“In the back of my head there is a pervasive, irrational certainty that says if I stick my neck out, it will once again be a lightning rod for hostility,” writes Joreen Freeman in her opening passage of TRASHING. This is an occurring issue for feminist everywhere—the conflict that arises when telling your truth risks the consequence of other opinions. Joreen Freeman writes an excellent essay in which she describes the ways in which women, who are supposed to be advocates for each other, use their power to tear other women down. Freeman describes this notion as “trashing,” which she defines as “a particularly vicious form of character assassination which amounts to psychological rape. It is manipulative, dishonest, and excessive.
It is not done to expose disagreements or resolve differences. It is done to disparage and destroy.”
Freeman explains how her own character was torn apart by Movement women and how she unknowingly becomes a leper within the feminist realm that she so very much believed in. She writes, “I gave the movement the right to judge me because I trusted it. And when it judged me worthless, I accepted that judgment.” For months she stood by the Movement, which she believed was doing good for and by women, and dealt with the backlash of being trashed. She soon began to realize that she was being ostracized by every member within the Movement and that her opinions meant little to nothing to anyone. She withdrew herself for the sake of her own mental health and well-being and quickly discovered how little her absence meant when no one reached out to ask why she had left. Her experience was not so different than many other feminists of her time, yet the fear of being trashed was too high for any to confront. Her essay explains her troubles years after they occurred—a trashing within itself if you will, due to the continued fear of being ostracized again.
This essay was published in 1976, and yet the information disclosed still rings true today. “Trashing” is a problem for all women, severity varying. As feminists, it is our moral duty to do good by all beings, but we continue to find ourselves at conflict with one another. This essay perfectly puts into words the theme that we are covering within this course. It puts feminist conflict on blast and shows us just how bad things can get. As I reflect on this essay I come to the confrontation that I too have been a victim of “trashing,” but I have also been the “trasher.” It is hard as a woman to remember to be understanding of others opinions, and it’s even harder when those opinions are completely opposite of your own. It is quite easy to trash other opinions, however, and that is where we see the problem arise. As feminist, we must remember what we stand for and who we stand with. It is important to speak your truth, but it is just as important to let others speak theirs—that is if it is doing no harm. As Freeman writes in her last line, “Isn’t it time we stopped looking for enemies within and began to attack the real enemy without?”
I really like your summary of this piece, and your thoughts about it. I think that the conflict that arises in these movements is most likely going to happen, even if we try to avoid it. I think what’s important is how we deal with it; instead of calling each other out with hostility, have more open discussions about what our common goal is.