At the risk of repeating ourselves: Patriarchy is the crisis. Not Corona. The pandemic is just an expression of it, exacerbating the crisis that existed before. And that crisis has always been dumped on our backs – the backs of women, lesbians, inter, trans, non-binary and agender people. Our work is not valued, not seen, it is poorly paid and often enough not paid at all. We are hit hardest when we are poor, when we work in precarious jobs that destroy our bodies and psyches, when we are racially discriminated against, when we are responsible (alone) for children, when we have to care for relatives and friends, when we have to live in violent relationships.
But we are also not simply passively at the mercy of this, but we fight against it, defend and assert ourselves, strengthen each other, take care of ourselves. Our struggles are not only political when they run through the streets as a demo, but also when we simply make ourselves sick in our everyday lives, even though we are “only” stressed, steal the champagne from the boss’s desk, take turns with the kids, back up our friend, argue about doing the dishes, learn to say no, ask for help, and start practicing martial arts.
We are stronger when we do these things together and share about them. We want to use this day to do that and create time and space to engage in conversation: How have you kicked the crap out of the patriarchy? In what moments do you feel your strength? How have you overcome capitalist and patriarchal impositions together? We all have stories of how we face the overall daily shit, individually or collectively. Bring your stories and listen to stories.
We will meet on March 8, 2022 at 2:00 pm at the König*innenufer (Filmnächte area at the Elbe). Childcare will be provided. Feel free to bring blankets and pillows and cozy things.
From 16:00 a demonstration will start from there under the motto “8. März – Kämpferisch! Solidary! United in the struggle for liberation!”
Let’s see our moments of everyday resistance as parts of something bigger!
We don’t want to just piss on the leg of the capitalist patriarchy. We don’t want to go back to normal either. We want everything to be completely different: completely different relationships and a completely different living together without exploitation and domination. We don’t get that as a gift, we have to and will take it. We start with it.
What we want first: Less wage labor for all, in order to be able to distribute care work fairly. A reduction in working hours to a maximum of 20 hours per week is the least we can do. We want to be in control of ourselves and our bodies at all times and in all places. This also means to prevent governments from deciding about us. We will not surrender our lives to patriarchal, imperialist war fantasies. Instead, we want and need to take our lives together into our own hands.
We ourselves, as part of the global feminist strike movement, are the pressure we need to do this. When we refuse to work, the world stands still – let’s practice that. By organizing, we prepare ourselves long-term and collectively to become mass strike-ready. By pooling our moments of resistance, we can overcome our fears and make things happen that seem impossible today. Elsewhere, this is already happening. And we are also living moments of our utopia already.
So again, we are completely done with patriarchy, now is the time for feminist utopias. Let’s get our lives back instead of continuing to repeat ourselves.
Corona:
Please watch for symptoms of illness and come healthy only. Please come tested and wear a mask at the event. Watch out for each other and keep your distance.
picture: @dasirrlichtmensch (insta)