Comments on: Other People’s Words, 22 April 2008

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:06:01 +0000

I’d tend to agree with Jim on this one. I don’t think that just because something is “the way things have been done” and because there is some kind of marginal success that it means I should be supportive of it. I wouldn’t ostracize someone for capitalizing on opportunities afforded to them (you know, unless it was somehow unethical), but still, I’m not going to support marriage-for-power even if it benefits women. I wouldn’t think it was good for *anyone* to manipulate marriage for their own personal gain. And I think that most of the strides forward in women gaining power (whether it’s political, social, economical) have been taken by people who reject situations and trends that don’t fully support equality.

Sorry if this is muddled sounding!

By: Jim_Withington

Jim_Withington — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:35:23 +0000

From where I stand, I wonder if an entrenched idea is a good one to support. Any entrenched idea, really. I think that when these sorts of debates arise, people often (not you specifically, though it might be happening here) confuse the idea for the person. This is a style of confusion that I’ve seen time and again in feminist debate, and I think it often leads to hurt feelings, and sometimes even disempowerment of one side or the other.

So, I personally think that “gaining power” through marriage is pretty lame (no matter the gender), and if my friends did it I’d be like, “what are you doing here?” But they’d still be my friends.

Hard like algebra, indeed.

Liz Phair burned every bridge possible in the press and fully acknowledged her own turn towards Hollywood when she left Chicago. For that, she gets a bif “fuck off” from me.

By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:45:22 +0000

Yeah, this is a big change of tune from “I had to sell out ’cause I’m a single mom and my kid comes first” that I remember hearing when she went to Capitol.

I’m still hopeful that the new album won’t suck, but the picture on the Billboard article isn’t encouraging. I’m afraid she’s just liquidizing the small amount of cred she has remaining (hence the Guyville re-release).

And I sympathize with the “marry a rich dude” plan. As a feminist, I recognize that it’s one of the most entrenched, consistent ways for a woman to get a little-teeny-bit of respect and power, and I’m not begrudging women who take that path. Yes, I’m voting for Hillary.

By: Rosemary

Rosemary — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:32:30 +0000

A quote I found…

“The wounded “sell-out” cries from the indie community were loud and legion. Phair added fuel to the fire with comments like “I have no desire to be Wilco,” a statement which, in the heady post-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot days of 2003, was on a par with John Lennon’s bigger than Jesus remark. She alienated what was left of her feminist following by announcing that her fondest wish was to marry a nice rich man who would support her and her son and allow her to just sit around and create art when the whim struck her.”