Wuhan is more than the Coronavirus (Breaking out of the Outbreak)

 

It is a special kind of grief

To watch your home suffering from

Afar

I haven’t thought of Wuhan as home in a long time, don’t feel like I can claim it as mine

I was born there, yes

But I have lived there for less than 10% of my life

And yet, now, particularly,

I feel the way the blood of family, and history tie me irrevocably to that

City of 11 million people

So I want to name that it

hurts hearing about the coronavirus in China

Seeing videos of the streets so bare when I know what they are supposed to look like

That is where I'm from

The city where I'm from

Its name stamped as "birthplace" on my Canadian passport

A piece of my Chinese identity I have not been forced to lose

I need to share about how I feel a double, maybe triple burden

Not only do I need to be concerned for myself and my family, many of whom are so much closer in proximity to the outbreak than here in Canada

And also, stigma

The fear mongering, and victim-blaming, and xenophobic racism

That is this time pointedly directed at me

The: callous they deserve it, and they are disgusting, and why were they allowed to come?

That make hashtags like “#Chinesearepeopletoo” necessary

How somehow, now,

it makes sense for 11 million people and who knows how many more diaspora to be painted with one critical brush

I know you are afraid

For yourselves and your family

I am asking you to

have compassion for

mine

And of course some people behaved irresponsibly

But most are just regular folk, doing the best with what they know, trying to get home

To see their family

For many

they can only do that this time of year – lunar new year

Reunite with big festivities for the biggest celebration of our people

But this holiday

There are quiet spaces where joy should be

Empty homes that should have been full to the brim

celebration taken by virus  

And there’s also the way

That for many, this virus is all you know of the place I am from

How painful

How mundane

Because how could there be a way for us to know something about every place

But maybe that’s

not how it needs to be

Maybe when we see tragedy we should also remember that this is not all there is

That Wuhan is more than the coronavirus

We are a meeting place of north and south

Often talked about as having some of the best food in China

Dumplings and noodles from the north and sweet white rice from the south all congregate here

How we built a bigger, better subway system than Toronto’s in 4 years

How the very first bullet train in the country was from Wuhan Zhan

So can we please stop always painting China in such a negative light

6 days to build a hospital is “authoritarian” right?

Not innovative, or courageous, or wow that’s leadership,

Like we’d say if this was in Canada

Like Canada could ever pull that off

Can we not say, hey, how

extraordinary that millions of people are taking it as seriously as it should be

Good naturedly doing their part and putting their lives on pause

to stop the spread

Because again it’s people, living their lives, just trying to get by

And not everything you’re not used to is crude

You’re used to plenty that Chinese people would never do

And yes the government has done terrible things, but that information is often presented from the eyes of a racist lens  

And besides it’s not fair to only talk about the bad

Villainize until you no longer empathize with the people because of the government

Villainize until you no longer empathize because of propaganda

Erasing history so it seems like a bigger crime to try to go see family

Than conquest deliberately infecting Indigenous peoples with smallpox

We are people

We shouldn’t have to be perfect to be treated with humanity

I don’t have to prove my

lovability, my humanity, my just-like-you ness to

Get your approval to let me exist

We don’t need to be perfect

don’t have to earn basic human decency

it’s what everyone deserves

The outbreak hit us this time

But we are breaking out of the boxes your racism puts us in

--- 

I never post my poetry to my blog, but this has been on my heart for many days now. It hurts hearing about the suffering in China and around the world, and that's exacerbated by all the racist things people are saying. So I wanted this out there, now, to stand in contrast and stand against the racism that people are spewing. Times like this it’s more important than ever to remember history, but perhaps most of all: we are people, we deserve compassion.

Stop Stepping on the Marginalized

I’m going to be honest, I’m kind of angry right now.

I got a message to check the status of my OSAP application for the fall, opened it up and found this:

“Your OSAP application has been compared to your two most recent study periods and there is evidence that you may not be satisfactorily progressing through your program. For example, you may have made multiple program or institution switches, or taken multiple one-year programs or you may have multiple study periods for the same year of your program.

Before any OSAP funding can be released, a review of your academic progress is required. In order to initiate that review, you must provide the following documentation:

• A letter explaining your academic goals, the circumstances (if any) that have affected your academic progression through your program and the steps you are taking to achieve your goals.
• A copy of transcripts showing your grades from your most recent study period. You do not have to purchase official transcripts.
• Documentation that supports the circumstances and steps you’ve described in your letter, if applicable (for example, medical documentation, or a letter from your academic counsellor).

Contact your financial aid office to discuss the review process and your situation to ensure that you provide the documentation needed to support your situation. If you are attending a private career college in Ontario or a school outside Ontario, contact the Ministry.”

Overall it’s pretty ridiculous because I’m one of the lucky people that does well in our (extremely imperfect, but that’s another conversation) school system: I’ve taken a full course load every term, gotten straight A’s, and am perfectly on stream for my co-op program, that is supposed to take five years alternating between school and work.

At first, I was mad because it’s going to be annoying dealing with this, and clearly OSAP has just fudged up and the system doesn’t understand how co-op works. Ultimately, however, in the long run it will be fine.

But then I thought about it some more and this is what really angers me:

So what if I was taking 5-6 years to do a 4 year program?

University is hard. Every single university in Canada has a Mental Health Crisis, because our country is in a mental health crisis, and if I were dealing with mental health issues, I wouldn’t need this bullshit. Period.

Students with mental health issues and/or students who require other accommodations already have a big burden placed on them to get accommodations at all – they need to do things like navigate a bureaucratic, frustrating accessibility system (yes many accessibility offices at Universities are inaccessible for one or more reasons); take time to get doctors notes, which are sometimes expensive (and thus inaccessible), which also takes time away from studying and working on assignments; and disclose personal information to strangers. This is often an emotional, stressful, time-consuming process.

If I needed to take time off school because of mental and emotional health I should not have to be running around trying to justify my existence.

Or maybe I needed to take some time off school to take care of family, I should not have to explain these personal choices to the government.

Or maybe I took some time off school to work and save up. I should not be forced to explain the personal circumstances of my life to strangers.

Or maybe I just wanted to take some time off school to find myself and figure out what I really want. That should be fine too. Of course people will be switching schools, and programs, most of us were 17 or 18 when choosing our universities, we didn’t know what we wanted to do.

And all this pressure from society to finish university in 4 years is ridiculous, we see it when we learn about successful friends and feel bad about where we are in our lives, we get it from well intentioned relatives asking us what we plan on doing after we graduate, and now to also be getting these same pressures from the government, is absurd. I get that this is about wanting to get OSAP loans repaid quickly, but that is not, and should not be a government’s priority.

A government’s job is to serve the people, not to balance budgets.

With this system they’re wasting the time of people who are fine, and placing undue pressure in addition to time burdens on those who are for whatever reason taking more than 4 years to finish school. As I mentioned earlier, I’m lucky in that I’m in a good position to be dealing with this, but the people with the potential to be most affected are those who are already marginalized.  

And any system that steps on, forgets about or disregards folks who are marginalized is not good enough.

Everyone has a different path, sometimes the paths our lives take us on aren’t straight, but sometimes they need to be that way so we can learn what we need to.

It is not the government’s place to tell me what my education should look like. Not what I should do, where I should go, or how long I should take.

My education is for me, so I can grow and make a meaningful contribution with my life and sure sometimes we need help, support, and a push in the right direction. And sometimes you just need to trust us.

We are the experts of our own lives and pressuring us to move along the assembly line is not how you get informed, engaged, brilliant, forward-thinking, innovative citizens.

I don’t have to justify my life to you. Period.

*

With all this said, I want to turn your attention to two things: First, I challenge you to be on the lookout for other policies and procedures that forget about the marginalized. I guarantee that there are more. 

Second: Civic Engagement. Regardless of who put in this OSAP issue, we should make it known that it’s silly. One of the most visible and easiest ways to engage civically is by voting, and it really matters. Governments Matter. The bills and laws governments pass aren’t just some random policy that goes up in the air that doesn’t impact anyone. It is real people facing these consequences. I’ll give a personal example, several times since the Doug Ford government got in last year, I have felt the negative effects of their reckless uninformed decisions, and I know plenty of other people who have had their lives derailed. So PLEASE:

Get. Engaged.

VOTE. In the upcoming federal election in the fall and every subsequent election. In the meantime, speak to your elected representative, go to a protest, tweet about it. Do whatever you’re good at; whatever your gift is, use it to make sure you’re heard. My gift is writing, and that is why you’re reading this right now.

The truth is, most people care, they are decent, kind, and have the best intentions. We need to make that known to politicians. Right now if you go to elected officials about issues like education, environmental wellbeing, healthcare, peace-building, and equality, many are going to say they’d love to help but they just don’t see enough support for it (based on personal correspondence and the experiences of a colleague. Please let me know if you want more information). So show them support.

Because it’s not just how many voices, it’s also about how loud, so let’s speak so loudly that they will never forget.

Why I Can't do Ontario Politics Anymore

I woke up today livid about Ontario Politics.

It feels like I am living in a perpetual state of livid.

Today it was the Ford Government's announcement on (aka attack against) Post Secondary Students and Workers. The changes included:

• The elimination of free tuition for low and middle-income students through OSAP
• A higher threshold to qualify for grants from OSAP
• The elimination of the 6 month interest-free grace period to repay your OSAP loans
• The ability for a student to rescind their student union fees - an attack on student services and clubs
• 4% funding cut to institutional funding

I do not believe in framing things as an "attack" because I know the solution to our political problems is not polarization; that we need to bring people together and create community. Words like "attack" and "fight" which I will use later, creates an "us and them", turn people into enemies. I do not believe in using these words, but I am using them now.

I physically, mentally, emotionally, cannot do what I believe in anymore because I can no longer not call what is happening in Ontario an attack on everything good that we have in this province: the muzzling of students' free speech under the guise of free speech, the undermining of protections for our water and health, the threats to quality, affordable healthcare, complete disregard for equal rights, sabotaging the teaching of young people about their bodies, peers, and consent in the modern world, the repeal of action against climate change to protect our future, the attempt to break down our society by setting up a snitch line, which is literally a tactic used by governments committing genocide.

Doug Ford, your job as Premier is to make sure the people of Ontario are happy and healthy, that they have their needs me, NOT to create a balanced budget.

Everything that has been happening has me feeling battered, broken, and helpless.

I can't do it anymore.

I can't live in a perpetual state of visceral disappointment, anger, and fear for the future, for my future.

I know that after the election I called on everyone to rally their local politicians, to write, call, email, tweet, protest, whatever you felt most comfortable with. I gave you action, I wanted to inspire, but I'm not that person anymore.

Because I tried. I went to a meet and greet with my local MPP. There, I was disrespected by PC campaign manager Joe Riese (Nobody had ever spoken to me so disrespectfully in my life). I was brushed off by the MPP for a neighbouring riding. Because I'm young. Because I am a girl (and I know because those two men were very courteous to the men in their late twenties and older who'd approached them).

And those encounters stuck with me. Every time I see my MPP's office (and its 2 minutes from my house) anxiety twists my stomach into knots.  Because how am I supposed to rally when sometimes all I can see is old men's eyes glazing over as I try to explain why these issues are important? How am I supposed to rally when I have experienced not being taken seriously?

Because I am young. Because I am a girl.

How am I supposed to rally when every time I try, I am reminded of the difficulties I will have to endure because our systems were not built for people like me?

How am I supposed to rally when they are doing so many hurtful, reckless things that I don't have time to breathe between the waves of grief?

So I am passing on the torch to you. 

People with more privilege, whether that's time, or money, an identity that makes you more likely to be taken seriously, anything that gives you the ability to speak out, even just a little bit.

I am calling on you to not simply allow this to happen. To fight, for Ontario, for me, for yourselves. Vote in the next election of course, but act now, too. I sent this message out as a rallying cry last time, this time, I am asking for help.

Regardless of party, your MPP is supposed to serve you, serve the province of Ontario. That is their job. It's time this government starts acting like it. 

So speak, the people of Ontario, I am challenging you to speak, for us, for me, because I am exhausted and I feel alone in this. I can't do this alone. So speak. Prove me wrong. Prove to me that you care about your province, about other people's lives, about my life, about your life. 

Make my dreams of "we can do better", our dreams. Make them a reality. Help build an Ontario that is somewhere we all can live, and learn, and thrive.

To My Disappointed Progressive Friends in Ontario

It's not over. 

I know many of us saw what the Ontario Progressive Conservatives were advocating - cuts to services that make life for everyone better, higher deficits than any other party, a plan that really didn't look out for the little people, certainly not students, the elderly, or the disabled, while looking out for the rich and we hoped for better. (Read more here )

But here's the thing. We live in a democracy, we do not have to sit and let our politicians make laws that are not for all of us.

Additionally, there are a few points of hope that I want to highlight

Environmental Points of Hope: 

Mike Schreiner, the first Provincial Green Party MPP was elected 

Kathleen Wynne, who helped lead Ontario to become one of the world's leading climate change actors, has kept her seat. 

Jessica Bell, Nathalie Des Rosiers, Sylvia Jones, and Peter Tabuns candidates endorsed by GreenPAC, a non-partsan organization that identifies and endorses environmental political leaders, have all won seats in Queen's Park. 

Social Points of Hope: 

Andrea Horwath is the elected MPP of Hamilton Center, and you bet she will be fighting for the social issues in the NDP platform.

40 NDP MPPs have been elected, and will be fighting for the healthcare, student support and social support we wanted. 

Bhutila Karpoche, has won a seat, becoming the first ever Tibetan elected to North American public office

What you need to do now:

So you voted, and things didn't turn out how you wanted. So rally your politicians and rally head office. 

The easiest way to get your politicians to listen to you is to either meet with them and/or call their office (Personal impact is really important). They do not have the capacity to personally respond to all letters, but either of these two methods forces them to talk to you. It's even better if you tell everyone you know to call as well, inundate the office with your concerns and you better bet the bosses will hear about it. (When the provincial government starts up again, you can find info on how to contact your MPP here)

You can also attend town hall meetings or simply volunteer and/or donate to a cause important to you (environmentalism really needs your dollars right now!) 

Issues that need your attention right now:

Cap and Trade (and the environment in general) - Ford wants to lower gas prices and get rid of Cap and Trade. The truth is, there is already four times more fossil fuels extracted in stores than we can safely burn (See the Do the Math Documentary, explanation starts at about 9:22) to stay below the 2 degrees of warming that the world agreed to in 2015 for the Paris Agreement. 

Electoral reform - People's votes shouldn't be rendered null because they don't align with the majority, options are well explained here

Minimum Wage - Ford wants to scrap the planned minimum wage hike. (Why $15 minimum wage is good for business ; Ford's tax credits not help to the working poor )  

Healthcare and Mental Healthcare - We need Pharmacare, Dental care, the disabled need help now, and we cannot wait 10 years for major investments in mental healthcare

Students - Ford isn't planning to do anything to make tuition costs more affordable 

The Sex Ed Curriculum - The last time it was updated was in 1997, consent has been added, as well as dealing with cyberbullying. The curriculum was established with parental consultation and Ford didn't give specifics on his problem with the curriculum, indicating that he doesn't even know what's in it (more on what is in and isn't in the curriculum here). 

Equality and Equity - Populist platforms often end up leading to a lot of division, tensions along identity lines, xenophobia, and a dissolution of community. Just look at what's happening in the States. The opposition to the sex ed curriculum itself is a signal of homophobia. Fight that. Go out and support education and the community, learn about local groups and support them. Start a political literacy community group because clearly too many people saw lower taxes and didn't realize the implications would be detrimental cuts. 

Together, we can do this Ontario. 

* Updated June 8, 2018 with some more points of hope

Why You Should Engage Different Political Parties and PC (Progressive Conservative) Bullshit You Should Call

Authors Note: while this post is tailored to a specific context and party, the ideas and principles can and should be adapted to make sure all political democratic parties hear your voice. 
Ontario is approaching an election and the canvassing for support is starting. As such, political canvassers will be reaching out to many of you soon whether it's at your door, over the phone, or at a public event. 

Now this may sound strange to some of you, but I implore you, regardless of whether or not you traditionally or currently support the party and their platform, listen to and engage with everyone who approaches you on behalf of a political party.

We want who we want in, but there is something you can learn from another group's approach and point of view. Whether you're learning on behalf of yourself or your cause. Ultimately, engaging different people is essential to avoid becoming a polarized society, to stop dehumanizing thoughts about "the other side" in their tracks. To believe in things based on merit instead of whether or not it defies the group you don't identify with. 

Secondly, engaging people who don't support a platform you believe in is actually your secret weapon. 

Because regardless of whether or not it looks like the party or candidate you want in, will get in, you shouldn't let your voice be left on the table. 

Regardless of who wins the election, it is still their job to represent you and your concerns. 

This election, let's support the platform and candidates we believe in and make sure our concerns are heard by all parties. 

When you're engaging with people whose platform doesn't align with yours, talk about your concerns. Even if it's not someone you feel has significant decision-making power, when you say something, you disrupt the same old same old ideas and messaging that person consumes. 

That has an impact. 

On that person, on their friends, on their family. And if enough people say something, that party has to do something. 

Be polite, but assertive. Read the person and situation to determine to what degree. If it's another citizen like you, make sure they don't feel attacked because that will usually shut people off. If it's an MPP candidate, you might feel freer to passionately express yourself. 

Figure out the best way to do it, then call bullshit. It is your right. 

I recently had a run-in with someone from the Progressive Conservatives and here's the list of bullshit I wish I'd called, bullshit that you should call as well, because everyone can and should support fairness, equality and a healthy planet for us, everything around us, and the future. 

1. Call threats to repeal climate change action: 

Ontario, with its cap and trade system, which is not the same thing as a carbon tax, is a climate change action leader, this plan is literally helping us save the world and I cannot support a party who does not have a climate change action plan. I want to see the PCs pitch one. 

How exactly would a carbon tax kill jobs anyway? Renewable energy is the fastest growing job sector, and it employs more people and for longer than the entire fossil fuel industry combined. 
2. Call lack of support for a healthy happy planet and population in favour of an obsession with taxes:

It matters to me that Ontario has clean air, water and land for myself and generations to come. We have phased out coal. It is imperative the PCs continue building on this work. 

3. Call lack of support for funding important causes to improve life in Ontario: 

Funding society is respecting taxpayers dollars; I want to see investment in the future, in youth, social services and green infrastructure. Sure a tax break would be nice in the short term, but when your leader is calling investment in young families "spending money [the province] doesn't have" you imply equality, emotional mental health is worth less than a balanced budget. 

4. Call lack of action for Youth

I want to see support for and engagement with diverse youth. Most young people have lost faith in our democracy. It is extremely difficult to be a young professional from high tuition fees to a lack of jobs. Mental health concerns are at an extreme high. I want to see the PCs create a plan to support, engage and inspire youth. 

5. Call Sexism. 

It's clear sexism has a significant hold in the party. Recently, you choose an uninformed, demagogue, inexperienced in provincial politics over highly skilled, qualified women. Most of the party clearly doesn't care enough about gender equality to see how silly and sexist of a move that was. I would have loved to see all three major provincial parties being led by women, I would have loved knowing the next premier would very likely be a woman. 

6. Call failure to do anything but "bash" and tear down

I want to see a plan to do better. The PC platform talks a lot about how other parties have failed. Simply calling out the failures does not contribute to our democracy, does not make Ontario better. I want to know what the plan is to do better and why that's better. I want a plan addresses my concerns and represents ALL OF US. 

7. Call the break with rationality and values

I want to see defined beliefs beyond "what defies the Liberals" 

8. Call failure to serve the people

Stop fighting the Liberals, they are not the enemy, and do your job, which is to fight for the people of your province. Stop wasting energy on this vendetta to "beat them" 

Focus on fighting the systems that benefit select elite at the expense of everyone else. Focus on empowering your people to see they don't need to be fighting over crumbs when there is an entire damn pie out there that the top 1% is keeping from them.

Stop fighting the so-called "other side" and start fighting for your people like you were supposed to be doing all along

Final note: If you are eligible PLEASE VOTE. Election time is one of the easiest times for your voice to be heard, one of the times it will ring the loudest. 

Lindsey Shephard, Laurier, Why Free Speech Rallies Aren't Pro-Free Speech and What to do Instead

Free speech is under attack! The left is anti-free speech! The sentiment is prevalently expressed and echoed across various platforms by various people today. This idea cropped up in the "Laurier vs. Lindsey Shephard" case that has been in the news recently. Tensions have been running high all around but I want us all to step back and unpack what happened, as well as suggest an alternative to what is happening that addresses everyone's concerns.

For those of you who aren't aware of what transpired, here's a quick summary: Wilfrid Laurier University English TA showed some of her tutorial classes a video of people debating the use of the pronouns that people identify with. She approached the issue neutrally to demonstrate "the nuances of English and how that can cause controversy" (approximate quotation). Laurier was not happy with this and sanctioned her because she did not denounce the opinion of refusing to deviate from traditional pronouns.

Many people feel this was an inappropriate action for a university as they are a place to create knowledge, of which one way to do so is to debate, and as a proud leftist I agree. Laurier did not handle this appropriately. 

But I don't agree with the "free speech defender" rhetoric either. Like too many things today, there is an element of visceral-ness to this response, of react first, think later. And as with anything else, taking a moment to think is important. I know what you're thinking, "duh, don't patronize us, that's obvious," but take a moment to think about how often people are doing that today. 

Did YOU take a moment to think before deciding on an opinion regarding this brouhaha?

Did the dozens of people at the free speech rally take a moment to think before taking sides? I would argue no, because then they would have realized what I am about to say.

Anti-transphobia, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-discrimination, they are all speech, too. 

It's called counter speech and to truly be pro-free speech, you should not be trying to silence the people who disagree with you. You have every right to have opinions, but the act of arguing against someone who calls you out over it, and saying they're anti-free speech undermines them and impedes upon their right to free speech. You can disagree with someone, but when you disagreeing with someone undermines their ability to disagree with you, that is inherently anti-free speech. 

And I want to make it very clear that I'm not pointing fingers. Left, right, center, people of all ideologies, faiths, backgrounds and so on are guilty of this.

But the thing with the current iteration of this "free-speech rhetoric" is that it seems what people really want is to be able to say what they like without repercussion, without thinking about the consequences and who it might hurt.

To be able to say whatever you like, you have to be in a position of relative power over that person or situation - if you were afraid of getting beaten for saying something, you wouldn't say it, you're effectively not able to say it. Then to say whatever you want without thinking about who that might hurt, well, friends, that is the definition of being a bully, of being someone in power who does what they like to the weaker or marginalized. 

So take a moment to think about what people are really defending at "free speech" rallies like that of last Friday.

Free speech started so we as people could keep our government in check and hold them accountable. It has nothing to do with being able to say what you like and having some sort of protection against other people disagreeing with you. And quite frankly, people are plain and simple using it as an excuse to be mean.

Free speech is important but you don't always have to use it. Tolerance is paradoxical in that being too tolerant can lead to intolerance dominating. We have to draw the line somewhere, we don't tolerate people debating whether genocide is wrong, there's a reason for that. 

They teach kindergarteners "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it" so why are we saying all manners of mean and awful things? (And yes, it's pretty awful to tell a trans person that they're experience is not legitimate and that they must fit into a box you made for them, and you know better than them about their own identity). 

Back to being Reasonable 

People on all sides are being unreasonable right now, so how do we change that? 

There are a lot of reasonable people are out there, unfortunately, unreasonable right-wing and leftists tend to get most of the media attention. but the simple truth is if you want someone to be reasonable with you, you need to be reasonable with them, and I'll illustrate with what I think should have happened at Laurier. 

Wilfrid Laurier University should have invited Shepard to a discussion rather than a reprisal. They shouldn't have sanctioned her because she didn't have malicious intent. And when you do humiliate or punish people for doing something you disagree with without malicious intent, they start resenting you, and even generalizing whatever group you're a part of as unreasonable. If they'd met with her and said "Hey, thank you for wanting to foster discussion and excellence in academia, we just want to check in with you because we have some concerns about your approach. Let's chat until we both feel like our goals are looked after". 

What would have come out of that? Laurier expresses their concerns without causing grievance to Shephard. 

On Lindsey Shephard's part, I don't think she handled the initial showing of the video appropriately. Yes, absolutely the creation of knowledge via debate and diverse perspectives is valuable. What she should have done, however, which respects the concerns of all, is to preface the video clip by saying something along the lines of: "Don't use this debate as an excuse to disrespect people". It's still neutral though not as neutral as she maybe would have liked, while addressing the concerns brought up by the university, though not as well as not allowing Shephard to do it at all. It's a compromise, which people need to start remembering how to do again.

So the next time you disagree with someone, please just take a moment and try to see the world as they do and talk to them. Discuss, don't just throw names or accusations out there. And when you're being reasonable, you'd be surprised by how reasonable people can be in return. 

So what do you think? Did I change your mind? Feel free to disagree, but be reasonable about it and let me know in the comments! 

Fearless Girl and Pissing Pug - Is it Really as it Seems?

I want to have a serious talk about the Fearless Girl Statue, and the (although very temporary) addition, Pissing Pug. 

To provide some context for those of you who are completely unfamiliar, Fearless Girl was installed in New York across the street from the famous Wall Street Charging Bull earlier this year, it quickly became a beloved symbol of female empowerment and the obstacles women face.

But that isn't the entire story. In short, Fearless Girl perverts the

meaning of the Charging Bull statue, which was created by immigrant Arturo Di Modica to symbolize "the strength and power of the American people", it cost him about $350 000 of his own money and has been on loan to the city of New York for nearly 30 years. She derives a lot of her power from her placement - just ask

yourself, would she be such a powerful statue if not placed in opposition to the Bull? - and her placement there turns the Bull into a symbol of aggressive masculinity (This is a very short summary of the good points made by Greg Fallis here, PLEASE give the entire thing a read).

And before you dismiss this like I have seen many people do, yes this is a problem. You would never condone somebody without authorization of the creator hanging paintings on the Denkmal Memorial in Berlin for the Jewish people killed in WWII, (and thereby modifying its meaning); you would never condone someone drawing over the Mona Lisa so it looks like there's an animal gnawing on her head, modifying the painting from "a mysterious woman" to an amusing image, 

So we really shouldn't be calling Alex Gardega, who created "The Pissing Pug" and placed it at Fearless Girl's feet "so sensitive". Gardega made Pissing Pug and placed it so it appeared it was urinating at Fearless Girls's feet to protest how Fearless Girl was a "downgrade" of Charging Bull, by using the same technique to "downgrade" Fearless Girl. 

Even though she has become a symbol of female power and the challenges women face, that doesn't make it okay to disrespect a

person's time, care, and work. Feminism inherently about equal respect and equal value - so why do you think it's okay to choose respect for the girl (who is actually an advertisement; more on this later) over a person? Why do you value the meaning of the girl over the bull? A symbol for "the strength and power of the American people" certainly includes women, too, if anything it represents women and other marginalized identities more. because these are the identities with many more hurdles to face, these are the identities that often cause and/or force people to have strength.

There's also a lot of outcry of "Misogyny!", "Anti-Women!" But, no, it's not misogynistic, because Fearless Girl was never a perfect symbol of female empowerment, she is in many ways a part of the systems used to oppress people, a symbol of False Feminism - a master's tool to dismantle the master's house if you will. She is an ad, for State Street Global Advisers, hoping to improve it's image. People critique Dove for co-opting self esteem and empowerment for profit in their advertising, Fearless Girl is just another iteration. It also doesn't get better when you look into what State Street does. Like other investment companies, they fund problematic industries - fossil fuels, weapons of war, none of which are good for women, and people in general. 

State Street wants more women in their ranks because according to

Maquiladora workers - mostly women

their marketing materials, more gender diversity = stronger financial performance and less corruption. It can be interpreted that Fearless Girl was commissioned to get more women to come aboard and advance capitalism - a problematic system in itself  in the way it uses women, from objectification in the advertising industry, to destroying the environment and hastening Climate Change to the disproportionate expense of women's health, particularly in the Global South (See the maquiladoras (factories) of Mexico and How Climate Change is Sexist; How Climate Change is a Feminist Issue). 

(Sidenote: This is not to devalue what Fearless Girl means to individuals, as a work of art, she is inherently subject to wide varieties of interpretation, but just as I acknowledge her value to individuals here, individuals need to acknowledge the problematic reasons she was commissioned, instead of just assuming she is valuable because she is valuable to them. )

Left-leaning media are being very dismissive of Gardega's protest, and this is very problematic. This kind of dismissive, contemptuous attitude, with responses full of jargon that you know non-left leaners, or the less educated might very well not understand, is what is creating the current rift between ideologies in the USA (and to some extent in Canada). In all honesty, I feel the right has become very quick to dismiss concerns as "too sensitive" without actually giving the issue fair consideration, but perhaps the left is retaliating by dismissing things too quickly as sexist, racist, ableist, classist, or some other -ist word that describes discriminatory action. The problem is, how are you EVER going to get people to listen, and even potentially persuade them to agree with you if all you do is accuse instead of explaining, talk at instead of talk with?

Look. I'm guilty of it too, I like to poke fun at masculinity and I'll use it to explain certain behaviours (though often it's in jest) but it is unfair to simply say xx action was because z person is misogynistic without critical analysis. Was misogyny a factor in Gardega's decision? Perhaps. But you can't automatically dismiss that as the only reason, without really looking at his side. 

Image of the Stonewall Protests

Sure his actions weren't nice, but people weren't listening. The Stonewall protests weren't necessarily nice but they are praised for making people listen and understand that the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community needed to change. When voices aren't being heard, people protest, and it's kind of hypocritical to condemn this protest, which did have good intentions (it would be a different story if it didn't) while praising others.  

I've never seen the bull, I don't know how clear it is to passerby's that it's a symbol of the power of the US people (Is there a plaque or something that explains this?) but what I do know is that I oppose attempts at advancement or empowerment if it's at the expense of someone else or another social cause. 

This argument did, and I'm sure it will appear again, in that it can be said that there is misogyny behind not wanting Fearless Girl (and thus women) to take up space, but at the end of the day this isn't an either-or issue.There are other ways to create symbols of empowerment, in fact, a simple change in the placement of the statues could maintain Fearless Girl's power without bastardizing the meaning of the bull.What if we moved Fearless Girl and put her beside Charging Bull? Standing next to a charging bull is still courageous, and it also sends a message of solidarity between women and immigrants (not that these are mutually exclusive), it would represent women, girls, and the American people bravely facing the world, the ups, the downs, whatever ugliness is thrown at them, together, which is a wonderful message, indeed.