Lindsey Rabinowitz, Damn Proud General Member

My weekend was a hefty one. I went to Southfield, MI for a job shadow and spent the whole day at my Big's house in Huntington Woods. I shadowed Jennifer Hammond, a Fox 2 Detroit sports reporter. It was an amazing experience. I watched her write stories, got a tour of the station, and even got to sit in the newsroom while she taped the 10am sports broadcast.

Before going to this job shadow, I got a call from the president of my sorority saying I had been slated(chosen by a committee) as the new philanthropy chair on the executive board. Out of pressure and time, I said yes to the position. Then I hung up the phone and started crying. I did not want this position, nor did I think I would excel in it the way I could in other places.

I did not throw a fit after I got the phone call. I cried. I cried a lot. Then I talked with my Big Nikki, who was there with me, and my GBig Jane on the phone for 25 minutes. And after that, I told the current president to post the positions with my name next to Philanthropy. I don't care what you heard happened. I'm a mature person. I would not stomp my feet on the floor, pound my fists on the table, or yell at people if I didn't get what I feel I deserved or wanted. I simply slept on it and returned the next day with my decision. I would not do it.

I'm not mad. I'm not disappointed. I'm not bitter. I'm actually happy. I'm in a great mood. I wasn't going to do a job, for an entire year, that I didn't want to do. I was on the phone for a half hour with my mom and sister before finalizing my decision. One thing they reminded me is Bini's don't get pushed around. Think of my family. We are strong people. We don't submit to what people think we should do. We're not ones to sacrifice our happiness for something we don't want. We know ourselves and we know what we want. And this was not what I wanted. Mama didn't raise no fool.

It could be a Greek Life thing because my sister said something similar happened to her. She was groomed to be a position, and she was given another one. So she said no. I guess it runs in the family.

Like I said, I'm not mad. I'm not angry with the committee or the people who got the positions I wanted. I think everyone did a fine job and is going to do amazing things for the house. But if this was truly thought to be the right position for me, I would've taken it. There would've been no back in forth trying to decide what I wanted. And ultimately ending in me saying no.

I'm simply upset. I'm hurt because I feel like I wasn't listened to. I also feel like I was highly encouraged and told that I had the potential to hold certain positions in the sorority and that my time was wasted trying to prove that I was fit for them. My Big received various texts after I got my phone call asking if I was okay. Which makes me think that it was known I wouldn't be so I don't understand why this all happened in the first place. I guess it's part of being in a house though. You think one thing, and then something completely different happens. Happens all the time in life too.

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and relieved. I stand by my decision. When your whole family is on your side, when the current position holder agrees with your decision, and when a founding member of your house tells you you're doing the right thing, it's hard to not feel good about it. Sure I would've done okay if I were to have taken the philanthropy position, but its not what I'm passionate about. So, I'm going to take my wonderful sister Syd's advice, "take your passion and skills and use them elsewhere". Oh sister Syd, I intend to. :)

If any of my sisters are reading this, please don't look at me in pity. Don't continuously ask me if I'm okay and please don't tiptoe around me because you think I'm mad or angry and want no part of the house. That is SO not the case. Also, I am not writing this to place blame or to cause a scene or anything like that. I just wanted to explain my side and how I feel. Everyone is entitled to their feelings. I genuinely believe everything happens for a reason. I wasn't meant to be on this executive board. The sister who was chosen to be philanthropy is going to do a 10000x better job then I ever would've because she actually wants to do it. And the fine young ladies that are on the board, they have my full support and are going to do the most amazing things for the girls of SDT.


In other news, my littles got initiated!! YAY RACHEL AND RACHEL. OFFICIALLY A PART OF THE GIRL GANG. ;)

Female Comedians

I've mentioned in many posts that all I want to do in life is make people laugh. Instead of talking about myself, I want to give you all the gift of laughter. The entertainment business is a male dominated world, which has been demonstrated recently. My improv teacher told one of my peers, woman to woman, that if we want the scene, we have to take it. Otherwise, as a woman, we will always be put in the position of the mother, or the sister. Some type of submissive, female, character. This applies to life too. If you don't go for what you want, a man is going to upstage you. It's the society we live in. To give you some inspiration, I want to tell you about my favorite female comedians because I hope to someday embody the amazing-ness that they exert onto their audiences.

We're going to begin with an obvious one, Amy Poehler. Jesus Christ Superstar this lady is hilarious. If you haven't read her book, I will lend you my personal copy because EVERYONE needs to read it. She's one of the earliest female comedians I remember. My dad and I used to watch her all the time on SNL and would regularly view her early stuff on the show. This lady is not afraid of making a fool out of her self and is sure as hell not afraid of a man upstaging her. She steals every scene she is in. If you haven't seen Parks And Recreation then you are missing out. I found it to be slow at first but this show is one of the greatest shows to ever be on TV. Just the premise of it is amazing and the supporting cast is unbelievable. Amy Poehler makes me laugh no matter what and I strive to be like her.

To continue, let's talk about her Partner In Crime, Tina Fey. These two ladies make me laugh when they perform apart, but when they're together, I'm on the floor and can't breathe because I laugh so hard. Tina's book, Bossypants, is so well written and very inspirational I laughed at all her creatively positioned jokes and related to some of her troubles as a teen. I see myself being like her when I'm older and that's why I feel I like her so much. She carried 30 Rock season after season and I cannot wait to watch her show, Great News. Additionally, she was an SNL writer way before she appeared in front of the camera. These two women are two of the greatest people to ever grace Saturday Night Live. In a male dominated industry, they're on top.

Amy Schumer is not my favorite but she sure is funny. I don't find her movies funny, nor do I find her Netflix stand up specials funny, but her social media presence and interviews tickle my fancy. She's a riot on instagram and twitter and does anything for a laugh. I love her "fuck it" attitude and confidence. I haven't read her book yet but it's on my list. I like her better when she's just thinking off her feet in an unscripted situation. Like when she is a guest on a late show. She was great on Saturday Night Live though. She pushes boundaries, and I love that.

Jen Kirkman's Netflix stand-up special is amazing. She talks about how she basically models her life after Matthew Mcconaughey's line in Dazed and Confused, "Just Keep Livin'". She has JKL tattooed on her body. I'm not gonna lie, I'm thinking about it too. She's a regular on Chelsea Lately and an overall funny woman. I'll be honest, I haven't seen too much of her stuff but what I have seen, hilarious.  She also has a book that I intend on reading. I'll keep you updated.

Jessi Klein wrote one of my favorite books, You'll Grow Out Of It. I saw my friend Ava reading it at camp last summer and I had to try it out. It was AMAZING. She's hilarious and can really appeal to the reader. AND JEWISH. She also is the voice of Jessi on the new animated show on Netflix, Big Mouth. This show is awesome. Great cast, great storylines, amazing writing. It's SO stupid that is works. I keep telling my mom she would like it because she enjoys raunchy humor but she's on a "no animation" policy when it comes to TV shows.

I've been writing this article for a while now because I wanted to show the world that women can be funny! It seems like men dominate the comedy world but there are some hilarious women out there. It may take longer for us to reach our peak, but we'll get the laugh eventually. And once it starts, it never stops.

I've said before that all I have ever wanted to do is make people laugh. These women inspire me with everything I do. Oh, also obviously my mother and sister are pretty funny. My dad is a hoot too. You can't even imagine how our family dinners go...

I hope I can convince you to read these ladies' books and watch their stuff! If you need more convincing or more funny shows or comedy specials to watch in general let me know because I watch a TON of them. It's good to laugh. It makes you live longer :)