Health Benefits of Protesting

I haven't been writing much here lately, but I have been visiting and helping out with the Occupy movement in Pittsburgh, PA. It's come a LONG way since the first week when the NYC protesters were being ignored by mainstream media.

Last month, while I was working at Occupy Pittsburgh, a reporter asked me about my views on the protest as a health psychologist. "Do you think it's healthy for these people to be protesting, out here in the cold weather?" she asked. I was pretty amazed by this question, since I have never been consulted as a scientist at a political event before. Well, not since my work on climate change anyway; this was the first time I've been consulted as a psycho-physiologist.

So, do I think it's healthy for the occupiers to be protesting out in the cold? There's a lot of levels to this question, but I would answer yes on most counts:

1. Socially: Protesters are angry about our government, and the protests give them a public forum to express that discontent. It's very important to be able to express anger in a constructive fashion, otherwise it can raise blood pressure, contribute to negative emotions and cause chronic stress. So yes, it's much healthier emotionally for the protestors to do their thing. Just think, if you could make signs and march around with a group of people shouting about what most upsets you in life, wouldn't you feel better?

2. Biologically: Protestors "out there in the cold" usually take care to prepare for the weather. Medic tents at most Occupy sites distribute blankets and warm clothes as needed, and can protect against other health crises that come up. If you wear warm clothes and stay active, being in cold weather is actually good for you. It raises your energy levels and the fresh air is good for your mood as well. A researcher who used to work in my office at Pittsburgh (Jeanette Garcia), actually reported that fresh air gives people "increased mental clarity, helps strengthen the immune system and helps your body establish its circadian rhythm," along with increasing metabolism, and being good for your skin!

Back in October, I would have said protesting was healthy for the mind and body of the Occupiers. But now, given the police brutality doled out with pepper-spray, evictions and tear-gases, I would say the protesters are taking a health risk. Not all the Occupy sites have experienced such a violent response; but Oakland, Seattle and NYC have reported the worst, and it looks like the trend may continue to spread. So overall, peaceful protesting is a healthy way to express your opinion, until the police attack protestors.

7 Billion People Need Birth Control

Maybe you've been hearing about the global population crisis? The UN has everyone in a panic because today we officially hit 7 million. Except, we didn't really. It's only an estimate and the US Census Bureau says we won't hit 7 billion till 2012 or later.

More importantly, the population growth is not coming from where you think:

The poorest, least developed nations are the ones pushing us towards 10 billion. Most of these countries are already overcrowded. So why do they keep having more children?

Lack of education, low expectation of survival, and no family planning are some of the main reasons. See, even the Christian Science Monitor, who you'd expect to be super pro-life, admits that;

"if all women had the capacity to decide for themselves when to become pregnant, average global childbearing would immediately fall below the “replacement fertility” value of slightly more than two children per woman. Population would then move onto a path leading to a peak followed by a gradual decline, possibly well before 2050."

My conclusion?

EAT THAT, ANTI-ABORTIONISTS. We wouldn't even have a population crisis if more women had free access to birth control!

Sexism Makes me Facepalm.

I saw local news today about a "Milk Truck" that is patrolling the streets of Pittsburgh, giving women a special place to breastfeed in public. This is an art piece meant to raise public awareness about the unfair fact that many women have to breastfeed in uncomfortable "hideaways" like dirty restroom stalls, or use freaky breast pumps at home and then carry stale bottled milk for their infants to drink outside the home. Why do women act this way? Look at the comments by some men on this article:

"The breast is definitely over-the-top."

"The breast on the top is unnecessary. The name & paint scheme are sufficient. Also, getting rid of the breast might remove some stigma that some mothers might have about be associated with the giant tit truck and thereby help increase their business."

Stigma of the tit? These guys seem to be missing the whole message of this art, while ironically proving it's point: Breasts are not just for sex, censoring the breast unilaterally encourages women to feel SHAME about this part of their body.

This is part of a larger feminist issue; when women take ownership of their bodies it can freak people out. Like the new trend of cougars, middle-aged women with high sex drives. Sexually empowered women threaten many men, like our friend HUFF POST SUPER USER, tbot48:

"Must be something in the water were I live... The majority of the women I know talk a good game but won't sit down and play and it doesn't matter how much lobster you feed them..."

or Mr Bobo: "I think I actually spotted one of these mythical creatures recently. She was riding a Unicorn."

So, just because these guys are not personally getting laid they doubt the existence of women with high sex drives? Do they think that just because women enjoy sex and want it often, they are going to be openly out on the streets, sleeping with anyone who buys them dinner (and nekkidly riding unicorns)?

PUH-LEEZE, guys. Don't forget that women have the power to be discriminatory in who they sleep with, even if they are having sex every week. Maybe you're just not charming or attractive enough to net one of these power-cougars. For naively assuming all women who enjoy sex are indiscriminate sluts, you win a GOLD STAR AWARD.

Silent Protest

Have you heard of the 48+ hour occupation protest in New York City? Hundreds of hippies from all over the nation came to occupy Wall Street; to show their contempt for corporate irresponsibility.

But police stopped them and wouldn't let the protesters near Wall Street. They are now camping out in a privately-owned park, plotting their next move. It must be frustrating that although their protest plan, "Occupy Wall Street," was all over internet news, no public channels have mentioned the event on TV or radio. Even as they move into their second night of camping out in Manhattan, surrounded by police barricades...

See what one of the protesters had to say below:


He came all the way from Oakland, California. And the mainstream media can't even be bothered to report this. Bummer.

Texas Rewrites History: Part Two

Texas, how could you? Two years ago we were concerned about the religiously-biased advisors who were planning to restructure the Texas Social Studies curriculum to "emphasize the roles of the Bible, the Christian faith and the civic virtue of religion in the study of American history."

Now not only has that passed, but a whole bunch of important facts have been written out of the Texas history books. Like what?

1. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are no longer important founding fathers. The important ones are Christian thinkers like Benjamin Rush, John Hancock and John Jay. (To quote John Jay; "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.")

2. That labor movement in the 1900s that got us worker's rights and trade unions? Not important anymore. Instead students will learn how "the free enterprise system drives technological innovation ... such as cell phones, inexpensive personal computers and global positioning products."

3. Malcom X was not an important historical figure; he will no longer be in textbooks. But instead Texans will study moral thinker Jerry Falwell, who believes that "feminists and homosexuals were partially responsible for the 9/11 attacks."

So...how would you like to go to school in Texas?