2008 Woodie Awards
Feminism is not a Four Letter Word
Sex and the Cynic is no where close to being a feminist work, nor should anyone consider it so
Christina Wehry
Issue date: 4/11/06 Section: Opinion
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I started writing this letter as a response to the utterly ridiculous article "A Stand From a Man." Then, my curiosity sparked, I searched The Cynic website to find the "Sex and The Cynic" article(s) being mentioned. I now sit writing this letter in response to something a little different.
I want to make one thing clear before I begin: I am no longer spending my time writing a letter on the "Man" article. That, however, is not my way of excusing the thing written by Mr. Eric Freedman. That article was absurd. Mr. Freedman, no woman likes abuse.
What I would like to say is simple. "Sex and The Cynic' is not a feminist column. It is at best a low-level imitation of the fictitious column created by HBO.
I do not mean to insult your work Ms. Tor, the facts are the facts. In the article, "What Ever Happened to Chivalry?" Ms. Tor comments that her column has been referred to as "the feminist papers" and "feminist crap." This is no surprise.
The words "feminist," "feminism," and even "feminine" are widely misunderstood and misused. I would love to have the time to provide those reading with a rich, healthy and complete understanding of and some contextual uses for these words. To my misfortune, and yours as well, I've not the time. That alone, the volume and depth of the available vernacular with which one can speak on "feminism" etc, should be an indication of the integrity of feminism, feminists, feminist work and study. These words connote so much more than angry, frustrated, embittered women and men. And they certainly do not apply to the musings of Ms. Tor.
To make "Sex and The Cynic" feminist, one would be required to change so much.
The first major change would be the perspective. Many feminists do work that focuses on alternative perspectives; observing and commenting on the world from a place of feminist sociological education.
For example, all of the articles from the column that I read (admittedly I have not read all, but one can only read so much of it) were written strictly from her heterosexual experience.
I want to make one thing clear before I begin: I am no longer spending my time writing a letter on the "Man" article. That, however, is not my way of excusing the thing written by Mr. Eric Freedman. That article was absurd. Mr. Freedman, no woman likes abuse.
What I would like to say is simple. "Sex and The Cynic' is not a feminist column. It is at best a low-level imitation of the fictitious column created by HBO.
I do not mean to insult your work Ms. Tor, the facts are the facts. In the article, "What Ever Happened to Chivalry?" Ms. Tor comments that her column has been referred to as "the feminist papers" and "feminist crap." This is no surprise.
The words "feminist," "feminism," and even "feminine" are widely misunderstood and misused. I would love to have the time to provide those reading with a rich, healthy and complete understanding of and some contextual uses for these words. To my misfortune, and yours as well, I've not the time. That alone, the volume and depth of the available vernacular with which one can speak on "feminism" etc, should be an indication of the integrity of feminism, feminists, feminist work and study. These words connote so much more than angry, frustrated, embittered women and men. And they certainly do not apply to the musings of Ms. Tor.
To make "Sex and The Cynic" feminist, one would be required to change so much.
The first major change would be the perspective. Many feminists do work that focuses on alternative perspectives; observing and commenting on the world from a place of feminist sociological education.
For example, all of the articles from the column that I read (admittedly I have not read all, but one can only read so much of it) were written strictly from her heterosexual experience.