Jenny’s Pennies

I’ve done some additions to the blogroll (since I add and subtract there however I feel like, I want to be open about the process).

So, in the feminisms et al category I’ve added Feminist Critics, which is not an MRA or antifeminist blog, but one which discusses feminism critically. I’m all for the scrutiny of ideas and belief systems, so this was a good find. Contributors include Renegade Evolution, who’s already on the blog roll.

In the US mostly political category I’ve added Daisy’s Dead Air, who I also found via RenEv.

And finally, in sex and such, the new addition is Isabella Lund, a Swedish sex worker who offers insightful comments and a tireless defense of sex workers rights, this in a political climate where there only seems to be one “correct” way of looking at the sex industry.

I read through my post about how the blogosphere is new feminist ground and realized that it could be read as though I had a disdain for young blonde women who blog about fashion and such issues. Which I assure you, I have absolutely none.

My point was only that usually when mainstream media reports about women and blogging, they seem to focus on the fashion bloggers (who can be both well-written and fun to read, although I’m not a regular visitor to their sites), whereas other subjects are often disregarded. Which is how mainstream media works. Which is why blogs are good.

So, no offense to fashion bloggers out there. The internets are big enough for all of us, and there is certainly no need to erect a wall between “fashion bloggers” and “political bloggers” - there can be dialog, critical examination on both sides, and learning from each other.

I was quite surprised this evening when I looked at the website of Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter and found an article about the blogosphere as the new ground for spreading the message of feminism and voicing women’s opinions that don’t fit in the usual media discourse.
Article here (in Swedish).

The article was based on a panel discussion held today with participation from, among others, the political party Feministiskt Initiativ (Feminist Initiative, link in English here).

The short article was quite shallow and didn’t really say anything new, but it was nice that for once we got a media report about women and blogging that wasn’t about young blondes writing about fashion and celebrities. And it was featured prominently way up on the front page, with a big headline, and not tucked away somewhere in the arts section.

(Maybe there will be a better report in the paper tomorrow, but I’m not holding my breath.)

March 19 2008 will mark the five year anniversary of the war in Iraq. On this day, a large number a bloggers will speak out against the war in the Iraq War Blogswarm.
I am writing a post for this and so can you! To learn more, go to March 19 Iraq War Blogswarm.

Yes, it’s yet another blog. I know I’m late on this bandwagon, seeing as most of the blogs I read regularly have been around for at least a year or so, often more. Also, what I see myself blogging about (human rights, international development, humanitarian issues, feminism, poverty, justice, equality, environmental issues, and such; from a lefty viewpoint) is already the focus of a lot of more articulate and well-read blogs than this will probably ever be.

So, why this then?
First of all, I want to keep myself writing on a more regular basis. I know I can be a good writer (maybe that’s a bold statement to have in my very first blog post, but there it is), and I see this as a way of expanding that. It’s a way of channeling my thoughts, of articulating them to a wider audience (well, hopefully) than just my husband at the kitchen table when I’ve read something thought provoking in the arts section or a particularly puke-worthy letter to the editor.

If I can spark some discussion, make someone take action, or (even though I cringe at the phrase) raise awareness, then I’m even more happy.

I realize now that this post is somewhat of a disclaimer: “I want to blog and I know I can write - but it’s a bit late and I will write about the same thing as so many others who are better than me, so if I suck, I’m sorry, but really I just do this because I want to write.” That’s very Swedish of me, to excuse myself like that. So the hell with it. I want to become one of those bloggers who are invited to TV- and radio debates, who gets a newspaper column, or (no, and) are offered a really cool job because of their blog.
A girl can dream, right?