Anonymity at a Whole New Level

JMU Crushes. JMU Confessions. JMU advice.

Are these anonymous Facebook and Twitter accounts helping or hindering our already technologically dependent generation?  I vote hindering.

 I take up many issues with these new forums that basically encourage stalking and overall disrespect but is there really such a thing as anonymity  when it comes to the internet?  Your name may not be publicly affiliated with that degrading, creepy or ignorant post but there is a cyber footprint.  I’m not an IT professional but I’ve heard, once on the internet always on the internet.  This isn’t meant to be an internet safety lecture but if I were going to be a dumbass the internet wouldn’t be the first place I’d turn to as an outlet.

For those of you that don’t know, some anonymous person has started Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that enable JMU students to send in messages that will be relayed anonymously on the page.  Ultimately not a harmful idea but when you ask for the deep innermost thoughts of a bunch of college students, you’re obviously bound to reel in a web of gems.

Take Back the Night

Last night, survivors and allies of sexual assault gathered at James Madison University to “take back the night.”  Throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the annual event takes place in communities and campuses around the world. The goal is to draw awareness to the prevalence of sexual assault, de-stigmatize it, and provide a safe place where survivors can share their stories and find support.

And I really did not want to go.

March Madness: Don’t forget the women!

Most people know what March Madness is, but if you don’t know, its when the colleges plays in single-elimination Division I college basketball tournaments. Now I really don’t know a lot about basketball, the only reason I know a little bit is from watching the JMU Dukes men’s basketball team making it into the NCAA tournament ,which they have not done since 1994. It was cool watching the game probably since it was the first time I have ever sat and watched a basketball game. I kept yelling hit them because I forgot I wasn’t watching football.

But after we lost the game against Indiana I remembered that we did have a women’s basketball team too. I never really heard much about our women’s team except for the fact that they were really good. So I started to keep up with their progress in their own tournament. They were pretty awesome. I was surprised that around campus we didn’t talk more about how well they were doing. It seemed after our men’s team lost no one really cared about how JMU was doing for the rest of March Madness.

A Life of One’s Own – Part Two

Two years ago I wrote a blog post about a book called A Life of One’s Own by Ilana Simons. When I first read the mix of Virginia Woolf wisdom and self-help psychology, I was going through a bad separation from an ex-boyfriend, and the advice I found in Simons’s book helped me both to cope and put the situation in perspective.

I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for when I picked it up again over spring break, but by page 3 it hit me – I am going through a bad breakup again – my breakup from the university! It might sound silly to some of you, but the thought of graduating in May has had me on an emotional roller coaster of tears and shouts of joy all semester, and I am sure there are many other seniors who feel the same way. Even though I feel prepared and I am excited to graduate, my life is about to completely change, and that is terrifying! How will I maintain an ongoing education when I don’t have deadlines to meet? Will I keep a blog once I am no longer graded for it? How can I stay as passionate a feminist as I am now after I leave my Women’s Studies circle of friends? Once again, Virginia Woolf is here to save the day….

Feminist Roots – How I Became A Radical

I am a radical feminist.

And I always hear the sounds of a happy parade when I read that sentence, complete with fireworks and elephants trunks blasting towards the sky. I really LOVE being a feminist!

I doubt any of this surprises those of you who have been reading my blogs for three semesters, but for all of the newcomers, I feel like I owe a bit of an explanation. I jumped right into writing about some really intense subjects like enlightened sexism and natural childbirth this semester, with no explanation of where I was coming from or where I am going. Obviously I wasn’t born with a copy of bell hooks in my hands, and some of you may be wondering, how did I get like this? What are my feminist roots?

Sociological Enlightenment and My Path to Feminism

Enlightenment within the Buddhist philosophy is defined as “attainment of spiritual knowledge or insight which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth.”  Isn’t that just beautiful?  Looking at enlightenment from this perspective truly makes me believe that, through sociological mindfulness and feminist thought, there is a possibility of dismantling all the forms of social inequality within our culture such as patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, white supremacy, etc.

My first year here at JMU I had never had a moment in my life that I would consider enlightening, nothing majorly mind altering had ever happened to me.  Before sociology, I wasn’t passionate about anything, I didn’t have an aspect of my education that made me want to get out of bed and I wasn’t excited to go to class.  I randomly decided that sociology would be a useful major in the general scheme of getting a job out of college…but it turned out that I was completely unaware of the fires sociology could and would spark in my life.

Winter Break Hiatus

That’s right readers, it’s finals week here at JMU. Which also means that we’ll be taking a break from regular blogging until the Spring semester starts in January. But keep a look out for any updates our bloggers might post over the break!

That being said, I also wanted to take a moment to thank all of our readers for continuing to support the blog. Your comments and views mean a great deal to all of us at ShoutOut!, and we hope you’ll continue to read our blog and learn more about feminism in the coming semester.

Gratitude.

Last night, my faith in humanity was restored.

After feeling like I couldn’t even call myself a feminist anymore, after questioning all of the beliefs I have held dear since childhood, and after feeling like humanity was nothing but a bunch of assholes, I was proven wrong.

Last night, so many of my friends, professors, and readers, came out to Stand Against Sexual Violence. They came out in the cold, despite the late hour and short notice.

Signal Boost: Stand Against Sexual Violence TONIGHT!

Just a quick reminder for all of our readers in the Harrisonburg/JMU community:

Tonight at 8 PM on the Commons, we will be holding a vigil along with other student organizations and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program in response to the many sexual assaults against JMU students this semester.

To get more information, check out the facebook event page, or email Femistorian at meyersem@dukes.jmu.edu

Links Round-Up

This week at ShoutOut!,

Visionsofourfuture has some celeb news to share! First, this collaborative cover of “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore, reminds women of the power of their voice and the importance of their vote. Chris Brown is causing a stir in the media again — this time after dressing up as a terrorist for Halloween wearing a turban and fake beard, with bullet casings wrapped around his robe and holding an assault rifle.

Classifiedsarcastic wants you to check out this awesome new article about this journalists experiences with Gloria Steinem and how Ms. Steinem’s struggles have oftentimes intertwined with those of African American women. She also asks readers, is being funny the new way to forward the feminist movement? Should we all be like Tina Fey? This article argues that laughter is not only the new way to really reach the younger generation, but it’s also a good way to normalize feminism. Agree?