Swiss Suffrage Shock

I was sitting in my politics lecture this week busily taking notes and being impressed by Swiss style democracy.  Switzerland is the closest example we have of direct democracy in modern society.

On average there are 7 referendums per year in Switzerland.  Major policy decisions and all changes to the constitution are decided via referendums.   The reliance on referendums dates back to 1848.  It has led to a very stable government and, contrary to what you might initially think, is a very efficient and progressive system.  For example the referendums have led to approving legislation regarding carbon taxation and recognition of same-sex partnerships .  Voting in referendums is not compulsory and voters tend to be well informed.  As opposed to what we see in modern representative democracies - politicians are part-timers without huge media prestige. 

However, just as I was thinking yay

for the Swiss, the lecture said:

"Switzerland did not grant women the vote until 1971"

I said:  "Gasp"

I mean I actually, literally, audibly gasped. 

And a number of swivel necked and primarily female students turned to look at me.  They seemed nonplussed by the information and but apparently surprised by my shock.  It's not that these students are mute.  They can raise a decent "murmur" when something piques their interest.

Why did these other students seem unsurprised by what the lecture had said but so shocked by my gasp? I have a few theories:

1. They already knew about this appalling example of the abuse of women's rights and were surprised that I did not already know this.  How could any self respecting female politics student not know this?

2. They were not actually listening to the lecture as they were too busy robotically taking notes.  Of course when they read over these notes as part of their exam preparation their shocked gasp will bring their parents or other house mates running to see what the matter is.

3. They are all so terribly young that 1971 sounds like such a long time ago.  Any time in history that predates the internet and Twilight must have been so horribly primitive that they are surprised anyone had the vote, let alone women.  Of course for someone born just 3 years after 1971 it seems unspeakably outrageous that the women's suffrage movement in Switzerland had to fight so long for this basic sign of respect.

4. They just didn't care.  They have been born into a time and place where their rights as women to vote, get an education and pursue any career of their choice are unquestioned.  Unfortunately these rights are now taken for granted, and consequently are undervalued.

I find it quite astounding and disturbing that Switzerland took so long to grant women the vote.  And I wonder long would it have taken for women to achieve the right to vote in Australia if the issue was decided by a referendum amongst male voters? 

For a time line of women's suffrage in Switzerland:

Women's Right to Vote In Switzerland

As a comparison, here is a link to the a time line of when the vote was granted to women by country:

Time Line of International Women's Suffrage

I have picked out a few examples from the timeline in case you can't be bothered perusing the whole list:

1893 - New Zealand

1902 - Australia

1906 - Finland

1917 - Canada

1918 - UK, Germany, Russia, Ireland,

1920 - US

1924 - Mongolia

1930 - South Africa - Whites only of course

1944 - France

1945 - Italy, Japan, Indonesia

1948 - Israel

1949 - China

1963 - Afganistan, Iran,

1971 - Switzerland

1994 - South Africa - blacks

There is more to me than what I eat.

My vegan apprenticeship is going well.  I am enjoying reading, learning, experimenting, tasting.  I am doing one strict day per week of a vegan diet and for the other 6 days per week I am working on excluding animal products without being fanatical.

But this is not all there is to me!  No-one likes to be pigeon-holed and I have already experienced this during my years of being a vegetarian:
 -  "Oh you're a vegetarian" (You are obviously some kind of animal-loving, tree-hugging nut.)
And I experienced it for years when I was a Christian:
 -  "Oh you're a christian"  (You are obviously a weird, judgemental and anti-fun nut).

I guess that is part of human nature.  We all (yes me too) judge a book by it's label.
But there is more to me than what I eat.

I also recognise that this vegan apprenticeship is just another development in my "I need something to focus on" quest.  I am a crusader.  It hurts to admit that.  But I do recognise a need in me to have something outside myself that I am "living for".  I am not an apathetic person.  And I am not satisfied with life being mundane.  But since (gradually) leaving the church I have struggled at times to know where to direct my crusading energies.  I get interested in an issue, (whether environmental, social or political) but soon realise that the "problems" of the world are bigger and more complicated that just that issue.  I want to keep things in perspective but this is very hard to achieve.

Maybe I just need to relax a bit more.
Not in the sense of frittering away my time on a-muse-ments.  A tendency in western society that really concerns me!
But in the sense of relaxing into my life as it is right now, with a bigger measure of acceptance, and taking time to smell the proverbial roses.

Or maybe I am just making things overly complicated and being too hard on myself.   I think I will just enjoy the day and enjoy my new found interest in veganism without worrying so much about the bigger picture today.

So what yummy new vegan recipe shall I try today.
:)

The Apprenticeship Begins.

Today is the first day in my quest to change to a vegan diet.

I have been a vegetarian for nearly 5 years.  And honestly, changing to a vegetarian diet was so easy!  I have occasionally missed gelatine (oh marshmallows how I used to love your squishy sweetness).  But I really have not missed other products that animals have had to die to produce.

For quite some time now my conscience has been nudging me towards veganism.  But convenience and taste buds have been bitterly opposing.

Last night I watched the "Farm to Fridge"  - thanks to my meat eating mum posting it on facebook.  And teary eyed and feeling terribly guilty about the cows who have been suffering to feed my dairy addition, I decided it was time to make real commitment.  And so my vegan apprenticeship starts today!

Certainly I am against animal suffering.  But my main reason for wanting to go Vegan is environmental.  The dairy industry has an enormous ecological footprint.  More on that in future blogs.

So my challenge is to cut out dairy.   One day at a time.  And I do mean 1 day at a time because right now more than one day dairy free seems daunting.  I know - I am a wuss!


Step 1 - one dairy free day per week.  If you knew how much I loved my cups of white tea you would know how hard this is going to be for me.  No, soy milk is just not the same.

And I will start to try out new vegan recipes, both sweet and savory.  I will aim to try at least one new vegan recipe per week.  I also plan to post recipes, nutritional info and my veganification experiences on my new blog: The Vegan Apprentice.   I will continue to post non-vegan blog posts here from time to time.

Well, now I am off to the supermarket now to buy some soya milk.

A 10% decrease in weight is associated with...

Looking for a New Years Resolution that is worth making? Maybe the following my provide some inspiration.

A 10% decrease in weight is associated with .....
(obviously this only applies if you are currently overweight)

↓ >20% total mortality
↓ >30% diabetes-related deaths
↓ >40% obesity related cancer deaths
↓ 10 mmHg systolic BP
↓ 20 mmHg diastolic BP... See More
↓ 50% in fasting blood glucose in newly diagnosed DM
↓ 10% total cholesterol
↓ 15% LDL cholesterol
↓ 30% triglycerides
↑ 8% HDL cholesterol
↓ frequency of sleep apnoea
↓ breathlessness and improves lung function
Improves back and joint pain
Improves ovarian function

And for all you folks out there who have been thinking about breast cancer (thanks to that sophisticated "what colour bra are you wearing?" status updates), did you know that increasing your physical activity can decrease your risk of breast cancer. In fact exercise is astoundingly good at increasing your health, well being and longevity.

Health benefits of physical activity:
(30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on most, or preferably all, days of the week.)

• All-cause mortality risk reduced by 50%
• Cardiovascular disease risk reduced by up to 50%
• Hypertension prevention and management
• Stroke risk reduced by up to 30%
• Type 2 diabetes prevention (risk reduced by 30–50%) and management
• Cancer risk (colon, breast) reduced
• Osteoarthritis management (pain control, maintenance of muscle strength, joint structure and function)
• Osteoporosis risk reduction
• Falls risk in the elderly reduced by resistance exercises
• Weight management and reduction (when combined with dietary changes)
• Mental illness (anxiety, depression and subjective feelings of stress) prevention and management

Now turn off your computer and go for brisk walk!

(PS the stats are shamelessly cut and pasted from a RACGP online education module I am doing today.)

Worth Watching

I talked to someone on the telephone yesterday at length about how can we possibly account for the tragedy and evil in the world. Where is the meaning in our lives? Is there something beyond random chance at work?

As humans, we have a rich heritage of mythology, which has persisted through the ages and across diverse cultures. What are the lessons that we, as individuals and as the human race, can learn from this wisdom passed down in story form, and from the breadth of our history?

The person I was talking to has started on the process of discovering and asking their own questions quite recently. I could identify very strongly with their dismay in realising that the more they thought about "things" all it did was reveal more questions, rather than resulting in answers.

I find this talk by Jordan Peterson very helpful.
>> Jordan Peterson: The Nature of Evil
He is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto (formerly a professor at Harvard). He has obviously been thinking about these issues for much longer, and much more in depth, than I have.

I highly recommended watching this presentation. It is well worth taking the time to watch and think about some of the ideas he presents.

Plastic Bag Fiasco.

A large supermarket chain here in NZ decided to impose a 5c charge on plastic shopping bags. The charge lasted only 4 weeks in the Wellington area before it was down-graded to a "voluntary" charge due to customer complaints. Hmmph!!

Pathetic!!!! Cheap-arsed, narrow-minded, short-sighted, environment-buggering, complaining idiots!. Such a small, simple, tiny change and yet event this is too much to for some neanderthals apparently. Grrrrr. What makes it even more annoying is that the 5c charge actually works extremely well. Over the last 5 years there has been a 22% reduction in plastic bag use here in NZ. Compare this with the dramatic drop caused by the 5c charge".

"In the short time the compulsory scheme had been in place, participating supermarkets had reduced bag use by 50 per cent, or 40 million bags" Foodstuffs Wellington managing director Tony McNeil.

Reported in the New Zealand Herald.

Reducing plastic shopping bags is such a tiny change that it barely rates a mention in the environmental debate. But you would think that it might be an introductory area in which change was not that difficult to effect and perhaps might get people thinking more about the damage we are causing to our environment and the looming issue of climate change. But no, apparently even this is too much to ask.