I totally want to visit you in the little hut to hear your rants about anything, but particularly feminism. Because yeah, I'm feeling kind of tired too, but not tired enough to stop talking.
On the 'humour': One of the repeated conversations I have with people (friends, father, students) has to do with humour as a form of power. Someone says something offensive, I take offense, said someone tells me to 'get a sense of humour. Jeez, it's only a joke.' And that comment, right there, is an attempt to make me feel in the wrong, to silence me; no one wants to be seen as humourless, after all.
On feminist exhaustion: I work hard to make my classes inclusive, to examine constructions of masculinity, to approach texts from many different points of view. But I do occasionally discuss my interest in the female hero, and I don't let students get away with sexist language (like the default to the masculine pronoun). If someone asks, I happily admit to being a feminist, and I don't make the usual 'not really a feminist, but' excuses. And apparently that is more than enough for my evaluations to consistently read 'a radical feminist' who 'can't stop talking about feminism' in class. For some people (guys and gals) talking about it at all is overdoing it.
And I noticed the title of your paper when I was cruising the WisCon program (one of these years I won't have to teach in Spring term and will be able to go myself) and thought it sounded fascinating. I'd love to read a copy, if you feel comfortable with that.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2006-05-23 07:31 pm (UTC)On the 'humour': One of the repeated conversations I have with people (friends, father, students) has to do with humour as a form of power. Someone says something offensive, I take offense, said someone tells me to 'get a sense of humour. Jeez, it's only a joke.' And that comment, right there, is an attempt to make me feel in the wrong, to silence me; no one wants to be seen as humourless, after all.
On feminist exhaustion: I work hard to make my classes inclusive, to examine constructions of masculinity, to approach texts from many different points of view. But I do occasionally discuss my interest in the female hero, and I don't let students get away with sexist language (like the default to the masculine pronoun). If someone asks, I happily admit to being a feminist, and I don't make the usual 'not really a feminist, but' excuses. And apparently that is more than enough for my evaluations to consistently read 'a radical feminist' who 'can't stop talking about feminism' in class. For some people (guys and gals) talking about it at all is overdoing it.
And I noticed the title of your paper when I was cruising the WisCon program (one of these years I won't have to teach in Spring term and will be able to go myself) and thought it sounded fascinating. I'd love to read a copy, if you feel comfortable with that.