There is a phone in my house but it's not a real phone. As in, it's not user friendly. The landline is only there because I have to have one for broadband. I prefer to use my mobile.
This particular phone, whilst having novelty factor to unsuspecting visitors, is actually quite useless. For one, it's stuck to the wall so you have to stand up for the duration of the call. Two it doesn't have a proper handset as you can see. And you will get neck ache using it. And 3 you can't call a customer service line because you can't choose option 1 on a dial phone.
It's why it cost me £1.25 to sit on hold for 15 minutes to Admiral the other day to cancel my car insurance and ended up sending them an email anyway.
Do you know what's the worst thing about living in an old house? I mean worse than the damp, the cold, the fact that I might as well burn money for all the difference the central heating makes.
It's thin walls. I mean THIN walls. I can hear EVERYTHING in this house. It doesn't matter if you're on a different level, have the radio on, or you're the neighbours next door. I hear everything. From the switching on of a light to running up and down the stairs. So you can imagine what I else I hear on a regular basis. These things I don't need to hear. Meh.
I never lived in old houses until I came to Lincoln. I was always in 1960s (ish) builds in brand new villages. This was when they were built well, before they became shoe boxes you couldn't get your sofa through the front door of. And when walls were thick.
If I ever feel like boosting my hit rating I just have to mention the word FEMINISM. Yes that's right - FEMINISM. Because there is no subject more guaranteed to get your audience riled than mentioning feminism.
My post about 'Slutwalk and why it bothers me' all the way back in September last year is still taking hits right on the jaw. It's one of the few posts I've actually got comments on and mostly from angry feminists (invariably anonymous - thanks Google). I've been called an Islamaphobe (seriously???), weird for not thinking myself a feminist and told to look up what feminism actually means - ummm equal rights yeah? I love how a MAN invented the name in 1837 though. I think it was also a man who invented the hoover wasn't it?
But are all women feminists at heart? Is it unavoidable given our modern age? And is it wrong for a feminist to laugh at sexist jokes that target women or fall for the advertising on a beauty product? Just how far do you take the feminism message and how much is too much?
I read an article in BITCH magazine (says it all right?) called Mad World: Who's Afraid of (Being) the Big Bad Feminist? I don't know why feminists were questioning why they were laughing at the Old Spice campaign. I mean - it's just a funny ad right?
My original post was about the Slutwalk protests and why I was concerned that girls who walk around wearing very little didn't see why it should make them a target for nutters (like there aren't many of those out there). And I reiterate again that, yes you should have the right to walk around wearing whatever you goddamn well like, but you can't. Because yay - mankind is shitty. It's got nothing to do with feminism, it is to do with basic animal instinct. It's called sex - whether it's procreational or recreational. And no matter how more advanced we think we are than the animal kingdom we are not that different at all. You think rape doesn't occur in nature? Oh think again dear reader....
My post back in September was further prompted by having some very lefty feminist 'friend' ram her bullshit down my throat when I had asked her politely to stop because I just wasn't interested. I'm sure plenty of other marginalised 17 year olds were. But not me. It could have been in the delivery though.
And then I heard about this the other week and once again I was thinking - well you can't be both surely? But perhaps you can, because my feminist 'friend' who insisted it was completely up to her whether or not she should shave and then took a brand new bic to herself so she could dance at a lap dancing club for money and men really got me miffed and more than a little angry. But was that her right as a feminist and if so why wasn't it hypocritical? And didn't I have a right to get angry about that after everything she had said to me?
So that is what prompted my original post. And I was reminded that I should repost on the subject when Beyonce did a feminist / strip for publication the other day. I didn't really care but hey - hits.
I guess my problem is that I have never felt marginalised, threatened, devalued etc etc for being female. I have never put myself into a vulnerable position that wasn't self made. I guess that makes me lucky to be born in the Western World to a middle class family. Or maybe it just makes me savvy because when I look back, just occasionally I was damned near lucky not to have got myself into some tricky situations.
I'm happy to step aside and let all the feminists take on the mantle of protester. I also have plenty of friends who enjoy the role of 'traditional woman in the home'. Great for them. This doesn't make me angry but I sure as hell don't expect them to question why I never want children.
I think Asda did something similar for Christmas 2012 (source)
I can't get fired up about something I am not fired up about. I've never protested, but I have ranted and raved in small doses. I don't actually mind the feminist message but don't scream and shout at me just because I go 'meh' and sometimes put my hands over my ears.
I'm not going to apologise but keep the comments coming because I want to get 6000 hits.
