Tag: freedom

Thanks for the Satisfaction

I’ve been griping a lot, and I did say I’d blog about some things that inspire me. On that note…

 

I Can’t Get No Satisfaction was the number on song on the day I was born. I guess I was destined to be a fan of the Rolling Stones.

I remember one New Year’s Eve in my teens. I was alone at home, feeling very lonely and unwanted. I laid on my bed, drinking a mickey of Lemon Gin and listening to the 45 of Paint It Black on repeat for hours. It helped me to think that I wasn’t alone in my darkness. To this day, if I’m feeling depressed, Paint it Black will help me through my feelings.

The first time I fell in love, the Stones were there too. Wild Horses was the soundtrack to the exact moment that I realized I was, indeed, in love. I was kissing my boyfriend. We both pulled apart, noticed the tears in each other’s eyes and said, I love you.

The first time I drove a convertible with the top down Mick and the boys were there. Route 66 blared from the speakers of my 1971 Cadillac. I felt freedom and joy.

Beast Of Burden was playing the first time I had sex. Ever since, I get randy as all get out when I hear it.

The Stones have been there for all of my most important firsts and many of the moments in between. I was lucky enough to have seen them live once in my life and hope to do so at least once more. I look forward to sharing the rest of my days with the most poignant, fun loving, controversial, sexy, dark, life affirming and satisfying bands in the history of rock and roll.

Thank you, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brain Jones, Ron Wood, Bill Wyman, Mick Taylor and Charlie Watts for the Satisfaction.

What do women want?

As a feminist, it really puts the wind up my skirt when I hear another woman say, “I’m not a feminist, but…”. If you believe in equal pay for equal work, the right to choose what to do with your own body, the right to vote, the right to education, the right to have a career and/or children and the right to own property, then you are a feminist. If you are against rape as a weapon of war, marital rape, sexual enslavement, genital mutilation (female circumcision), sexual discrimination and being treated as less than human, then you are a feminist.

Women want the same freedoms, rights and privileges that are afforded to men, no more, no less. I don’t see why that is so hard for some women to understand.

We have accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time, but change takes time and we still have battles yet to win. In North America alone, we are still struggling. As a matter of fact, just last week, after 28 years in the Canadian courts, Canada Post has finally lost a pay equity case. Yes, the Post Office fought for 28 years, taking this case all the way to the supreme court, spending far more than they would have spent if they had just abided by the first ruling against them. http://www.psac-afpc.com/news/2011/issues/20111117-e.shtml. It was just 1982 when the Canadian Equality Law went into effect.

In the United States, Nebraska was the first state to criminalize marital rape in 1976. It took until 1993, yes 1993 for the other 49 states to follow suit. In Canada, Bill C-127 came into effect on Jan. 4, 1983, making marital rape a criminal offence.

I hope that these examples will make women think twice the next time they want to say, “I’m not a feminist, but…”. The more you distance yourself from the fight, the less likely it is that we will continue to win these kinds of battles. It’s only by standing united that we will continue to advance.