Good Point

"Using the language of tolerance to justify oppressive practices is a grotesque perversion of liberalism."

I read this in an online article about Muslim women and whether or not they are really oppressed. (reason.com) To some, this might seem like a silly thing to even wonder, but there are Muslim women who get angry when those from the West assume that they are. What got me thinking about this? For one, seeing several women around my new apartment complex wearing burquas. I am familiar with seeing women wearing hijabs, but I haven't seen many in full burquas. (They cover the entire body - and leave only slits for the eyes). If you're not used to it, it can be an unsettling sight. For me, it particularly is because of a novel I read, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I so connected with the main character in the story that any reminder of the terror and oppression she experienced makes me shiver. But before assuming that all women dressed like this are oppressed, I would like to be informed on all sides of the truth. And so I searched google, of course! lol I would really like more information on the subject, but for right now, google was all that was available to me. When I was thinking about how seeing the women in burquas made me feel, I started inwardly chastising myself for being judgmental and not culturally tolerant. Yes, this is ingrained within me. But when I read the article, I particularly connected to what the author said at the end. "Using the language of tolerance to justify oppressive practices is a grotesque perversion of liberalism." To me this meant, while it's extremely important to have all the facts and avoid false judgment, it's not ok to look the other way in the name of "tolerance."

College Station Invasion

Wow....did I pick the wrong time to come back!! I am back in CS for the weekend because I'm moving to my new apartment in Houston on Tuesday. So, I have stuff to get together and wrap up here. Did I totally forget that A&M starts back to school Monday? Yes!!! But I quickly remembered when I had to park at Boston's in order to eat at Blue Baker. Not to mention that 95% of the faces were those of people under 21. Invasion!!!!!!!! It happens every fall, and every fall I'm not prepared. I liked it when I was a college student. Everyone I knew came back. Now, I'm like who are all these young people??? lol Ok, so I'm really not much older, but they seem so young now! Especially the freshmen. My sister and I made the tragic mistake of going to Bed Bath & Beyond and Target. Smart, no? Everyone and their mom was there, literally. I love seeing all of the freshmen with their parents, frantically picking up last minute supplies for their dorms. I especially enjoyed seeing the Fish Camp, Impact, Pine Cove reunions happen in the middle of the aisles while I was trying to get past. "Ohhhhh my gosh, you were so in session A!!!! Weren't you in DG Rocks My Face Off?!?" And though I was pretty annoyed that ALL standard size pillows were gone, I did take a moment or two to remind myself to have patience. And to reflect on how not that long ago, (ok, maybe five years ago, gulp) I was them. And I felt a twinge of nostalgia. Those were sweet years. There really is no other time like college. It was fun. It was almost magical - at least it seems that way looking back now. (I think nostalgia makes things seem magical in retrospect). So though I wouldn't go back and do it all over again (I'm happy with where I am now in life), I'm happy I had that experience, and despite how they crowd my roads and stores, I wish all of the college students a happy, magical year :)