sigelphoenix

I don't think I actually have anything useful to say. I just thought, "I'm bored. I should LJ." I am indeed a product of my time.

Last night ended up being okay. I went to do my C.O.R.E. presentation, which involved trekking through the unknown wilds of South Campus in order to find the dorm I was supposed to present at. (For those familiar with UW, I went to Mercer Hall - and if you thought, "Mercer what?" you're probably not alone.) My contact there, the RA who requested this presentation had absolutely nothing in the way of preparation to meet us. Here's how I tried to contact him:

Starting two hours before the presentation, I called the phone number he gave us in order to confirm that the presentation was still on. He never answered, so I left a message, calling back every twenty minutes or so just in case. Once I got to South Campus, I had a hell of a time finding the dorm in the icy dark - which isn't the RA's fault, but he should have predicted that we'd have trouble finding it, since it's well known among the residents that no one outside of the dorm knows where it is. At the very least, he should have told us which building ("East" or "West") we should go to. I only happened to see his name listed as an RA, asked a resident where I could find him, and went to look for him myself. Oh yeah, and I had to rely on residents to let me in, since all the dorms are locked. Finally, once I was in the correct building, and could not find the RA by either calling him or knocking on the door of his room, I happened to see a sign advertising the C.O.R.E. presentation and went to the location written there. The RA eventually showed up there.

He was a nice guy. And he offered us some of the ice cream he brought for his residents. But seriously - incompetence much?

Anyway, after that, my presentation partner and her boyfriend kindly offered to drive me back to ratzeo and zinjadu's apartment - which was only about 15 blocks away, but a hellish prospect with cold, ice, and the presentation equipment I was lugging around. Once I got in, I was greeted with warmth, food, and video games. Win.

Tonight we're scheduled to have more snow and freezing temperatures. Here's hoping it'll hold off until after the evening commute - and if that means a snow day tomorrow, well, I won't complain. XD

Also, randomly: an article about the concept of relational autonomy from Feminist Allies. (Link from tekanji.) For people who study philosophy, this term probably makes sense; for others, it probably sounds like a stupidly complicated way of saying what it actually means: "people's choices are affected by those around them."

The point of the concept, and the article, is that we're mistaken when we say that people either make completely independent choices or have their choices completely shaped by social forces (e.g., sexism, racism, etc.). Often anti-oppression workers are accused of falling in the latter category, and saying that people are completely dependent on the power inequalities that oppress them - this is often labelled as 'making' people into victims who cannot choose/act for themselves. However, as the article points out, the dichotomy is false. Most of the time, people make somewhat-independent choices while being somewhat-influenced by society around them. A woman may choose to look traditionally (hetero)sexy by getting breast implants and liposuction; however, the societal pressures that say 'this is what beauty is' and 'you have to be beautiful or your worthless' and other such things are also to blame for shaping that choice. And so on.

It's a useful concept that undergirds a lot of anti-oppression theory. I'd like to make a more detailed entry once I gather my thoughts more.

I've been at work for an hour, but I keep staring out the window and checking weather sites for updates about the evening storm that (supposedly) will bring a fresh batch of snow tonight. Here's hoping it holds off until I get home.

Of course, that means that I haven't been getting much actual work done because I can't concentrate. So what better solution was there but to do a meme?

( Me? Restless? Nah )