Do You See Jane?

While platform shoes and pigtails may be nothing more than a speck on the horizon- like the Spice Girls bus pulling away from the relevancy station of the 90′s, Girl Power still lives on in my heart.

As a result, I get absolutely misty at the slightest sign of women’s empowerment. I can’t imagine watching this video and not feeling inspired. to fight for the culture that my (FUTURE) little girl will grow up in.

Watch. Learn. Do.

“If She Can See It, She Can Be It.”

To The People of Indianapolis-

So by now, if you live in Indianapolis, read media from the Indianapolis area, or perhaps enjoy your news in snark form,  you’ve heard about the Indianapolis “Super Bowl Shuffle” debacle of 2011.

It’s a mess. It was a mess of an idea, it was a failure in strategy and after people complained- the response by the ICVA was arguably faulty. When people complain, especially when they do so from a place of caring, the best response usually doesn’t include “Well you’re wrong too. So there.” (I’m paraphrasing of course.)

The video was pulled from YouTube. In a short time the citizen’s of Indianapolis will forget and we’ll all move on to have a wonderful Super Bowl and continue to have a wonderful Indianapolis.

But let’s put a different spin on this:

A group, representing Indianapolis, posted a video that a culture savvy, social media active, impassioned group of Indianapolis citizens didn’t like. It wasn’t a question of impropriety or crudeness- they didn’t like the message they felt it sent about a community that already battles an unfair rap of being sleepy and behind the times.

And this group spoke up- en masse.

I think that’s a really wonderful thing. The community has so much to be proud of- I am constantly surprised by the opportunities that can be found in Indianapolis. There is so much arts and culture- In a week’s time I will have seen a pre-release screening (Young Adults) and a Sundance Festival Film Award Winner (Being Elmo). I’m not special- we’re lucky to have amazing film festivals (Heartland. Indianapolis LGBT. Indianapolis International.) and that doesn’t even mention the museums, the art, the plays, the musicals. There are truly amazing local restaurants, wonderful shopping and great sporting events. There is real diversity here and it’s impossible to wander around in any number of places without seeing that.

We want ALL that reflected.

And I love that Indy’s un-official ambassadors of awesome were outraged that we would be represented as anything less, with something so patently uncool.

The collective message ran something like:

“Indy’s better than that. The rest of the country deserves to see just how wonderful we are. Suck it.”

But what I’m hoping is, that all those who took time to complain- don’t forget to take time to continue to invest in Indianapolis. Complaining is easy. Look at Rush Limbaugh. Bill O’Reilly. The Crier.

And you know, complaining is even easier when in reference to something so easily mock-able. Look at me and the Republican Presidential Race.

It’s easy to have a reaction, when something is just… bad. Like this uncomfortable spectacle of television.

Ick.

Anyways, it’s less easy to strive to make an actual impact. So, for all the complainers, myself included- volunteer. Give back. Go. Do. Invest. Spend money locally. Make your voice count ALL the time, for a city we can all agree, is pretty awesome.

 

Liberalism. Or…

How the right is shoving me farther and farther to the left.

I very proudly said for a long time that it wasn’t about a party. No one party is good or evil, nor can the merit of a candidate be based on the letter by their name.

But the thing is, the more extreme the Republican party gets-the more exclusive, the farther left I wander.

Why?

1. Education

People preach about the legacy we pass on to future generations. That’s crucial when discussing matters like healthcare and the budget. But for some reason we keep chipping away at the education system. Especially here in Indiana, there seems to be the uncanny urge to take away crucial funding for schools.

How is this possible? How can schools be the first place to take money from? You want to argue over the economy? Or the high unemployment rate? Perhaps this is, at least in part, a failure of the education system.

2. Equality

It’s no secret. I love gays. I love the gay community. I believe in gay rights. My friend always tells me that I actually have a gay man hidden inside me (don’t try to figure out the logistics on this).

The thing is- this is the civil rights issue of our generation. People are being treated like second class citizens and opponents are wrapping themselves up in a blanket of Christianity to justify their bigotry. (See: Michelle Bachmann’s New Pledge) Let me make myself clear- I did not wake up one morning and say YAY boys. I did not DECIDE to be attracted to men. I don’t believe anyone else has that choice to make either. I was born, the way I was born. Anyone in the GLBT community was born the way they were born (Too Lady Gaga? Sorry.)

And I firmly believe those facts, those personal truths do not make a higher power frown on me. In fact, if He made me, He made any number of my friends just the way they are. THEREFORE, Indiana’s Gay Marriage Amendment scares me. My state, this state, continues to move this forward, to try to constitutionally ban the rights and freedoms I take for granted. I am appalled and saddened and will continue to donate, on my itty-bitty just out of college salary, to causes that fight against this.

3. Women’s Rights

You’d have to be living under a rock to not know how much of an attack women’s rights in this state have been under. This isn’t local news, or even regional. It’s become national and garnered the attention of many public figures.

Here’s my deal. Men, men in government, male pundits, public figures, have started acting as though women’s rights- affordable women’s healthcare and our right to choose what happens to our body, are negotiable. In my opinion- they are not. More importantly, the message it sends is that if you are a “good” “christian” female, who’s family has the means to take care of her financially- the Republicans can take care of you. But if you are poor, or if you are sexually active, or if you are in need of affordable health services, then you must be a “hooker”. (Could I make that up?)

Want to know something? I made a donation to Planned Parenthood too. Even if you don’t believe in abortion, even if you don’t want it to be an option, Planned Parenthood provides invaluable health services to women is need. And that is the most important point. That is why the funding of this program, and countless others like it is crucial.

4. Insanity

I would like to write about how party members who don’t just push boundaries but go running off the side of a cliff into a big vat of insanity, then have the gall to act like it’s the big ol’ bad media’s fault, are making me think that people with a brain couldn’t possibly be Republican. Or how Republican’s are trying to oust a fellow Republican, a nationally respected, moderate, thoughtful, Republican (Lugar) because he’s “too out there” and “not adhering to the conservative agenda” But instead, I’ll finish with an adorable video that further proves, while insanity gets me talking, it also pushes me WAY AWAY from the elephants.

I’m on Google+. Now what?

As a social media junkie (it’s normal to have 4 or 5 apps on your phone all to manage various forms of social media. Isn’t it? Alright, maybe not.) I was dying to be on Google +. If the prospect of yet another venue for people to broadcast our daily lives isn’t reason enough to buy in, the fact that they have only been letting in limited amounts of people by invitation only, is.

How do you make me want something? Make sure it isn’t readily available.

And so we have… 5 reasons I am contemplating, perhaps,  loving Google+

1. It’s personal.

I can Google chat/ video chat with groups of people. I have a group of friends who are scattered all across the country and the way I understand it, once Google+ is up and running full force, instead of just a 2-way chat or a 3-way chat on Skype we can have up to a 10 way chat. This revolutionizes our group therapy sessions in a way unparalled to anything other than a bottle of wine.

2. It’s not so personal

Perhaps this is because it is in the early phases of development. Perhaps it’s because I have a grand total of two people in my circle. But either way, the high degree of privacy settings makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Just because I find a hilariously funny article about strippers or want to pass along the latest account of Michelle Bachmann’s inability to distinguish between Hollywood cowboy and convicted rapist, it doesn’t mean I have to share my amusement with everyone.

3. It makes me feel like an adult.

Perhaps this is because Google+ hasn’t been overtaken by pre-pubecent middle schoolers taking pictures of themselves in their bathroom mirror, but the design, the layout, it makes me feel like an adult. In the same way that I don’t feel like Twitter is patronizing me, nor trying to sell me on Farmville, I enjoy that Google+ seems to be without those pesky features. Let’s keep our fingers crossed it stays that way.

4. I can feel the Sparks.

While it’s in pretty early stages, I love the idea that there seems to be the to combine the best of both worlds- Google and Social Media. This feature gives news headlines and relevant information based on interest- Cars, Fashion, Politics, etc. I know you can’t imagine this for a constant information connoisseur, I LOVE this.

5. Superiority

What can I say? It’s a novelty to have something new. Especially when something that has gotten so much buzz. While I can’t imagine a mass Facebook exodus, I do think this has some potential as a mainstay in Social Media. Especially once all the kinks are worked out.

The Reality of Reality

My name is Taylor and I have a problem. It isn’t alcohol or drugs or the newly popular porn addiction. I love bad television, specifically of the reality genre.

Usually the family of addicts look back to the abusers childhood for tell-tell signs and my past would certainly point to this future problem. In elementary school I use to race home in time to watch the last bits of Saved By The Bell, followed by People’s Court. I loved the courtroom drama and was far more invested than a 8 or 9 year old should be. I remember being bitter when one judge retired, and a new took his place. I didn’t like the new one nearly as much. (On the other hand, the current female judge, I love.)

By high school I had moved on to include other televised train wrecks, sometimes alone, sometimes with enablers. I never missed the opportunity to watch mistress drama on Dr. Phil or baby daddy drama on Maury. Mom added to the problem with our Sunday afternoon (after church of course) viewings of Flavor of Love and Rock of Love. We watched the first couple of seasons religiously, before the shows completely dissipated into predictability and strippers.

And then, by the beginning of college, Bravo really found its niche, documenting the lives of the chemically imbalanced millionaires. My incredibly independent and self sufficient mother and I indulged each week, watching spoiled women whine about how tough life was with their various hired help and mani-pedi-botox sessions.

The irony is that as a Communication major, I took several media, pop culture and society classes with professors who thought these shows, in some ways, were the downfall of our culture. I began to watch the shows with a more critical eye, laughing at the stereotypes, the cliches and the societal failures, even being outraged at down right racism and sexism. Yet I kept tuning in.

The question for most is probably why. Friends that know me- the girl who will buy Newsweek over Glamour, who has applications on her phone to track every news headline imaginable, who never misses a Daily Show if she can help it, who dreams of one day being a politician’s Communication Director, and who refuses to acknowledge that election days could be of little importance to anyone, this makes no sense. I’ve never been the girl who talked about celebrities like they were friends, or poured over magazines for the latest gossip. So what is it about these low brow shows that keep me tuning in for more.

Perhaps it is a desire to view the drama I maintain such distance from in my own life. Perhaps it is the quiet reassurance that any familial crazy cannot begin to compare with My-Brother-May-Also-Be-My-Father-Who-Is-Now-Sleeping-With-My-Cat. Or perhaps in a world where Human Rights violations occur every day, where legitimate politicians get booted to page 2, while Sarah Palin is skipping around talking about Paul Revere- arms activist, I enjoy an escape. I enjoy feeling like everyone watching these shows is on the the same page. It’s also probably why I could never embrace shows like The Bachelor where I didn’t feel like the contestants GOT that no one falls in love 20 minutes after meeting. They always seemed to feel that this was a serious mission, and I always felt them to be seriously disturbed. The beauty of my bad reality is that this isn’t anyone’s reality. It’s a world of characters, created to captivate and illustrate the most ridiculous in human nature. And that keeps me watching.