Thursday, January 21, 2010

What is the more important issue?

When we set up table at the Organization fair last Friday, an awkward new grad student was the first guy to come up to us. He asked interestedly what V-day was about, and I gave him the generic responses, thinking that he'd nod and then move along. Then he stopped when he saw the V-day platform which states "Rape, incest, sexual slavery and genital mutilation must stop." He pointed at it and said, "Where does male circumcision fall into that?"

His question threw me off guard, and I had to think about it for a second. I guess he thought I was avoiding the question because he leaned in, scrutinizing my expression. I tentatively answered with "Well, it's a very controversial issue. I have my own views about it, but some may equate it female genital mutilation in the East." I explained to him that V-day mainly refers to female genital mutilation in parts of Africa and the Middle East, in which girls are horrendously mutilated by having their clitoris cut off or their vagina sewed up until marriage. The guy said he understood but that "male circumcision can fall into that too. Some of us are absolutely traumatized by the experience." 

This was the main path that our conversation took. And to be honest, it kind of irritated me. I'm not saying that issues such as male circumcision are not important to talk about. But when we are trying to talk openly to people about women's issues, sometimes they have a way of immediately transmuting it into a man's issue. On the other hand, my Transnational Feminisms professor pointed out to me when I related this story to her that Western feminists sometimes have a way of objectifying the East as backwards, misogynist, and savage. Not that female genital mutilation isn't all of those things, but this guy was actually pointing out that the West in some ways is no better than the East - we have our own forms of mutilation here, except that they are performed by a doctor instead of a midwife with a shard of glass. Personally, though, I like that I can live in this country not living in fear that I'm going to have my clit hacked off.

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  • Book reading: The Hunger Games. OMG, yay for young adult post-apocalyptic literature. And a heroine in the lead, no less!
  • Music listening to: Dar Williams, various albums. I'm trying so hard to get into her, but compared to Ani, most folk singers seem downright docile.
  • Last movie watched: The Duchess. Damn good movie. Tiny lesbian(ish) scene between Kiera Knightly and Lady Bess, yum. Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as always.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Coming Up

I like that the Women's Studies/GLBT studies section of Barnes and Noble is way in the back corner...it means that only the people who care go back there. It is my safe haven. Sometimes I just like to go and sit in that corner and soak up the feminist spirit, as if all the feminists and queer activists of the past are whispering encouragement in my ear.

V-day is starting up again. I haven't done a damn thing, or at least feel like I haven't. I know it will happen one way or the other. I feel so ambivalent about V-day now: trying to get it together is so stressful that I wonder if I want to do it anymore, but like my V-day goddess Georgia says, I cannot bear to hand it over to anyone else at the moment. Are you out there, my beautiful V-warriors? We need your help now. Seriously, just email me.

Meanwhile, I'm doing my own little personal research project on bisexuality and the main differences between gay&lesbian and bisexual experience. The best book I've come across so far is "Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics" by Jennifer Baumgardner, the author of the wonderful Manifesta. It's got a broad perspective but is still achingly personal about Baumgardner's relationships with men and women. Sometimes it stumbles into the pitfalls of "why sex with women is better than with men," but for the most part it is pretty balanced.  I'll let you know when I find out more.

  • Listening to: The Science of Things by Bush. Like it okay, so far. Moody but attractively understated.
  • Most recent movie watched: Across the Universe. Oh my, it's beautiful. I get something different out of it everytime I watch it, whether it's issues about war&violence, gender&sexuality, race, class or anything. Julie Taymor is a genius.
  • Reading: The Heart of Yoga, and The Mummy by Anne Rice.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Jumping on the Hatewagon

It's funny how a good sports scandal can bring out the worst in people. As much as I would like to avoid such topics, some are so ubiquitous that I feel compelled to address them (such as Tiger Woods.) Mike Leach was fired last week for the alleged mistreatment of one of his players. Since then, there has been a firestorm of controversy as to whether it went down the way Adam James says it did. Did Leach really lock him up in an electric closet or just trying to let him rest? Was the other guy there to guard the door making sure he didn't leave or to get him water? Who knows, but that's not really what I'm interested in. There has been a surge of support for Mike Leach - Team Leach shirts, "Bring back Leach" groups on Facebook with a million members in it. You know what people are saying about Adam James, the alleged victim? One of my friend's Facebook statuses said, and I quote, "[James] should crawl back into his closet...like the little bitch that he is." And there were many more like it last week. There has been a slew of hatemongering, and it's all been directed at James.  The reason this situation disturbs me is because it is eerily similar to the situation a rape victim finds herself in when she comes forward to accuse someone who is held in high esteem, such as, I don't know, a sports player. All the hate and judgment is directed toward the victim. The victim is put on the stand instead of the accused. And I want to point out that after the bowl game a lot of players came forward in support of their teammate, and feel like things are better off without Leach. I think that says something about the strong bond a team can have, which is one of the positives of team sports. Football is considered by many to be a practice of hegemonic masculinity (thanks Dr. Dunham), but I do believe there are positives to this kind of masculinity as well. It seems to be the fans that are the problem. Hate is not going to bring Leach back. And I don't understand why they are so loyal to him when in fact he is not very loyal to Tech, as evidenced by all the crap he pulled with renewing his contract last year. Whether James's allegations are entirely true or not, what disturbs me is how eagerly people will jump on the Hatewagon in support of a sports coach. A sports coach. That's all he is, seriously - he's not a hero or an activist, and he certainly isn't an angel. He does not deserve the pedestal the fans put him up on just because he was fired. He did this to himself, and I firmly believe it was not without reason.