Inside and Out: Motivation and the Internet Generation

Study, study, study! I’ve been busy under my pile of books again but today I was reading up on motivation and something about the definition of motivation hit me.
The definition that hit me is this: Motivation – the internal mechanisms and external stimuli that arouse and direct behaviour. 

Obvious right? And sure, it’s more complicated that that, you can start breaking motivations down in to intrinsic and extrinsic and so on…but this simple explanation started me thinking as to weather we internet users are fixating on the external stimuli rather than the internal?
Are we tumblring, pinteresting, twittering, and god knows what else our way to a reliance on external and even easily accessed motivation? And if so, are we missing out by giving up harder won external and precious internal tracks that could lead us on a more rewarding path?

What if, when pinning these glorious ideals to our virtual walls we’re so busy subscribing to the ideas and motivations that we can find expressed in easily digested nuggets that we miss out on finding a voice for the little hidden powers within us, the ones that are not summed up by someone else but instead would be fed better with self reflection or research in to something seemingly unrelated? 

Now, I’m not saying unsubscribe from anyone, or that the internet has not provided me with any sparks of passion…I am saying that perhaps for every tumblr session I might take a space to myself and meditate or pick up the phone and call my father (who’s also a personal trainer and highly trained instructor) or a gym buddy, book a coffee catch up and make them listen to me ramble and get a fresh perspective on things, book in to a new class or with a different trainer…

and then, when I get back home, maybe I’ll log on again.

 

Asgarda

I know I have been a little link-crazy lately, but sometimes people say things or I find things that need little to no additional input from me. The Planet Mag photos and article on Asgarda is one of those things.

The link is a short and sweet look at the Asgarda a tribe of women based in the Ukraine, (a country where females are victims of sexual trafficking and gender oppression). The tribe is comprised of 150 women of led by 30 year-old Katerina Tarnouska and was formed with the aim of reviving the tribal traditions of the Scythian Amazons of ancient Greek mythology. They train in martial arts, taught by former Soviet karate master, Volodymyr Stepanovytch, and learn life skills and sciences in order to become strong, independent women.

I don’t really have much else to say, I think that martial arts and education are beautiful reclamation/empowerment tools and I wish more countries had these sorts of movements.

A World Title – But At Least She’s Pretty.

An unnerving video regarding/comparing portrayal of women in sports magazines. The thought processes are ridiculous – must not be masculine, must be wholesome, but sexy, also not gay….

Just Hit Him

This article from Geek Feminism takes a good look to some all too typical responses to the idea of how women should react to harassment and brings up some interesting points. 

I found one particular phrase really struck me - ”…all of this policy nonsense wouldn’t be necessary if women were just brave and defended themselves properly, if they’d just for once get it right.” 

I find it an interesting read and recommend it for some new thought-food. The last thing we need is women being told that not only did they invite the attack by not dressing/walking/dancing/breathing right, but that they missed their social responsibility to correctly and violently attack their harasser thus leaving the blood of all other women on her ‘slutty’ hands.

Talk about victim blaming. 

Girl on Girl Action

I knew that would get your attention.

I’m currently firing on all cylinders adding the finishing touches on and promoting our (my instructor’s and mine) new Women’s Assertive Self Protection workshops but I had to take a moment to comment on one of the emails I received from a woman who was signing up.

The woman is a performer and in her email she mentioned in passing that she often got audience members taking advantage of her performing by touching her very inappropriately and trying to kiss her which naturally made her uncomfortable.
Then I read the unexpected bit…the offending audience members were females.

This is not the first time I’ve heard of women groping women and making the gropee (is that a word?) uncomfortable. Onlookers somehow seem to think that because the woman is another woman that it’s OK…women don’t usually rape other women, so what’s the harm?

I often work as a performer for children’s parties and once shared a story after a gig about a drunk uncle who tried to undo my Alice-in-Wonderland-style apron. Given that it was just an apron and not my dress, it really wasn’t such a big deal, but I told him carefully that it wasn’t appropriate and when the story was shared people were angry.

I find it frustrating that if the uncle was an aunt it wouldn’t have mattered to anyone – it’s a huge double standard. The idea that objectifying someone in this sort of way is OK and even amusing if there’s no perceived threat? That women shouldn’t complain with being invaded non-consensually if it’s another woman, because it’s ‘all in good fun’.

It’s food for thought, anyway. What do you think? Are these kind of non-consensually interactions deserving of a double standard due to the difference in perceived threats? Do we need to change our reactions to women taking advantage of other women?

…And So I Hit Him

Blog resurrection. I know I disappeared, but as always – I can’t shut up for long – with new projects on the way I’m freshly inspired.

I found this post on Tumblr…something I’m as yet not a regular user of – but now that I know things other than cute pictures of cats pop up on it I might have to keep a closer eye on it.

I’m not going to say anything about this – I just want to share: Erika Moen’s Tumblr, Today A Man Touched Me On The Subway And So I Hit Him.

Girls that Kick Ass: Part 1

There are movie reviews, there are book reviews…now – we have character reviews! After a conversation about strong female characters with friends I decided to start comparing the female characters who kick ass on our screens and pages.

Below is part one of what will surely be an ongoing circus parade of the good, bad and ugly of fighting females…to start off on a high note, I’m starting with a full post of ‘Goods’. Comment away to share some opinions. When I get a few more girls reviewed I’ll come back and rate them all…but being that I’m starting with a bunch I’m fairly positive towards it seems a little redundant.

	Xena – Xena the Warrior Princess (TV Series)  “Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman.”   - Ares  A strong, fighting, sexually-active-outside-of-a-monogamous-relationship woman on television? It happened! She wasn’t stick thin, she wasn’t looking for a man (not to date, anyway), she didn’t need saving… she was Xena – Warrior Princess. World’s lamest job description, right? What exactly was a Warrior Princess and why wasn’t she a Warrior Queen? Wait – who cares…she was awesome!Ok – so the fight scenes had more cheese than a food and wine festival,but it was so nice seeing a fit woman of strong build being sexually confident by choice and physically strong with a concept of consequences (oh, come on – avenged deaths or regretted actions were in nearly every episode!).
	Abigail Whistler – Blade Trinity (Movie)“Scream if this hurts, chica!” - Abigail Whistler Buffy the Vamipre Slayer finally graduated. Meet Abigail Whistler – a very typically attractive modern woman and she wears stuff that actually covers more than a bikini. She’s strong, has her own specialty and approch but what I like the most? She shows emotion in a strong, but not hard-hearted way. She clearly cares and it’s portrayed naturally…not ‘well women always cry, so she’d better cry pathetically.’ – her pain sits well with her character. Also I like her playlist she listens to before a hunt.
	Mulan – Mulan (Animated Movie) “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” - The Emperor Mulan is one of my favorite Disney films (This is a weighted statement - Disney and I have some disagreements on somethings…but I do respect some of their stuff)…rather than a princess awaiting rescue from a prince, Mulan gets in to her story through her own bravery. Taking the place of her aged father in battle through her own choice, she is not a natural warrior but she is determined and through her hard work and smarts becomes a hero earning the respect of her peers and eventual partner – who approches her as an equal in a relationship (though he out ranks her, so he does boss her around a bit – but justifiably).
	River Tam – Firefly / Serenity (TV Series/Movie) “You take care of me, Simon. You’ve always taken care of me. My turn.”  -River Tam Super intelligent River Tam is one of my favorite female characters ever. Joss Wheaton has a  knack for strong female characters but I really think River is the cream of his crop. (Mild spoiler alert) Requiring a lot of help in day to day life to live and hide, River is a walking talking weapon…but she’s not on this list just because she can fight… The actress, Summer Glau is a trained dancer and the fight scenes are intensely beautiful….I love how elegant her fighting style. Add to that the refreshing sight of a kick ass girl who isn’t sass personified. Joss – I love you.
	Hit Girl – Kick Ass (Movie)“How was that? Not so bad. Kinda fun, huh? Now you know how it feels you won’t be scared when some junkie asshole pulls a glock. ” - Damon Macready One of the more controversial characters on this list today, Hit Girl is a little girl with a lot of attitude. A little girl raised by her father to avenge her mother’s death, she fights like a ninja on speed and swears like a trooper. A lot of the defence of the Hit Girl character of her being ‘a refreshingly strong female character’ annoys me – and I think the above list is a good hint why. Cold, ultra violent acts are not something I consider ‘strong’ – it is however usually the role of an adult male character. If you stop calling her something akin to a role model we could probably agree that she’s pretty darn entertaining to watch…and I’m thrilled she still keeps some feminine and child-like qualities and that they gave her the best fight scenes in the movie.