BubblesSOC

So apparently Tuscaloosa, AL is in Hurricane Ivan’s line of fire. Classes are cancelled for the rest of the week. Everyone is migrating northward, but William, Alan, Andy, and I have decided to ride it out. My parents are mad because they say I’m putting my life on the line, but I’d rather stay here than risk my life trying to get home in the midst of all the crazy evacuees. We just got back from Wal-Mart — they are sold out of everything! It’s not like we’re on the coastline or anything (Here’s a map of Alabama, if you’re curious where I am in relation to the storm.) I’m actually getting kind of nervous about it, though… we’re supposed to get wind gusts up to 80 mph and I have a row of trees directly behind my apartment. Coco and I are packing up and heading to my boyfriend’s basement apartment until the storm passes. I heard on the news a bit ago that they are expecting us to lose power for at least a week. I can’t go that long without electricity!!! Hopefully, their predictions are wrong.

For some strange reason I picked up a Crimson White (our campus newspaper) on the way to Calculus Monday morning. Even though I know I should, I hardly ever read the newspaper. Well, I’m glad that I read it that day because someone wrote a disturbing article that insulted both my politics AND gender!

I spent literally the entire afternoon working on a response to that piece of garbage. My friend Elizabeth called me this morning and told me that they published my article! However, they edited it for length. I was disappointed with the changes. You can read the original version below and the edited version here. Let me know what you think of it. Keep in mind that my argument is not meant to be political, but rather a response to his stereotype of females across my campus.

Congratulations Mr. Flanagan! You got exactly what you wanted ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ attention from the ‚Äö?Ñ??white, upper-middle to upper class, Greek-affiliated‚Äö?Ñ?? ladies across campus. Too bad, however, it‚Äö?Ñ?¥s not exactly the kind of attention for which you were hoping.

I was quite amused by your article. Now whenever I see a ‚Äö?Ñ??W ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ The President‚Äö?Ñ?? sticker on an SUV, I know exactly who‚Äö?Ñ?¥s driving ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ an attractive young woman who depends on the brain of her male counterpart in order to function. Are only the Republican women mindless zombies? What about a female Democrat who plasters Kerry/Edwards stickers on her car? Did her father and boyfriend dictate her actions as well?

I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m proud to admit that I have a ‚Äö?Ñ??W‚Äö?Ñ?? sticker on the back window of my Isuzu Rodeo SUV. I believe I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m speaking on behalf of all the women who fall inside of your absurd stereotype when I say that I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m genuinely concerned for the future and well-being of our great nation. I‚Äö?Ñ?¥ve made it a priority to study and understand politics so that I can defend my ideals when challenged. I even suffered through the entire Democratic National Convention in order to learn where John Kerry and his party stand on the current issues. Furthermore, let me just say that this ‚Äö?Ñ??sweet, innocent girl‚Äö?Ñ?? is willing to look anyone in the eye and explain why I stand behind our current president 100%. Yes, I probably will say something about how Bush has made our country safer. Has there been a single attack on US soil since 9/11? Then, I‚Äö?Ñ?¥ll probably ask what Kerry plans to do differently. I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m willing to bet you or anyone else will be stumped by this question since Kerry has made it a point to avoid answering it. Not one time have I heard why John Kerry would make a good president. Instead, he‚Äö?Ñ?¥s told me numerous times why George W. Bush makes such a lousy one. Let‚Äö?Ñ?¥s not forget that John Kerry ‚Äö?Ñ??honestly supported‚Äö?Ñ?? the same war that he now denounces.

Putting politics aside, I‚Äö?Ñ?¥m astonished that someone would make such a foolish assumption concerning the young ladies across the University of Alabama campus. Any woman ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ liberal/conservative, black/white, rich/poor, Greek/independent, etc. ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ should find herself greatly offended by such an insult to her intelligence. And I thought the days of male chauvinism were long gone… I guess I was wrong.

As of today, I hope to be back on track for blogging and updating as long as we don’t lose power I’m also going to try and return comments and visit my dailies. I’m still getting settled into my classes, so please bear with me. Thank you all for the suggestions concerning an Add-On domain. I think I’ve figured it out. When it’s up and running, I’ll post the link.

Thanks for all the comments: Arwen, Carrie, Cherr, Chette, Christine, Dionne, dodo, Elle, Kara, Katy, kitsune, Lauren, Melissa, Michelle, Rach, Sanne, shellie, and tuan.