In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Month: April 2008

Bread Riots in the Bread Basket

 

Revolution

(“Thowra,” which in Arabic literally means “revolution”)

Hey All,

I’m Fauzia and I guest blogged here at Feministe a while back. I initially wrote to Jill about this story as I thought she’d have some good commentary on the issue. But after some thought, and an offer from Jill to return to my guest-blog status for just one more post I figured it might be easier if I wrote about this myself.

Disclaimer: I’m an American currently living in Egypt (Cairo) working at a center that promotes civic engagement and researches the rising sector of Arab philanthropy. I work downtown, near Midan Tahrir (literally “Freedom Square”). In the last 9 months that I’ve been living in Cairo I’ve managed to witness the absolute poverty this country is living in. On the other hand, I’ve managed to witness the growing gap between the rich and poor. Students at the American University, for the most part, are the upper echelon of Egyptian society (note: I’m not saying that they are ALL upper class Egyptians, but for the most part…). I’ve only lived here for 9 months so I’m not professing that I have a huge handle on the situation. So here it goes…

I don’t know how much Western newspapers are covering this issue, but I’m sure by the end of the week they’ll be a few stories. I know that the hard copy of the International Herald Tribune covered this issue this morning (Monday) and online, again, a few minutes ago.

Yesterday (Sunday, April 6) was, essentially, a nationwide strike for many Egyptian workers and activists, in solidarity with the workers of Ghazl El-Mahalla, one of the biggest textile factories in Egypt. The growing problems of low wages and rising prices of food (especially bread and cooking oil) have pushed Egyptian society into a state of anger and frustration. The production and distribution of bread has led to, on many occasions, violence in bread lines. In one instance, a man was stabbed during an argument over bread distribution.

Before I go further, here is some logistical and basic information on the history of labor movements, the current strike (who initiated it, how it snowballed into a national call, etc.) The writer of these articles is Joel Beinin, a professor and head of the Middle East Studies department at the American University in Cairo. He links a few other articles that are pretty informative as well.

Yesterday’s strike, though, was a historical moment for Egypt. Though the country professes to be a “democracy,” (ironically Hosni Mubarak’s party is called “The National Democratic Party,”) it is pretty apparent that no such thing exists in the Egypt. Protests, strikes, and demonstrations have been completely outlawed in Egypt since the declaration of emergency law after the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981.

Read More…Read More…

Feministe Feedback: How to Start a Successful Feminist Blog

Feministe Feeback

My friend Natalie and I have been wanting to create a blog of our own…..We both at crucial turning points in our lives, with many major undertakings….We desire to share our experiences with others….In a nutshell, we’ve begun examining the sum of our lives and taken responsibility for the sum of it. What decisions have I made to get myself where I am??? How can I grow beyond those issues within me that hold outside my experience, my greatest desires, and dreams????

…As we’re developing an understanding of the answers to these questions, we see ourselves at the onset of a personal evolution with many major life changes in the forefront…..

HAVING SAID THIS…How can we create an amazing blog like yours???? We want to create something thought provoking that can get people to reflect upon their own lives. that can get some interesting online discussions going….

…Any advice would be helpful.

My advice:

First, outline your goals. There are lots of different blogs and they have varying goals, purposes and strategies. Some are out there to disseminate information; others to spread the word on the author’s opinions; others to start conversations and explore issues; and still others to serve as spaces for the writer to vent and unwind. Figure out what you want your space to be, and what you want to get out of it.

Also consider how you define “success.” Do you want high traffic? Lots of comments? A like-minded community? In-depth and thoughtful contributions from readers? A semi-private and safe place to toss ideas around and make connections? It’s almost impossible to have all of those things at once, so you have to prioritize and figure out what’s best for you.

Beyond goals, I would suggest reading a variety of blogs and seeing what works and kinds of communities you want to get locked into. Comment. Establish your voice. When you start your blog, blogroll writers you like. Link often — we all check our trackbacks. And be patient. Establishing an audience takes a while, so don’t get discouraged if you’ve been writing for a month and you aren’t getting a ton of comments.

Link into a community of bloggers you like — that’s key. Realize that your voice isn’t going to appeal to everyone; try to find people who support you and people who challenge you.

What else do you all suggest?

Some Good

AJ is right — the stuff you read on feminist blogs all day does get depressing. He shares some pieces of good news, so I’m going to follow suit.

Remember this guy? Well, in case it isn’t obvious by now, I’m not planning on publishing his personal info. But some good did come out it: A certain thoughtful person (who has requested I not use his name) talked with me that night, heard I was upset and realized that releasing the guy’s info probably wasn’t going to make me feel all that better about the situation (or make the situation any better). So he spent a day researching women’s rights organizations in Venezuela; however, he doesn’t speak Spanish, and so finding a local organization proved difficult. After looking at the various options, he ended up donating to Human Rights Watch in my name — in his words, “a little FU to that commenter.” Having been an intern at Human Rights Watch, I feel confident that they’ll use the money well. And women will surely benefit from it — moreso than from an angry blog post releasing the guy’s email address.

I’ve re-told this story with his permission. He just wants me to emphasize that he did look for local grassroots organizations, but the language barrier was an issue. He also wants to say that he is “not someone who thinks that throwing money at a problem is a sufficient way to deal with it, especially to the exclusion of personal action/words.”

But I wanted to share that the whole thing ended well — and that a good thing came out of a shitty comment.

What good have you seen or heard about lately?

Feministe on now…

Live on air discussing feminism, abortion, women in the military and other fun stuff. Listen now — or check out the archives later.

UPDATE: Listening to it now and… hmm. The section where we talk about the law is not good. I repeatedly adopted his use of the words “liable” and “duty” to talk about criminal law, which were just… wrong. So cut me some slack on that — I wasn’t prepared for those questions (and I was a few glasses of wine into the night).

I disagreed with the host pretty vigorously, but he had some interesting points and was a respectful and thoughtful moderator, so it’s an interesting conversation (although I promise a lot of his arguments are going to make y’all irritable — I was taking lots of deep breaths throughout it). I really did enjoy talking to them, though, and Clayton and Jamie were great hosts. I appreciate them having me on.

But the highlight is when an MRA comes on and calls me “Silver Spoon” for the entire conversation. Apparently I got a Mercedes for my 16th birthday. I wish someone would have told me!

Anyway, the whole thing is like 2 hours long so I don’t expect anyone to actually listen to it all, but at least check out a few minutes.

Update on Sanesha Stewart

Well, there’s no update on Sanesha Stewart, really. She’s still dead, still just as murdered by an asshole acquaintance who thought he could get away with it by fabricating a “trans panic” story. But her community is still alive, and there will be a vigil tomorrow in the Bronx to honor her memory and her life. I thought I would pass this along not only for readers who have been following this tragic story, but also in case anyone wants to help support her grandmother in paying for the funeral costs. No update at the moment about the trial of her killer.

Join Family, Friends and Community Members Saturday, April 5 for a Community Vigil to Honor the Memory and Celebrate the Life of Sanesha Stewart

Saturday April 5, 2008
1:00 PM
Bronx Community Pride Center
448 East 149th Street
Bronx, New York 10455
2 train to 3rd Ave/149th Street Station

For more information call: 718-292-4368 or 1-866-4GAYCARE

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the family of Sanesha Stewart to help pay for funeral expenses, please send a check or money order to:

Evelyn Stewart
3529 Tieman Ave. Apt 2
Bronx, NY 10469