These two readings reminded me a lot of the past readings and discussions we’ve had about trashing, and the productiveness of punishing activists who misstep. Katherine Cross is an writer and feminist activist. In “Words, Words, Words,” Cross writes about the fear of sharing and writing opinions on feminist discussions, in the political climate of the feminist movement; Cross believes that there are harsh punishments for those who express problematic opinions when it is done so unintentionally, and in some cases that punishment is too harsh. According to Cross, the culture of rage within the feminist movement entails fear among those activists. As we’ve discussed in class, rage and conflict are inherently part of the feminist movement, and even essential to producing positive change.
I especially like Cross’s way of explaining this in terms of “Madonnahood.” Cross writes that as a feminist writer in the movement, women have to “show their scars” to prove that they have in fact been hurt by the patriarchy, but they are not allowed to digress from perfection despite this upbringing. This perfection is near impossible, and when activists stray from it, they are trashed. Today, when social media is such a prominent platform for communication, the trashing occurs online, Cross says, because we are easily able to dehumanize over the internet. While rage is part of change, there are ways that it should be harnessed. Cross further illustrates her ideas of how to do this in “Beyond Niceness.” She argues that the harsh punishments are unjust judgments. Cross reiterates that “this is not about “niceness,” it’s about humanity.” I like this piece because it offers a sort of course of action and suggestion for how we should engage with each other in the feminist movement, not just pointing out the problem with no solution.