Gender Queer Symbol
Isn’t ze cute?
What animal is more gender queer than a seahorse? The males carries the eggs! They are also very sexually fluid. I thought a seahorse would be the perfect icon for gender queer. Free to use for non-commercial purposes. But, if you want to use it for commercial means, that’s not allowed without my permission. T-shirts, patches, stickers, buttons, and pendants to come soonish. 🙂 Just thought I’d share hir now.
Anarchism and Game Theory
I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I know it’s cool and everything that I’m an anarchist but people can’t see how it is practical in reality. I’ve been looking for proof that anarchism *is* practical and realistic as supposed to some Utopian dream. There’s a book written called Community, Anarchy, and Liberty
by Michael Taylor that I am hoping will address the practicality of anarchy. He uses game theory such as the prisoner’s dilemma to show that under real circumstances that anarchy can work. Sounds cool, huh?
Okay, so what is Game Theory? Game Theory is basically a math game where there are certain rules established to try to determine different outcomes. It can be applied to -everything- such as economics, marketing, and biology. It was developed in the 1940’s so it is a relatively new concept. The best example of Game Theory can be summed up in the prisoner’s dilemma.
The prisoner’s dilemma is when you have prisoner A and prisoner B. If both prisoners keep their mouth shut about the other, both of them get six months in prison. If prisoner A talks about prisoner B – prisoner A goes free and prisoner B gets 10 years. If prisoner B talks about prisoner A, prisoner B goes free and A gets 10 years. However, if both prisoner A and B talk – they both get five years. The idea is that both prisoners would talk in exchange for a shorter sentence.
Game Theory can be applied to marketing by whether someone will buy product a over product b. Or biology – will cat a mate with cat b? These are very simple examples of a much more complicated equation. But, it can be used to figure out how a group will act or behave in certain ways.
I know that anarchy has worked in the past in small communities. I don’t know exactly where to get the information about said communities but I know they exist. This book by Michael Taylor is supposed to cover that and explain how anarchy is not just a dream but a viable alternative.
I also been reading Anarchism and Its Aspirations by Cindy Milsten. I haven’t gotten very far into it but she brings up some good points right at the beginning. She mentions how the idea that people can think for themselves is a rather new idea. It used to be thought of that people needed god or a king to govern over them when the people can really govern themselves. With this realization, it completely change how people lived. Rather, now that we know we can think for ourselves and pass our own judgment about things so now what are we going to do with that power?
Vegan Lip Balm Review + Vegan Yummies + Punk Stuff
I haven’t written this week because I’ve been busy trying lots and lots of vegan lip balm. Some of it was terrible and some of it was awesome. From my experimenting, the best vegan lip balm is Crazy Rumors. They have a french vanilla flavor (a solid french vanilla without coffee flavor but bold), a banana split (my second favorite – it tastes yummy), chocolate mint (yum!), orange creamsicle (which is awesome if you like orange flavored things), and mocha (my favorite – I usually don’t like coffee flavored things but it’s mostly chocolate with a hint of coffee like a real mocha!) just to name a few. The lip balm goes on like silk, tastes amazing, and leaves your lips really nice. I tried most of the flavors that had any interest to me and the only one that was bad was the Pineapple and Peppermint. The pineapple flavor wasn’t that great and made me gag a little. But, the Pear and Peppermint was good – even if the pear was a little weak and so was the Plum and Peppermint.
I tried most lip balm from Etsy that was in stick form and it didn’t hold a candle to Crazy Rumors. Plus, Crazy Rumors is sweeten with Stevia – a natural alternative sweetener. I tried not to try any lip balm that I couldn’t pronounce the ingredients or anything not natural. Crazy Rumors is all natural and awesome. I was hesitant to try the lip balm because a stick costs 4 dollars with the shipping and handling being 6 dollars. However, I found a website that’s having a special on Crazy Rumors lip balm for this month only with much cheaper shipping called InterNatural Alternative Health. Just do a search for Crazy Rumors on the site to find it.
Or you can always do option B: which is to buy some vegan yum yums from Vegan Essentials and add some Crazy Rumors lip balm to your order. I ordered some tasty vegan treats and had Rocky Road Bark by Sweet and Sara which was so tasty. Plus, I got a vegan s’more which was okay – not as good as the bark in my opinion. I also ordered Vanilla Vegan Marshmallows which are awesome but are pretty expensive for what you get. I am going to look into making my own vegan marshmallows to see if that’s an alternative because it just isn’t worth the cost for such little product but it’s tasty. I was craving marshmallows, can you tell?
Yesterday, was the ultimate test of my veganhood. I was at a buffet-style restaurant and there was a basket full of non-vegan chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chip cookies so much – but I didn’t eat one bite. I can’t justify eggs and how the poor chickens are treated. Which reminds me of this really wicked shirt I got this week. Isn’t it awesome? It renders even the most outspoken meateaters speechless.
I needed some new clothes this week. I found a vegan straightedge hoodie that wasn’t too expensive. Looks like they are going fast. I am going to sew a Born/Dead patch on the back. Plus, I picked up a few anarcho-punk themed t-shirts from punkstuff.com. So, I should be set in the clothes department for sometime now.
My attempts at forming an Amnesty International is going slow but still going. We’ll see if I can get this group off the ground.
XVX: Is there a such thing as a vegan straightedge lesbian or queer?
I am starting to lose hope. I’d settle for someone really intelligent but I haven’t been able to find that either. I haven’t been on a date in months but there’s really no one I am too interested in dating. Punk grrrls are rare. Lesbian punk grrrls even rarer. Throw in wanting someone who’s vegan and straightedge into the mix – no luck for me.
I don’t want someone -exactly- like me but I would prefer someone with the same foundations; political, spiritually, and dietary. The type of grrrl I want isn’t on match.com or anywhere that I can see. Maybe she doesn’t exist. I want a monogamous vegan atheist straightedge anarchist female-bodied queer or lesbian. Am I the only one?
On Radical Racism Theory
A few nights ago, I was reading philosophy by Steiner followed by reading Dottie the Sock: How I Found My Pair. Both were good reads. I also wrote a piece about Queercore: what is it?.
In other news, I was pretty surprise to find out radical racism theory makes a villain out of anyone who happens to be white by automatically labeling them as the “oppressor.” I don’t agree with it. How is the circle of hate going to end when you automatically decided that a group of people due to their race is the problem? In the eyes of these people, it’s acceptable for people of color to dislike people for simply being white. They also say there is no way to ever be racist to people who are white – you can only be racist towards a minority. If racism is discrimination based on race, how is that not racism? I think that is perpetuating hate and not help putting the end to it. It’s like deciding all men are sexist because they never experience discrimination due to their sex.
Honestly, I think it’s time we stop playing the “who’s more oppressed than who” game. The truth is, EVERYONE in a capitalistic system is oppressed to some degree. Some people have more privilege but they are still oppressed. Instead of fighting amongst ourselves, we should recognize our common struggle as being humans in an oppressive system and try to get along.
To make up theories to justify your hate due to race, is no different than what other hate groups do to justify their discrimination. People were attacking my understanding of theory for not accepting that simply due to my race, being white, that my whole struggle and existence isn’t as valid as a person of color is ridiculous. I was born with my race. Just like I was born with my sex. To me, race matters just as much as sex, which isn’t at all because it’s beyond a person’s control.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone has their own heritage and experience. I think the world should be more of a tossed salad than a melting pot. So, that we’re all mixed together, equal, but different. People forget that equality and sameness are not the same thing. You can be different and equal. We don’t need to assimilate anyone or any culture for equality. The world would be really boring if everyone was the same.
I view everyone as being equal and different. I take each person on a case by case bases. I don’t judge a group of people because of a few individuals. I take each person for who they are without judging them first due to their meatsuit. I think if more people would stop judging and be more loving the world would be a better place. If the cycle of hatred isn’t going to end with you, who do you expect it to end with?
A Breathe of Fresh Air: Reality Check
What we are – All I could possibly say today has been summed up by this video.
Silly Monkeys they don’t get it. Some monkies dislike other monkies because what they look like. They like to justify their dislikes with theories to make it valid and okay in their messed up minds. Weird. Hate is hate no matter what you chose to call it. Get over it. After all, we’re just monkies.
Genderqueer: Breaking the Mold Article
http://thenewgay.net/2010/02/genderqueer-breaking-the-mold.html
“The ones who affect change are the ones who hold us down.” – Born/Dead
Born/Dead is an awesome crust punk group from Oakland, California. Their lyrics are intelligent and their music fast. I just got their cd Destabilized-Overthrow [The First Five Years] and it was very cathartic.
Their lyrics touched based on issues of homelessness, society, ignorance, and even objectification of women. They also addressed something I noticed a while ago while I was taking a history class that all history is repetitive of wars and that they are bored of it. I am too.
I felt the cd was cathartic because it expressed outrage at the system in a constructive matter. Unfortunately, I wish the vision they sang about was true – that people would stop being complacent and actively take a role in changing society. People forget the world is the way it is because of us. We all composed the system and if we want it to change – it needs to start with us. No one is going to be the change in the world you want for you.
My only complaints are is that Born/Dead don’t release many cds (mostly records) and the band decided to put a 20 minute gap on the cd before a hidden bonus song. They sing a little fast so sometimes it’s hard to understand their lyrics which is why having the lyrics is helpful to read along as they sing. So, because the song was “hidden” there were no lyrics for it so I couldn’t appreciate it fully. I understand some but not all. Reading the lyrics alone doesn’t do them justice – you need to hear it and experience it.
I enjoyed their song construction – it was very hard hitting. My favorite song for the clarity of it was Repetition.
Born/Dead also introduced the topic of “Deadtime”. Which is something I think about too about the time we live in – that like Crass said, “You’re Already Dead.” I usually think about it being like Endgame play in an online game like World of Warcraft. That like in the game, you max out your level and all that’s left to do is go after nice equipment. I feel that humanity is at the same place – that we’ve gone as far as we can with the resources our planet has allotted us and all that’s left to do is go after meaningless trinkets. I hope I am wrong but it feels that way.
I’d recommend Born/Dead’s Destabilized-Overthrow [The First Five Years] to anyone who likes punk. They are definitely not a band to be missed.
They Ignore Peaceful Protest: RALLY
http://www.veganarchist.com/RALLY.pdf
A short story by some of my buddies. Enjoy!
Books, Books, and Books. What are you reading?
I have a small army of books that I have collected.
I currently have:
Hardcore Zen by Brad Warner
Sit Down and Shut Up by Brad Warner
To Meet the Real Dragon by Gudo Nishijima and Jeffrey Bailey
Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Complex: How Military Invades Our Everyday Lives by Nick Turse
Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From An Angry White Male by Tim Wise
Off the Map by Crimethinc
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Dottie the Sock: How I Found My Pair by Christine Gayle
Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan
Fight of the Raven by Stephan S. Tolan
Element of Refusal by John Zerzan
Behold the Pale Horse by William Cooper
This Country Must Change: Essays on the Necessity of Revolution in the USA by Craig Rosebraugh, Editor
So, I really want to get to reading these. It’s getting a little out of hand. What books are you reading or what would you recommend?
Edit: I also wrote another article for The New Gay – Pink and Black Attack: I am a Radical Queer. Check it out!
