TOW# 2 Publics

I am a member of several publics. I have chosen to belong to a few and some that have chosen me.

First, I am a parent. Even within the parent ‘public’ there are specific categories. I am a Mother, with two small kids. I am also a Mother of a child with a disability. This is not a club I would have joined but somebody’s got to do it right? I am new to this club and still feel like I’m not totally aware of everything it means. It does mean you see things differently, with a new perspective. I have recently met some of the parents in this club and there is a certain knowing look, a shared experience that I can see these parents have. I have a lot to learn.

I am part of Generation X. Believe it or not; I remember a day when we didn’t have a computer in our home and even a television without a remote control. We smoked in restaurants and cafes and gathered around the television for a very special episode, of, whatever it might be. These kids will never know the joy of waiting for the annual Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music. The anticipation, the excitement that we X’rs got to experience, those were the days. These Generation Y’s just type it in that doohickey thingamabob and boom right there- entitled little crybabies.

   Apparently, the X’s are supposed to be making good money right now but because of two of the other “publics” I chose to be in, I am not in that category.

As an actor/writer and now actor/writer/student my fortune will have to wait. I’m back in school to try something new and to join the other “public”-the middle class. I want work that is challenging and important and meaningful but unlike ten years ago, I also fantasize about a fridge that makes ice and a vacation that isn’t in Saskatchewan. I am technically challenged. That isn’t all about age but just my fear of all things involving computers. I’ve come a long way and luckily I have some nice friends in my class who after they have a chuckle and pat me on the head, are very helpful.

                                                                                            

I am a feminist. I grew up with parents who were constantly talking about equality issues. I watched my Mother and Aunts and Grandmothers fight for all sorts of things that we now take for granted. I remember the Montreal Massacre very clearly. Dec 6 had a huge impact on how I defined myself as a feminist. I stopped saying “ I’m a feminist, but not like a crazy feminist”. I stopped apologizing for expecting equality.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/top_right/2011/07/tina_fey_comic_genius.html#comments

I love this comment from Tina Fey about whether women are funny. “ We don’t fucking care if you like it.”   Nuff said.