Re: is this the work of hactivists?

[maggie knowles <maggie@vgn.com>]

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stephen dixon wrote:

> Whoa, a 47, 53 and 61 year old womyn are NOT "old ladies". Watch the
> stereotypes there: does it sound better to say "old ladies" when
> talking about direct action because it's playing against the image
> that womyn over the age of 29 should be home knitting? But anyway..

well, maybe they're not old to you, but they are to me.  i'm in that age
group, so i put myself there as well (and i see nothing wrong with it -
be who we are and love who we are.)  maybe i could have called them
grandmas or something. the point is, i admire the work of these grannies
and i think their ages are important when telling their story. being old
is nothing to be ashamed of.  i think of it as a badge of honor.
everyone doesn't have to be labeled as young, and personally, i prefer
not to be labeled that way. 

do you think it's an insult to be old?  do you think that old people are
not active? do you think old people just sit around and knit all day?  i
don't think you actually do, but obviously "old" bothers you more than
it does me. i embrace it and enjoy it.

it's old ladies and grandmas all over the world who provide stability
for their families by raising their grandbabies, etc.  i remember my own
grandmother who came to live with my family to help my mother (who
worked full-time at the bank) take care of us when my father was sent to
vietnam.  it was so nice to have her there because she really took care
of us, much better than (in my opinion) my mother and father together
without my grandma.  this was because grandma worked full-time at home
and really made our house a home - and she was old!

there are many women (wimmin, womyn, whoa-men!) like that in my
neighborhood (hawthorne, california) and i admire their work as well.
they make sure everyone is clean, everyone eats, everyone does their
homework, gets enough sleep, has clean clothes to wear, makes their
doctor appointments, gets to school on time, etc. and when old ladies
take it upon themselves to  disarm a nuclear industry, well i think
that's admirable.  i see nothing wrong or shameful with giving them
credit as old ladies. their work gives credit to all of us old ladies.


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