Current mood:

determined

Word rant
Someone has stolen our words. Here's a futile little attempt at getting them back:

Artist:
Someone who creates art. Now, defining art is really difficult, but I'm pretty certain the makeup in some Hollywood-persons face isn't it. Thus, the term "Make up artist" is pretentious, stupid, and silly. There are other examples.

Design(er):
Design is the art (sic.) of purposefully planning the form, function, production and aesthetics of a product you want to make. It's not another word for "looks" (nor for aesthetic properties). Someone who polishes peoples nails and then glues little plastic flowers on them is not a designer.

Terrorist/Terrorism:
Terrorism is instilling fear with the aim of reaching political goals. Perhaps the definition also has to include a clause about violence, but I'm not certain of it. However, really violent robberies are not terrorism whichever way you look at it. Neither is Guerilla attacks on military targets. Hiding amongst civilians might be unethical, but it doesn't make you a terrorist. It's calmed down a bit, but terror is still one of the most misused words I know.

Feminist/Feminism:
Feminism is about realizing that society is treating men and women unequally, realizing that most of the inequality favors men, and wanting to do something about it. It's not a word for describing financially successful women. Thus, being rich or successful, and a woman, does _not_ automatically  make you a feminist. _Especially_ if the way you made those money was by having someone take pictures of your newly enlarged breasts. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against porn in itself, but making money the one way women have always been able to make money, no matter how patriarchal(or whatever)  the society was, is _not_ an expression of feminism. (Of course, one can be a pornstar/prostitute/housewife _and_ a feminist. But the career-choice in itself, and the potential success in that field can not be seen as an expression of that feminism).


Oh my. That last one is the result of a discussion I had on the internet about some boob-chick claiming her doing what se did was the "modern" feminism, and much cooler and hipper than that boring old unshaved-armpit-feminism from the seventies.
Word thieves must die.



Then again, I think it's sad that groups like Ottar only get media attention when harassing porn-dealers. Now, I get their arguments even though I disagree with them, that's not the problem.

The problem is young girls saying "Feminism? Urgh, that's like that horrible stuff when I can't watch porn or shave my armpits, right? I'm against that shit!". Hopefully, these same girls would object if they were forces to do all the housework our being denied equal opportunity in the workplace (or anywhere else), but still. When the word itself has become... dirty, in some peoples minds, there is a problem.