Introduction Since last summer, we have heard a lot about being antiracist. The 1619 project, which was released in 2019, was given new life in classrooms and workplaces across the nation as a way to correct the historical record. I am happy to see these moves to remove the whitewashing of history in our public schools and I am hopeful… Read more →
Author: chantale
Anger Is Not Apathy
This morning, before beginning my work day, I logged on to Twitter to check the feed. I know – I know – I probably shouldn’t log on in the morning for it could ruin my whole day, but I am just addicted to information and I needed my fix. As I scrolled through my feed, I noticed a few people… Read more →
Last Night
Exhaustion. I know that you feel it and I certainly feel it too, but we cannot let it stop us from moving forward. We cannot stop fighting for what is right and fair and equal. After the despicable performance of the man who calls himself President last night, as he metaphorically stomped around the stage, threw temper tantrums, cut off… Read more →
Choices
You have two choices. Would you rather live in a Christian nation or a free country? In a free country, you are free to be Christian, but in a Christian nation, only Christians are free. Let me rephrase — In a free country, everyone is free to be Christian or not, but in a Christian nation, only White, Protestant, cis, straight, affluent,… Read more →
Safe Spaces
Let me start off this post by saying Black Lives Matter. I have stated this fact in many previous posts on this site, but I am not certain that I have said those three words in that order and I feel that it is important that I do so here and now. Saying Black Lives Matter is only the beginning,… Read more →
Earth Day During a Pandemic
Today is the day. The 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The day that we celebrate the earth. Unfortunately, we are not following through on our Earth Day promises. Climate change is no longer just a looming threat, but an eventual cause of demise for the earth. And the current pandemic we are dealing with is fully tied to the climate… Read more →
crosspost from gen X reactions
A Message to Sanders Supporters Read more →
The Case For Primary Day
Last night was a lot. Super Tuesday is always a crazy day for the candidates in primary races, and for the voters who support them, but the addition of social media (specifically Twitter) and the media commentary with stations calling winners as soon as polls close made it even more frenzied. And although there are clearly two candidates pulling ahead… Read more →
Christianity’s History of Oppression aka Hypocrites of the High Seas – a series
Hello lovely readers! I hope you are having a wonderful evening and are ready for some meaty material. I have been studying Christian Patriarchy, MRAs, and other misogynistic practices for a little while now and decided to write a multi-part series detailing some of the information that I have come across in my travels. So, without further ado, here is… Read more →
Who is the Brad?
On September 27, 2018 (wow – it has been over a year already) I watched the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, followed by the angry rebuttal of Brett Kavanaugh. Dr. Ford was clear and concise and MORE than believable, while Kavanaugh demonstrated the entitlement and confusion that straight, white, men of privilege have always been afforded in our patriarchal… Read more →
An Important Thing for All Americans to Witness
Dudes and Women’s Rights
Why do dudes think they have any claim to women’s rights in the United States? I am in a cafe in Alabama and The Dudes Sitting Across From Me are two White, straight, cis dudes of means in their late 20s. They are discussing choice. Yes, choice. Women’s choice. I was hoping that they would be pro-choice because the cafe… Read more →
Intersectionality
While I was visiting my family and friends in Western New York, I had a great deal of time to sit and think about my life and the ways in which I move through the world. I had a few interesting conversations while I was up there that helped me work out a few concepts to move forward with. During… Read more →
Book Lists
Today, I received a text from my local library to let me know that the book I currently have checked out is about to be overdue (in 2 days). This prompted me to log in to the library website and renew the title. While at the site, I decided to take a look around to see what features are offered,… Read more →
Three Months
We are three months into the Alabama experience and there are a few things that I have learned since I have been living in Huntsville. Beer is a serious thing down here I always thought that Buffalo was a big drinking town, and it certainly is as the last call is still at 4 am, but if you are looking… Read more →
How To Make Things Better
What Happened? We could have had it all. We could have had a leader that would understand our place in the world and act accordingly. A President that would have led us to a better place as a society. A President that understands America’s place in the world and would have governed accordingly. We could have had a President that cares… Read more →
Leaving Senseless Fear Behind
Each one of us, as an individual, is a product of the environment that we were raised in. We carry with us the information that we received as children and we take that data and use it to navigate our lives. Some of us receive messages of hope and love, while others receive messages of fear and danger. For some… Read more →
Welcome to the South
The move south is complete. Well – we are physically in Huntsville and tomorrow the movers will be dropping off our things, so I guess it is really only almost complete. Still – we have an apartment and most of the addresses have been changed. Speaking of that, holy shit there are a lot of things that need to be… Read more →
Pride 2018
It’s June again in America and you know what that means! Pride month! June is the month where we celebrate the strides and remember the struggles (and the folks who have sacrificed their lives) to gain equality for the LGBTQ+ community. The first weekend of the month was Pride in Buffalo and we didn’t get to attend any of the… Read more →
Blogging Community
Hello dear readers – I have recently joined Bloglovin and wanted to give you the opportunity to follow me over there. My content will not change, but being affiliated with a larger community of bloggers is always good for the circulation stats. As you may know, Hippiegrrl Explains It All got its start on Backwash.com and the community we cultivated… Read more →
Be Better
We are all human beings. We live our lives the way we see fit and we move through life with different goals in mind. Some of us judge others and some of us do not. Recently, I have had several interactions with a certain dude on Facebook that is not exactly cordial, to put it very mildly. The topic of… Read more →
The Teens Are Alright
Yesterday was a wonderful day for the future of the United States of America. Teenagers across the country walked out of their classrooms to protest the gun violence that has become all too common in American schools. They also walked out to honor the 17 people that were killed last month at Stoneham Douglass High School in Parkland, Florida. The… Read more →
Patriarchy, MRAs, and Dismantling the Current System of Oppression
Over the years, whenever straight, white, men feel threatened, they band together in groups to discuss the situation and ‘right’ the ship. See – when dudes feel like they are losing grip on the control that they have ALWAYS had over women, they freak the fuck out. This is evidenced by the backlash against moves toward gender equity in the… Read more →
2018 Reading Habits
It’s a new year and this year I am determined to read more books than I did in 2017. My totals from last year were actually pretty good compared to previous years, but they still felt bleak. I had hoped to read 24 books and only ended up reading 11. This year I am setting my reading challenge total at… Read more →
New Year, New World
We all thought that 2016 was the worst year on record (and I would definitely venture to say that music-wise, it was a pretty bad year considering how many great artists we lost – Pop star deaths in 2016), but 2017 saw that disaster and raised it to extreme levels. Seriously. Is it safe to say that 2018 will be… Read more →
Topple the Patriarchy
Last week felt like a tipping point. I realize that, over the years, there have been many moments that felt this way, but last week really (REALLY) did. So, can we finally talk about sexism and the ways to combat it and change the course of our future in an open, honest, and realistic way? Is it finally time for… Read more →
Standing Up To Racism part 1
Last month I decided to jump back into Facebook friendships with a few people that I had lost touch with (aka unfriended). Most of these people consider themselves to be conservative. They are also white and middle class. They have all lived in what they consider to be safe spaces and have not had to struggle to survive. Basically, they… Read more →
A New Way Forward
Since 1997, I have been working in the customer service industry. Twenty years of working in banking, retail, tech support, middle management, and project management have taught me a few things about the dynamics of workers and leaders in the workplace. There have been a few bright spots in my career, but overall I have witnessed a great deal of… Read more →
Call It Out (part two)
The events of the weekend have really shaken me. I realize that as a white person I can freely move through society without much effort or care. I have the privilege of not being pulled over in my car unless I am actually doing something wrong (and then not always). I have the privilege of walking down a street and… Read more →
Call It Out
When I was a child I let it go when I heard racist or sexist or homophobic slurs from friends and family. When I was a teenager I let it go when I heard racist or sexist or homophobic slurs from teachers and coworkers. When I was in my twenties I let it go when I heard racist or sexist… Read more →