I'm so growing up
Jul. 12th, 2011 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I've officially become a feminist. Like for real. While at camp this week the kids where given an assignment about looking at different pictures of Jesus, and pick their favourite. Then our priest were talking about the pictures and then he said... well, I can't quite explain it in English, but I'll try. He said that he thought all the pictures of Jesus were very femi which is a Norwegian expression, it's short for feminine. And he said this, "I think those pictures are kinda femi." and I couldn't believe my ears! I gave him this incredulous look and kept mouthing "you can't say that! You can't say that!" and he saw my reaction and said, "Caroline, do you have anything to say?" And I said, "You cannot say that!? You can't use femi as a derogatory term. Being feminine is not something that's negative, that's an insult to women and boys who identify with that term!" and the entire room were staring at me.
But he withdrew his statement, and then went on to mock/tease me for the rest of the week. BUT! he checked the way he used those words again.
But he withdrew his statement, and then went on to mock/tease me for the rest of the week. BUT! he checked the way he used those words again.
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on 2011-07-12 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-12 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-12 09:08 pm (UTC)Since I was young, I felt that it was very hard to be feminist in a Christian community, even though I couldn't really point to why. But sometimes there are just bad attitudes that come out in moments like that. Christ is very loving, nurturing, uncommonly gentle, passive in that he says to turn the other cheek AND give the coat off your back, so it's understandable that these kids might portray him in a softer way. But for your priest to call their portrayals of Christ "femi", that is just super not on :/
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on 2011-07-12 10:04 pm (UTC)I don't know if it's harder to be a feminist in a Christian community... I just suddenly were very aware that I didn't want these teenagers to think like that, and that we do need to check the way we speak early on! And it was just kind of a epiphany for me. Because I've never really thought all that much about my stance on it. But now it's something I really believe in. I think God might have had something to do with it ;)
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on 2011-07-14 06:33 am (UTC)It depends on the church and family in the community, of course; it was silly of me to assume we've had similar experiences there. I like your story a lot. :) and, yes! epiphanies have a lot to do with god, amirite ;)
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on 2011-07-13 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-14 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-13 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-14 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-07-14 02:52 am (UTC)