Fight Like a Girl

After reading Seely’s chapter, “Fight Like a Girl” I began to come to terms with what it means to “politicize our lives.” Basically, as Seely states in page 16, “no act is too small,” everything we do in our daily lives can be considered activism. It all comes down to the decisions we make and how we’re affecting others with our actions. Everything from what we decide to spend our money on to how we share experiences and information with others can be ways of politicizing our lives (15).

An important aspect of this includes sharing with others our personal, micro level experiences and acknowledging that all of our efforts merged together are what cause political change. Only after we share our personal stories with others is when it becomes a political matter, “activism is individual, but it is also collective” (15). For instance, when it comes to issues like sexual harassment in the workplace or violence against women, there would have never been anything done about it if it hadn’t been for women spreading awareness to reach a common goal. Having these common interests and desires for equality is what makes our personal issues a part of a grand scale effort to reach social justice.

I think the most important way to participate in activism is to become knowledgeable. I don’t believe it’s possible for people to act toward something if they don’t know the details of the issue at hand. It’s only after we become aware of them that we are comfortable and capable of sharing them with others. Not only can we participate in daily activism by spreading the word but also by avoiding institutions that don’t support our cause and supporting those that do. For instance, my own ignorance kept me from knowing that Wal-Mart has a “consistent opposition to unionizing and [a] track record of treating women workers unfairly” (20). This is something to consider next time I go shopping or next time I am involved in an activist movement.

Service learning can play a tremendous role in gaining the kind of knowledge I am talking about. We will be given the opportunity to gain hands on experience to “develop skills and knowledge that will help [us] become civically responsible members of the community” (Service Learning).  These experiences will be a way of learning about what our community needs and how we can be leaders that will work with others to reach the change that is needed.

Words: 412

Works Cited  

• Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York University Press, 2007. 15-25. Print.
• University of Central Florida, . "Service-Learning ." UCF Office of Experiential Learning. UCF Experiential Learning, 2009. Web. 12 Sep 2011. http://www.explearning.ucf.edu/categories/For%20Students/143_75.aspx.