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 Going
Feral
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TO BE UPDATED SHORTLY....
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| guerrilla
girls and radical cheerleaders |
In Australia I'm happy to say, the culture(?) of
'cheerleaders' isn't strong. You might see them at
a big football games something but it's always been
something very American. It's certainly a very Barbie
activity, strictly not for our radical Feral Cheryl.
In North America a different type of cheerleader has
emerged. The Radical Cheerleaders have appeared at
protest rallies with, as you can guess, more radical
messages. There is also now ..a feminist performance
troupe made up of ex-cheerleaders.
http://www.mindspring.com/~x-cheerleaders/
They have created new cheers, chants
and movements to redefine the activity of cheerleading
and to explore personal issues, such as, sexuality,
aging, motherhood, self-esteem, harassment and inequality.
As writer Mariah Burton Nelson says
"High school should be a time when girls practice
taking center stage themselves. It should be a time
when they learn that they don't have to be perky,
pretty, or pleasing to be victorious.
This says it best: at all-female schools, there are
no cheerleaders."
Mariah Burton Nelson is the author of The Stronger
Women Get, The More Men Love Football: Sexism and
the American Culture of Sports
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Protesting is good for you, say psychologists
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Taking part in protests and demonstrations can be good for
your
physical and mental health, according to a British study.
Psychologists at the University of Sussex found that people
involved
in campaigns, strikes and political demonstrations experience
an
improvement in psychological well-being that can help them overcome
stress, pain, anxiety and depression.
Volunteers were asked to describe what it was about taking
part in
such collective action that made them feel so good. Researcher
Dr John Drury said the key factors were that participants felt
they had a collective identity with fellow protesters and derived
a sense of unity and mutual support from taking part.
"Empowering events were almost without exception described
as joyous occasions. Participants experienced a deep sense of
happiness and even euphoria in being involved in protest events.
Simply recounting the events in the interview itself brought a
smile to the faces of the interviewees."
"The take-home message from this research therefore might
be that
people should get more involved in campaigns, struggles and social
movements, not only in the wider interest of social change but
also
for their own personal good", Dr Drury said.
For more details of the reserach ( From December 2002) go
to http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/media/media270.shtml
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I've just come across another amazing North American phenomenon..The
Raging Grannies. Originating in Canada, the Raging Grannies now
have a number of groups in the US and Germany too.
Their list of causes matches Feral Cheryl's to a T. From the environment,
to womens issues, peace activism to sweatshop labour..they have
strong views and creative actions to match.
I would expect a city like Seattle with its history of social justice
to spawn such a group, and if you click on the banner above you
can explore their great site.
In particular I love their song book, which you can find on the
Seattle Raging Grannies site. Here's a sample on the evils of corporate
greed and sweatshop labour.
MY LEAST FAVORITE THINGS
(tune: My Favorite Things)
Shirts from Honduras and Nikes from China,
Clothes made in sweatshops in North Carolina,
All wrapped in packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my least favorite things.
What kind of labor lies behind the labels?
Did you think sweatshops were long-ago fables?
They're very widespread in the Third World today.
Their products are sold just a few blocks away.
If no one knows it,
Let's expose it;
Make it go away.
Refuse to buy goods That aren't made as they should!
Let us begin
today!
Skirts made in Malaysia in sweatshop conditions,
Clothes sewn in Toronto for Northern Traditions,
All wrapped in packages tied up with strings—
These are a few of my least favorite things.
If no one knows it,
Let’s expose it—
Make it go away. Refuse to buy goods
That aren’t made as they should
Let us begin today!
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| Until next time, Live
Simply, Run Wild
Lee Duncan, (creator of Feral Cheryl)
www.feralcheryl.com.au
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