I just had a birthday. Yeah! I love my birthdays. I love getting older. I feel more secure, more in control and confident. I've always avoided definitive statements about myself and what I believed and I did that because I believed in the intrinsic value of the thoughts of others instead of placing the highest value on my own. Even in those few cases that I did place my opinions above those of others I wouldn't dare let them know it lest I seem pompous, rude, stuck-up, bitchy, or some other less than seemly term for women with thoughts these days.
So in honor of my birthday I'm going to make some definitive statements. I believe in miracles. God exists. I believe the Southern Strategy is a racist plot to keep black, brown and poor people enshrined in an oppressive patriarchal system built on greed. I think most Republicans believe in an inescapable scarcity of resources and thrive on belief that God is punishing certain people and wealth is proof that he loves them more than others. Marriage can make you a better person. Sex positive is a feminist construct built on a desire to adopt male misbehavior.
I am a feminist. I think some people have children because they think of anything better to do. I believe if you haven't known the feeling or look of your natural hair in your adult life then relaxing your hair is not just a style for you. Breaking a sweat clears your mind. Eating flesh will cloud your blood. A child's giggle is as contagious as yawning. Subsidized housing keeps people boxed in, closed off, and segregated and lets them believe that they like it there. And, also... I believe in birthdays every year. Birthdays are pretty awesome!