Real men wear pink.

I mentioned in my last post that I have a little brother. He is the baby of the family, the youngest of 4 girls. Poor kid. That is what most people say, and we say it from time to time too, especially when all the women in his life are sharing a cycle :). He knows more about women then he should as a 13yr. old boy. His tag line has quickly become "Okay, I don't even want to know!"

Even with 4 big sisters my brother was born a very sensitive soul- he is an extremely logical person and from a young age was not much for joking and teasing. For awhile I felt that as I big sister I should be little tougher on him because he didn't have a big brother, and for my dad it was the end of the world to come home and see him putting on makeup or brushing our hair. We thought, and perhaps it is because of what we've learned from the media, that because he had no brothers that he (heaven forbid!) would grow up more in touch with his feminine side. Admittedly we worried for awhile- but what we have learned over the years is that my brother is who he is, and probably would be even without all his big sisters.

As I watched the film "Tough Guise" I thought about my little brother and about other boys I've encountered who I (and others) would consider "typically male" because of their behavior. My brother is a typical tween boy- he is video game obsessed, thinks girls are gross (cannot fathom kissing one!), doesn't really understand the need to brush his teeth or change his briefs... he's just not the tough-guy/sporty type. He has been the target of bullying and attacks, and I just don't understand it. The kid is soooooo kind. He is so genuine. He has his close buds but other than that he keeps to himself.

Last year the bullying touched a sensitive nerve in my already sensitive brother and triggered something horrible in him. He has become one of my heroes over the last year as I have watched him battle O.C.D. and a slight case of Asperger's Syndrome, overcome the debilitating obstacles, and confront his bullies. "Why are you so mean to me?" "Why do you call me retarded?" "Are you always such a jerk to people?" These are questions I've heard my triumphant little brother ask his attackers who are usually too stunned to answer. Often they'll end up asking him about his O.C.D. and walk away having learned something. Hopefully they've learned not to be so mean just because someone is not what is generally accepted as normal.

Kids are so intuitive. They are smarter then we give them credit for and completely understand right from wrong. They are so easily influenced by the world around them as they are still figuring out who they are and how they fit in. It is really frightening to think how ignorant they'd be if they were never exposed to something different then what they are shown. My brother didnt think this at first- but now that he's been through the fire and become stronger he sees his challenge as an opportunity to help others, even if the same punks still pick on him. He's cool with not being completely tough guy because his bullies have that tough guise on, and to him they are plain dumb-heads

She swam and she swam but to no avail, she'd never be a princess with a beautiful tail.

I am one of four girls in my family. Until my sister Rachel grew up and discovered Marvel and DC comics, all we watched of animated cartoons were Disney films. My sister Sarah was Sleeping Beauty, Diana was Cinderella until Belle came along, Rachel was also a Belle but more Mulan. When The Little Mermaid came out I was in 1st grade and I wanted to be Ariel! Everything about her world made me want to be "a part of her world." Her hair was long and flowing, she sang like an angel, her friends (fishes or not) were loyal, her prince was tall, dark, and handsome, and she could swim!

My family is made of swimmers. My father is an amazingly talented and well-known coach in the world of USA Swimming, my Uncle Robby was a gifted college athlete, and at the time The Little Mermaid came out my sister Sarah was beginning her club swimming career. I couldn't swim, and though I wanted to fit in with the rest of my family, my fear of drowning stopped me from learning. To feel better I would watch The Little Mermaid and imagine it was me zooming around tirelessly "under the sea." I was an outsider in my family because I couldn't swim, and Ariel was an outsider in her family for wanting to walk.

There came a point in my life where rather then Ariel I became more like Jasmine. Strong-willed and determined, in third grade I taught myself how to swim. I swam through the rest of elementary school and high school and despite having a lot of fun and good technique, I never had a talent for swimming fast like Ariel, Sarah, or Uncle Robby could. By senior year in high school however, I knew the difference between fantasy and reality, and although it would be wonderful if life were like a movie, there came a point when I knew how unrealistic the women in Disney's films are (although they have admirable qualities) and rather then hoping for their world to become mine, I accepted it as fantastic and magical. I grew up, I still fit in with my family, and I found my niche in coaching.

What Susan Douglas says about the women of power in Disney films and how their portrayal at the time may of discouraged women from seeking such power makes some sense, but I honestly cannot think of one woman that would watch those movies with such an analytical eye. I don't think any female now, or at the time, who is determined enough would stop pursuing her goals because the wicked witch with the apple goes from glam to hag at the height of her power. In today's world we see on shows like Dr. 90210 that if we do go hag there is a way to reverse it, so why even worry?

I don't want to close on a negative note- considering that Disney cartoons end with "happily ever after." Once I quit swimming competitively (bye bye Ariel) and gave in to the "power of love" to be a giddy girl with a boy (later Jasmine!) I saw an ad in the paper for a Halloween "prince" (Cornbelly's Corn Maze) in search of his Pumpkin Princess. What luck! Halloween is my favorite holiday, nobody appreciates a pumpkin better then I do, so I pursued my princess dream and the rest is history. . .

It's not race that matters.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Dr. King

My favorite portion of the panel discussion was when Albert Jones of the Diversity Times recalled some of Dr. King's speech and how it has been relevant, especially in the fight for Civil Rights, since the first African American produced paper in 1827.

One of my pet peeves is the double-standard that always tends to arise when dealing with race, sexuality, gender, or religion. Example- I've always been bothered by how it seems to be okay for African American comedians and actors to joke about Caucasion Americans, but do it in the same format the other way around and you're labeled racist. In my opinion, which seemed to have been shared by Mr. Jones and Dr. King, if people would just let go of the race issue it wouldn't be an issue any longer!

I don't want to say more on the matter because I fear it would be miscontrued, but I would like to say that there is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage and celebrating it, and that it is important to remember our ancestors- all their struggles included. But when remembering the struggles begins to hold us back, or prevents us from moving forward I think it is time to let go. Afterall, things that happen in the past so we can learn from them, grow, and move on.

Dr. King dreamt that race wouldn't be an issue in 1963. 46 years later don't you think it is time to realize that dream?

Just so everyone knows- I am opposed to blogging until I'm married, have kids, & it is the trendy thing to do.

This is the 1st of 2 blahhhhhhhh-gs I am required to do for classes I have this semester. This one is for Comm. 2010, Mass Comm. and Society. Who knows, maybe one day blogging will turn into something I like, but until it became required of me I hadn't found a reason to do one. I haven't wanted to. Everyone I know that participates in this activity called blogging is either blissfully in their first year of marriage or years into married life and writing about the adventures they are having with their tweens, teens, and over-weight husbands.

My life is pretty basic and pretty much like others in their 20's. I work(love it), I school(3 so far & no degree), I eat(fast food), I stay up way too late(Buffy, That 70's Show. . .), I sleep(a little and not well), I dream(big), I hope(for Mr. Right), I change my career goals every day, I start all over again. I think I have some good ideas and I keep pretty well informed but I know that if I wasn't me, I would rather be in my presence, looking into my gorgeous blue eyes and listening to my well-informed opinions, then reading about them.

I chose a Comms major because I've always prided myself on being a great communicator- in 4th grade I absorbed everything the school counselor told us about using body language to avoid being bullied or kidnapped. After that speech I walked down the halls at University Place Primary (yes, U.P.P.) with my head held high meeting each person's gaze. My height would no longer be my disadvantage because I was a shorty with attitude! In those days I was counting on a growth spurt. Alas! I never grew but my confidence and attitude did.

So from time to time I'll be getting on my soap box and donating my 2 cents. Blahhhhhhhhh-g because I REALLY REALLY don't want to do this, but blog, because I will.