A manifesto + proposal.
July 3, 2014
What follows is how I see it; a manifesto of sorts. You can take it or leave it.
I am speaking to every single person who graces this post with their attention – regardless of gender (however you interpret that), race, religious persuasion, social standing and so forth.
I’m tired.
Aren’t you?
The attainment of money – that noxious contagion that has infected the psyche of our species – is the driving force of every human being, in some form or another, regardless of social standing.
One either works like a dog to attain it; ‘steals’ from the vulnerable to maintain ones wealthy society (and keep the status quo) or denies others from obtaining it, through enslavement – well, the last two points are heading up to the alter together, hand in hand.
This insatiable capitalist system, is destructively out of control.
We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
We have utterly lost our way.
We are suffering as a species and so is the planet that sustains us.
Our humanity is vanishing before our very eyes.
At home, I am teaching my girls to ‘find a solution to the problem’ and telling them to really think about the varying factors, before making an intelligent choice.
{I get cranky when I find out that the way they continue to deal with their problem is by shouting, finger-pointing and/or lying to get the other one in trouble.
Kids, right? Ha. That’s what far too many ‘adults’ do.}
The problem with our current paradigm – in its core – boils down to labels;
gender – race – religion – class.
* We attach labels (along with their pre-determined characteristics) to everything;
* We bestow judgement and social stigma or exile upon those who don’t conform to said labels and behaviours;
* We use these labels in pedestrian, yet sadly effective ways, to target the basest of human wants, rendering our race stupid.
The toxic way we relate to each other due to labels, has become the crux of how we relate to everything – especially our planet’s ecosystem; becoming critically out of balance.
We manipulate, exploit and insatiably consume – with little (if any) foresight – thanks to the lustful procurement of money and/or power.
The label that is crippling us the most, is that of gender.
Both males and females bundled into Label A: Men and Label B: Women.
What is a man?
What is a woman?
BAM! And there in lies the problem of our existence.
In the western world, Government – Big Business – Media (with their basis in ‘Religion’ {however you interpret that}) suckle at the teat of these manufactured labels, for the benefit of the self-serving and privileged few.
Dividing us into Men and Women – and making those categories ever stricter but MASS PRODUCED – is their bread and butter.
SCREW THAT!
It’s time to evolve out of this cesspit of hatred and destruction; actually use our minds, think intelligently and do things a little differently.
I – along with so many others (of both ‘genders’) – have been involved in bloody battles on the Internet; calling out abhorrent behaviour and crossing paths with bitter and spiteful trolls (of both ‘genders’).
Gender, in essence, is irrelevant – either one is a good person (with a penis or vagina) or one is not.
My proposal:
We must look at THE ACTION of a person only – regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs and/or class; we must drop all labels.
Classifying people in any way only entrenches the stigma further. I mean, how has this been working for us thus far? It’s only digging that wedge in further.
‘All men are violent’
‘All women are bitches’
Question #208: What is the ultimate point of categorising a person, when it’s the action of said person that must be addressed?
I am an actionist.
Another label, I know, but one that encompasses a fight for a just existence for all human beings – regardless.
Of course there are innumerable levels of dangerous conditioning that need to be dismantled – so very many – which I will explore more deeply in following posts, but I believe being an actionist is fighting for equality via a different track and that gives me hope.
It doesn’t matter who you ‘identify’ as – you’re a mixture of a gazillion different nuances that make you, you.
Who you are has nothing to do to with speaking out against destructive behaviours – *especially* those done to others because it could just as easily be us.
Anyone can be an actionist.
Join me?
Deep Breath.
Think ahead.
Arguments, however, by all those who troll the Internet and are given a platform to let their hatred infect – Think behind.
Questions for Us 
Thank you for your inspiration! I am an #actionist too. The world is in deep trouble. Humans are a horrible, greedy species. Is it absolutely imperative that we model, discuss and instil our children with the tools to deal with an abhorrent society!
Yes, Kathryn! Thank you for writing your comment. It’s so fantastic to know there are fellow Actionists out there.
Sometimes it seems like we only hear from and about the awful people.
Hope to hear from you again. 🙂 x
I’m tired too, but I’m an actionist too. See: https://archaicsugar.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/why-i-should-direct-glo-3/
However I just read about a young man in the UK, who was set to be deported back to Jamaica, his asylum status declined. He cannot go back to Jamaica because he is gay and people are advocating for him in the UK. He is all over the media.
Jamaica is supposed to be very dangerous for men or women who are LGBT. Rampant murders. As trans women are in the US.
All because of this debate of who should have what sexuality or be presenting what way. Binary craziness.
Folks who see all this cannot afford to sit by, the world is increasingly violent, sexist, racist, ablelist, and ageist. I can’t imagine where we are going to be if people don’t keep actively resisting.
I thought I had responded to you earlier! Shame on me.
You are an amazing human being and feel lucky to have you fighting the good fight.
Paula x
Hi Paula,
No problem. Happens. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words.
T
Screw it and let’s do it 🙂
I completely agree with you regarding the notion of people being judged for either being good or bad, regardless of their gender.
One main issue I find with the gender discussion these days is the reluctance of many self professed feminists to acknowledge the fact that some of you are just as sexist and biased as the people that you complain about.
There are horrible, horrible men out there in the world which I think everyone acknowledges but I do find that many (not all) feminists simply cannot bring themselves to admit that there are horrible women out there too. If there is an admittance, it is promptly followed by an explanation of how the said women was forced into said behaviour by a domineering male or simply just the patriarchy itself.
Horrible men don’t seem to get the same investigation into the potential reasons behind their behaviour that women do.
There are plenty of dumb, violent sexist men that are labelled and deservedly criticised but there are plenty of nasty, sexist women hiding under the veil of feminism. Do you accept this to be true?
Do you also accept that during divorces/child custody some women do lie and fabricate stories to assist themselves during the legal battle? Do you admit that the weight of power during said battle heavily leans towards women?
Do you accept the fact that some women have fabricated stories of sexual assault simply as a method of payback to an innocent man and that the weight of power is heavily tilted towards women in these situations?
These issues happen more regularly than you would like to think or admit and an acknowledgement of such would be refreshing.
If you truly are an equality warrior or whatever name you have bestowed upon yourself, then I think a lot of men would appreciate just one article that doesn’t pit women as the ‘goodies’ and men as the ‘baddies’. Until you do so, you are just another feminist (and regularly sexist) website and you should label yourself as such.
If there was a little less hypocrisy displayed by both misandrists and mysogynists involved in the gender discussion then I think it would get a lot closer to being solved.
Didn’t I just admit all that in this post?
I think there are good people and bad people and we should just look at their actions regardless of the labels put upon them (men, women, feminists, Asian, black, white etc)
Of COURSE there are bad females in the world and admit they’re capable of a whole lot of awful behaviour just as there are wonderful men doing amazing things for humanity and vice versa.
The current system we’re in , however, is structured differently and is out of tilt. I wrote this post to try and incite in people to use a different tact and see past the labels.
The only label I want to give myself, is actionist. I see people as equal and just see their actions as what defines them.
Thanks James.