Small Strokes Big Oaks

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Transcript:
Hello and welcome to the Small Strokes podcast.  This is Ashley Lauren here, and I am the author of the Small Strokes blog, which you can find at smallstrokesbigoaks.com.  This will be an extension of the blog, and a place where I will be talking about all things feminist: sometimes it may just be me talking, and sometimes I may be interviewing another person or hosting a panel discussion to talk about feminist issues.

I’d like to begin today by talking about my definition of a feminist.  All too often, women are very reluctant to define themselves as feminists.  The word, feminism, sometimes has negative associations with an extremely radical movement and, as such, many women shy away from defining themselves as feminists.  I, however, will say it loud and proud: I am a feminist!

Feminism, as I define it, involves taking note of the marginalization of women, exploring the reasons why women are marginalized, and making an outward effort to minimize that marginalization. As feminists, we should applaud any attempt at social progress, and participate as we see fit; if radical movements are your style, then so be it.  If, like me, small strokes are more your thing, then that’s great, too.

I have been very fortunate to be welcomed in to a wonderful feminist community through smallstrokesbigoaks.com and other social networking sites.  The feminist online presence is particularly strong, and, I think, a modern form of activism. In fact, [r]adical feminists in the late 1960s and 1970s wrote massive amounts of ‘temporary,’ networked texts.  These texts were often collaborative in nature and distributed quickly.  These texts parallel today’s cyber-culture in many ways, especially in their emphasis on networking writings just like we do today through hyperlinks and social networking.  The online feminist community is a powerful force, working not only to exterminate the marginalization of women, but working to empower women as well.

I believe feminism is necessary in the world today.  We see all too many injustices against women, and we must work to correct them.  Hopefully, through smallstrokesbigoaks.com and social networking, I’m starting to do just that.  And I’d like your help!  I’m currently accepting submissions for guest posts to my blog, as well as volunteers to participate in interactive podcasts.  If you’d like more information about either of those, please visit smallstrokesbigoaks.com.

That’s all for today!  Hopefully you enjoyed my first, and shortest podcast, and, if you did, be sure to subscribe for future updates, and, while you’re at it, subscribe to smallstrokesbigoaks.com, too!