Thank a feminist!

The following has been stuck on the wall next to my desk at work for the last couple of years – I have often quoted parts of it when talking to friends who think that feminism is nothing to do with them (both male and female friends).

I find it quite frustrating because feminism is actually fundamentally about basic human rights and freedoms, far more then most people realise – and feminism impacts on everyone all the time. Every day we need to thank feminists for the fact that our generation lives the way it does!


If…
... you can vote, thank a feminist.
... you get paid as much as men doing the same job, thank a feminist.
... you went to college instead of being expected to quit after high school so your brothers could go because "You'll just get married anyway," thank a feminist.
... you can apply for any job, not just "women's work," thank a feminist.
... you can get or give birth control information without going to jail, thank a feminist.
... your doctor, lawyer, pastor, judge or legislator is a woman, thank a feminist.
... you play an organised sport, thank a feminist.
... you can wear trousers without being excommunicated from your church/community or run out of town, thank a feminist.
... your boss isn't allowed to pressure you to sleep with him, thank a feminist.
... you get raped and the trial isn't about your hemline or your previous boyfriends, thank a feminist.
... you start a small business and can get a loan using only your name and credit history, thank a feminist.
... you are on trial and are allowed to testify in your own defence, thank a feminist.
... you own property that is solely yours, thank a feminist.
... you have the right to your own salary even if you are married or have a male relative, thank a feminist.
... you get custody of your children following divorce or separation, thank a feminist.
... you get a voice in the raising and care of your children instead of them being completely controlled by the husband/father, thank a feminist.
... your husband beats you and it is illegal and the police stop him instead of lecturing you on better wifely behaviour, thank a feminist.
... you are granted a degree after attending college instead of a certificate of completion, thank a feminist.
... you can breast feed your baby discreetly in a public place and not be arrested, thank a feminist.
... you marry and your civil human rights do not disappear into your husband's rights, thank a feminist.
... you have the right to refuse sex with your husband, thank a feminist.
... you have the right to keep your medical records confidential from the men in your family, thank a feminist.
... you have the right to read the books you want, thank a feminist.
... you can testify in court about crimes or wrongs your husband has committed, thank a feminist.
... you can choose to be a mother or not a mother in your own time not at the dictates of a husband or rapist, thank a feminist.
... you can look forward to a lifespan of 80 years instead of dying in your 20s from unlimited childbirth, thank a feminist.
... you can see yourself as a full, adult human being instead of a minor who needs to be controlled by a man, thank a feminist.

Do we need to wash the bottles when we recycle them?

I have always wondered about this questions and I have also always worried about that lime in the corona bottle so it was good to read this article in Slate.com. Now if could we could get our apartment association to agree to recycle, then we would not have to drive to our friends house to use his recycle bin every couple of weeks! Sounds hilarious but it is what we have to do!

We try to reduce our packaging, they just don't make it all that easy for you, for example I am always trying to use my re-usable bag, once I was in a big store, and the lady at the checkout tore a plastic carrier bag out and started packing my purchases into the plastic carrier bag, despite me having said twice I had my own bag. She finally got it, took the stuff out of the plastic carrier bag and went to put it in my re-usable bag. She then took the plastic carrier bag and tossed it in her bin. I was horrified and spent another two minutes explaining the concept to her, she then looked at me, a light flickered, and she said, "oh you recycle!" I wanted to hug her in gratitude, she had finally got it! It takes a while, but with a little patience they might just get it. That day the people behind me at the checkout loved me, but it was worth it, just to get through to one person. I appreciate it will take a lot more, but when even the easy stuff is so hard for so many, these minor achievements are worth the effort - for me anyway.