many women before us have made to get us this far... I personally find it every bit as limiting (now) to define myself by my perceived gender as to be defined by it. So I don't. I see that I am a young healthy white woman from a poor farming town with two parents, etc etc etc. All those things intersect to define my personal challenges and my privileges.

I have been privileged to hear many intelligent and self-aware speakers on the subject of race, and how it intersects with other challenges and privileges. One of these speakers explained to me that if we continue to ignore difference (like skin color), we are sending a message to those whose individuality we ignore that these parts of them don't count, or aren't valued. Their cultural background, their family struggles, their special abilities and evident skills... Rather, to be truly anti-racism (or classism or any other ism you think of), we must EMBRACE DIFFERENCE, and find connection in our very uniqueness. We must find ways to bridge the gaps and become a community, without losing the gifts that difference brings. No community could survive by itself if everyone in it were a bricklayer. Who'd bake the bread?

And so I have pasted a small piece of the latest bit of intelligence (I don't always agree, but the site does always make me think about what I think, and why) from feministing.com:

Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro, Democratic politician and champion of reproductive choice, said the following to The Daily Breeze in Torrance, California: If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color), he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept. It strikes me as more fodder for Jessica's awesome argument in The Nation--namely that some older feminist's insistence on making divisive, black vs. white arguments around the presidential election is indicative of a larger intergenerational trend in the women's movement. Younger women want to speak, breathe, and live intersectional feminism--the idea that social change emerges at the crossroads of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability etc. Some older women are stuck in a second-wave conception of feminism as wholly focused on gender and championing women no matter what the context or complexities. We see this divide showing up in women's organizations. We see this divide showing up in media coverage. And we see this divide showing up in the interpersonal, every day struggles between feminists of different generations who want to see one another and do good work together. So I ask you: What do you think?

Sooner Or Later

I've no idea of the tune, or where I heard this song-- but there's a song out there that goes like this: ....everything else, sooner or later, falls apart.... And I can identify with that. There have been times when I even felt that everything I touched fell apart. But I don't feel that right now.

Right now, I'm waiting. And it isn't something I do very gracefully most of the time. In fact, the longer I have to wait, the uglier it gets. I've got some applications out there in the world, somewhere, right now. A few of those have even been acknowledged by the institutions I sent them to, so I know people've RECEIVED MY APPLICATIONS. What I don't know is HOW they received them. I had one telephone interview. It was a learning experience, but I feel that I actually did fairly well. And they told me that the next step would be flying out their top three candidates for face-to-face interviews sometime in the last two weeks of March. And unless they want to end up holding airline bills for thousands of dollars, that means those final three candidates would have to be contacted at least two weeks out-- so... by the beginning of March. Which has now passed. Without my hearing a word. I've also heard nothing from my personal favorite (site unseen) of the places I've applied. Their deadline was February 29th. I know they GOT the application. I thought I had a good strong chance of being interviewed. I'm trying REALLY HARD to believe that they just haven't contacted everyone in their top ten yet. It's only been a week.

I have to say, my patience with the whole situation (and with myself) is starting to wear thin. The good news is that I've put moratoriums on my other commitments (don't know how it happened, but I ended up committed to doing SOMETHING for SOMEONE every day of the week for the past month!) so that I can again be an application-producing machine. I need a job. A really awesome job that I love and that pays the bills (and the loans, with maybe some left over for fun and savings) and.... Well....

I'm also really excited about March. In general, it's a fun month. Spring is popping out everywhere, the birds are ecstatic (and loud), and many of my favorite people have birthdays in March. In addition to this, the Spring Equinox is coming, and along with it-- PaganFaire2008!! In which I have my very own booth. Finally, a place to find good homes for my fabric storytales and my scented lotions and my hand-mixed loose-leaf herbal teas and my home-made medicinal ointments. And, in the process, I might even make back a bit of the money it took for me to make these things and reserve the booth. I tell you, March is a good month!

Did you know that I've been in search of good (and unique) tapered candle holders for something like 18 months now? Not a frantic search, by any means... But of the three I have, two are broken, none are all that sturdy, and all are short and easily found at any local store. But then last week, I was coming out of the bagel store (lunch after volunteering in the Library and before getting my car's first oil change-- they say the gas gauge is never really that accurate, and the problem I'm having might be the breaks, but they'd have to tear the car apart to find out) and for the first time, I noticed a little "antiques and gifts" (read second-hand) store across the parking lot. Now, I don't often go into these because they are often musty and depressing... But on that day, I went right over and wandered in. And found the perfect sturdy hand-blown glass candlestick holders I'd been searching for. They are very unique, they are a gorgeous aqua blue, they have a wide sturdy base, they don't actually need extra goop to hold the candles in place, and the lady agreed to sell them both to me for $10 off the asking price. Which was like a 40% discount, and meant that I didn't have to blow my budget to buy them. I love the month of March!!

In other good news, my latest attempt at an organization system seems to be working fairly well. And I'm nearly done with my ALA Core Books List Update, which really rocks. See, I was asked to update the Reference section of books (all 97 of them, plus any new ones I want to add) for the American Library Association's Women's Studies list of Core Books for any Women's Studies library collection. And I was a lot daunted by the project. I mean, I won't even feel like a real librarian until I get through my first official day of paid work as one! And here I am weeding the REFERENCE LIST that the whole nation uses for their Women's Studies library collections. Good God! But I did it. And I feel good about what I did. Now, we'll just wait and see what everybody else thinks. =)

Sooner or later, everybody has an opinion about something.

Coyote Howls

A howl is one thing-- but actually, the hunting BARK of a coyote raises a lot more hairs on the back of my neck. Especially when it is uttered from less than 50 feet away, in the dead of night, and followed by complete silence. Was that for me?? Is the first rational thought that comes to mind. And then you realize-- I'm inside the house. That probably means I'm safe from wild animals. I've never before been quite so aware of how thin a wall is-- nor of how insignificant a barrier a pane of glass can be.

Ahh, Nature!
... to be honest, I don't think most of us would last two nights if we were really stuck out in it!