Cultural appropriation

Okay so after the last few Coachella's and the events of celebrities being slammed for the inappropriate use of sacred cultural symbols, we are aware of what is known as 'cultural appropriation'.

Of course we know that we shouldn't prance around in Native American headdresses, or sexualise the sacred clothing of a religion and so on, but is this going a little too far?

With that, I am not saying people shouldn't protect their cultures and I'm also not saying that calling someone out for cultural appropriation is wrong. What I am saying is that you can't go crazy at someone for sporting a certain item that related to a really specific group of people that they may never have heard of, not due to ignorance, but due to the fact they've just never heard of this small group of people that were around thousands of years ago? It can happen.

You can't expect that everyone knows the ins and outs of the history of every society, culture or religion. Someone could paint their nails in a pattern they've just come up with, out of the blue. But coincidentally, it could be the same or similar to a pattern used by a small religion or culture that was around once. Don't freak out at them.

Yes, we need to be aware of these issues, we need to be sensitive towards other cultures and we need to protect and honour sacred elements of cultures, but we can't be over the top about it.

Additional thought: if I wear a kimono at the beach to go over my bikini because it is useful and ideal for that kind of situation is that cultural appropriation? I'm not saying anything to change the origins, I'm not talking rubbish that I don't actually know about the culture. I mean it's not like living in England, a cold, rainy country, we would have any traditional garments for a beach, so to what extent can I use a kimono without it being cultural appropriation?

Period thoughts

UGH BRILLIANT my pretty underwear is ruined




I NEED TO EAT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT



Where is the food? WHERE IS THE FOOD? BRING ME ALL OF THE CAKES



I wanted to have sex this weekend...



WHY WAS I BORN A WOMAN WITH OVARIES THAT HATE ME



I LOOK DISGUSTING I AM SO FAT



I can't move



OUCH FUCKING OUCH



Should I risk wearing white jeans? Oh I'll be fine...I think



I'm SO horny



Wow I'm in such a great mood I- OH GREAT I DROPPED A SPOON I HATE THE WORLD



This movie is so sad




Ooh, do I smell cookies?



Nope, okay, I guess I'll have to make some then



IF I CAN ACTUALLY STAND WITH THIS EXCRUCIATING PAIN



THIS SHIT NEVER ENDS!!!



Oh great I need more tampons



Why do I pay VAT on tampons? I didn't choose the period life YOU THINK THIS IS A LUXURY?



Surely it's not that bad? You're being over dramatic, try getting kicked in the nuts!



Ugh, I know why it's called MENstruation




Wow. Finally. It's over. I did it. WOMEN ARE THE GREATER SPECIES.

Going purple

In this day and age I'm a bit of an anomaly, I've never properly dyed my hair. I dip-dyed the ends aqua/teal when I was 16 but that's it. I've been thinking about dying my hair for a while but I'm the most indecisive person in the world and haven't been able to decide on a colour. That's  also why I've never gotten a tattoo.

BUT I've decided to go from dark brown to...

 

So I'll be going blonde then having lilac toner put on. The hairdresser said I can do it in two sittings but that means I'll have to walk around blonde, in which case I'd look like a fucking idiot because I'm really dark haired and have a dark skin tone. So, I'm having it done in one sitting which means 5 hours in the salon woo. But at least I won't be going around looking like a drag act.

I'll be getting it done some time next month. I'm just hoping I'll be allowed it for work. I'm only a waitress so surely it wouldn't be a problem.

I'M SO EXCITED TO BE A MERMAID.

I HATE EVERYTHING RANT

Okay so today I am in a really fucking foul mood and I know that after I've ranted anyone who sees this will pull out the starving kids in Africa card which pisses me off even more. "Why are you down? You have no reason to complain. You have food and roof over your head, that's more than a lot of people have". Yes okay but does that mean I should be ecstatic about not having a job because the one job in this city with no jobs I don't start until next month? Having no money so scrimping off my family? Being back home while all of my friends are at university? Having a shit load of money that needs paying off that I CAN'T PHYSICALLY PAY OFF BECAUSE I HAVE NO MONEY. I've also had to cancel my gym membership and they're trying to track me down for money. I'm 19.

So what really has triggered all this anger to evolve into a rant on here is the fact that my shitty iPhone (my mum pays the bill and she's cancelling that soon so don't use that against me) fell off my bed. The bed is a normal bed, like a foot and a half high maybe, I don't know. But my phone fell off the side of that and obviously because iPhones are so fucking shitty and fragile that the screen has completely broken. It hasn't just got a crack in it- it has gone black and green. So I can't even use it at all. And I need my phone, for getting in touch with my boss, and to call the bank to get a fucking overdraft. It's going to cost me £40-£50 to get it replaced. I don't know whether that seems a lot to anyone else, or whether it seems cheap for an iPhone screen replacement but I don't have that fucking money.

I just hate how my friends are driving around in their new cars their parents have bought for them, getting given money from their parents, have good part time jobs because of who they know. I've never had any of that. The last time I went on holiday with my parents was six years ago. You think my family can afford to help me out? "Oh why don't you take your driving lessons Jodie?" BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD IT, MY MUM CAN'T AFFORD IT AND MY DAD CANT FUCKING AFFORD IT. It's one of my best friends' birthdays soon and I can't afford that either. I need to get her a gift AND go on a night out because she's coming home from uni especially to go out for her birthday. Oh my God and I just remembered my mum is making me go halves with her for my new bed and matress because I'm currently sleeping on a cheapo bed that I've had six years.

I hate everything.

The Education System

First of all let me just clear up the fact that I do not agree with those who say "when am I ever going to need the Pythagorean theorem in my life omg".

1) it shows academic capabilities which are examined in order to work out if you're right for certain educational and career routes, and to see if you're right for certain colleges and universities.

2) it provides a basis for those who want to go into that field of study.

So I do agree that the things currently being taught in schools, should continue to be taught.

A problem that really sticks in my mind with education system that I have experienced personally, is the way I learnt things. It felt like I learnt topics purely for the exams. For the school that is essentially why you learn things, for their reputations which are based upon grades and exam scores. History and science are two things that stick in my mind. I loved history and I chose it as an A Level. At GCSE we did an exam on the Isreali/Palestine conflict. Brilliant thing to look at; it's relevant and modern. I learnt the ins and outs, the PLO, HAMAS etc. I knew it. But once I walked out of that exam hall, everything I knew just dispersed from my memory. We learnt it for an exam. We were sat there revising and revising, memorising treaties and dates and events so intensely it seems as though, to me, that I took it in on the surface, regurgitated the facts but they never absorbed.

Another issue I have which is commonly picked up on is the fact we don't learn a lot of important life skills at school. About contracts, debt, the law, human rights, racism, sexism, taxes, the government, government party policies, the list could go on. Being 18 and able to vote when maybe you haven't left school/college (depending on where you are in the world and what college means etc) and not being fully aware of any parties and policies. Should this be the responsibility of the school? Or if you're old enough to vote and care about voting would you look into it yourself? Maybe that's the case with this example, however, concepts such as sexism in the workplace, laws, prison, these things should be taught. Some things are picked up throughout life, my mother didn't get taught about taxes and how to raise a child and she does both of those things perfectly well. But I do think schools need to think about EDUCATING students rather than focusing solely on grades. I got good GCSEs and I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty thick, I don't feel educated.

In year 11 and both years of sixth form (if you're in America then that's like 16-18 I think) I would come home from school, get through the door and cry. I didn't get bullied, I had a great group of friends, I wasn't fat or acne ridden, I had no reason to cry so it would seem. But the pressure of school and college really got to me, it was all "look at this chart, this is where you're at is that ok good if not go to revision classes". I was sick of looking at fucking statistics and being pushed so hard by teachers who hated their jobs  just so they had a nice little line graph to show their superiors. In writing it is pretty hard to explain what made me so depressed. You'll have to speak to other current students to find that one out, I've repressed that shit. But it is disturbing how many people DREAD school. It's not right, something needs fixing.

Why am I going to uni?

Why the hell am I going to university? I'm doing a degree in journalism, and I'm pretty average to get anywhere in that field. It's the only thing I'm remotely interested in. I'm probably going to end up in a job that doesn't even require a degree yet still have a fuckload of debt hanging over my head.

The reason I am going to university is because it's the done thing. It's what everyone does. It's what's expected. I was a top set kid so the concept of going to university was already drilled into me from a pretty young age. We weren't allowed to attend the workshops about going into full time work or apprenticeships. We had to go to the university talks. Because that's the bracket I fell into.

My mum and dad didn't go to university but they expected me to. I was overly praised in primary school and made out to be a genius because I went to a school full of brain-dead pieces of shit. Literally, I was the smartest in the school. I got to high school and was put in the very top set and I was shocked at how clever everyone was. To be fair I did okay in my GCSEs, As and Bs. I did so well in my science coursework and first exam that I only needed an E in Biology, Chemistry and Physics to get a B. And that's what I did. I don't know how that happened because I couldn't tell you a thing about any of those subjects. I loved English, and I loved my teacher and she loved me. Probably because I was such a kiss ass. So thanks to her, I won an award for English. This made me seem even more intelligent. I'm fucking not. This made my school and parents think I was really clever and it would be a waste if I didn't go to uni. I always felt undeserving of their praises because I thought I just got lucky throughout it all.

My first year of A Levels went well. A, B, C, C in English Language, Religion, French and History. My second year I left with B, C, C. Average. I got to uni, hated it, left and now I'm going back in September.

I have no fucking idea what I want to do with my life.