Citizens Against Radioactive Neighbourhoods (CARN) Protest Uranium Pellet Production
The Third of Thirteen Moon Teachings
While the Revolution has to be Old …
A huge revolutionary potential exists within old people because they stand on the other side of wage slavery. For the most part their nests are empty, they are not carrying student debt, and their mortgages are paid. Existing outside this jail of the economic system they have more agency to do what is right and to do what is moral. Unfortunately the dominant discourse socializes seniors into thinking that they are in the restful time of the golden years where they are manipulated into submission of what they are really supposed to do: Walk into their power and freedom that they worked so hard to gain. We really need more seniors to stand up and say, “The golden years can kiss my ass. I am now going to live the wisdom I gained. I am now going to stand up, and I am now going to speak up because I need to make sure I leave the world in a better state for the generations that come after me. They are depending on me.”
It Has To Be So Much More …
Foremost feminism is a political agenda where the goal is to challenge patriarchal structures and forge out a better life for women, children, and the more oppressed such as persons with disabilities. This political agenda also concerns itself with how men are oppressed by patriarchy and other oppressive structures. Feminism shines a light on oppression; Feminism is always concrete and practical; and feminism is always local.
Foremost feminism is also a mindset where as such the essential criterion of being a feminist is not necessarily having a vagina. In this way feminism is a political agenda that emerges from a particular mindset. When we think feminism is merely about having a vagina versus the importance of a mindset with a political agenda we risk patriarchy co-opting young, obliging, accommodating needful women who lack the political mindset needed for real meaningful change to occur because they are unable to stand up to patriarchal oppression; or for that matter women who only want a political career. There are many people with penises and who have valid feminist agendas.
Today feminism also has to be intersectional and must value that along with sexism, people are also oppressed through racism and ableism. Intersectional feminism understands that being oppressed by more than one oppressive structure has more than an additive impact in terms of how difficult it is to live. The lived experience of intersectional oppression has an interaction effect.
Feminism today that does not work in the ‘practical’, does not work in the ‘local’, and does not work in the ‘intersectional’ in unison will always remain inadequate at generating real change. Feminism today and feminist actions have to be more. White silos of old women, although important, will not work.
Feminist events, feminist actions, feminist awareness building, and feminist celebrations also have to move beyond education, entertainment, social activity, coffee clubs, and show-casing feminists. Feminism today has to be concrete, practical, and local because feminism is more than about the education, the entertainment, and the social activity of a few. White, able-bodied, cis-gender feminist women and men who have more access to power and privilege have to be better in the way they serve the more intersectionally oppressed. Again feminism today has to be concrete, practical, and remain with a local issue of oppression.
If I were a ‘feminist without a penis’ I would be very upset with how feminism has been co-opted and spun into meaningless events and actions that lack concrete value and thus serve the change needed. Will the real feminists (regardless of your biology) please stand up.
Radiation Exposure is More of a Women’s Issue …
While the revolution has to be old and intersectional radiation exposure is nothing to laugh about. We should all be crying. There are three ways that radiation harms us and our community members:
1. Radiation is carcinogenic, meaning it causes cancer. It only takes one radioactive particle to damage a human cell. Children are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are containers of much cellular growth.
2. Radiation is mutagenic, meaning it mutates our egg and sperm cells and causes birth abnormalities.
3. Radiation is teratogenic, meaning it has the ability to infiltrate the mother-child placenta barrier. Unborn babies are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are containers of much cellular growth.
The Revolution also has to be Young:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fngWdqZagWU&fbclid=IwAR3X0AC4OcJjBmzbKYV6bDKqVGPmgStb9xzFJznnVgjKxEZ5eVbb0y--1k4
While the Revolution has to be Old …
A huge revolutionary potential exists within old people because they stand on the other side of wage slavery. For the most part their nests are empty, they are not carrying student debt, and their mortgages are paid. Existing outside this jail of the economic system they have more agency to do what is right and to do what is moral. Unfortunately the dominant discourse socializes seniors into thinking that they are in the restful time of the golden years where they are manipulated into submission of what they are really supposed to do: Walk into their power and freedom that they worked so hard to gain. We really need more seniors to stand up and say, “The golden years can kiss my ass. I am now going to live the wisdom I gained. I am now going to stand up, and I am now going to speak up because I need to make sure I leave the world in a better state for the generations that come after me. They are depending on me.”
It Has To Be So Much More …
Foremost feminism is a political agenda where the goal is to challenge patriarchal structures and forge out a better life for women, children, and the more oppressed such as persons with disabilities. This political agenda also concerns itself with how men are oppressed by patriarchy and other oppressive structures. Feminism shines a light on oppression; Feminism is always concrete and practical; and feminism is always local.
Foremost feminism is also a mindset where as such the essential criterion of being a feminist is not necessarily having a vagina. In this way feminism is a political agenda that emerges from a particular mindset. When we think feminism is merely about having a vagina versus the importance of a mindset with a political agenda we risk patriarchy co-opting young, obliging, accommodating needful women who lack the political mindset needed for real meaningful change to occur because they are unable to stand up to patriarchal oppression; or for that matter women who only want a political career. There are many people with penises and who have valid feminist agendas.
Today feminism also has to be intersectional and must value that along with sexism, people are also oppressed through racism and ableism. Intersectional feminism understands that being oppressed by more than one oppressive structure has more than an additive impact in terms of how difficult it is to live. The lived experience of intersectional oppression has an interaction effect.
Feminism today that does not work in the ‘practical’, does not work in the ‘local’, and does not work in the ‘intersectional’ in unison will always remain inadequate at generating real change. Feminism today and feminist actions have to be more. White silos of old women, although important, will not work.
Feminist events, feminist actions, feminist awareness building, and feminist celebrations also have to move beyond education, entertainment, social activity, coffee clubs, and show-casing feminists. Feminism today has to be concrete, practical, and local because feminism is more than about the education, the entertainment, and the social activity of a few. White, able-bodied, cis-gender feminist women and men who have more access to power and privilege have to be better in the way they serve the more intersectionally oppressed. Again feminism today has to be concrete, practical, and remain with a local issue of oppression.
If I were a ‘feminist without a penis’ I would be very upset with how feminism has been co-opted and spun into meaningless events and actions that lack concrete value and thus serve the change needed. Will the real feminists (regardless of your biology) please stand up.
Radiation Exposure is More of a Women’s Issue …
While the revolution has to be old and intersectional radiation exposure is nothing to laugh about. We should all be crying. There are three ways that radiation harms us and our community members:
1. Radiation is carcinogenic, meaning it causes cancer. It only takes one radioactive particle to damage a human cell. Children are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are containers of much cellular growth.
2. Radiation is mutagenic, meaning it mutates our egg and sperm cells and causes birth abnormalities.
3. Radiation is teratogenic, meaning it has the ability to infiltrate the mother-child placenta barrier. Unborn babies are particularly vulnerable because their bodies are containers of much cellular growth.
The Revolution also has to be Young:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fngWdqZagWU&fbclid=IwAR3X0AC4OcJjBmzbKYV6bDKqVGPmgStb9xzFJznnVgjKxEZ5eVbb0y--1k4
© Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. In 2017 she won an Ontario Court of Appeal case on sex discrimination in The Indian Act, and is an outspoken critic of Canada's land claims process. Recently she published Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit. You can reach her through, and see more of her work, at www.lynngehl.com.
