it's earth hour day--well, almost! hooray!!! i get very excited about social action, and i was in fact, prompted to write one of my first ever letters to the editor today due to the fact that i received no response from our podunk community about my suggestion to promote earth hour here this year. additionally, they sent out letters to everyone yesterday stating that the recycling program in our town is not making enough money and will either require a tax hike or they will do away with it. WTF?!?! i incorporated these two issues into my letter emphasizing the fact that if we do not take care of what we have on this earth now, it will be gone forever. i'm sure that this idea will go over well in a community that largely believes in the second coming and welcomes the end of the world as the rapture. eek. suffice it to say, ours will likely be the only house in the community that will flick the lights off tomorrow in celebration of earth hour. i will do it gladly, however, and pride myself on my moral superiority. ;) we have company coming and i have already forewarned them of this event...i think we'll make it interesting for their children by lighting the chimenea out back and toasting marshmallows (weather permitting).
i'm feeling VERY socially inclined as of late. i think it's a combination of factors:
1. we just watched "capitalism: a love story." nothing fills me with inspiration faster than leftist propaganda.
2. all of this hype (not to mention the bitching and moaning) surrounding the health care bill/law. even my dad (he's very conservative) feels that this law infringes upon his freedom. hmmm. to him, and to every other person who utilizes this excuse, i posit the question: how is being in a financial situation that does not allow a person to even afford health care constitute freedom? i can't afford it. my HR rep at Fantastic University (FU!) told me straight up in her most legit street lingo, "girl, you can apply for insurance, but there's no way you can afford it on your payroll." dear conservatives, you're right: i don't deserve proper health care, or peace of mind that if some malheur befalls me i would receive appropriate care. thank you for your wisdom and good sense! sincerely, me. ugh. i just can't even go there right now.
3. i've been searching for "real jobs" surrounding our impending move, and the majority of the ones that really intrigue me are in social/ethical fields of work. fair trade, sustainability, etc. i would love to go to work everyday knowing that i was having a positive impact on my own personal, local nucleus as well as the earth as a bigger picture, too.
4. i've been (re)reading a bunch of feminist lit lately. some new, some old, but all notable in that they are rekindling the fire in my belly that inspired the title of this blog in the first place...i still want that revolution! worthy of mention here are: atwood's the handmaid's tale and the edible woman, ozeki's my year of meats, dodie smith's i capture the castle (not "feminist" per se, but has many feminist elements/themes-also just a fabulous read), plath's the bell jar, piercy's woman on the edge of time, and satrapi's persepolis.
in all, it's been a pretty grim week on the home-front due to a loss in our family, but despite all of this, i am feeling oddly optimistic. perhaps it is spring peeking up at me and smiling through the patches of daffodils cropping up all over the lawn, or the feeling of sticking it to the man (no matter how small the action is) in order to make my voice heard, or even still it is possibly the voices of previous revolutionary women speaking to me through their powerful works, encouraging me to trudge onward, uphill, head down but determined that things will change. things must change. and so, i sign off this evening lighter in heart and spirit; looking forward to the simple action that will make my voice part of the bigger picture tomorrow as i tuck my chin down and trudge on towards change. when i flick out the lights tomorrow, i will be thinking: "TURN THAT SHIT UP!!!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eZAqMYat-0&feature=fvst
I will be at work during Earth Hour, but maybe I'll be able to manage turning off the lights in the bathroom or something! And I'll make sure all of our apartment's lights are off when I leave :o)
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