(I literally only know that name from reruns of British panel shows, I swear.)

(Day 8 (?) of #100BM)

It’s a fine fundraiser that’ll get you well drunk for $30. Even better when your brother bought you the ticket. Apologies if there are more typos and grammatical atrocities than usual.

I’m actually writing this the night before the morning of when it should be posted, when I’m still coming down from a handful (and a bit) of large ‘sample’ sizes of glasses of wine, and a generous whisky (and too little food), and lamenting the fact that I have to be at work in about 8.5 hours to let the steam cleaning team in for a second day of work.

Again, the world of showbusiness is extremely exciting and glamorous.

But! Despite my hazy state, on to more important matters:

I do not hide my feminist leanings/attitude/being even a little bit, but I really had trouble explaining why the situation in Isla Vista last week wasn’t just a crazy person going, well, crazy. For one, mental illness is pretty complicated, and for two, outside influence was most definitely playing an enormous factor in shaping what form this assailant’s neuroses took, as well as his actions.

I rarely get catcalled, or at least do not notice it. I have never been sexual assaulted. I have had drunk guys clumsily, and occasionally somewhat aggressively, hit on me, but they all got the message quickly that, nope, I was not going to fuck them. I joke that my resting bitch face is stronger than most, or credit the fact that I hang out with men a lot, or that I prefer knitting to the bar scene (though have been known to combine the two), but I know that that, for the most part, I am very lucky to not be as harassed, judged (at least openly), and treated as an object rather than a person than many other women are. I don’t mean to brag when I say that I can’t account for it. I am mostly jut grateful for my good, fluky fortune.

That having been said, my cohort, and beyond, so fucking far beyond, are not so fortunate.

And, of course, a caveat that most men I know are pretty fucking wonderful. Some have been abused horribly, emotionally, physically, actually (by men and/or by women). I have no interest in some kind of Us (women) vs. Them (men) throw-down or debate.

However.

I watched this video yesterday, and Laci Green did a great job of explaining (perhaps somewhat simplistically – humans are more varied than she is suggesting, but her points are most definitely valid) how a single person murdering six people wasn’t just the work of a ‘madman’. So please listen to what Ms. Green has to say.