feminism? (2 Viewers)

[BC]

andrea dworkin is essential reading. though i strongly disagree with much of her arguments (in both their content and nature), she is a very important figure in feminism and her writing style is incredibly vicious and hypnotic. her tour-de-force is undoubtedly "pornography : men possessing women", and "intercourse" is another landmark work and highly recommended, though not as overwhelmingly intense as the former. also related and in a similar vein is catharine mackinnon's "only words".

 

[carbide]

The writing style did take a bit of getting used to, and there was a lot of hippy carry-on that got up my nose a bit. I did think she made some good points though, it's just been a while since I've read it so i can't remember what they were

i agree. it pissed me off but there were bits that were worth it. one thing i found interesting was her experiment with only watching/listening to/reading female filmmakers/artists/writers/musicians for a year, mostly because at the time i read it, i would have been seriously hard pressed to come up with a week of it out of what i was consuming. also, about films with scenes depicting assault, which got me thinking about how it's used. my absolute favourite tv series, veronica mars, uses rape in two separate plot lines and thinking about why it was used and what it was saying - and also the depiction of feminists in relation to it in one case - made me appreciate it more.

also, sarah: the two issues of the rag cover a broad range of (anarchafeminist) perspectives on feminism, which are well worth a read if you haven't already. bitch and bust magazine are very different angles on feminism too - bust is too fluffy/consumer power for my taste in a lot of ways, but some of the music features especially are good.

i think the most vocal and visible parts of feminism may be the grrrrl/anarchist/angry/diy bits in dublin, but there's a lot else going on besides that's just more moderate and therefore less jumpy-outy in its approach.

not articulating up a storm here, but for me the touchstones that remind me of the relevance of feminism in my own life tend to be academic/professional (where the historical aspect perpetuates the present, even though women can and do get the jobs, etc) and casual misogyny amongst people i otherwise like, and it's kind of an internal wrangle and constant rolling boil that i don't necessarily describe too well.

 

[Froog]

Crimson Tide is essential viewing.

 

[carbide]

blah blah blah

oops, did exactly the wood/trees thing i was trying to avoid there. what i meant to say was that i think to get a good look into what's going on, i don't know that books alone would be the best way - zines, websites, magazines and the ephemeral and impulsive media take more effort to track down but are possibly more representative.

 

[muffin]

can anyone recommend some good zines?Since anthology shut down I've been lax with my zine purchasing..

 

[carbide]

can anyone recommend some good zines?Since anthology shut down I've been lax with my zine purchasing..

i can give a blanket recommendation to everything i've picked up from learning to leave a paper trail distro. the descriptions are spot on, and the owner, ciara, is fucking awesome and very picky about what she carries.

 

[muffin]

thanks carbide!

 

[Lili Marlene]

Hello soul suckers, I'm Dave Sim and essential reading for all would be feminists



rawr!

 

[Shorty]

Eh, I don't know how "readable" it is, alot of it is horrendous in the amount of academic babble, but it is pretty essential.

Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. I haven't read any of her other stuff, but some of that would I suppose also be recommended reading.

Like Brian, I'd say read Dworkin, I also highly disagree with her, but you should check her out for the very reason you'll probably disagree with her too. Then also in the same category but the other side of the coin, maybe Camille Paglia.

This is obviously my own views coming through, but "feminism" without some sort of prefix or suffix isn't worth much and is part of the problem with people being so dismissive of it. Check out the anarcha-feminism reader mentioned earlier and maybe a history of the mujere libres too if you're looking for some interesting history. In terms of people actively politically involved in feminism at this point in time in this part of the world and in a practical way, it is mostly going to be those who will also hold some sort of anarchist beliefs along side it. Don't mistake this with "radical feminism" though, possibly something else that is part of the problem when it comes to "feminism".

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Can you define 'anarcha-feminism' for me?
'Anarcha-' anything seems dubious.

 

[Shorty]

Can you define 'anarcha-feminism' for me?
'Anarcha-' anything seems dubious.

Me?
Define personally or a link to wikipedia or RAG?
Dubious in what way?

 

[cephalopod]

Balls-deep in anarcho-gee

 

[billygannon]

Can you define 'anarcha-feminism' for me?
'Anarcha-' anything seems dubious.

'Arachna-feminism' is far more fascinating.
It basically involves eating your husband.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

'Arachna-feminism' is far more fascinating.
It basically involves eating your husband.

Ah yes, usually after ensnaring him in a web of deceit.

 

[mamul]

i found this to be a fairly insightful read