Just Something for the Menfolk
May 25th, 2008 at 7:30 pm by Chris
This post from Melissa McEwan is a really valuable read. Some really good and honest questions have been raised in comments about why Susie posts about the things she does. Some really shitty questions have been raised too. That comes with the territory.
All I have to say is that, despite my best efforts and desires, I still have long way to go before I can truly call myself a feminist. There is a lot to understand and a lot of it I don’t. The wonderful thing about the massive organ that resides between my two ears is that it gives me the ability to do better today than I did yesterday.
I think Melissa should consider condensing her thoughts a little and producing some wallet cards. I’d carry one. I need the help sometimes. There is some shame in admitting that and, if you’re honest with yourself, there is no get out of jail free card. Own it and do better.
Chris, sorta new reader to the blog, totally new commenter. Just gotta say if you’re thinking about the sexism more, that’s the first step. As you said, the next step is channeling women like Susie an Melissa. They know whereof they speak.
Hey Chris, nice steps. I’m just wondering, if you’re white, do you do these sorts of things in terms of race too? If so, how does that work?
“All I have to say is that, despite my best efforts and desires, I still have long way to go before I can truly call myself a feminist…I need the help sometimes. There is some shame in admitting that and, if you’re honest with yourself, there is no get out of jail free card. Own it and do better.”
Word.
On more than a few occasions I’ve vacillated between thoughts of, “I’m being ridiculous in bending over backwards to be politically correct on this topic. I have a dick; deal with it so we can move the fuck on,” to “How in the fuck could I have posted two rants in which I called Katie Couric a bitch in each title just because I disagreed with her? That’s really hypocritical of me. There are better ways to state my disagreement.”
Melissa and the rest of Shakesville’s writers often keep me on me toes, mentally, and have me evaluating my thoughts and actions far more frequently than I might on my own — which is something I highly value, as I can be an overbearing, egotistical fuck to everyone, regardless of gender.
(Now if only I could stop equating the word “fuck” with negativity… And why do our slang terms for genitals and sex have such negative connotation in Western society?)