Women, Religion, and Language

I've got this wretched feeling that throughout my Women's Studies courses, I'm going to come to this harsh realization. I know that it's going to be something along the lines of our attempts to incorporate all people into all categories. The only parallel I can really conjure is back in the day when people were trying to promote racial equality by stating, "I don't see in color." When in fact it should have been, "Yeah, you're black, I'm white, and that's okay because we're both just people."

I find myself noticing this between religions, between genders and sexes, and many others. But what's specifically frustrating to me is dealing with the redefining of words. Like how there are more than two genders, and how what makes up those genders is different on a person-to-person basis. How will we ever make progress if we can't play on an even field? The UN (regardless of its inability to do much of anything at all) cant come up with a universal definition of "terrorism." What the hell are WE to do?

In the midst of my frustrations, I went online to see what next subject we were going to discuss. To my [pleasant] surprise, it was language. In hopes of these articles answering my questions, I read. And while I definitely learned some new perspectives and concepts thanks to Plaskow, Hooks, and Cameron, I don't know how applicable these articles are to my specific struggles with modern-day definitions. 

I did, however, learn a kind of peculiar love for Hooks who challenged my views. While half of me is frustrated with being incorporated into a group of oppressors, the other half offers a push, or maybe an excuse, to defy proper English. I hate that I don't have an argument when it comes to the decisions my ancestors have made. We as Americans, we as colonizers, as oppressors, as dominators, as culture-smothering close minded religious folk who are "doing it in the name of God." I'm not proud. And as a white female, I just cross my fingers that partaking in the suggested rebellions of Bell Hooks makes me a revolutionary and not a hypocrite.