Spoiled Rich People

     So I’ve been noticing a trend here, as have most people with a tad bit of common sense.

     

     Rich people are blaming Obama for their own actions.

     I know, shocking considering that’s been going on for four years already. Let me narrow that down to the recent days following Obama’s reelection. I’m sure you’ve seen the Facebook meme about John the Snot-excuse me, Schnatter, owner of Papa John’s. You know, the one where he’s saying he’s going to cut back employees’ hours so he doesn’t have to give them healthcare? (Even better is his quote about how he’d love to give all his employees healthcare, this just isn’t the right way- no matter only a third of his employees are insured as it is.)

     Yeah, that’s not just him. A few franchise owners of Denny’s and Dairy Queen are hopping on that bandwagon, along with the CEO of Applebee’s New York, the parent company of Red Lobster and Olive Garden, and even a few small businesses to name just a few.

     One guy even fired employees so he’d remain under the fifty employee cap to avoid paying for healthcare, going so far as making sure he fired people who voted for Obama. Does that sound illegal to you? Hint: it is.

     One thing these people have in common? Gigantic salaries. The Walton family of Walmart is pulling the same crap. Basically, it’s multimillionaires and billionaires who are telling their workers that the poverty wages they pay them are too much. It’s people who own several luxury homes, a car for each week, and their own golf courses in their backyard who are saying they can’t afford to give their employees healthcare.

     Another thing these greedy bastards have in common is that they’re literally saying Obama made them do it.

     No, I’m not buying the shit in your stores, and I’m certainly not buying that shit. YOU decided to lay off hardworking, desperate employees in a recession right before the holidays. YOU decided not to take a tiny pay cut to your grotesquely overinflated salary in order to ensure the people who made, and are making you, those millions don’t have to worry every time their kid falls at the public playground.

     YOU are so butthurt by a President realizing the value of the middle class that you are willing to plunge families further into poverty THE FREAKING MONTH BEFORE CHRISTMAS just to sabotage him. YOU are so afraid of your employees realizing how terribly you treat them that they’ll finally say “Enough of this shit” and strike.

     Congratulations: YOU ARE WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY.

     You don’t want to take responsibility for your own actions. Understandable considering how Congress has coddled you like a spoiled child. But you aren’t, are you? No, you are an adult and it’s time to act like one.

     To quote the amazing Elizabeth Warren, “There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody… You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea - God bless! Keep a hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

     Your employees are the ones who run your company, maintain it, and quite literally make your money for you. I’m not saying it’s bad to be rich- I hope to be someday myself. I’m saying it’s bad to dehumanize and devalue the very people you rely on.

     That’s going to bite you in the ass someday, and there won’t be any healthcare for you either when it starts to fester.

    

Money is More Important for Men

Those are the words spoken by Wisconsin senator Glenn Grothman (R). To avoid any conflict over ‘picking and choosing’, here is his full statement: “You could argue that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more money-conscious. To attribute everything to a so-called bias in the workplace is just not true.” (http://www.care2.com/causes/wisconsin-equal-pay-law-repealed-because-money-is-more-important-for-men.html#ixzz1rTIInZoF)

This is just another example of the huge disconnect that the (mostly heterosexual white cisgender male) Republican Congress has. In actual reality, there is a huge pay gap between the sexes. In the U.S., women only make about 77 cents to every dollar their male counterpart makes (http://www.pay-equity.org/). That means that a man making $40,000 a year is bringing home $9,200 more than a woman working exactly the same job with exactly the same credentials. This is not about who finds money more important, this is about sex discrimination pure and simple.

If Grothman wants to discuss who is going forward to become a breadwinner, maybe he should consider that the majority of households are dual income. That means the family relies on both husband and wife, wife and wife, or husband and husband. It may also startle him to discover that most single income households are run by women, thus making it more important for women to make more money than men (if viewed through that particular lens; I am not advocating any type of pay inequity).

With this towering heap of facts, I think it is very safe to say that there is a serious bias in the workplace. Women are still not valued or compensated equitably for their work. Not only do statistics call out Grothman’s lies, but women’s own experiences. Consider the massive lawsuit that female employees brought against Walmart. Runaway harassment and discrimination against women started what would have been the country’s largest discrimination lawsuit. A poor decision on the Supreme Court’s part has put up yet more roadblocks, which is also very telling in how our legal systems view women’s importance.

Women make up nearly half of the workplace, yet they hold a much lower percentage of administrative and upper management positions. The statistics for women of color are even more abysmal, especially when poverty is stirred into the mix.

For even more proof, let’s look at our country’s governing body. Women only hold 90 of the 535 seats of our government. That translates to women only having about %16.8 of the say in what goes on in our country (http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/Congress-CurrentFacts.php). That is a chilling number and a slap in the face to our daughters, mothers, wives and coworkers. Also consider that when legislation is passed that cuts programs that specifically help women or restricts their reproductive rights, it is mostly men who decide on it. Case in point, the infamous all-male panel in Congress that discussed whether contraception was really important for women (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/birth-control-hearing-was-like-stepping-into-a-time-machine/). Let’s also not forget that 2011 saw an historic amount of proposed legislation restricting women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.

So, senator Grothman, in conclusion you are relying on faulty evidence. Women value money as much as men. Women work just as hard for even less. And women are more likely to seriously consider the value of their dollars since they are the only source of income in their households.

If women held an equitable amount of positions in the workplace and our government, I do believe you would be out of a job Mr. Grothman. 

I Am: Trans People Speak ally video

This is my I Am: video. I am: a trans ally. 

Script:

I am a writer, a daughter, an entrepreneur, a woman, a dog trainer, a bisexual, and I am a trans-ally. I’m speaking out because there’s way too much focus on what’s in your pants instead of your head. I’ve heard the horror stories of harassment from my transgendered and transsexual friends. I’ve heard about being denied a job or fired from one, about being sprayed with a hose while walking your dog, about being threatened just for daring to go out to eat or grocery shopping. Transpeople are people first and foremost, and no matter what gender or lack thereof they choose to go by, it isn’t anyone else’s business. Being trans isn’t an illness or moral shortcoming. Asking to be labeled as a woman, man, or neither isn’t shoving anything in anyone else’s face, it’s just a request for the same respect and dignity they show you. I’m tired of my friends being legally beaten and discriminated. I vow to stand up for my trans-friends by calling out hate and discrimination, and by asking them what they need and want instead of making decisions for them.

Occupy Wall Street

The movement has finally been broadcast by mainstream media (but after we all already knew about it, of course). I’ve tweeted, Facebooked, sent in letters to editors, and generally told everyone I could about it. I’m wholeheartedly behind it, especially since NYPD brutality has seemed to become the norm in dealing with these peaceful protesters.

See some of the myriad videos of the brutality here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZ8_JdKm0Q&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3DNYPD%2Bpunches%2Bout%2Bwoman%26aq%3Df&has_verified=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTdbTIE8lrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVqLHntKPHY

Mainstream media, of course, doesn’t seem to comprehend what’s happening. Occupy Wall Street has been called everything from a bunch of dirty hippies, to whining entitled children, to a violent bunch of unwashed college kids. So many lies have been spread about the movement that it’s heartening- because when people start lying about something it’s to hide it and cover up its message. Occupy Wall Street is becoming too big to ignore.

The media also seems unable to grasp what the movement’s goals or message is. It’s been called too broad and chaotic, unable to cohesively unite for a single purpose. Those, of course, are lies too. There are college students who make up this movement, angry because they worked hard, earned their degrees, got themselves in thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and can’t find a job. There are war veterans, still marching because their benefits have been cut and their healthcare is in danger.  There are white collar men, and blue collar men, women who can’t afford to feed their children, women with PhD’s that can’t find a job besides a fry cook at McDonald’s. These are people who are angry that their air is so dirty their children can’t breathe right anymore, that their food is poisoned and too expensive, that they can’t find a decent job, that they’ve been disrespected and called lazy, entitled, ignorant because they need help in a country that doesn’t place people above profits anymore. One cohesive, united message? Occupy Wall Street wants corporations and big money out of politics, and their voices back. That is the primary message, and it was all too easy to understand. Every single issue and demand the movement has made traces back to this. There isn’t one single goal touted because there are lots of goals they want met. Unemployment, clean air, nutritious food, safe streets, a voice, these are ALL important, and all should be guaranteed in a country as rich and powerful as ours. There are no whiners in the movement, no entitled brats, no lazy people. Only people who worked hard and did everything they were supposed to in order to be successful, and now have nothing.

Here is the movement's first official release: http://occupywallst.org/forum/first-official-release-from-occupy-wall-street/

Here is the We Are the 99% archive link: http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/archive

I am part of Occupy Wall Street. I’ve been to Occupy Cleveland. And from not only personal experience, but those of my friends  and family, I know that this movement is truthful.

I am a twenty-five year old recent graduate. I hold a Bachelor’s degree. I was on the Dean’s List for the last two years of that degree. I started my own non-profit student organization and volunteered with two others. I worked part time almost the whole time I was at college, often while running my organization and maintaining a minimum 3.5 GPA with eighteen credit hours. I volunteered with grassroots campaigns and worked hard at everything I did. I even earned a certificate from the school for my work with my non-profit organization.

I am now living in my mother’s basement because I can’t afford rent or even groceries. I can’t find a job that pays above minimum wage (and minimum wage is NOT a livable wage, not for me as a single person and certainly not for the woman supporting two children). The only work I’ve found is as a pizza delivery driver; it’s only part time and minimum wage.

I’m almost forty thousand dollars in student debt, mostly owed to the Federal Government. I have a loan from one private loan company which has more than doubled in the past four years. They have me on 30% interest.

Even worse, I’ve just received my first notification that my student loan payments are going to begin shortly. I have no way of paying them. My car needs brakes replaced and tires, and has a hole in the exhaust pipe.  I haven’t been to a dentist in five years, or an OB/GYN in six. I have health insurance through my Dad that is going to expire soon, but I can’t even afford to pay copays. I rely on my family for everything from groceries to a roof over my head, and am going to have to ask them for help to fix my car and pay my bills. I have $200 to my name, and at least $100 is going to bills this month. It’s a horrible, nasty feeling.

I did everything I was supposed to, and excelled beyond many of my peers. I did the extracurriculars, I took the hard classes, I did the community work, I worked my ass off. And five years later I’m worse off than when I started. I hate being in this position, and if I had any possible way out of it I would have taken it by now. I am so sick of being helpless and relying on my family’s charity. I’m sick of being unable to support myself or get ahead. I have no savings and no job prospects, and am already in so much debt. I can’t think about retirement because at this rate I will never make enough to save enough to retire, much less buy a home or a new car when mine dies, or take care of myself if my health fails. This is terrifying. It’s bone-deep, soul-shaking terrifying.

So I support Occupy Wall Street. I support them with everything I have. I support them because my younger friends are already reaching the end of their unemployment benefits, before the age of twenty-five. I support them because corporations HAVE taken over, and have been granted civilian rights when they don’t have the responsibilities or accountability actual people have. I support them because I worked hard, I did everything I had to, and I’m done with being helpless. I support them because I don't get a bail-out. I will be arrested if necessary, I will take a policeman’s fist to my face because I dare speak up and say that THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I will wade through the lies and stay strong, because we’ve had enough.

We are the 99% and we are awake now.

Sexual Harassment Before the Job Even Starts

I went to an interview at a Subway in Ohio. I wanted a part time job to save up for tuition and books for community college, something fairly routine and not too demanding. What with Pell grants about to be gutted, I can no longer afford to pay for the Vet Tech program with savings and assistance alone. So, Subway seemed a logical choice and just happened to be hiring around my home town. I called and the guy seemed really out of it, not too organized or particularly interested. I took it in stride, who can really know someone just from a short phone call?

I got to Subway five minutes early and ended up waiting nearly half an hour for the owner to come out and interview me. My first impression was that he’s a bit creepy; he stared and his shirt was open enough to expose a bunch of chest hair, a nipple if a strong breeze were to blow. Not what I wanted to see from a prospective employer. We got straight to business and he seemed extremely domineering, a very military-type “say exactly what I want to hear” person. I was not liking him, and it got worse when he asked me if I had kids. This was problematic because I doubt he would be asking a man this question. Not only is there the assumption that a woman should be primary caregiver, but that she is a bad/negligent mother by searching for a job, or that she isn’t able to handle a job and children. If his franchise is an Equal Opportunity Employer, his questions are illegal.

I answered, dumbfounded. He kept the ball rolling with a question about my shirt size. I told him small and he decided I was going to get a medium shirt (so why did he ask?). Directly after telling me this he tells me to stand up so he “can get a look at me”. I still didn’t confront him, both needing a job and shocked at his behavior. Not too many questions later he made a comment about shorts having to be at the knee or longer, which sounded normal to me. Instead of leaving it at that, this “businessman” laughed and told me that if he had his way all his girls would be wearing short shorts to help bring in business. I didn’t smile at his oblivious and disgusting joke. It was at this point I realized I’d only seen the one male employee, but three younger female employees. As I shook his hand I was shaking and I got out of there as quickly as possible. I called my Dad and told him about the interview, and he just congratulated me. This is not to say he’s sexist or bigoted, at least not consciously; he’s one of the more feminist men I’ve ever known. He either didn’t fully realize the situation or I wasn’t clear that I was upset. It wasn’t until I got home and thought about it that I realized how horrible the interview was. In ten minutes I had experienced sexist policy, sexual harassment and objectification.

Needless to say, I did not take the job. I needed one, but I was not going to subject myself to that man again, much less in a subordinate position. I was lucky enough to land several more interviews and ended up being employed as a driver at a great little pizzeria, making more in wages and supplementing that with tips than I would have working for the Subway.

I have since reported the franchise to the Better Business Bureau(BBB)(https://www.bbb.org/file-a-complaint/), and to the Subway Corporation, and I’m waiting to hear back. It may not go anywhere, but the owner will know that I didn’t appreciate his unprofessionalism during the interview. I still wish I’d said something right away, but truthfully I was intimidated and didn’t want to hurt my chances at getting a job. I hope I’ve learned from this, and I want others to learn from it too. This type of behavior and discrimination needs to be recognized and brought to awareness, especially during this time of economic instability when women are taking the most damage.  

Here is a copy of the transcript sent to the BBB and Subway:

“I went for a job interview at this Subway. During the interview I was asked to "Stand up so I can look at you" by the owner, who was interviewing me, after already agreeing on a suitable shirt size if I were to be employed. The owner also stated during the interview that if he had his way, all his girls would be wearing short shorts to work to bring in more business. This was in regards to his stipulations that shorts must be at the knee or below in the workplace, and this comment was not in response to one of my own. The owner of this franchise was both discriminatory towards me (he asked if I had children) and verbally sexually harassed me, which is why I'm reporting this Subway store. I had no issues with anyone or anything else at the location.”

Here is a copy of the action I’d like taken via the BBB:

“I would only like the owner of the Subway to know his unprofessionalism was not unnoticed, and to have any action appropriate be taken against him by the Better Business Bureau.”

My Address to LGBTQ Youth

  I'm not old yet, so I remember high school and what it was like going through it as an out bisexual girl. I remember being called a slut, a dyke, greedy, desperate, liar, bitch.... all sorts of things. I was told the standard lies about going to hell, being unnatural, only doing it for male attention (because girls only kiss girls for guys' benefit), and being too young to have a sexuality, much less one outside the hetero-norm. It was hard and at times I did think about killing myself. I cut myself, demeaned myself, and gave those idiots exactly what they wanted. It was difficult to keep my head above water at the best of times. But to go with that awesome campaign making a presence, it got better (http://www.itgetsbetter.org/). I found friends who fought for me as fiercely as I should have fought for myself. I educated myself about what it meant to be queer, and about the struggles of other people.

  The best thing I ever did was get the hell out of there and go to college. I found people as passionate as I am, who gave a damn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-E7fykpeGc) and let everyone know it. I learned about the Stonewall riots, about transpeople and hate crimes, and joined LGBTQ clubs and attended seminars. I armed myself with knowledge, and it empowered me. I majored in Creative Writing because it showed me how to broadcast my voice, and I minored in Women's Studies because it gave me real herstory and told me the truth about racial issues, human sexuality in all its flavors, and humankind in every gender, color, and category.

  You will find opposition as often as you will find support. There are stupid people everywhere, and scared ones who have a hard time respecting and recognizing anything different. You will encounter corrupt social infrastructures that hold you back and deny you your basic human rights and the respect you deserve. But keep this in mind- you do deserve respect. As a feminist and a queer, I have learned to carve out my space where none exists for me. Don't be afraid to be loud and get creative. You will be called names, you will experience violence, and you have the strength to rise above all of it.

  Most of all, know you are NOT alone. I'm here, and I care. I care about YOU, and I care about my neighbors all over this country and this world. I will be your shoulder and your rock, I will beat ass for you and shout to the highest levels of government. My love is big enough for anyone and everyone. I'm here, I'm queer, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, and so are millions of people around the world. Remember this: you matter and you can make your place in this world. You have the power to stand up for yourself and for others. Use it. 

Street (or parking spot) harassment

Yesterday I was loading my car up with boxes (I'm in the process of moving from my apartment to my mom's basment- more on that later), sweating my ass off in the heat.  I have a Honda Element, which allows you to fold the seats up to the sides so that there's a lot of stowing space.  I had to climb in to stack some boxes near the front, since I was loading from the back hatch.  And of course, some idiot drives by in a little red wannabe sports car (I know who you are, jackass) and catcalls me as I'm bent over boxes, struggling to stack some more.  I ignored him with much restraint on my part, since I'm not used to keeping quiet about harassment.  A few trips up and down the stairs (I lived on the second floor) later, and there's a man in his mid-forties walking by my car.  He looks like a crack addict.  He decides it's ok to comment on my ass while I'm putting another box in.  This time I get out, look him straight in the eyes and say "Your comments aren't helpful, and you're sexually harassing me.  Leave me alone."  He takes this opportunity to flip me off and call me a bitch, strutting his skinny flat ass away like he's won something besides his ignorance.  I'm twenty five years old and I look like I'm seventeen (seriously, I get carded for rated R movies).  This man was old enough to be my dad.

I don't know what it is about some men that makes them think they can sexually harass women who are minding their own business- and yes, catcalling and talking about a stranger's ass is sexual harassment (check out this awesome blog and project about fighting street harassment called 'Hollaback':http://www.ihollaback.org/).  It's all about objectification of women, and that false sense of male entitlement to women's bodies.  Women are sexualized to the point where we've become nothing but sexual property in many regards, a means to status and a symbol of a man's power.  Think of trophy wives and how many powerful men both date supermodels and cheat on their wives.  Men are also taught that they have a right to sex and a woman's body, though not every man gives in to that lie.  Look at rape statistics, and all the bullshit rape-apologists and 'excuses' about why he did it.  Rape is never about sex but power- and look at the overwhelming statistics of male rapists and female survivors.

So, the twenty-something neighbor of mine that will go to his car one morning to find an angry note on it was asserting his entitlement to my body with his catcalls.  The guy old enough to be my dad was doing the same thing, and arguably more shamefully.  Both should have known better, but the old guy might have a daughter.  I wonder how he'd feel if the same happened to her?  Actually, I wonder how either would feel if some jackass like them did the same to their sisters, daughters, wives, girlfriends.

Getting a bit off topic, I also wonder if either of these men thought about what I might be feeling (obviously not).  How was I to know they weren't going to attack me, or try to rape me?  Will they ever know how it feels to be broken down to a set of tits, an ass and a vagina (never a vulva)?  How would they feel knowing they're being paralleled to rapists in my mind, perpetuating a culture of sexual violence for women?  I'm thinking neither of them would really give a shit.