Jassy's WGS Ecofeminism Site

PRAXIS PART ONE: HIGHLIGHTS

In my blog, Praxis: Part One, I gave a ‘run-down’ of my ideas for practicing ecofeminism. The current state of the world makes it quite difficult to fundraise or join community-based organizations. I had suggested ‘seed-bombing’ and going vegan as my own personal way to commit to ecofeminism practice and principles.

Further beyond this time of crisis, I have implemented a plan to fundraise via one joint yard sale with my friends and family. I will hopefully be able to do this in July (hoping that we will be doing better in our current health crisis). My friends and family have agree to participate in this yard sale and donate our proceeds to UNICEF.

UNICEF’s mission statement is PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST, ALL OVER THE WORLD. I have always been a supporter of UNICEF and, I believe they are a beautiful example of ecology, feminism, and human rights merging together for one cause.  Just a few things that UNICEF is responsible for:

• “UNICEF helps immunize 45% of the worlds children
• UNICEF has provided lifesaving interventions that have cut child deaths by more than 50% since 1990
• UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to provide these life-saving services
• Last year, UNICEF responded to 300 humanitarian emergencies. 
•  Since 2000, UNICEF has distributed 1 billion insecticide-treated bed nets across Africa. “

  

  If you are interested in more information on this organization please visit: https://www.unicefusa.org/help/advocate

   

PRAXIS PART TWO: RESULTS

Since, my fundraiser for UNICEF is on the ‘back-burner’ during this stay-at-home advisory, I have decided to make a small donation via their website. In addition to this, I will be participating in their online activist community. The online advocacy center on www.unicefusa.org offers information and support on how you can reach members of congress and work towards justice and quality of life for America’s youth. I have begun writing to members of congress on an issue I feel particularly strong about: ending child marriage in the United States. Even today in the United States, children are being married before the age of eighteen due to our flawed and aged out legislature.

https://act.unicefusa.org/childmarriage

In addition to my online presence in UNICEF’s community, I will be ‘seed bombing’ once the weather lets up. It has rained in my town every day this week and, I am waiting for less harsh weather to begin planting. I have already bought a surplus of seeds and, my fiance will be assisting me in spreading the seeds around our community.

Full discretion: I did not become vegan but, will consider it in the future.

FINAL THOUGHTS: MY INSPIRATION

If you were to ask me why UNICEF was so important to me, I would say Audrey Hepburn: my lifelong idol. Audrey Hepburn was born into Dutch royalty in Belgium and was pursuing a career in ballet. Her family were Nazi-sympathizers during WWII but, she raised money with her ballet performances to send to the US and UK’s efforts to end the war. Afterwards she became one of the most famous actresses of all time.

Audrey Hepburn left her career in Hollywood to work full-time for UNICEF. She served on missions in Ethiopia serving those stricken by famine. She served in Turkey on a polio vaccine project. In Venezuela, she worked on training programs focusing on women. In Ecuador and Guatemala, she helped provide clean drinking water. In El Salvador, she worked on literacy projects for children. In Thailand she worked on improving quality of life for impoverished children. In Sudan and Vietnam, she worked on nutrition projects. In addition to all of this, Audrey testified before Congress and launched UNICEF’s ‘State of the World’s Children’ reports,  and tirelessly fundraised.

Finally after being diagnosed with cancer, Audrey Hepburn spent the remainder of her life working in Somalia, Kenya, Switzerland, France, the United States, and Kenya for UNICEF. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and, she is what inspires me every day to be a better person. She is the reason I went door to door fundraising for UNICEF as a little kid.

FINAL NOTE: If anyone in ECOFEM is interested in teaming up or fundraising together for UNICEF please let me know!

ANNOTATED SOURCES

• UNICEF’s mission statement is PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST, ALL OVER THE WORLD, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
• “UNICEF helps immunize 45% of the worlds children, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
• UNICEF has provided lifesaving interventions that have cut child deaths by more than 50% since 1990, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
• UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to provide these life-saving services, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
• Last year, UNICEF responded to 300 humanitarian emergencies, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
•  Since 2000, UNICEF has distributed 1 billion insecticide-treated bed nets across Africa, https://www.unicefusa.org/mission
• Even today in the United States, children are being married before the age of eighteen due to our flawed and aged out legislature, https://act.unicefusa.org/childmarriage
• She served on missions in Ethiopia serving those stricken by famine. She served in Turkey on a polio vaccine project. In Venezuela, she worked on training programs focusing on women. In Ecuador and Guatemala, she helped provide clean drinking water. In El Salvador, she worked on literacy projects for children. In Thailand she worked on improving quality of life for impoverished children. In Sudan and Vietnam, she worked on nutrition projects. In addition to all of this, Audrey testified before Congress and launched UNICEF’s ‘State of the World’s Children’ reports,  and tirelessly fundraised. https://www.unicef.org/people/people_audrey_hepburn.html

PRAXIS: PART ONE

After learning a great deal about ecofeminism this past semester, it is time for action! Activism plays an integral role in ecofeminism. It takes more than just caring about feminism and the environment. It takes a solid plan for planning and implementing change. In the past I have focused primarily on the welfare of animals. I have fundraised for Vest-A-Dog and, adopted shelter cats all my life. I have made recycling and the use of cruelty-free products a priority in my everyday life. But I feel that is not enough and, it is time to do more!

MY PLAN DURING COVID-19

It has been a great challenge for me to determine what I can do to give back to my community during the COVID-19 pandemic. I work full-time in dialysis providing direct patient care so I take enormous care in keeping myself far away from other people during this time of quarantine and social-distancing.

During this devastating time, I will focus on the here and now. It has been almost a beautiful experience going outside and seeing the lack of cars and garbage on the road. It feels like a time of renewal for our ecosystems. Since the majority of my friends and family are out of work and facing the fiscal hardships of this pandemic, I will not fundraise at this time.

My first plan instead is to commit to guerilla gardening during this time. I will ‘seed bomb’, which is the practice of introducing vegetation by throwing seed balls. I believe in this time of human death, I will try to generate life in that sense by planting vegetables and tree seedlings in my community.

My second plan is to become a vegan…..well sort of.

I have struggled with trying to stick to veganism for a quite a few seasons and, I will be taking a different approach this time. I have already eliminated all dairy from my diet as a personal stand against the inhumane dairy industry. I will only buy cage-free meat for consumption from now on. Finally, one week a month I will eat vegan-friendly foods only. This might seem hypocritical but, it is my own way of transforming into a vegan lifestyle: slowly but surely.

MY PLAN AFTER COVID-19

Hopefully soon we can say that the COVID-19 pandemic was just a memory and a dark time in our nation’s history. When that time arrives and, it is safe to once again gather and hug, I will being fundraising and giving back to my community. I will fundraise for UNICEF because, I have always admired the work they do. Not only is UNICEF a human and social rights foundation but, they provide for and fight environmental damage and degradation. My plan is to host a large-scale yard sale with my friends and family and donate the proceeds to this foundation. In addition to this, I will begin volunteering at an animal shelter on the weekends. I have always been an animal lover and, have been blessed by ‘furry children’.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Image One, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/how-will-the-world-emerge-from-the-coronavirus-crisis
• Image Two, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/how-will-the-world-emerge-from-the-coronavirus-crisis
• Image Three, https://www.blogtalkradio.com/resolutionrdo/2020/04/23/radio-free-south-africa-with-host-schalk-van-der-merwe-and-guest-jason-kohne

ACTIVISM AND ECOFEMINISM

Women and the impoverished are more consistently affected by environment travesty and oppression than men are. In many cultures, women are the sole parent caring for their children. They are responsible for finding clean water for drinking and sanitation. They are responsible for feeding and clothing their children and, providing stable shelter.

I’m not assuming or measuring a woman’s worth based upon whether or not they are mothers or not. Often times, third-world countries are not the most progressive and, actively oppress women. This comes in the form of reproductive health, social and legal rights, and bodily autonomy. Without access to reproductive health or rights, many women don’t have the same choices or safety nets as we do here in the United States (albeit it’s not perfect). Because of the entwined web of oppressed women, environment, and social justice, activism is a priority and a must.

LET’S TALK ABOUT TREE HUGGERS

I’m sure everyone has heard the phrase ‘tree hugger’. Tree-hugging is a form of activism used all the way back in India in the 18th century. In the 1970’s it became known as the Chipko Movement. “The name of the movement comes from the word ’embrace’, as the villagers hugged the trees preventing contractor’s felling them” (http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/chipko.htm). This brave resistance was about literally physically standing in the way of mass forest destruction. The outcome of which would cause devastating loss to the poor village encroaching it.

LIVING IN GARBAGE: RECIFE, BRAZIL

Just the images of the children in Recife, Brazil, literally living in garbage is enough to make me want to join a cause to aid them. This is the picture of WHY we need activism. Recife is a Brazilian slum where children swim in garbage-infested waters to find cans to sell. Recife is where ringworm is prevalent in children and, homes consist of carboard boxes.The devastating ecological and social conditions have gained international attention but, have yet to receive aide. The common theme of ecological hardship coincides with poor socioeconomic societies and governments.

How can I be part of the change? Working full-time and going to college full-time has left with ‘minus hours a day’. I plan on continuous volunteer work when I graduate and am afforded extra time. In the meantime, I try to donate monthly to UNICEF. It is not much but I believe every small deed makes a difference. I also plan to become vegan by the end of the year and, to lessen personal waste in our household.

ANNOTATED SOURCES

• Image One https://thewomanpost.com/24969-men-or-women-who-is-most-affected-by-climate-change
• Image Two, https://javelina.co/dont-have-to-be-tree-hugger-to-be-green/
•  “The name of the movement comes from the word ’embrace’, as the villagers hugged the trees preventing contractor’s felling them” http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/chipko.htm
• Image Three and Four, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwpwja/the-brazilian-slum-children-who-are-literally-swimming-in-garbage-0000197-v21n1

(https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/my-environmentalism-will-be-intersectional-or-it-will-be-bullshit/)

INTERSECTIONALITY: WOMEN AND THE ENVIRONMENT

      Intersectionality is the belief that ‘we do not belong to simply just one social identity, we belong to multiple social identities’ (https://muse-jhu-edu.libproxy.umassd.edu/article/660551). By this definition we can naturally connect oppressive issues such as women and the environment. What makes ecofeminism different from typical feminism is that ecofeminists believe that the environment is oppressed in connectivity with women.

This tie between women and the environment can be seen in instances such as: women lacking sanitation in third-world countries, women often holding political power LESS than men (unable to promote environmentalism), the sexualization of food, and a range of other factors. The oppression of one is the oppression of all.

There is still some debate regarding intersectionality in feminism. Some feminists that are anti-categorical choose to remain in their self-nominated social identities. I can understand how one might believe this to be the ‘easier’ way. It is easy to put yourself into a box and define yourself as one thing or one cause.

To be fair, before I took this ecofeminism class, I had no idea what intersectionality had to do with feminism. I have always considered myself a feminist but, I had never thought outside of the oppression of women. Now, after learning about the intersectionality between feminism and the environment, I feel awakened to a greater cause.

The more women are oppressed and unable to make their voices heard, the longer we let our environment and ecosystems decline. We are directly and indirectly affected by this decline. Living in the United States has left me indirectly affected and, I believe that is why I had remained in my ignorant bubble leading up to this point. I have never lacked clean drinking water, food, sanitization, or the right to speak my mind.

Because I have not felt the sting of society’s oppression of women and the environment does not make it any less real for the rest of the planet. It is narcissistic in a way to view the world as it is only happening to you. We are all connected and entwined with one another and the Earth we share.

ANNOTATED SOURCES

• Intersectionality is the belief that ‘we do not belong to simply just one social identity, we belong to multiple social identities’ https://muse-jhu-edu.libproxy.umassd.edu/article/660551
• Image One, https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/my-environmentalism-will-be-intersectional-or-it-will-be-bullshit/
• Image Two, https://brainworldmagazine.com/becoming-a-global-community-rethinking-our-relationship-to-the-earth/

NORGAARD & YORK

“Since there are clear theoretical reasons to expect that gender equality may be connected to support for environmental protection, we empirically assess the relationship between representation of women in Parliament and state environmentalism. We use state participation in international environmental treaties as our indicator of state environmentalism”

(Pg. 510, Gender and Society, Norgaard and York)

Norgaard and York believed that the environment is interconnected with gender equality and the environment. Progressive societies tend to offer more support and campaign for gender and racial equality, economic and scientific advancement, as well as environmental prevention and management. Because progressive societies tend to focus on gender equality, it would make sense that women in power would then focus on progressive issues; such as environmental concern. They are all interconnected.

(www.wedo.org)

(https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/gender-differences-in-public-understanding-of-climate-change/)

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ & THE GREEN NEW DEAL

      As I’m sure many of you are already familiar with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), she is the mastermind behind the ‘Green New Deal’. The Green New Deal is a package brought for by AOC that proposes legislation that addresses climate change and economic inequality. The Green New Deal suggests approaches such as resource efficiency and renewable energy.

AOC perfectly epitomizes what Norgaard and York were suggesting in their writing. She is a progressive politician who surprisingly won her seat in Congress. From gaining power in the government, she has gone on to address issues such as socioeconomic inequality and the poor state of our environment.

HILDA HEINE & THE CLIMATE VULNERABLE FORUM

Hilda Heine is another perfect example of women in government seeking active solution to environmental ailments. Hilda Heine is the president of the Marshall Islands and the head of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. The Climate Vulnerable Forum is  a global alliance of countries that are disproportionately affected by global warming. The forum addresses these negative effects and seeks to find resolution to aiding the problems.

Hilda Heine has also strongly campaigned carbon-free emissions. She was the first leader to sign an emissions pledge with the Paris Agreement. Her goal is for the Marshall Islands to become carbon-neutral by the year 2050.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

•  Image of Women’s Leadership ‘Full Cirlce’, www.wedo.org
• “The Green New Deal is a package brought for by AOC that proposes legislation that addresses climate change and economic inequality. The Green New Deal suggests approaches such as resource efficiency and renewable energy. ” https://www.npr.org/2019/02/07/691997301/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-releases-green-new-deal-outline
• https://time.com/5669038/women-climate-change-leaders/
• www.thecvf.org
• https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/gender-differences-in-public-understanding-of-climate-change/

ABORTION.  Abortion. Abortion.

 The word is almost like a swear. It has gained more similarity with the F-word than it has with the word procedure. It has become a dirty word to many. For the sake of full disclosure: I am pro-choice. I firmly believe in a women’s right to choose what they will do with their own body. The government should not force women to become mothers in my opinion. I believe in full body autonomy.

Because of my very strong feelings towards abortion and the right to choose, I found Hawkin’s article Reproductive Choices: The Ecological Dimension to go against my beliefs. Hawkins discusses the impact of pregnancy and increasing populations on the world. She discusses at great length the sting of poverty, environment degredation, and the importance of limiting population. By making abortion more readily available, we can help limit the population and therefore limit the negative impact over-populus has on our planet and our society.

While I do agree with Hawkins about the impact of population and, I can also firmly advocate for the availability of abortion services, I disagree about her methods. I feel that an article such as this almost invokes guilt in the reader; or at least that was my experience. I have been at the end of both spectrums: abortion and trying to conceive.

It has taken me a few weeks to write this post and, I am incredibly overdue in writing it. I had debated sharing my personal experiences and, I finally feel comfortable in saying the ‘dirty word’: abortion. I had one….

At eighteen years old  and in an abusive relationship I had an abortion. My reasons broke my heart but they are as valid now as they were then. At thirty, my husband-to-be and I have already begun fertility services and, are planning when we will try to conceive. Even with the difficulties we face getting pregnant, I still do not regret my choice. It is a choice that no one else could have made for me or even tried to impact my decision.

Reading Hawkins, I almost felt that she went from an informative, socioeconomically fact-driven article to one of persuasion. However, I could be biased in my interpretation for a multitude of the reasons I’ve explained. I think that when making the choice to terminate a pregnancy, the personal decision is burden enough without including the weight of the planet on your shoulders.

References:

(Image provided by NPR, https://www.npr.org/2019/09/19/759761114/with-abortion-restrictions-on-the-rise-some-women-induce-their-own)

SEX SELLS….BACON?

(Women-Nature Association)

Carol J. Adams where have you been all my life? I almost became a vegetarian reading about Adams…almost. Reading Adam’s interview by Annie Potts was really insightful and, it definitely has given me the thought to make certain lifestyle changes. I was vegan for a short while but, I gave up after about six months. I don’t see anything wrong about choosing to become vegan or vegetarian but, I also don’t see a problem with consuming meat for sustenance. This interview has, in a way, adapted those feelings. I’m not quite sure what I feel now but, I’m giving it quite a great deal of thought. Last week, my class read a great deal about vegetarianism and gendered foods and, quite honestly my mind is blown and scattered all over the place. I’ll update what thoughts or decisions I arrive at regarding vegetarianism soon…

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WHAT IS ANTHROPORNOGRAPHY AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Carol J. Adams coined the term ‘anthropornography’. In her words, ‘the depiction of nonhuman animals as whores’ (The Philosophy of Meat, Carol J. Adams, Philosophy Now). I have never heard of this before and, I can only describe reading this as an awakening. I have never noticed the sexualization of animals (or meat) before but, now it’s all I can notice! So many advertisements, past and present, depict animals in sexualized or provocative images or scenarios as a way to sell their product. I’ve analyzed three images from https://caroljadams.com/examples-of-spom/ and, I’ve chosen one from an google search.

The first image I chose from Carol Adam’s slideshow is that of a bird posing in lingerie atop a neon sign. I wish I could say I was being silly or joking but, the bird looks like it belongs on a strip club’s sign. The bird looks like an exotic dancer welcoming customers in. This picture is so blatantly aimed at straight, cis men (although I shouldn’t assume). The picture says, ‘In, Out’. I’m not sure if that stands for the popular California restaurant or not but, clearly it is meant to ‘seduce’ people in a way to buy this product.

The second image I chose from Carol Adam’s slideshow is pretty self-explanatory. ‘We’ve got the best racks!’ is depicted over the image of a man in between two woman showing cleaving. A rack of ribs is on the table between them. It’s as if the advertiser wants people to think that if they come into this restaurant, only beautiful women in revealing clothing will be there to serve them their ribs… Combing through these images is almost comical because, how can anyone take this seriously? By the same token, I had admitted that I hadn’t noticed this kind of advertisement before.

What’s troubling to me more than anything is this: Did I not notice anthropornographic imagery before? OR am I just so used to a patriarchal driven society, that profits off the bodies of women, the sexualization of females, and the misogynistic practice of it all??

…….I’m going to go with the latter.

Finally, the third image I chose from Adam’s gallery was that of a McDonald’s advertisement. I was really drawn to this image because, it directly correlated to my last blog regarding gendered foods. In my last blog I talked about gendered foods and, how for some reason men think eating meat is manly. This is most likely the reason. Advertisements like this, that literally state manliness right on it, just further depict the patriarchal need for validation of their masculinity. ‘Masculine = Sexy. Sexy = More Women Want Me’; I am actually quoting my fiancé here. I asked him his thoughts on both this week’s and last week’s blog topics and, he agreed it was disgusting to say the least but, I could understand how he would arrive at that presumption.

It’s like what Adams said in The Pornography of Meat, ‘Advertisements contain all that we image to be good and powerful on the side of white males, juxtaposed against all that we hold in low esteem’. All three of these images demonstrate what is generically wanted by straight, cis, white males: masculinity, power, women (or at least the female aesthetic). What is even more disturbing, I think, is that this has enabled a loss of compassion. We are all animals, yet non-human animals are sub-par and readily available for sexualization, consumption, and abuse. They are not living, sentient beings in the eyes of the western world anymore. They are just ‘props’ ready for our everyday intentions. As Adams said, ‘The war on compassion, further, has caused people to fear that beginning to care about what happens to animals will destroy them because the knowledge is so overwhelming’. Where is our compassion for non-human animals? Where is our compassion for women? I’m beginning to believe we are one and the same, if not in different forms.

Finally, the last image I found is from the article Meat Advertisements Support Rape Culture (https://medium.com/@ProtestKitchen/meat-advertisements-support-rape-culture-d98fecc38356 ). I STRONGLY SUGGEST THIS ARTICLE. This advertisement immediately made me angry. I think a primal part of me just wanted to scream ‘How dare you!!!!??”. The fact that the advertisement shows a provocatively dressed pig with the words ‘Moaning for the Bone’ over it, needs little explanation. This is the epitome of rape culture: ‘She was asking for it’. To me this picture just exemplifies what Adam’s was essentially preaching: there is little compassion or regard left for women or for non-human animals.

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

‘the depiction of nonhuman animals as whores’

Advertisements contain all that we image to be good and powerful on the side of white males, juxtaposed against all that we hold in low esteem’.

‘The war on compassion, further, has caused people to fear that beginning to care about what happens to animals will destroy them because the knowledge is so overwhelming’.

The Philosophy of Meat, Carol J. Adams, Philosophy Now

**TRIGGER WARNING: I HAVE INCLUDED A PICTURE OF AN INDUSTRIAL CHICKEN FACTORY**

I have to admit that I have had an incredibly difficult time trying to determine what the image our professor chose means. To be honest I started questioning my own intelligence. I perused other students’ blogs to see if anyone had the same idea I was having to no avail. Perhaps I’m not as deep a thinker as I thought or maybe it is sleep deprivation! Who knows?

I looked for any hidden meaning in the photo and, what came to mind is the meat looked like a loaf of bread. The encasing of it looked just like bread and, the knife used is a bread knife. My interpretation of this photo, is that food consumption is a full-circle process. I’m going to assume that the bread/meat epitomizes the same tradition of factory animal slaughtering and treatment. Bread uses eggs from chicken farms, that in majority, coop the chickens in miniscule, inhumane quarters. The meat, lets call it beef, represents the same standard of inhumane slaughterhouses and animal farms.

What is interesting in this photo is that the cartoon slicing the meat is both masculine and white. The male figure represents men and their need for meat as a masculine meal choice. The reason I believe that meat is a masculine choice is not only media, ads, and a traditional approach to thinking but, from my own personal experience. When I tried in the past to become vegan, the male figures in my life met me with absolute disagreement. My father outright refused to accommodate my new needs. He said he’s a man and he needs meat! My fiancé’s response was similar: “I’m a man and, I can’t be vegan. Only women can get by on salads. I need my steak!”. (My fiancé is open-minded and has since changed his views entirely of that situation).

_______________________________________________________________

I absolutely believe in gendered foods! I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to a restaurant and ordered a steak and, the waiter has been like “Oh wow! This tiny thing has got a big appetite!”. I’m sure many other women can relate to this statement. My fiancé NEVER gets that response when he orders a steak. It’s almost as if its bizarre for me to get a steak instead of a salad.

Which brings me to my next point, why is it assumed that women will always prefer salads? When I was single and went on dates to restaurants, my dates would always comment that its surprising to see a woman not ordering a salad. I never understood that but, after reading the material in this course. It makes sense to me that it is because, it is a gendered food. Meat, like steak, is associated with men whereas, salads are associated with women.

In the article, Meat Heads: New Study Focuses on How Meat Consumption Alters Men’s Self-Perceived Levels of Masculinity, the author speaks a great deal on how men tend to feel that choosing meat displays their masculinity or even makes them more masculine. I’ll include one quote from the article that I felt really hit the nail on the head on gendered foods. “In the book The Sexual Politics of Meat, it’s argued that the connection between meat and masculinity goes far beyond typical sexist advertising as it articulates the hidden connections between meat eating and patriarchy.” (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meat-heads-new-study-focuses_b_8964048).

Finally, one more example I’d like to provide on gendered food has to do with eating practices. Has anyone every noticed that it’s socially acceptable for men to eat with their hands but, when a woman does it’s seen as being unfeminine or not classy? (Side note: I am not vegan anymore and, I will discuss why in my next blog post). When eating boneless buffalo wings with my fiancé, he picks up the wings and dips them in the blue cheese dressing with his hands. When I do the same thing, the waiter comes over with a fork and knife for only me…. I’ve noticed this perceived gender-assigned eating habit on more than one occasion.

“The Question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?”

-Jeremy Bentham, The Romance of Leonardo DaVinci, 1900

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When I first began this assignment, I will admit that I had my doubts about the connection between feminism and vegetarianism. Carol J. Adams completely changed my perception on this. Why do feminists and ecofeminists find such a strong connection to vegetarianism and the abuse and killing of animals? I believe this is due in large part because, while it may not be the same form of oppression (on all scales), it IS indeed oppression. Feminists and Eco-feminists have been fighting oppression for a very long time and, why should their fight stop with homo sapiens only?

I believe a unique part of being a woman is that we can understand oppression on such a large scale. As a white woman, my heart goes out to African-Americans being oppressed. My heart goes out to Muslims and Muslim-Americans being oppressed; to name a couple just a couple groups. While I have no experience being either a Muslim or an African-American, I have felt oppression and mistreatment based solely on my gender being different than that of a man.

Deane Curtin expressed that the major reasons that feminism is so entwined with vegetarianism is because of feminist’s fight for humane treatment of all sentient beings. Curtin also states that the eating practices of people in industrialized countries is heavily felt in third world nations; thus furthering the oppressive effects on a broader scale. Perhaps my favorite quote from my reading of Curtin is ‘Just as there are gender-specific reasons for women’s commitment to vegetarianism, for men in a patriarchal society, moral vegetarianism can mark the decision to stand in solidarity with women’ (http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/curtin01.htm ).

                Greta Gaard shared a similar approach in her connection of feminism and vegetarianism. Gaard focused more so on speciesism. “While some people care about the suffering of animals, feminists who politicize their care of animals, see a specific linkage between feminism and speciesism.” (https://www.academia.edu/2489929/Ecofeminism_on_the_Wing_Perspectives_on_Human-Animal_Relations ). Gaard believes that the oppression of one group (animal alike) is simply the transfer of mistreatment to another. As a feminist, Gaard believes that is is our duty to care and sympathize with the mistreatment of all sentient oppressed groups.

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Annotated Bibliography

“The Question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?”, Jeremy Bentham, The Romance of Leonardo DaVinci, 1900 (https://animalclock.org/)

“In the book The Sexual Politics of Meat, it’s argued that the connection between meat and masculinity goes far beyond typical sexist advertising as it articulates the hidden connections between meat eating and patriarchy.” Carol J. Adams (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/meat-heads-new-study-focuses_b_8964048)

‘Just as there are gender-specific reasons for women’s commitment to vegetarianism, for men in a patriarchal society, moral vegetarianism can mark the decision to stand in solidarity with women’, Deane Curtin, Moral Contextual Vegetarianism, 1991, (http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/curtin01.htm)

“While some people care about the suffering of animals, feminists who politicize their care of animals, see a specific linkage between feminism and speciesism.” Greta Gaard, Ecofeminism On the Wing, (https://www.academia.edu/2489929/Ecofeminism_on_the_Wing_Perspectives_on_Human-Animal_Relations )

I grew up surrounded by people and the hustle and bustle of surrounding Boston. I spent my childhood playing on sidewalks rather than grass and, the only interaction in nature I had was Revere Beach. To be honest, Revere Beach didn’t really feel like a ‘nature-driven’ experience. It was always overcrowded and, littered with food and trash and an onslaught of people.

(Revere Beach, MA)

(Revere, MA)

When my mom married my stepfather, he began taking us on an annual month-long camping trip to the Catskill Mountains in New York. It was the first time I really felt immersed in nature. At nine years old, I was not a fan of all the bugs or sleeping in tents when I was used to a city lifestyle.

It ended up becoming some of my fondest memories. I adored the mountains, and the babbling brooks, the beautiful rivers, and all the farmland surrounding our campsite. I remember asking my stepfather why the air smelled so weird. He told me it was not as polluted up here in the mountains. It was ‘clean’ air and, that blew my mind as a child.

I was fortunate as a child to be able to take a month-long vacation with my family and, even more fortunate when that turned into two and three months. It felt like a second home to be honest and, it will always feel like a defining part of me and who I am.

(Roscoe, NY-Catskill Mountain Area)

(Fishing in the Catskill Mountains, NY with my parents)

(Stumbling across wildlife, hiking through the Catskill Mountains, NY)

I think because of my experiences spending my summers in virtually remote areas of the Catskill Mountains, I would have to agree with Barbara Kingsolver. There is something unequivocally heartbreaking about our ‘break from the land/our break from wilderness”.  “With all due respect for the wondrous ways people have invented to amuse themselves and one another on paved surfaces, I find that this exodus from the land makes me unspeakably sad. I think of the children who will never know, intuitively, that a flower is a plant’s way of making love, or what silence sounds like, or that trees breathe out what we breathe in. I think of the astonished neighbor children who huddled around my husband in his tiny backyard garden, in the city where he lived years ago, clapping their hands to their mouths in pure dismay at seeing him pull carrots from the ground.” (Barbara Kingsolver, http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_smallwonder_print.html)

I think that my hometown of Revere, MA does serve as a ‘bedrock of democracy’ according to Terry Tempest Williams. As Williams said, “People + Place= Politics”. Living in such a crowded city in the East Boston Area, of course there were political motives everywhere. As for the Catskill Mountains in Roscoe, NY, I do not believe that is served in the same fashion. Roscoe, NY was virtually remote wilderness. There were almost no people for political movement and everyday politics to even generate.

I believe that I can develop a connection quite easily within the wilderness; especially the Catskill Mountains. It harbors peace and serenity in its minimalism. You can hear the babbling brooks, the mayflies buzzing around, and the trees rustling along the river. It’s almost an ethereal experience. Revere will forever have my heart but, you can’t garnish the same experiences or peace of mind in the city that you can in the wilderness.

From an ecological perspective, its heartbreaking to think that areas such as the Catskill Mountains, that I adore so much, could be subject to deforestation, and destruction. The wilderness is so important to our environment, our physical and our mental health.

Bibliography:

“With all due respect for the wondrous ways people have invented to amuse themselves and one another on paved surfaces, I find that this exodus from the land makes me unspeakably sad. I think of the children who will never know, intuitively, that a flower is a plant’s way of making love, or what silence sounds like, or that trees breathe out what we breathe in. I think of the astonished neighbor children who huddled around my husband in his tiny backyard garden, in the city where he lived years ago, clapping their hands to their mouths in pure dismay at seeing him pull carrots from the ground.”

(Barbara Kingsolver, http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_smallwonder_print.html)

“People + Place= Politics”

(Terry Tempest Williams, Home Work, pp 1)

Hi everyone! My name is Jassy and, I’m currently working towards my B.A. in Sociology.  I currently work as a Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician with the hopes of becoming a dialysis nurse. Hopefully after that, I can pursue my end goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. Just a few things about me: I’m a feminist, deeply in love with my husband-to-be, an avid reader, hiker, yoga enthusiast, Sex & the City binge-watcher, and slew of contradictory personality traits. At 29 I think I’m just beginning to figure myself out! But that’s life! It’s a learning curve.

For my semester this year I opted to take a women & genders studies class. I’ve always been deeply investing in feminist thinking and, the ecofeminism class offered at UMASSD caught my eye. Ecofeminism is a new concept to me so hopefully my readers and myself can learn together!

One of the first blogs that caught my eye at the start of this semester was from Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls blog. #20for2020: Flossie Wong-Staal, First Scientist to Clone HIV & Determine the Function.. (https://www.feedspot.com/infiniterss.php?followfeedid=4539821&q=site:https%3A%2F%2Famysmartgirls.com%2Ffeed). To sum it all up quickly and efficiently, Flossie was born in the 50’s during a time when women were not presented with great scientific and intellectual opportunity.  Despite an age that instilled the belief that women should be ‘kept at home’, Flossie went to great length to make strides in her research for HIV/AIDs.

What piqued my interest about this blog written about Flossie was that I can see the ties between female equality and ecological advancement and preservation. Yes there have been female scientists creating what could be pegged as ‘miraculous advancements’ in modern science and medicine….But what about the influx of countries that silence women and do not allow for education. My thought is this: what if the cure for our dying planet and depleting fossil fuels lies in the mind of a poor uneducated woman in a country where her rights are nonexsistent? What if the answer for restoring ozone layers lies in the mind of a young girl being refused an abortion and unable to get an education? The link between ecology and feminism is a very real one. Oppression is the precursor to both I think .

It is because of these reasons I see myself becoming a nurse and nurse practitioner thereafter. The Peace Corps and various volunteering abroad organizations offer female empowerment programs in third-world countries. I would like to be part of the solution and participate in these when I have finished my schooling. It’s a huge topic of discussion in my household and, I know I’ll achieve this lifelong mission.