Read parts 1, 2, and 3 for the depth and evidence backing my ideas. What drew me to writing this very long, link-heavy essay on gender identity when I am just a cisgendered woman in a heterosexual, heteronormative relationship? I am an ally, but more than that, I am sick of ignorant conversations by cisgender… Continue reading Essay on Gender Part 3.5: Summary and Final Thoughts
Category: Essays
These are either personal essays or more essay-like explorations of set topics compared to my regular more informal posts
Essay on Gender Part Two: Exploring Gender Identity From Many Perspectives
I’m going to try my hardest to share facts (with sources) not just opinions. WARNING: this post is not for anyone who may be triggered by difficult conversations around gender identity. I wanted to write a post about masculinity as I know men are worried right now and are attacking women, homosexuals, and trans people… Continue reading Essay on Gender Part Two: Exploring Gender Identity From Many Perspectives
Essay on Gender Part One: My Femininity
I am going to write quite a vulnerable post here. Opening up about my own thoughts and feelings about being a woman and why I struggle with gender binaries in society. This post is not for anyone who may be triggered by difficult conversations around gender identity. Part One: My Femininity I am a cisgender… Continue reading Essay on Gender Part One: My Femininity
On Allyship + Book Recommendations for Empathy: Personal Curriculum series
Part One: Why I Choose to be an Ally For those who don't know, I identify as a cisgender woman, third generation immigrant background (my grandparents came over from Jamaica and Ireland), bisexual, biracial (white and black Caribbean), atypical brain (I feel I am neurodiverse but I am not diagnosed with a difference; I take… Continue reading On Allyship + Book Recommendations for Empathy: Personal Curriculum series
We Won the Privilege Lottery! But We Don’t Want to Share?
We rule the world. We have everything. We’re safe. Yay! When we are honest with ourselves, this is the narrative of a lot of people in our society. This is what pushes their hate and exclusion. Before we get into that though, let's define what I mean by the "privilege lottery". Country lottery Congratulations, you… Continue reading We Won the Privilege Lottery! But We Don’t Want to Share?
Maybe we can never truly understand ourselves
The mind, the brain, it’s a crazy thing. We use it to understand it. What a paradox. How utterly impossible a feat. Psychology aims to understand and categorise but I fear we never will, and that’s both beautiful and terrifying. We have all these convenient hacks for the brain. How to optimise the mind. I’m… Continue reading Maybe we can never truly understand ourselves
Is critiquing creative work almost pointless?
Critiquing art is not my favourite. I do it naturally. I think we all do. But I don’t like it. When I’m self aware, I get an icky feeling. Someone worked hard (probably) on this thing and here we are just tearing it apart. It’s unkind. But more importantly, it’s nonsensical really! Art is so… Continue reading Is critiquing creative work almost pointless?
The problem with reviewing art (films, tv, books)
Lately I’ve been trying to review the things I watch and read more than I used to. Why? Because it encourages me to engage more critically and closely with these things. To consume with a keen eye. This in turn helps me develop my own writing and my own tastes. However, I’ve noticed how difficult… Continue reading The problem with reviewing art (films, tv, books)
Do We Need to Categorise Ourselves with Labels? (podcast)
I provide a whistle-stop tour on our poor categorisation skills, how complicated the whole business can get, and share some ideas about perhaps scrapping it all together! Hank Green's video on Sexuality that I mentioned here Your identity will never be something you could write out on a sheet of paper, listing with words and… Continue reading Do We Need to Categorise Ourselves with Labels? (podcast)
Why You Need To Understand Your Emotions (Part Two)
*Part two, see Part One here* Knowing how to process and cope with emotions It's so natural to say "control your emotions" but there is so much more power in learning to understand, interpret and express emotions instead. Emotions aren't our enemy. They're not some annoying thing to control or hide or defeat. We… Continue reading Why You Need To Understand Your Emotions (Part Two)
S. R. Crawford 