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Drunk Historians for the Win!

Back in July 2016, I told you about the television show Drunk History on the Comedy Central network.  To recap,

The show's creator gets a storyteller drunk and the storyteller then attempts to tell the audience an interesting story about a historical figure or event.  As the story unfolds, a team of actors in period costume faithfully acts out the inebriated story.  Add some low-budget special effects and some celebrity cameos and you have an entertaining (if unsophisticated) show. 

What was more relevant for our purposes was the show's surprisingly progressive/feminist themes.  Over the course of three seasons, the show had increased the percentage of female storytellers to 42% and the percentage of woman-centered stories to around 25%, all without making a big fuss about it.  I predicted that at the current rate, Season 4 might get even closer to parity.

With Season 4 now complete with 10 episodes exploring 28 stories, how did they do?

Female Storytellers

Starting with the storytellers, I counted 17 male storytellers and 11 female storytellers across all ten episodes.  This works out to about 40% female storytellers across the season, roughly equal to the representation in Season 3.  No increase, but not too shabby.

Stories About Women

Turning to the stories themselves, I counted 11 stories featuring a woman (or several women) in a significant way (see the list below).  This amounts to about 40% of the Season 4 stories!  Remember, Seasons 2 and 3 averaged only about 25% stories with a female focus.  The fourth season gave us more that 50% more stories about women!!

• Ella Fitzgerald and Marylin Monroe (Episode 2)
• Carrie Nation (Episode 3)
• Marsha P. Johnson (Episode 3)
• Eleanor Roosevelt & Lyudmila Pavlichenko (Episode 4)
• Sadie the Goat and Gallus Mag (Episode 5)
• Katharine Wright (Episode 6)
• The Kopp Sisters (Episode 6)
• The Fox Sisters (Episode 6)
• Emily Roebling (Episode 7)
• Julia Child (Episode 8)
• The Cherry Sisters (Episode 10)

But, Wait! There's More!

As if 50% more stories about women wasn't enough, the show's creators added an interesting new feature to the fourth season. As the episodes progressed, I noticed that many of the background and supporting roles were performed by the show's female cast in trouser or pants roles.  For example, business man no. 2 would be a woman wearing a suit and mustache.  Or Shakespearean actor no. 3 would be a woman in men's garb.  At first I thought they were just short-staffed on those filming days, but it happened enough to seem intentional.

Then it happened . . . Episode 9 "Hamilton" featuring a very drunk Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Hamilton-Burr story goes way back to the show's beginnings as a web-series, so I was a little surprised they were tackling it again.  But this time you have Lin-Manuel Miranda and an entire episode devoted to the two men and their relationship.  You also have both Hamilton and Burr played by women.  That's right, female founding fathers.  BOOM!

Did I mention that this show is hosted by drunk people?  Where is the rest of the entertainment industry?!  Probably hiding with embarrassment because they're so far behind the times.  Would they have cast women to represent the founding fathers?  I don't think so.  They couldn't even imagine casting Asian-American actor John Cho as Shakespeare (episode 8).  Oh, yeah, Drunk History did that too.

Drunk historians for the win!

marching

When registering for the Women's March on Washington, it asked me why I was marching. I'm not sure if I am done with this yet but in honor of the march this weekend, here it is.

marching

I am marching 

to stand up and be counted. 

to not let those men

in the halls of influence

rest easy,

and sit back in comfortable armchairs

because we're coming for you.

feel the ground already shaking

the air already shimmering

with our shriek

Reminding them

that there are barbarians

at the gates.

Yes, Sheroes and rebels

and warriors. 

We tell the world

a history, a future

that we don't go down quietly or forgotten

and watch our dreams go quietly 

We did not loosen our grasp,

frozen, observing them

sinking below cold deep waters

burning the world, watching them

curl into ash and blow

across nothing but sooty plains.

--

I am marching 

to tell the ones with all those zeros

at the ends of their names

that 1 is still 1

that 1 + 1 is still 2.

one person, one family, 

one klan, one kind

or even just: one

and their sumptuousness

and their supremacy

and their sense of 'security'

are still just one

not worth more than one life

not worth any other.

In fact

I owe a debt to those trampled, 

and to those who are yet to be

thrown under the wheels.

With no justice 

there is no peace.

And we choose liberty over death.

And I choose liberty for them.

I'll carry any absent women

with me in my footsteps

as best I can

Because wherever two or three gather, 

there am I.

For better or for worse,

til death do us part

I am this land.

Powering Up with Intersectionality

Donald Trump has been a font of inspiration for feminist discourse ever since he first declared himself a candidate for president.  New misogyny seemed to pop up every week.  We thought the world had changed with "Pussygate" (see my previous post), but with his election last month, the floodgates opened.  One theme kept popping up in my feeds: Intersectionality and Intersectional Feminism.

What is Intersectionality?

First articulated in the late 1980s by black feminist scholar and race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality recognizes that multiple systems of oppression can interact to marginalize people. Rather than acting independently, systems based on class, sex, race, gender & sexuality, disability, nationality, religion, etc. interact to generate complex oppression experiences.  From this perspective, we can better understand a person or group's power/privilege within our society.  For example, an intersectional perspective highlights how a rich, able-bodied, heterosexual, christian, natural-born, white male citizen has the most power in our society.  A disabled, low-income, Muslim, immigrant, transgender woman of color, conversely, has very little power under the combined pressure of many systems of oppression operating in our society.

Powering Up

I had encountered bits of intersectional thinking before the election (the Guilty Feminist Podcast in particular, see my previous post), but it seemed to be everywhere post-election. Many white women were stunned that millions of other white women would vote by their class and/or race rather than by their sex/gender.  Many non-white feminists were not surprised at all and were incensed, calling "white feminists" out for their persistent ignorance when it comes to the interesectional experiences of women of color.  The resulting consciousness-raising was important, but emotions ran high and it was easy to feel defeated.  Fortunately, intersectional feminism has roots in social justice activism and points the way toward improved engagement.

We can think about oppression, but the flip side of oppression is power.  We "white feminists" often focus on our lack of power under patriarchy, and rightly so, but this focus misses the astounding power/privileged we often have under the other oppression systems.  I, for example, am a woman and an atheist, putting me at a disadvantage under the SEX and RELIGION systems operating in the US.  On the other hand, I benefit from power and privilege under the CLASS, RACE, GENDER & SEXUALITY, NATIONALITY, and DISABILITY systems.  I could choose to focus on my lack of power under the patriarchy (and this is important), but I shouldn't lose sight of just how much power I have and how I can use it to further social justice missions.

My attempt to visualize my intersectional power.

Many feminists have absorbed this lesson post-Trump.  I was particularly moved by Deborah Frances-White's call to action in Part 1 of the Guilty Feminist Podcast's Emergency Post-Trump Episode.  As we prepare for the Trump presidency, where does your power lie?  How can intersectionality power up your engagement and activism in the new year?  2017 promises to be an transfomative year.  Lets be ready!

Haunted by Grandmothers Past and Future

Haunting

A few months back I read American Ghost: A Family's Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus.  In the book, the author goes on a quest to "find" her great-great grandmother Julia who supposedly haunts an historic hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico (the great-grandmother's former home).  The topic seemed intriguing despite my skepticism.  We, as Americans, have a very strange relationship with the concepts of heritage, homelands, ancestry, etc.  Why do we feel the need to connect with ancestors from 150 years ago?  Why are we fascinated with the wronged Victorian woman returned to haunt the living?  Do we actually care about the ancestors themselves or do we simply crave an endorsement of our own world views?

Unfortunately, the author does little to explore these questions. The book offered some very interesting history regarding frontier New Mexico and the experience of German Jews making a life in the territories, but it also included a lot of pointless activity including at least six trips to various psychics/spiritualists, a predictably disappointing packaged ghost tour, and an unfortunate experience with a marijuana cookie. All in all, I'd give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Grandmothers Past

Despite the mediocre review, the book stuck with me.  Given the decades separating us from Julia's life, the author has an understandably difficult time penetrating the mysteries surrounding her deceased ancestor.  While her great-great grandfather's activities turn up regularly in the city newspapers, almost no primary documents say anything about her great-great grandmother.  The closest document the author could find was a teenage travel diary by Julia's daughter that sheds little light on the lady in question.  Without primary documents or satisfying answers from the spirits, the author concludes her book saying basically, "I know Julia is with me and that she supports me."  This was unsatisfying at best.  I came to hear about great-great Julia and after 300 pages learned only the Born, Married, Immigrated, Had Kids, Got Sick, and Died narrative.  What about her thoughts, dreams, aspirations, regrets?!

Almost immediately, I thought of my own recently deceased grandmother.  My grandma wasn't the type to smother you with kisses, bake you fresh cookies, or have a girls night with her granddaughters at the movies.  She'd borne and raised 10 kids on a meager budget, cared for my great-grandfather after he had a stroke, and spent many years caring for my patriarchal grandfather as his health slowly declined.  She wasn't a distant woman, but with 30-50 people at every family gathering I don't recall many personal moments.  As I grew up, she was mostly Mrs. P., Mother of 10 as my grandfather and all the relatives sucked up all the attention.  Shortly after my grandfather died however, I was sitting with her around the kitchen table with L and TwoEsforMee talking about this and that, and began to see my grandmother as a whole person.  She wasn't just Grandma.  We were seeing a wickedly funny little woman who'd seen a lot of life and had survived to tell the tale.  We had a lovely time and I felt a bit sheepish for not recognizing all this sooner.

Then she was diagnosed with late stage cancer and was dead a few months later.

While my grandmother isn't haunting anyone, I realized she faces the same fate as Nordhaus' great-great grandmother Julia.  I'd seen that glimpse of her, but she was rapidly receding behind the Mrs. P., Mother of 10 narrative. If I barely "knew" her, how would her great-great grandchildren know her?

Luckily L was ahead of me on this one, having collected letters, poems, and artworks created by my grandmother into one place.  Unlike Ms. Nordhaus' experience, this collection preserves my grandmother's voice. We know that her heritage, her family, and her faith were important to her because she said so.  They're her words, her brush-strokes, not just our assumptions or interpretations.  The more I think about it, the more I realize that L's work to preserve my grandmother's voice is an important feminist act.  Thanks to L, my grandmother's creations will faithfully represent her for future generations.

Grandmothers Future

A year ago, I didn't know that until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, financial institutions could deny women credit unless they had their husbands' permission.  As I wrote at the time in disbelief:  "Our grandmothers were denied credit cards and loans unless our grandfathers gave them permission slips."

How much do we know about our grandmothers' lives?  

How much do we know about our mothers' experiences?  

Will our grandchildren know about our feminism?  

Perhaps our greatest acts as feminists will be to engage with and preserve our grandmothers', our mothers', and even our own narratives.  If your relatives are still living, include them in this radical feminist project.  Gather documents!  Collect recollections and opinions while you can!  Don't let the patriarchy tell our stories.  Your feminist decedents will thank you.

SNL Fails Margot Robbie

Saturday Night Live opened its 42nd season last month with Margot Robbie as their first host.  Ms. Robbie is an Australian actress known for her work in films like The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Whisky Tango Foxtrot (2016), and, most recently, for her standout performance as Harley Quinn in an otherwise flawed Suicide Squad (2016).

Oh, and she's physically attractive.

Source

This was all the SNL writers seemed to think was relevant when pitching sketches for their season opener.  Setting aside the big election-mocking ensemble sketches, Robbie's starring moments came in two sketches I can only describe as cringe worthy.

First, we have LIVE REPORT where a local news team reports on a car-swallowing sinkhole at a local shopping center.  When the location reporter turns to interview the locals, the story quickly becomes Hot Woman with Lame Guy?!  The five-minute sketch only devolves from there.  Lame guy must be rich?  No!  He's a puppeteer!? He must be well endowed then?  No, he doesn't even have a penis!?  I'm not making this up.  Margo Robbie gets to stand there and look hot while everyone else wonders how her character could possibly have picked a man that doesn't fit society's standards.  I'm wondering how this ever made it to air.

Second, we have THE LIBRARIAN.  You can probably guess how this goes.  A student pines for the sexy librarian and his friend decides to embarrass him by drawing this fact to the librarian's attention.  She responds by launching into an increasingly disturbing erotic display, eventually turning into some kind of demon creature and literally blowing the boys' minds.  I honestly don't know what to make of this.  Maybe it was supposed to be subversive?  If so, I don't think it worked and we now have two sexy-host sketches.  They couldn't think of anything better for her to do?

These disasters look worse given the other missed opportunities throughout the show.  For example, my hopes were raised somewhat as I started on ACTRESS ROUND TABLE.  Here was a sketch with five women representing show-business role models (Keira Knightly, Marion Cotillard, Lupita Nyong'o) discussing their industry and craft.  What a great opportunity to showcase female performances in some cutting feminist satire!  Unfortunately, the sketch was mostly a vehicle for (the fabulous) Kate McKinnon to do one of her unhinged old-biddy characters.  What could have been a strong feminist sketch slowly died in a pool of dementia-based humor.  Ms. Robbie's turn as Keira Knightly barely registers.

Perhaps most damning of all is the absolutely fantastic MR. ROBOT sketch in which Leslie Jones co-opts the show's hacker protagonist to help reveal the people behind her recent nude photo hack.  The sketch is a brilliant FU to all the haters and it proves that the SNL writers can produce brilliant satire at the highest level.  Margot Robbie has an 8-second cameo.  Where was this brilliance when they were writing for her?! This was the season premiere! 

FAIL.  She deserved better.

Today, I am not okay. This is not okay.

Two weeks ago, I added a new name to my list of theoretical future cat names: Hillary Rodham Kitten (much to the chagrin of my pun-averse roommate). Yesterday morning, I waited an hour in the longest line I’ve ever experienced at my polling place to proudly cast my vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton to be our next President – an act that wouldn’t have been possible less than a century ago.

Hillary was never the lesser of two evils for me. She was the person that I wanted to represent my country in the world. She was the intelligent, compassionate, earnest, polished, qualified, patriotic candidate that had earned my vote – not just through the campaign over the last year-plus, but throughout her entire career in public service.

She’s fought for women and children around the world. She’s fought to bring healthcare to all Americans. She’s fought to provide Americans with the same educational opportunities, regardless of socioeconomic status, disability, gender, or race. She’s been torn down, investigated, vilified, investigated, called shrill, ugly, and lacking in stamina, investigated – you get the idea. And through it all, Hillary has refused to break. She’s refused to simply take her place silently next to her husband. She’s refused to accept that a woman shouldn’t aspire to the highest office in the land. She’s refused to give up on her country. She’s steadfastly refused to give up the fight.

Yes, Hillary has made mistakes, because she is in fact human. But more importantly, she has acknowledged and apologized for her mistakes. And then she’s learned from them. That is the mark of a good leader – not perfection, but PROGRESS.

Yesterday, I was hopeful for our future. Yesterday, I was excited to elect the first woman President of the United States. Yesterday, I was proud of my country.

Today, I’m not okay. This is not okay.

Small Acts of Social Media Feminism

Act 1: Anger

I'd never thought of anger as a feminist topic, but as the Guilty Feminist co-hosts and their guest discussed their experiences being angry while female (Episode 14, see my previous post), I understood.  It was impossible to listen to Deborah Francis-White's moving monologue expressing her anger following the Brexit vote without being inspired to execute my own feminist anger proclamation.

After spending weeks fuming about the misogyny erupting everywhere in response to the new Ghostbusters movie, I decided to go there and make a public statement about my anger.  I almost qualified my Facebook post to say I was "sad" or "disappointed," but no.  I was angry and I said so:

 

Act 2: The Mansplainer

A few weeks later, the ladies over at The Guilty Feminist were discussing Speech (Episode 18).  Their experiences with mansplaining and society's complete disregard for female perspectives was damning.  That episode was quickly followed by their Internet episode (Episode 19) in which Deborah Francis-White politely but firmly engaged with an online troll.

Then this little gem popped into my Facebook feed:

Witnessing this display of male privilege, motivated by my latent Ghostbusters anger, and inspired by the ladies at The Guilty Feminist, I felt compelled to challenge his statement with some speech of my own (politely of course).   I went with an innocuous question expressing concern, to which he responded:

As you can see, I thought his argument was absurd and I politely made my perspective clear.  While he didn't respond, his fiancee later commented:

Female speech accomplished!

Act 3: Victory

Undeterred by my compelling feats of social media feminism, the entitled mansplainer struck again a few days later:

This made me so angry.  What did she ever do to him?  Act in a popular TV show that wasn't made for him?!  I had to say something but couldn't find the right angle.  Eventually I remembered a great article by the blog FiveThirtyEight demonstrating that while women don't generally write negative reviews for media aimed at men (Sportscenter, Halo: Nightfall), many men seem compelled to write negative reviews for media aimed at women (Sex and the City, anything on the CW).  The title says it all so I thought I'd share:

I was so proud of myself I was practically prancing around the house in all my feminist glory.  Then he wrote back and I sorta panicked.  When I finally summoned the courage to read his reply, I saw:

VICTORY!!!!!!

Podcasts We Love: The Guilty Feminist

I'm a feminist, but --- when TwoEsforMee recommended The Guilty Feminist podcast in April, and then again in July, it wasn't until she bugged me a third time two weeks later that I actually listened to an episode.

We are inundated with media recommendations.  Friends share things on social media.  Family members gush about their latest podcast find.  Everything we read and listen to comes with promos for more things to read and listen to.  How many times have I heard those lame promos for podcasts where Two Funny Ladies Talk About Lady Stuff!?

Okay, so perhaps I shouldn't be so embarrassed about blowing off TwoEsforMee's recommendation.  All that matters is that after listening to one episode of The Guilty Feminist, I binge-listened to all the available episodes without taking a break.

Why should you listen too?  Why isn't this just another version of Two Funny Ladies Talking About Lady Stuff!?  Let me persuade you.

They have a mission

Podcasts often have goals or themes, but The Guilty Feminist and its creators -- comedians Sofie Hagen and Deborah Frances-White -- have a mission. They want to crush the patriarchy.  Yes, we're all here to laugh and have a good time, but we're also fed up with patriarchy and are ready to do something about it.  You won't find a declaration of war on the website, but the creators' fundamental desire for change gives their material focus and a compelling sense of purpose.  

They're accessible

Everything I said about crushing the patriarchy is true, but the casual listener might not notice right away.   Both Sofie Hagen and Deborah Frances-White are professional comedians who are good at their jobs.  They approach patriarchy-crushing with smart, knowing humor without descending into the goofiness that often comes with Two Funny Ladies Talking About Lady Stuff!  They're mad as hell but recognize that real-world patriarchy-crushing gets messy and absurd.  We have to laugh sometimes and this laughter provides an entry point for many people who don't realize we're laughing to avoid crying.

They have a winning formula

Unstructured conversations can be great for exploration and unwinding but they aren't the most effective tool for crushing the patriarchy.  The Guilty Feminist stays effective using a 5-segment episode format that leaves the listener entertained, challenged, moved, educated, and inspired.

Segment 1: The co-hosts open their live-shows with several "I'm a feminist, but" confessions.  The opening lines of this blog post demonstrate the approach.  Another personal example might be: I'm a feminist, but --- when I go for runs, I always pick up the pace to impress men mowing their lawns.  These amusing little confessions establish a safe space for listeners while also demonstrating patriarchy's insidiousness.

Segment 2: Next, the co-hosts each perform a brief stand-up set on the week's theme.  In the Shoes episode for example (episode 20), Deborah Frances-White delivers a cunning take down of our society's assumption that half the population should conduct their lives on stilts.  The ladies are in their element during these segments and offer incisive social commentary alongside the laughs.

Segment 3: Between the show's bi-weekly live taping events, the hosts each attempt a personal challenge related to the episode's theme.  In the Boobs episode for example (episode 13), Sofie Hagen went grocery shopping without a bra and Deborah Frances-White walked around for a day wearing 6 padded bras to exaggerate her busty-ness.  Other challenges have ranged from taking on online trolls to making unapologetic phone calls asking to form creative partnerships.  Back at the show, the ladies recap their successes, failures, insights, and lessons for the future.  These discussions provide a very personal and practical view on feminism and offer inspiration for others looking to explore feminism or promote it in their own lives.

Segment 4: Following the challenge discussions, the hosts bring on a special quest to provide additional perspective on the day's topic.  My favorites include: Episode 19's (Internet) moving discussion with Emma Holton, an online human rights activist, victim of non-consensual pornography, and leader of the Consent project; Episode 6's (Exercise) inspiring discussion with Jessamyn Stanley, a plus-size yoga instructor and body positive activist; and Episode 12's (Worth) shocking discussion with comedian Sarah Millican regarding a horrifyingly sexist TV review that tied her value as a person to her appearance, relationship status, and family status.

Segment 5: Finally, the hosts usually close the show with a few audience questions.  These audience interactions add extra voices to the mix and often provide new connections to daily realities and sources of inspiration.

They get you engaged with your personal feminism

While I would surely enjoy a podcast that discussed the nuances of feminist theory, The Guilty Feminist's innovation is to recognize the practical difficulties that come with feminist principles and to provide a comfortable space to discuss these difficulties and find renewed inspiration.  With the podcast's personal confessions, social commentary, feminist challenges, guest perspectives, and community engagement, its difficult not to find new perspectives or little projects to try.  Whether you pursue a goal unapologetically, start to appreciate your body in new way, or simply start recognizing all those "I'm a feminist, but" moments, you will leave the podcast a more active, engaged, and entertained feminist.

Join the guilty but active revolution today!  

A Seminal Moment

Many words have been spilled in the wake of "pussygate" and  I will not speak about Mr. Trump and his comments here.  The idea that anyone was surprised by the "revelations" seems absurd to me.  Instead I want to meditate on why this feels like an unprecedented, seminal moment for U.S. women: we are finally seeing our "respectable" male leaders for the privileged, patriarchal shams they really are.

American women just witnessed many of their respected elected officials insisting that Trump's comments weren't a big deal and/or that the behavior he bragged about doesn't constitute sexual assault.  Such views, uttered by public figures, are horrifying, not just for their content but also for their audacity.  To pronounce them repeatedly and without shame is to demonstrate just how little our leaders understand the female experience and their utter disinterest in learning more.  The privilege is staggering and unmistakable.

But I think the men disavowing Trump have shown their true nature in a way we haven't seen since the Civil Rights era.  Once sentence in particular reveals a devastating truth:

As the backlash increases over a recording of Donald J. Trump speaking of women in vulgar sexual terms, some have said the fury may be particularly intense because Mr. Trump, who has previously offended a number of minorities, is now being perceived as demeaning a target historically more valued in American society: white women. -- Yamiche Alcindor, Level of Outrage Over Donald Trump Tape Is Linked to Another Issue: Race October 9, 2016. NYTimes 

This sentence is so damning.  Not only does it highlight how our leaders did nothing while so many other groups were humiliated, but it reveals their shallow motivations.

I am reminded of events back during the Republican primaries when Ted Cruz supporters circulated an unflattering meme featuring a nude photo of Melania Trump and Trump supporters responded by circulating an unflattering meme featuring a photo of Heidi Cruz.  Both men went into indignant huffs that left me strangely unsatisfied.  I couldn't quite figure out why.

Now I see it very clearly.

Cruz and Trump weren't indignant because they understood their wives's pain as the public equated their worth with their physical appearances.  No, it wasn't about the women's experiences.  It was about each man crushing a perceived threat to his manhood.  Two public primates claiming to represent the American people performed dueling dominance displays as they trespassed on each other's breeding territories.

This past weekend, many high-profile males suddenly recognized how the large aggressive male might trespass on their females (!).  How many referenced their wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers without indicating in any way that they understood the female experience?  Which of them expressed a new understanding of or appreciation for women's fears and aspirations?  The silence on this point is deafening and we hear it.  We are left without any doubt that the men we've trusted to represent us are only interested in preserving their own dominance.

How dare they?!  Oh yeah . . . male privilege.

We see it now and we will not let it stand.

And, if we don't laugh we'll cry.  Here's South Park demonstrating this dynamic better than I possibly could: Going Ape for Bebe (start around 0:48).