This one-credit course is centered around Andrea Dworkin’s Mercy, with short supplementary readings from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Beloved, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and My Bondage and My Freedom. Weekly discussions will center on the literary style, advocacy strategy, politics, and context of this controversial book, with brief lectures setting the scene for each part of the book.
Friday, April 6, 2012
In Defense of the C-Word
Given our conversation a few weeks ago in class about the "C-Word," and the general feelings against it, I thought this defense of the word was interesting:
I found this article very interesting. Never have I considered the C-word to be a positive tool utilized for the empowerment of women... Judging from the seemingly unanimous class response to the word in Mercy, the same goes for most people. I'm not sure how much I can accept Ms. Penny's point of view, probably because the connotation of the C-word is such that it can't be seen as empowering. Even if it makes Ms. Penny feel empowered, I don't think its widespread use would result in a higher degree of respect for those who use it.
I wholeheartedly agree with the person above me. I think that anything can be rationalized if you try hard enough. There are articles on the internet and in scholarly journals and everywhere else that justify all kinds of horrible (and not so horrible things) in manners which are very convincing and well thought out.
And many of them make sense to me, but that doesn't mean that I can agree with them. This is definitely one of those. I am glad that Ms. Penny wanted to spin something negative to make it positive. But I think that the reason the word was created and the way that it is used is patently negative and that is not going to change any time soon.
If anything, we should stop saying the word, not use it as a tool to empower women.
I found this article very interesting. Never have I considered the C-word to be a positive tool utilized for the empowerment of women... Judging from the seemingly unanimous class response to the word in Mercy, the same goes for most people. I'm not sure how much I can accept Ms. Penny's point of view, probably because the connotation of the C-word is such that it can't be seen as empowering. Even if it makes Ms. Penny feel empowered, I don't think its widespread use would result in a higher degree of respect for those who use it.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with the person above me. I think that anything can be rationalized if you try hard enough. There are articles on the internet and in scholarly journals and everywhere else that justify all kinds of horrible (and not so horrible things) in manners which are very convincing and well thought out.
ReplyDeleteAnd many of them make sense to me, but that doesn't mean that I can agree with them. This is definitely one of those. I am glad that Ms. Penny wanted to spin something negative to make it positive. But I think that the reason the word was created and the way that it is used is patently negative and that is not going to change any time soon.
If anything, we should stop saying the word, not use it as a tool to empower women.