the patriarchy was smashed long ago, obviously

It's so much fun to read the prefaces to all these feminist anthologies. I love the one to The World Split Open.  They don't pull any punches, they're are full of oomph! They skip from formality to being all bad-ass and 70s.

"It cannot be a bad thing to experience each woman poet individually, but it is an interesting and truthful enterprise to begin to think of them politically and in relation to one another.

Men have written of 'women's art' with their noses wrinkled, as though it had a bad smell, like menstruation. The term implies second-classness, pettiness, frivolity."

Bwahahaha!  Oh but that's all behind us, right? Men don't do that anymore!  

A lot of geek girls might think about times they've heard guys talk about women's stuff this way. (And think twice before you agree with them and rush to identify yourself as not that kind of girl, trust me it's not worth it for the pat on the head you will receive.)     Just the other day a certain geek dude who shall remain nameless sniffed at WoolfCamp right to my face, and said the original jam/camp organizing thing was now obviously "diluted past recognition". Now it's worthless.  Now we've all contaminated it with our dippiness.  Now it's all girly. We're not all hAxXor studly programmers or something. We're not real geeks. Oh whatever! You got your patriarchy in my anarchist organizing! My sparkly pink nail polish and knitting and the purposeful mentioning of cleaning up lunch as part of the geek program -- in your FACE.   Anyway, it was snotty because it's not like hardcore programming dudes own the idea of the "unconference"... an idea that should spread through academia, which sadly needs it as it's full of amazingly intelligent people with hobbles on.  Christ. Anyway it's enough to make me want to learn to knit, just to be ornery.

Comments

[Jo]

Ewww, so there will be WOMEN there? How declasse.

[Jo]

And what? When I'm on the rag I smell like baking cookies.

[e]

well, i'll be there, needles in hand. just lemme know. so far i've only got one taker on the knitting, but it can be infectious...

(hate to mention it, but men knit.)

[whump]

[A]nd said the original jam/camp organizing thing was now obviously "diluted past recognition". Now it's worthless.

Worthless?

Worthless!

Baka!

Me: Hey boss, I want to go to O'Really's Amazo-new-technology Conference at the Espadrille in Las Vegas.
Boss: You're kidding, it'll cost at least $3,500 to send you.

Me: Hey boss, do you mind if I duck out Friday afternoon to listen in on the sessions at Quail Camp?
Boss: Yeah, let's all go down there.

[minnie]

i'll knit. i need to make another jayne hat. my husband made 3 already! i have to catch up. also i havent done my nails since decembe. oh also, i'll be hacking in the state department with a bra on my head, i might need someone to massase my back while i do that. any takers?

[cynthia]

Bring a ball of yarn and some sticks and we'll subvert the patriarchy with fiber.

[Bitch]

"My sparkly pink nail polish and knitting and the purposeful mentioning of cleaning up lunch as part of the geek program -- in your FACE."

LOL. You're cracking me up.