I would like to thank everyone at Feministe for allowing me to guest blog here this summer. It has been an interesting experience, and I have enjoyed the conversations and the exchange of ideas.
This time for my guest blogging stint I decided to focus on privilege, because I feel that it is something that does not get enough attention in the feminist blogosphere. Many of you asked the question of what do I do, now that I am aware of how the things that I do impact others.
Some solutions involve buying second hand. Never buy new what you can buy used. It removes you from the cycle of exploitation and is wonderful for the environment. When you must buy new, investigate the economic practices of the company in question. Make sure that your hard earned money is not going to support unfair trade or labor practices. Try whenever able to support unionized shops. Unions represent the best opportunity for critical changes in the labour market, and the union advantage means that workers are receiving a higher wage. Try to think of ways that you can produce the items that you need in the home. Before WWII many of the items that we used daily were made in the home, and by returning to that you will once again benefit the environment, as well as remove yourself from harmful labour practices. Consider participating in micro loans, so that women may start businesses in the so-called third world. Finally, and this I believe is the most important tip, engage in conversation. Never discount the value of micro activism. Each person that you share your knowledge with is one less person who is no longer ignorant of the impact that they have. Stay informed and think critically because everyday actions mean a lot. You have power and only you can choose how it is deployed. Never feel overwhelmed by the task at hand because each action no matter how small has great potential to be a revolutionary act. If you are interested in learning more about how western actions effect so called third world bodies may I humbly suggest checking out Tanglad...she rocks as a blogger and will help you to increase your understanding.
Well once again thank you for having me, and taking the time to make such critical commentary on my posts here. Please feel free to drop by Womanist Musings where I will continue to post daily about bodies that matter and the ways in which isms interlock with each other. I can also be found at Feminocracy and Global Comment Thanks again, and I look forward to reading what you have to say.
Thanks so much for joining us, Renee . . . again, you did an excellent job! :)
It was such a good experience, reading your posts here, Renee. I enjoyed just sitting up with a nice cup of coffee in the morning and reading through them (it was the GOOD kind of procrastination).
If anyone wants more of Renee, by the way, you can always check out her writing on election 08 for GlobalComment.
:D
Thanks Cara and Natalia…I am going to edit my goodbye sorry about omitting the global comment shout out. Blogging with Barney in the background sometimes makes me distracted.
Just want to throw out my thanks, as well. I only comment sporadically but I have really enjoyed reading your posts, and I think they have sparked fantastic discussions here! :)
I just found out you were posting here yesterday, but:
Great posts, as always.
Co-sign to Ico’s comment: I have really enjoyed your posts and presence on feministe.
Great reading you here again, Renee!
You rock!
I remember a representative of a family support charity lamenting the fact that second hand clothing had become chic, for both fashion and environmental reasons. It had put up the prices, hitting people who rely on second hand stuff to clothe themselves and their families pretty hard. Even righteous deeds can have less than righteous unintended consequences.
Not that I can claim righteous reasons for not buying more second hand stuff, it is laziness that mostly causes that. I try to participate in the great kid’s clothes merry-go-round as much as possible, but that is a lame effort. I still agree with your support of second hand stuff, in the end environmental concerns outweigh everything else. No point worrying about privilege if the place becomes uninhabitable for everyone.
Thanks for the though provocation.
Thanks for the linklove, Renee. And more importantly, thank you for being a strong ally to women in the global south. Salamat.
Thanks Renee, you’ve been great.
I like your point about micro-activism, and think this is something that perhaps isn’t examined enough (in terms of usefulness, practical approaches, and so on.)
For new-purchases, I’ve personally loved being part of a community of women (connected mostly by the ‘net) who craft and barter and buy from each other’s home-based cottage industries. It doesn’t seem possible for many types of products, and I’ve no doubt that being able to buy from those cottage industries is a bit of a manifestation of privilege itself (items aren’t cheap unless the makers are working for next to nothing), but the feeling of women supporting each other instead of feeding cash into big business is a powerful one. How can we promote these types of connections?
And I’ve learned a new term – “Global South”. Feels kinda weird to use, coming from Australia myself. Did it originate in the USA? (But at least I’ll know what it means next time I come across it!)
Great posts. I will definately follow you over to your blog. Thank you for helping increasing awareness. I will continue, as always, to do my part.
Great work, Renee, it’s been a real pleasure to read you here.
Renee, you came, you posted, you kicked major ass. I loved the hair and wet nurse posts!
Thanks for being here!
I’ve been enjoying your posts too, Renee! and thanks for bringing feminism down back to earth again at a time when its becoming a little too lofty for its own good. And it’s so good to get a reality check after reading your post about lipstick feminism and its economic exploitations; I’ve even posted about it on my blog! I’ll definitely be visiting Womanist Musings and Tanglad, the latter because I happen to live the immigrant experience and can relate to sisters from SE Asia.
I was already impressed, but this:
Blogging with Barney in the background sometimes makes me distracted.
has confirmed it for me: you are clearly superwoman. You can do anything other than gibber incoherently when Barney is on in the background?!?!
how do you feel about well off people ‘buying used’ from places like salvation army. i remember going there when my family was poor, and it wasnt a choice, so it kind of irks me when middle and upper class people go there for fun (or in this case i guess to be progressive) and take the same stuff that someone else might want and not be able to get elsewhere.
Thanks for your posts, Renee. I have really enjoyed them.
@Heather, I have noticed that some used clothing has gone up in price because some people find it trendy. As a family what we do is purchase our clothing at Value Village (not sure of the American equivalent) and then we donate our clothing to Brothers and Sisters which still sells clothing at reasonable rate. We believe in a continual cycle when it comes to clothing.
Renee,
I don’t know about the rest of the U.S. but we do have Value Village down here in Ga!
While my family can really afford to buy new clothes, we prefer consignment shops and thrift stores for the reasons Renee listed. We also give our clothing to the American Kidney Foundation several times a year.
Also, this makes me think more seriously about my idea for a Plus size consignment store/thrift shop.