Taking Words Back: Diet

When did the word diet lose its intended meaning? When did food stop being something we all have free access to? When did doctors stop healing?

Is it the chemical companies? Is it marketing? Was it when the pursuit of happiness was rerouted and the detour has become the primary route?

What do you think when you hear the word diet? Do you connect food to how your body feels and functions?  

Discounts Don't Count

http://onebillionrising.org/blog/entry/introducing-the-obr-article-series-dr.-vandana-shiva-1


"discounting their contribution to the economy"

"production for sustenance is counted as "non-production"

"An economics of commodification creates a culture of commodification, where everything has a price and nothing has value."





Now that the Violence Against Women Act has expired - the excuse of provisions for women on reservations and in the military - two groups who are the very embodiment of the American Woman - the parity between women in the so-called evolved USA and developing nations. Sexism and misogyny are institutionally ingrained and socially acceptable, where racism is generally kept under wraps and even homophobia is on the wane. One look at how our bodies are eligible for legislation and rape eludes standard definition in the courts across the USA.We are far from universally progressive by a long shot - but there are still too few willing to admit the disparities and the fact that in the USA men are "free" and women are "discounted".  

Having spent the better part of the past 20+ years creating media and at least the last 15 years in PR, marketing and advertising working with some of the largest and most influential global brands.The contradiction is striking: women are known the world over to make the majority of financial determinations in household economics. I have had to correct many quasi-feminist friends, albeit mostly male, that this does NOT mean that they have the control to determine their own financial course. In general, it means that they are tasked with spending someone else's money in order to ensure the survival of themselves and their children. 

The gap between east and west is not so great...the only difference is tone - our voice is one if you listen closely. 

New Three R's for Boys (and girls) Who Dare

Is this teaching? I say no. "How to not" is reactive and assumes and accepts the active as inevitable.

What would Don't Rape 1A even look like? What assumptions would those lessons make? Maybe the three R's: Responsibility and Respect in Relating to other human beings.

I suspect that 1A would have pre-requisites like "Defining and Communicating Human Needs"; "Articulating the Human Experience" - with "Self-Love" and "Feelings are Okay" in orientation.

A girl can dream.

  

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

This morning the stars collided, having my girl in the car while NPR shared a story about east and west cultural approaches to how we message the path to success to our children.

My version of an abbreviated short cut: in the west we teach that if you are smart you have access to success, that there is something you have. In the east, it's more about the hard work, the effort.

For me, it's about the balance of the two, the intersection. I am teaching my girl that all by herself, she is an amazing human being. And there are many amazing human beings that will contribute to the amazing world we live in. What will ensure her success in whatever she chooses- from getting up morning after morning to having a view of planet earth gazing up from the depths of the deepest sea or down from a perch on the brightest star - is the work she puts in. It's her inherent ability to not only show up, but to apply the effort, sometimes endure the suffering and take a wash, rinse and repeat approach.

She gets it, in her own way. We are learning together that there is no value in fearing failure- only opportunities.  She also knows I am here to coach and cheer her choice by choice.

PR

If I only had one dollar left, I would spend it on PR... ~ Bill Gates

PR is only the beginning.

Presence
Promise
Pride
Precious
Pretty
Pressure
Practice
Prevalence
Premeditated
Prick
Primp
Prove
Predetermined
Preconceived
Predict
Pram
Promote
Proud
Print

Uh-Oh! Here it goes...

Yes I just made the switch. I'm officially a tumblr girl now. The site is moving there. I will somehow recreate the posts in the new environment. hope to see you there!








http://krizbell.tumblr.com

If You Can't Run In It, Don't Put It On Your Feet: Another Keep On Pushin' Story

”What I feel about that iconic status is it takes a lot longer to achieve if you keep your clothes on than off,” 54-year-old punk pioneer Exene Cervenka says. “I just worked hard and quietly did my art.”

 Thanks to my friend Eric Dinwiddie for posting the article on Exene Cervenka. I don't know how long it has been since I played any "X" and I never knew that she was born Christine and took on Exene- I can testify that she was and now that I am 'caught-up', continues to be a major influence.

Background: during the early 90's I missed most of the pop music and opted for anything that was never gonna make mainstream radio waves. At home we were pretty religious about our music and movies all opening with a scratch and a hiss (vinyl spinning) or a crank and a crackle (film projecting). Jim Nabors, Nancy Sinatra, the Butthole Surfers, The Young Gods, The Didgits and yes, X. Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson had all abandoned the gifts that introduced us and were fully and obviously compensating for some long ago love lost- I've never been a fan of the LOOK AT ME! campaign, still can't stomach the pain driven pathos that leads folks to seek (spot)light.

I digress! The article on Exene hit home with me-- her art for art's sake, hard work and rocking to rally and really reach her fan base and move people meanwhile not that far away in her conscious intention she is pushing women and people to think think think- think about the clothes you're wearing and question- why do you want to look like a whore? why is this okay?

Why do we want the spotlight so badly? One of my favorite people in the whole wide world, someone I consider family had celebrity status imposed on her. She has enjoyed it, benefited by it and suffered for it, as have those closest to her. Regardless of the numbers or hungry fan-base, like Exene, she works hard and remains committed, refusing to compromise her art.

This resonates with me not only as an artist, a writer and a filmmaker, but I rely on my voice to make a living in marketing and publicity. The lines can get blurred and I must maintain a direct connection to my gut lest I fall prey to the irresistible glory of fame- success's ugly and infernal twin. Recently I dodged a bullet and my strategy of implanting in the belly of the film business beast was derailed- I was doing it for all the right reasons, but in the end my GUT and circumstance acted as an invisible electrified fence- scorching me before I could call Hollywood home. As a result I am regaining my ground, have FINALLY found love and feel like I am getting my sea legs with the writing. Right now I am working my ass off to "try not to resist to change...you're still becoming." (thanks Jan! You rock!)

To wrap it all up in a tidy package- I can't run if I'm trying to wear somebody else's shoes and you can't hear my stories if I'm speaking to some elusive spotlight. Like Exene's enthusiasm for touring from record store to record store and playing during the day where people bring their kids because they understand her value as an artist and a voice; where girls are excited because they can actually go to a show-- and HEAR her words. That's what moves people
to move the world in a different and better direction- and that's why I do what I do- all of it- the work and the art- to make sure the media and the message make it intact.