Definitions of the moment: activism and advocacy

I’m not as active in hunting down companies or people to help bring Vaslagel to market, and so I was wondering, whether I have moved from being an activist to a simple advocate or men’s rights and issues? Oxford says that advocacy is a form of activism. I feel that is too generous a title for me at this given moment. While I continue to educate myself, formulate my thoughts, search for deeper insight into the law, our culture and men’s issues, and I continue to speak of them, I’m not sure that I’d qualify myself as a serious activist at this moment. I think of activism as a results oriented set of actions designed to produce measurable and quantifiable results that can be acknowledged by a neutral third-party. I’m not so sure that mere thinking and speaking falls into that class, until one actually sets to persuade certain people or groups in position of influence to carry out a given task or to create specific results. Perhaps writing or creating videos might qualify. I might be more generous toward others in that respect than I am to myself. I’ve always been my harshest critic.

Definition of activism

a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activism

Definition of advocacy

the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or process of advocating something
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activism

Word of the moment: Pussy

pussy (n.2)

slang for “female pudenda,” 1879, but probably older; perhaps from Old Norse puss “pocket, pouch” (compare Low German puse “vulva”), but perhaps instead from the cat word (see pussy (n.1)) on notion of “soft, warm, furry thing;” compare French le chat, which also has a double meaning, feline and genital. Earlier uses are difficult to distinguish from pussy (n.1), as in:

The word pussie is now used of a woman [Philip Stubbes, “The Anatomie of Abuses,” 1583]

But the absence of pussy in Grose and other early slang works argues against the vaginal sense being generally known before late 19c., as does its frequent use as a term of endearment in mainstream literature, as in:

“What do you think, pussy?” said her father to Eva. [Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” 1852]

Pussy-whipped first attested 1956.

pussyfoot (v.)

also pussy-foot, 1903, “tread softly,” from pussy (n.1) + foot (n.). As a noun from 1911, “a detective,” American English, from the nickname of U.S. government Indian Affairs agent W.E. Johnson (1862-1945), in charge of suppressing liquor traffic on Indian reservations in Oklahoma, who was noted for his stealthy tactics. Related: Pussyfooting; pussy-footed (1893).

pussy (n.1)

“cat,” 1726, diminutive of puss (n.1), also used of a rabbit (1715). As a term of endearment for a girl or woman, from 1580s (also used of effeminate men). To play pussy was World War II RAF slang for “to take advantage of cloud cover, jumping from cloud to cloud to shadow a potential victim or avoid recognition.”

pussy-willow (n.)

1869, on notion of “soft and furry,” a children’s word, from pussy (n.1) + willow.

pussy-cat (n.)

also pussycat, 1773, from pussy (n.1) + cat (n.).

wussy (n.)

1960s, probably an alteration of pussy (n.2). DAS suggests shortened from hypothetical pussy-wussy, reduplicated form of pussy (n.1).

wuss (n.)

1982, abbreviated from wussy.

Mike Damone: You are a wuss: part wimp, and part pussy
[“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” script, 1982]

Source: http://etymonline.com/index.php?search=pussy

Word of the moment: “cis-“

cis- Look up cis- at Dictionary.com
word-forming element meaning “on the near side of, on this side,” from Latin preposition cis “on this side” (in reference to place or time), related to citra (adv.) “on this side,” from PIE *ki-s, from root *ko- “this” (cognates: Old Church Slavonic si, Lithuanian šis, Hittite ki “this,” Old English hider, Gothic hidre “hither;” see he). Opposed to trans- or ultra-. Originally only of place, sometimes 19c. of time; 21c. of life situations (such as cis-gender, by 2011).
http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=gender&searchmode=none

Cisgender has its origin in the Latin-derived prefix cis-, meaning “on this side of,” which is an antonym for the Latin-derived prefix trans-, meaning “across from” or “on the other side of”. This usage can be seen in the cis-trans distinction in chemistry, the cis-trans or complementation test in genetics, in Ciscaucasia (from the Russian perspective) and in the ancient Roman term Cisalpine Gaul (i.e., “Gaul on this side of the Alps”). In the case of gender, cis- is used to refer to the alignment of gender identity with assigned sex.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisgender

One of these days I’m going to either write or do a video that undoes the blurred lines of Feminist language.

Word of the moment: institutionalize

in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize

transitive verb \-shnə-ˌlīz, -shə-nə-ˌlīz\

: to cause (a custom, practice, law, etc.) to become accepted and used by many people : to establish (something) as an institution

in·sti·tu·tion·al·izedin·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·ing

Full Definition of INSTITUTIONALIZE

1:  to make into an institution :  give character of an institution to <institutionalized housing>; especially :  to incorporate into a structured and often highly formalized system <institutionalized values>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/institutionalize

Word of the Moment: Apologist

apol·o·gist

noun \ə-ˈpä-lə-jist\

: a person who defends or supports something (such as a religion, cause, or organization) that is being criticized or attacked by other people.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologist

Word of the moment: Simile & Metaphor & Analogy

A simile is a rhetorical figure expressing comparison or likeness that directly compares two objects through some connective word such as like, as, so, than, or a verb such as resembles. Although similes and metaphors are generally seen as interchangeable, similes acknowledge the imperfections and limitations of the comparative relationship to a greater extent than metaphors. Similes also hedge/protect the author against outrageous, incomplete, or unfair comparison. Generally, metaphor is the stronger and more encompassing of the two forms of rhetorical analogies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile

Your eyes are like a sunrise.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object. Metaphor is a type of analogy and is closely related to other rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via association, comparison or resemblance including allegory, hyperbole, and simile.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor

Your eyes are a sunrise.

Analogy (from Greek ἀναλογία, analogia, “proportion”[1][2]) is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject (the analogue or source) to another particular subject (the target), or a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process. In a narrower sense, analogy is an inference or an argument from one particular to another particular, as opposed to deduction, induction, and abduction, where at least one of the premises or the conclusion is general. The word analogy can also refer to the relation between the source and the target themselves, which is often, though not necessarily, a similarity, as in the biological notion of analogy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogy

Imagine for a moment that you eyes were a sunrise.

Word of The Moment: Synecdoche

siˈnekdəkē noun: synecdoche; plural noun: synecdoches

1. a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland’s baseball team”).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=define+senectedy

How beautiful is that?!

Definition of the Moment: Psychological Projection

Psychological projection is the act or technique of defending yourself against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in yourself, while attributing them to others.^[1] For example, a person who is rude may accuse other people of being rude.

Although rooted in early developmental stages,^[2] and classed by George Eman Vaillant as an immature defence,^[3] the projection of one’s negative qualities onto others on a small scale is nevertheless a common process in everyday life.^[4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection

Definition of the Moment: “Identity Politics”

Identity politics are political arguments that focus upon the self-interest and perspectives of self-identified social interest groups and ways in which people’s politics may be shaped by aspects of their identity through race, class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ideology, nation, sexual orientation, culture, currency, information preference, history, musical and/or literary genre, medical conditions, profession, hobby, or any other loosely correlated yet simple to intuit social organizations. Not all members of any given group are necessarily involved in identity politics. The practice has probably a long existence; but the explicit term and movements linked to it really came into being during the latter part of the 20th century. It can most notably be found in class movements, feminist movements, gay and lesbian movements, disability movements, ethnic movements and post colonial movements. But wherever it is found it is also open to wide debate and critique.^[1] Minority influence is a central component of identity politics. Minority influence is a form of social influence which takes place when a majority is being influenced to accept the beliefs or behavior of a minority. Unlike other forms of influence this usually involves a personal shift in private opinion. This personal shift in opinion is called conversion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_politics