Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Slater
Yeah, it's interesting that the Ku Klux Klan doesn't have its own literary magazine. And you'd think that at least one of those whites-only, female-free country clubs would publish a poetry anthology every now and then.
Maybe the lack of white male heterosexual literary magazines is related to why there has never been a while male heterosexual suffragette society? Or why there has never been a white male heterosexual voting rights act? Or why there has never been a while male heterosexual political movement demanding the right to marry female heterosexuals?
But you're right. I never heard of white males picketing for the right to drink from the negro drinking fountains or attend all-black schools or eat in blacks-only diners.
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I think my point is, Roger, that we hate all those things, don't we? We've spent centuries trying to deny them the right to exist - and in some cases we've succeeded - but instead of celebrating that success we're now trying to emulate them by creating our own
"______ only" groups.
It's just nonsensical to blame or attempt to punish today's males for a non-female voting society which existed a hundred years ago - there's not a male alive who perpetuated that society. (And no, I'm not saying there are not men still around who wish we hadn't gotten that right - but screw 'em, yanno, we did and they're just going to have to live with it.) Same thing goes for slavery - the people living in this century were not the people who bought and sold slaves - and the editors who didn't publish women in the 19th century are not still around. If there are new editors who are not publishing women simply because they are women (and I am totally unsure how that would ever be proven) then those editors need to be named and everyone, not just women, need to quit sending them submissions and buying their magazines. Do you think that the male poets of the world could or would band together and agree to do that on our behalf? Because nothing else would be as effective.
Which brings me back around to my main gripe - if the women who are determined to stop this type of sexism are serious about it why on earth do they create woman-only venues and why do they deny those who disagree with their methods or those who question their facts or figures the opportunity to listen (or read) their thoughts or opinions and to discuss it with them?
It shouldn't be an all-or-nothing venture and it shouldn't be an "either you're with us or you're again' us" mentality.
Unfortunately, I've seen nothing here or on the Poetic Justice site before it was closed to the public which convinces me that it's much more than that.