OMG elitist!

[crypto]

So Jessica Valenti of Feministing is upset at mean-girl-turned-author Nina Power, who had some criticisms of Valenti's writing cited in a brief Guardian review of Power's book One Dimensional Woman. And Sady Doyle of Tiger Beatdown, joined by Amanda Hess, neither of whom apparently have read more than the Guardian review, decides that Valenti's response was right on except it was too polite and proceeds to mock Nina Power, who she seems to assume is a) old, and b) dour, and c) just jealous. As Doyle elaborates in the comments:

And the thing is – the continual thing about the damn book cover, the Feministing logo, the “unseriousness” of that one Guardian article, the need of some commenters here to devalue the fact that Feministing DOES cover issues related to class, disability, race, trans experience: to me, that’s just exactly what Valenti’s blog post was talking about. It’s the need to compensate for someone being more widely known than you are by telling yourself that you are More Serious, more of a Real Feminist, whatever. It’s the need to create a feminist elite, and to tell yourself that whoever is the easiest to like or to know about must be non-elite. It’s some indie hipster record-collector shit, but politicized, and it’s fucking stupid.

Um, right, that's exactly what this is about -- indie hipster record-collector shit, in the guise of an accessible vs. elitist faux debate.

I've been reading Tiger Beatdown for almost a year now, because it's smart and sharp and funny, but I think Doyle's on the wrong side of this one, to the extent that accepting the "Jessica Valenti vs. Nina Power / accessible vs. elitist" framework in the first place is the wrong side.

For me, Power herself comes off best of them all in her own blog post -- her blog infinite thought makes her seem pretty cool in general, even if she is big on Badiou (my lack of thoughts on Badiou) -- and reviews of her book like this one (which, surprise!, doesn't mention Valenti at all) make me think that her book's well worth reading. (See also this interview Power did with taz).

Comments

[laurashapiro]

Hmm. Having read through all of this, I'm reminded of Twisty Faster's often remarkably trenchant observations about "FunFeminism".

Personally I think there's a place in feminism for both Power's and Valenti's way of doing things. Valenti's approach is practical in terms of bringing young people to the movement; Power's is a vital reminder that it is systems, not individuals, that keep women down. Synthesis of the two viewpoints is difficult, but not impossible.

For myself, a white cissexual TAB American woman, there was a definite trajectory from Valenti-style feminism (in my teens and twenties) to Power-style feminism (in my late 30s up to now). I wonder if that's true for many women of my background.

[crypto]

Yeah, I generally think you're right. I'm pretty sympathetic to what I gather is Power's general critique, but that's easy for me to say. I rarely read Feministing & haven't read Valenti's books; in the case of Full Frontal Feminism, I'm so far from the target audience that I don't really have an opinion about it either way.

But I'm very sure that Valenti (followed by Doyle & Hess) does a serious disservice to Power by casting her as a dour elitist -- that's such an easy and cheap card to play, and it's so far from the mark. And, really, I just expect better from Tiger Beatdown.

(It's weird, but reading I Blame the Patriarchy just hasn't quite been the same for me ever since Jill retired Twisty Faster.)

[laurashapiro]

I haven't read Valenti's books, either, but I used to be a regular reader of Feministing, as well as Pandagon and Feministe, which have similar perspectives on feminism from what I've seen.

I agree with you that the "dour elitist" comment is unwelcome and inaccurate. How can it be elitist to encourage and support collective resistance of the disenfranchised against power structures? I guess they're talking about tone rather than content, but the remark is not helpful.

I miss Twisty, too. Her blog has changed a lot since I started reading it 6 or 7 years ago.

[violetisblue]

I like this woman. *bookmarks Infinite Thought* I have no use for Feministing, but that was the case before NP ever deadpanned (most amusingly) at it.

[crypto]

Also if you squint, she looks a bit like Alexandra Moen.

...okay, that's not really true, but I wanted to encourage you.

[violetisblue]

STOP THAT, YOU

"...proceeds to mock Nina Power, who she seems to assume is a) old, and b) dour, and c) just jealous."

So much for one of the tenets of feminism being not to resort to attacking a woman's age and/or appearance, when you disagree with her. :-/

[crypto]

Also, in the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of old, dour, jealous citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"

[sara]

As an old, dour, jealous feminist, I resemble that remark!

(Actually, my aunt's and my favorite self-epithet is "grouchy left-wing crank," which is...kinda what I want on my tombstone.)

[crypto]

I vacillate between 'grouchy' and 'curmudgeonly', but the former would fit better on a tombstone.

[sara]

Well, and I think "curmudgeonly" has a more masculine connotation. Although if men can bitch (and whoa, can they ever), perhaps women can curmudge.

[crypto]

That's why curmudging is a feminist issue. I would fully support you in reclaiming the proud heritage of female curmudgeons!

[sara]

Honestly, after this morning's household hoo-bah and this afternoon's as-yet-unsuccessful attempt to upgrade the professionalstuff blog's back-end software, I am about to reclaim my proud heritage of slaughtering my enemies, dumping their bodies on my dungheap, and lighting their corpses on fire feminine curmudging.

[crypto]

Eek. The morning hoo-bah sounded bad enough, but back-end software woes too?

I'd offer you haggis and whiskey for Burns night, but feel free to substitute.

[sara]

I have completely killed my main professional online presence! WOOT!

I think I have to wait until I get home from class tonight to break out the whiskey, but I am increasingly certain that there will be whiskey happening.

[vehemently]

I will put my hand on my heart and describe myself as a female curmudgeon, every day of the week. And twice on Sundays! Matinee half-price!

[sara]

I know better than to argue with you about this. I do.

[vehemently]

This just proves that you know, deep down, that I am a curmudgeon. Ipso facto and considerable other incomprehensible Latin!

[sara]

Hey now, that's hardly incomprehensible. I suffered through a solid year of prep-school Latin, and I have a Black's Law Dictionary downstairs.

[cofax7]

Given your age relative to my own, I deny you the right to self-describe as "old".

"dour" you may have, if you insist.

[sara]

*snicker* Yeah, you're so old. Old old old. Which I know because you whinge about your advancing years every time you kick my ass at some physical task.

[cathexys]

Oh taz...I haven't even thought of taz in years (it was a regular in our math department oh so many years ago :)

See, she had me at the title...anyone building on and adding to Marcuse is great in my book....yes, the badiou loving, i don't quite get either, so i hear that anyone who's anyone in continental philosophy loves him :) but the rest...i wanna read that book now!!!

[crypto]

I know, it's a great title! I was surprised that nobody's used it already.

(I like the idea of your math department as a hotbed of leftism.)

[cathexys]

Well, the thing was...it had a range of daily and weekly newspapers, they had their own small orchestra...we discussed plato and pynchon and plath :)

The lack of science/math knowledge in the humanities always struck me blatantly because the opposite was so not true!

But yes, hotbed of leftism indeed (the 60s hadn't left even in the 80s yet :)

[crypto]

With the exception of a comp lit professor who encouraged me to read up on cybernetics and information theory when I was doing a paper on Pynchon, I can definitely vouch for the lack of science/math knowledge in the humanities in my day. :(

[lo_rez]

>>when I was doing a paper on Pynchon

OMG SQUEEE!

That is all.

[crypto]

Just call me The Crypto of Lot 49. *g*

It's so nice to see you around! I hope you're doing well.

[lo_rez]

Crypto is such a Pynchonesque handle! And thank you! I'm speed-reading my flist between back-to-back seminars at present. I swear I'm going to have a life, and be commenty and post things this semester. NO REALLY.

Likewise, glad you're still posting even in the midst of policy chaos.

[crypto]

It sounds hectic, but hopefully the good kind of hectic.

I'll be back in DC this week, and I'm expecting the mood to be grim. Obama's going to announce a 3-year freeze on non-military, non-entitlement spending, even as states are still cutting budgets & programs left and right.

[lo_rez]

Christ. Say the word and we'll airlift the emergency tequila cross country. Take care.

[crypto]

Thanks! ;)

[sara]

C. told me this tonight, and all I could say was, dear Lord in heaven, I didn't think I was voting for Herbert Hoover.