The concept of a post-gender world is really exciting. I’m frequently frustrated that we’re not living in that future yet. We’re not in that future because we haven’t built it yet. I say we’re not building it fast enough. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the patient type. The slow process of changing culture upsets me. Change is so exciting to me because it means I’ll have a greater variety of experiences in my life. Even if I live to be 150, I know I’ll be sad at the end, thinking about the future I won’t get to see. So, when I see our culture processing the same issues for so many years, I start ranting like an 16 year old punk who just discovered outrage.
Continue reading ‘On Gender, idealism, and endless Twitter fights (part 1)’
Archive for the 'words' Category
02
Jan
12
2011 – a year of many things
It’s the first day of 2012. Inspired by Molly Crabapple’s post, I decided to write my own post about 2011. At the end of 2010, there was a giant thing I could point to and say, “I helped make that happen.” Since 2011 was a year of many smaller projects, it feels important to take the time to recognize those things.
Continue reading ’2011 – a year of many things’
31
Oct
11
Occupy Oakland and San Francisco
I wasn’t there on the night of October 25, when police used tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters as they marched through downtown Oakland. Working late in San Francisco, I watched in horror as my twitter stream exploded with first-hand accounts of what was happening there. Read more on Boing Boing. That article has a collection of excellent photos and many links that tell more of the story.
Prepared for a long night, I joined Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly after the park had been reclaimed. The crowd was huge and in good spirits. A thousand voices spoke at once as the People’s Mic. I heard and repeated the message that the people in Tahrir Square in Egypt planned to march in solidarity with Oakland. My eyes watered then, and I cried a few days later when their photos were posted.
Another announcement in the General Assembly was that Occupy San Francisco was being threatened with a late night raid by the police. MUNI buses full of cops were staged nearby. They needed more people on the ground in Justin Herman Plaza. So, many of us crossed the bay to join them.
Upon arrival, a friend asked if I had the phone number for the National Lawyers Guild written on me yet. I rolled up a sleeve, and he wrote it for me. All throughout the night, there were people wandering through the crowd with sharpies, making sure everyone had the number.
Rumor spread through the crowd that the buses full of police had moved to Treasure Island. No one had photos or could say this for sure, so Aaron Muszalski and Ian Baker drove to Treasure Island to confirm. The rumor was true. They posted photos. Ian asked them what they were doing on Treasure Island. Their answer was “training exercise”. They followed the cops when they moved, keeping us updated with twitter. As they headed toward San Francisco, the crowd formed a protective ring around the camp. Eventually it became clear that a raid was unlikely and the camp was safe for the night.
