Say What Now?

Do you hate Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vaccine crowd as much as I do?

Julia Ioffe posted an article this week called "I've got whooping cough. Thanks a lot, Jenny McCarthy." I've been a LONG time hater of hers, so it instantly piqued my interest. Julia, a healthy 31 year old woman living in New York has contracted an illness that we should have wiped out a long time ago.
Here's what: I know Jenny McCarthy isn't the EXACT reason Julia contracted the whooping cough. But this is something we've been vaccinating against for years and years. So why is a healthy 31 year old woman getting it now? Probably because someone didn't vaccinate their kid. The anti-vaccine crowd is pretty scary, and quite frankly, they piss me off. Whether or not you vaccinate your kid is a conversation that should be between you and your doctor, not some former playmate whose son was never even diagnosed with the disorder she enjoyed talking about so much. People who don't vaccinate are becoming more and more prevalent, and we're seeing the nasty affects of it. I'll never forget the rage I felt reading one blogger's post about not vaccinating her kid.. she said she didn't need to because everyone else vaccinated THEIR kid. Are you for real? ARE YOU?

Here's some news for you: your if you hurt someone's feelings, your intentions don't matter.

Jamie over at Everyday Feminism (there are a lot of J names in this post today.) talked about how lots of people are excusing their actions under the guise of "but I didn't mean to!" She says that when you keep talking about your intentions (instead of the feelings of the person you've offended, you're still making it about you, instead of the other person. And that's not cool.
Her advice? Listen more than you talk, reflect on what you've done, and apologize. Like... a real apology. None of this "sorry you got offended" crap. (I think we've heard this story before, right?)
Here's what: I think there are two important sides to this. If you've offended someone, whether you meant to or not, they're still offended, and you should apologize. BUT: I think there's a level of patience and tolerance that everyone should have in situations like this. For example, one time I made a comment about how awesome the 50s were. I was referencing the clothes, the music.... okay, mostly the poodle skirts. One of my friends said to me "Alyssa, you know the 50s were awful for everyone who wasn't a white man, right? It was a horrible time for civil rights." What? Duh. As soon as she said it, it made sense. And instead of yelling at me, or telling me to check my privilege, she explained why my thoughts were problematic. I think that's important. Sooo while I definitely agree that impact is more important than your intentions, you should always keep in mind that awareness is something that's learned, and we should work together to make sure we all become the best version of ourselves we can be.

Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift don't want to identify as feminists, but Courtney Stodden and Miley Cyrus sure do.

Both these ladies have said recently that they're definitely feminists. Miley says "she's for everybody" and Courtney says "real women support other women."
Here's what: Being comfortable with yourself and your sexuality doesn't automatically make you a feminist. Sure, they often go hand-in-hand, but one doesn't always equal the other. When you take your clothes off and make women feel like props, or less than human, how much of a feminist can you be? And Courtney? You can wear whatever you want to wear, and I'll never shame you for that. But "real women" don't support other women just because they're women, because women aren't delicate little flowers who can't stand a little criticism. That defeats the whole purpose. Also, stop using the phrase "real women." Because it sucks. You feel me?

What have you read recently that was really interesting? Anything good?!