How it works from xkcd

*sigh*

Ban Breed Specific Legislation

Ok, I must confess that Pit Bulls (American Pit Bull Terriers) are my favourite dogs. I've known a lot of them and they are some of the sweetest, smartest dogs I have ever encountered. My friends dog would immediately stop whacking you with her tail when you said "watch your tail", among other similar things. This shows that the angry attack dogs that exist are not because of the tempermant of the breed, but instead the neglect and abuse of the owner, which should be obvious to people like the head of PETA who supports banning pit bulls.

Interested? Watch the video.

(Note: All the patriotic stuff in the video is there because Pit Bulls are an American breed, and were used in propoganda, etc. Pit Bulls used to be seen as patriotic animals, now they're seen as demons.)



Info on Breed specific legislation here

also if you want to help pits that are rescued from owners who abused them, neglected them, or forced them into dog fighting, Pit Bull Rescue Central (whose page is located here) accepts donations (page here).

I hope this will alert some of you to how horribly wrong breed specific legislation is. I have no where to point you now, but I wanted to raise awareness. PBRC's site is great talking about myths of pit bulls, etc, etc.

They just won't accept it

This weekend I went home to see my brother graduate this past weekend. I forgot my medication and decided to tell my parents that it was my mood stabiliser. They, of course, asked why I was on a mood stabiliser. I told them I was bipolar, because I knew that they could accept this, because they won't admit that I have PTSD partially from the physical and emotional abuse my mother inflicted on me as a child, and heaven forbid I tell them about my Borderline Personality Disorder. The conversation went as follows:

Me: "I'm bipolar"
My mom: "What? Why are you bipolar?"
I start to explain
My dad: "It's a chemical imbalance."

That stopped the conversation dead, because it being something I can't control, wheras I can apparently pull myself out of my PTSD-induced depression, which I have told them that that is the reason I miss classes, failed a class, and dropped out of school winter quarter, and why I can't leave my house for days at a time. This they repress because it doesn't fit into their ideal of having 'the perfect family.' I know this, but I wish that they would accept the fact the I HAVE A DISABILITY and it's not all about the bipolar. Heaven forbid I try and bring it up and be honest and open about it. They just gloss over it, and five seconds later it's as if it never happened. I was surprised that they accepted it when I told them I was on Medicaid. I thought that would invite many more questions, but it didn't.

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't tell them that I'm on SSI-Disability. Because I don't think I could take the look that they would give me, and the things they would say. Because I know they'd think that I was leeching off the state. (My parents are very big right-wing Republican Catholics who judge people on welfare, etc.) Because in their eyes, everything but the bipolar is all in my head, and I can snap out of it at any time. They won't talk about it, won't hear about my side of the story, won't even admit that I have PTSD. Last time I told them, before my mom shoved it out of her conciousness she asked me why I had it. Having brought up the abuse before and her responding with "But I never hit you" and I pointed out a few examples she just said "Oh, yeah" and promptly forgot about it. There was no bringing up that topic again. She wouldn't hear it; she wouldn't let me bring it up again. She shut me down everytime I tried to bring it up again, just as she shut me down whenever I tried to bring up the PTSD. I didn't feel like telling her about the abusive relationships, the sexual assaults, the scarring from all the abuses I have lived and continue to live through because of living in a society that views me as less then human.

It hurts. I'm sure anyone who has a mental health disability has gotten the denial or the outright refusal to believe that it's something that's not all in your head (har har har) from friends or family. Because they can't listen to us, can't hear that maybe something could be wrong with us that wasn't 'easily shaken off given enough will power.' They can't see it as something that is an actual disease like lupus or diabetes. No matter how much we speak out about this, people refuse to listen.

I personally know that my parents would shame me for being on disability, for mooching off the taxpayers for something that is not really a problem. As if I don't have enough internalised stigma to deal with on my own. Is it too much to ask that my parents support me? If anybody should, it would be them, right?

WHY WON'T THEY ACCEPT THIS?

I thought if anybody would, it would be my dad. He saw, what I told him was, a PTSD related breakdown a few years ago when my mom tried to take us out for a 'nice family dinner' and I had not healed enough for it. She got verbally abusive because I ruined her perfect evening. Just remembering that night makes me cry. My dad and I talked about it for hours, as he was trying to calm me down, and make sure she and I kept away from each other. I explained to him how I had PTSD and how her behaviour towards me as a child reminded me of her behaviour that night, and how I just couldn't pretend to be this perfect family when I was still so hurt inside. I mean forfuckssake we talked for HOURS. But if I even hint at bringing it up, the topic gets changed. (A few months later when I said I couldn't come home because of what happened last time he asked me "Why? I thought you had a good time last time you were here.")

I fucking hate this, and pissed off as hell that they can't, nay, won't accept that I could have a mental health issue that is real, and not something I'm pretending to have or a crutch that I'm leaning on to pull a paltry amount of money (that doesn't cover my bills) from the state each month. I'm so aggravated.

Why?

Ugh. A person doesn't change when they get a sex change, I don't understand why they would fire a respected city official.

Stanton, 48, confirmed last week that he is a transsexual. With a solid reputation as a forceful and energetic leader, he had hoped to keep his $140,000-a-year job as he underwent the gender reassignment process.

"It's just painful to know seven days ago I was a good guy and now ... I have no integrity," Stanton told the commission. "My challenge here has always been that someday I was going to leave this organization. So I am going to do it with a smile on my face."

....

Mayor Patricia Gerard and Commissioner Rodney Woods cast the dissenting votes.

"He's done a great job for us," Gerard said. "He's done what we asked him to do and taken the heat over and over and over again and now we're going to turn on him."


Grrrr....I hate the world some days.

UGH

I just recieved this lovely letter in my inbox:

"In its third run, this provocative and racy, not-your-average-Gucci-struttin'-high fashion show, pushin' and pullin' off all your buttons, is stripping down in B-----, WA from Tuesday, February 27 th, 2007 through Sunday, March 4 and we need YOUR help to make it all happen!
This creative, interactive, and dramatic show, full of performances by a wide variety of women creates a safe space to explore the social constructions of stereotypes and how they affect society. Through dramatized personal accounts of their own experiences living within and outside of stereotypes and a plethora of other social constructions, these women will bare them down to no "other" right before your eyes and hope to illuminate truth and stimulate dialogue in a safe community setting."

Because stripping will set us free. I must have forgotten that.

This is what I hate, a sheer misunderstanding of how to reclaim our bodies and our voices. I somehow got invited to be part of the paparazzi where I get to rush the stage and harrass/obejectify the participants. Something tells me I'll pass on this oppurtunity.

I usually like snow

Today some of the physics lab TA's made a giant snow woman (complete with nipples) and a smaller snow man grabbing her ass. Do I need to point out why I hate them so much?

Also, some days I think that I didn't get re-evaluated for Disability (I had a review this year and I didn't have to go see one of their shrinks again.) because their psyciatrist diagnosed me as Borderline, just like the pyschiatrist at my doctor's office. Welcome to the wastebasket. (More on this and BPD later, as many of you know I am fond of blogging about.)

I apparently missed a post on bees and hives, and I'm happy to say my bubble is still intact, because I have no idea what ya'll are talking about.