Transcribe
Translate
Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971
1970-08-21 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 12
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
--con't from page 11 an ad must appeal to his desire for autonomy and freedom from conventional restrictions; to convince a woman, an ad must appeal to her need to please the male oppressor. For women, buying and wearing clothes and beauty aids is not so much consumption as work. One of a woman's jobs in this society is to be an attractive sexual object, and clothes and make-up are tools of the trade. The chief consumer in this instance is really the man, who consumes woman-as-sexual-commodity. Similarly, buying food and household furnishings is a domestic task; it is the wife's chore to pick out the commodities that will be consumed by the whole family. And appliances and cleaning materials are tools that facilitate her domestic function. When a woman spends a lot of money and time decorating her home or herself, or hunting down the latest in vacuum cleaners, it is not ideal self-indulgence (let alone the result of psychic manipulation) but a healthy attempt to find outlets for her creative energies within her circumscribed role. There is a persistent myth that a wife has control over her husband's money because she gets to spend it. Actually, she does not have much more financial autonomy than the employee of a corporation who is delegated to buy office furniture or supplies. The husband, especially if he is rich, may allow his wife wide latitude in spending-he may reason that since she has to work in the home she is entitled to furnish it to' her taste, or he may simply not want to bother with domestic details-but he retains the ultimate veto power. If he doesn't like the way his wife handles his money, she will hear about it. In most households, particularly in the working class, a wife cannot make significant expenditures, either personal or in her role as object-servant, without consulting her husband. And more often than not, according to statistics, it is the husband who makes the final decisions about furniture and appliances as well as other major expenditures like houses, cars, and vacations. Consumerism is the outgrowth of an aristocratic, European-oriented anti-materialism based on upper-class ressentiment against the rise of the vulgar bourgeois. Radical intellectuals have been attracted to this essentially reactionary position (Herbert Marcuse's view of mass culture is strikingly similar to that of conservative theorists like Ernest Van Den Hog) because it appeals to bob their dislike of capitalism and their feeling of superiority to the working class. This elitism is evident in radicals' conviction that they have seen through the system, while the average working slob is brainwashed by the media. (Oddly, no one claims that the ruling class is oppressed by commodities; it seems that rich people consume out of free choice.) Ultimately this point of view leads to a sterile emphasis on individual solutions-if only the benighted would reject their "plastic- existence and move to East Village tenements and the conclusion that people are oppressed because they are stupid or sick. The obnoxiousness of this attitude is compounded by the fact that radicals can only maintain their dropout existence so long as plenty of brain-washed workers keep the economy going. Consumerism as applied to women is blatantly sexist. The pervasive image of the empty-headed female consumer constantly trying her husband's patience with her extravagant purchases contributes to the myth of male superiority; we are incapable of spending money rationally; all we need to make us happy is a new of now and then. (There is an analogous racial stereotype-the black with his Cadillac and loud shirts.) The consumer line allows movement men to avoid recognizing that they exploit women by attributing women's oppression solely to capitalism. It fits neatly into already existing radical theory and concerns, saving the movement the trouble of tackling the real problems of women's liberation. And it retards the struggle against male supremacy by dividing women. Just as in the male movement, consumerism encourages radical women to patronize and put down other women for trying to survive as best they can, and maintains individualist illusions. If we are to build a mass movement we must recognize that no personal decision, like rejecting consumption, can alleviate our oppression. We must stop arguing about whose life-style is better (and secretly believing ours is). The task of the women's liberation movement is to collectively combat male domination in the home, in bed, on the job. When we create a political alternative to sexism, the consumer problem, if it is a problem, will take care of itself. WOOSTER,OHIO WOMEN'S LIBERATION I've been trying to write something for the sisters who are putting out this paper for two months now, it's been hard--I have to be open and truthful with you and we all know our third grade teachers taught us to mind our own business and never to trust anyone. What sweet old ladies they were-- from the top of their false hair to the tips of their fake fingernails. The saddest part is that they thought they were real. We have two specific fights in store for us; right in front of our noses--reach out and touch them.... These are the liberation of all women and the total Revolution, culminating in liberation for all of the People. There is a very obvious dichotomy here--these struggles are united and dependent upon each other, and yet, we must separate ourselves enough to keep from slipping back into the pit that we are successfully pulling out of now. Many of us have had experience with "radical" and "revolutionary" men on campus and elsewhere; they vow their support, etc., but when the shit comes down they become extremely difficult to find. We must mature within ourselves before we can presume to fight for total liberation for all. We must organize, educate and develop in every way possible. Only then will we be able to take the actions that are imperative for us to undertake. This doesn't mean that we will waste our time sitting around on our asses for years or months or weeks to come. The Revolution is here, rebellions are occurring daily and our brothers and sisters are getting busted altogether too often. Time is short, so we must use it to our best advantage. It is necessary for us to develop a true sisterhood. We have to pull ourselves together and become a cohesive group before we can confront the Man. Once this is done, the Revolution will be realized in its fullest. We have to know each other and trust, really trust each other. The sisters at the College of Wooster are trying to work in this direction. We can't be presumptuous to say we have achieved our ends, but we're working toward them. We want and dream of a solidarity between all of our sisters, everywhere. Several concrete methods of obtaining this goal have been discussed among us and we would like to share them with you. (Of course, this paper is a beginning step and the abortion fund spoken about in the first issue of Ain't I A Woman is another.) One of these ideas is the development of an information center and a law commune of female attourneys. If we have some sisters who know how to beat the pigs at their own game, we'll be golden. If we have a fund established for bail, we can never be handicapped or silenced by the jailing of our sister. Face it, if we are to achieve our goals, we will face confrontations with the pigs' laws. It is best to be prepared, none of us has time to waste in a cell. The need for this is obvious, Joan Bird as an example. It took 15 months to gather sufficient bail for this sister. We, also, need sisters who know the law, can fight it, and educate us about it. The information center would contain facts about abortion counseling and referral services, hiring, courses, Women's Liberation groups, etc. It would enable us to increase communication and cooperation between all our sisters. I hope that my thoughts have been coherent. My mind is all fucked up, a good friend that I love very much died recently (thanks to the pigs) and it did me in. How selfish some of us are when someone we love is gone. Really though, the main point we want to make is one that we've learned as individuals and are beginning to realize collectively. We, as sisters, love each other, let's not let that love and our beliefs be torn down by things and situations that are easily avoided or eliminated. Let's get ourselves together. All Roads Lead to the Revolution, College of Wooster Women's Liberation Front LINE BREAK MILWAUKEE WOMEN'S CENTER OPENING August 10th the Milwaukee West Side Women's Center will open. The center will be run by a collective of women from various women's liberation groups in Milwaukee. Our immediate plans include a bookstore, lending library, sex discrimination complaint center, abortion and birth control counseling, room for meetings and just plain rapping. Long term plans include working with welfare rights, women GI's, junior high school women, elderly women, day care center, setting up a complete health center, and a free university. Hopefully we will become a coordinating center for anything that affects our sisters. The address of the center is; West Side Women's Center 2110 W. Wells Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233 Since this is a new center they need all the help that we can give them. Go over and see your sisters at the center, write to them, and send them any material that you think they may be able to use. Ain't I A Women? "THIS IS YOUR PROPERTY. IT CANNOT LEGALLY BE TAKEN FROM YOU FOR ANY REASON.' A paper called Left Face is on the defensive against what they call the United States of America Department of Offense. It is published by the GIs-WACs United Against the War, for servicemen and servicewomen. GIs-WACs has more than the usual amount of bureaucratic bull-shit to cut through, whether it is planning an anti-war festival ("City officials told us that threats had been made against our lives by certain police officers.") or having to go to court for the right to distribute Left Face. Their address is P.O. Box 1595, Anniston, Alabama, 36201. An article of particular interest to women in the services concerns the hon- orable discharge given two WACs for homosexuality. Aided by the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front, the women were the first in what may be a growing number of lesbian women to force the army to change its routine persecution of female homosexuals. According to Left Face, twenty seven other WACs, mostly from Fort McClellan, have asked the Gay Liberation Front for assistance in obtaining honorable discharges. It's especially important to see some action by women in the services-- men aren't the only servicemen sold into slavery for a few precious years of their lives. Right on, GIs-WACs United Against the War! And right on, Left Face! 12 Vol-1, No. 4 AIN'T I
Saving...
prev
next
--con't from page 11 an ad must appeal to his desire for autonomy and freedom from conventional restrictions; to convince a woman, an ad must appeal to her need to please the male oppressor. For women, buying and wearing clothes and beauty aids is not so much consumption as work. One of a woman's jobs in this society is to be an attractive sexual object, and clothes and make-up are tools of the trade. The chief consumer in this instance is really the man, who consumes woman-as-sexual-commodity. Similarly, buying food and household furnishings is a domestic task; it is the wife's chore to pick out the commodities that will be consumed by the whole family. And appliances and cleaning materials are tools that facilitate her domestic function. When a woman spends a lot of money and time decorating her home or herself, or hunting down the latest in vacuum cleaners, it is not ideal self-indulgence (let alone the result of psychic manipulation) but a healthy attempt to find outlets for her creative energies within her circumscribed role. There is a persistent myth that a wife has control over her husband's money because she gets to spend it. Actually, she does not have much more financial autonomy than the employee of a corporation who is delegated to buy office furniture or supplies. The husband, especially if he is rich, may allow his wife wide latitude in spending-he may reason that since she has to work in the home she is entitled to furnish it to' her taste, or he may simply not want to bother with domestic details-but he retains the ultimate veto power. If he doesn't like the way his wife handles his money, she will hear about it. In most households, particularly in the working class, a wife cannot make significant expenditures, either personal or in her role as object-servant, without consulting her husband. And more often than not, according to statistics, it is the husband who makes the final decisions about furniture and appliances as well as other major expenditures like houses, cars, and vacations. Consumerism is the outgrowth of an aristocratic, European-oriented anti-materialism based on upper-class ressentiment against the rise of the vulgar bourgeois. Radical intellectuals have been attracted to this essentially reactionary position (Herbert Marcuse's view of mass culture is strikingly similar to that of conservative theorists like Ernest Van Den Hog) because it appeals to bob their dislike of capitalism and their feeling of superiority to the working class. This elitism is evident in radicals' conviction that they have seen through the system, while the average working slob is brainwashed by the media. (Oddly, no one claims that the ruling class is oppressed by commodities; it seems that rich people consume out of free choice.) Ultimately this point of view leads to a sterile emphasis on individual solutions-if only the benighted would reject their "plastic- existence and move to East Village tenements and the conclusion that people are oppressed because they are stupid or sick. The obnoxiousness of this attitude is compounded by the fact that radicals can only maintain their dropout existence so long as plenty of brain-washed workers keep the economy going. Consumerism as applied to women is blatantly sexist. The pervasive image of the empty-headed female consumer constantly trying her husband's patience with her extravagant purchases contributes to the myth of male superiority; we are incapable of spending money rationally; all we need to make us happy is a new of now and then. (There is an analogous racial stereotype-the black with his Cadillac and loud shirts.) The consumer line allows movement men to avoid recognizing that they exploit women by attributing women's oppression solely to capitalism. It fits neatly into already existing radical theory and concerns, saving the movement the trouble of tackling the real problems of women's liberation. And it retards the struggle against male supremacy by dividing women. Just as in the male movement, consumerism encourages radical women to patronize and put down other women for trying to survive as best they can, and maintains individualist illusions. If we are to build a mass movement we must recognize that no personal decision, like rejecting consumption, can alleviate our oppression. We must stop arguing about whose life-style is better (and secretly believing ours is). The task of the women's liberation movement is to collectively combat male domination in the home, in bed, on the job. When we create a political alternative to sexism, the consumer problem, if it is a problem, will take care of itself. WOOSTER,OHIO WOMEN'S LIBERATION I've been trying to write something for the sisters who are putting out this paper for two months now, it's been hard--I have to be open and truthful with you and we all know our third grade teachers taught us to mind our own business and never to trust anyone. What sweet old ladies they were-- from the top of their false hair to the tips of their fake fingernails. The saddest part is that they thought they were real. We have two specific fights in store for us; right in front of our noses--reach out and touch them.... These are the liberation of all women and the total Revolution, culminating in liberation for all of the People. There is a very obvious dichotomy here--these struggles are united and dependent upon each other, and yet, we must separate ourselves enough to keep from slipping back into the pit that we are successfully pulling out of now. Many of us have had experience with "radical" and "revolutionary" men on campus and elsewhere; they vow their support, etc., but when the shit comes down they become extremely difficult to find. We must mature within ourselves before we can presume to fight for total liberation for all. We must organize, educate and develop in every way possible. Only then will we be able to take the actions that are imperative for us to undertake. This doesn't mean that we will waste our time sitting around on our asses for years or months or weeks to come. The Revolution is here, rebellions are occurring daily and our brothers and sisters are getting busted altogether too often. Time is short, so we must use it to our best advantage. It is necessary for us to develop a true sisterhood. We have to pull ourselves together and become a cohesive group before we can confront the Man. Once this is done, the Revolution will be realized in its fullest. We have to know each other and trust, really trust each other. The sisters at the College of Wooster are trying to work in this direction. We can't be presumptuous to say we have achieved our ends, but we're working toward them. We want and dream of a solidarity between all of our sisters, everywhere. Several concrete methods of obtaining this goal have been discussed among us and we would like to share them with you. (Of course, this paper is a beginning step and the abortion fund spoken about in the first issue of Ain't I A Woman is another.) One of these ideas is the development of an information center and a law commune of female attourneys. If we have some sisters who know how to beat the pigs at their own game, we'll be golden. If we have a fund established for bail, we can never be handicapped or silenced by the jailing of our sister. Face it, if we are to achieve our goals, we will face confrontations with the pigs' laws. It is best to be prepared, none of us has time to waste in a cell. The need for this is obvious, Joan Bird as an example. It took 15 months to gather sufficient bail for this sister. We, also, need sisters who know the law, can fight it, and educate us about it. The information center would contain facts about abortion counseling and referral services, hiring, courses, Women's Liberation groups, etc. It would enable us to increase communication and cooperation between all our sisters. I hope that my thoughts have been coherent. My mind is all fucked up, a good friend that I love very much died recently (thanks to the pigs) and it did me in. How selfish some of us are when someone we love is gone. Really though, the main point we want to make is one that we've learned as individuals and are beginning to realize collectively. We, as sisters, love each other, let's not let that love and our beliefs be torn down by things and situations that are easily avoided or eliminated. Let's get ourselves together. All Roads Lead to the Revolution, College of Wooster Women's Liberation Front LINE BREAK MILWAUKEE WOMEN'S CENTER OPENING August 10th the Milwaukee West Side Women's Center will open. The center will be run by a collective of women from various women's liberation groups in Milwaukee. Our immediate plans include a bookstore, lending library, sex discrimination complaint center, abortion and birth control counseling, room for meetings and just plain rapping. Long term plans include working with welfare rights, women GI's, junior high school women, elderly women, day care center, setting up a complete health center, and a free university. Hopefully we will become a coordinating center for anything that affects our sisters. The address of the center is; West Side Women's Center 2110 W. Wells Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233 Since this is a new center they need all the help that we can give them. Go over and see your sisters at the center, write to them, and send them any material that you think they may be able to use. Ain't I A Women? "THIS IS YOUR PROPERTY. IT CANNOT LEGALLY BE TAKEN FROM YOU FOR ANY REASON.' A paper called Left Face is on the defensive against what they call the United States of America Department of Offense. It is published by the GIs-WACs United Against the War, for servicemen and servicewomen. GIs-WACs has more than the usual amount of bureaucratic bull-shit to cut through, whether it is planning an anti-war festival ("City officials told us that threats had been made against our lives by certain police officers.") or having to go to court for the right to distribute Left Face. Their address is P.O. Box 1595, Anniston, Alabama, 36201. An article of particular interest to women in the services concerns the hon- orable discharge given two WACs for homosexuality. Aided by the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front, the women were the first in what may be a growing number of lesbian women to force the army to change its routine persecution of female homosexuals. According to Left Face, twenty seven other WACs, mostly from Fort McClellan, have asked the Gay Liberation Front for assistance in obtaining honorable discharges. It's especially important to see some action by women in the services-- men aren't the only servicemen sold into slavery for a few precious years of their lives. Right on, GIs-WACs United Against the War! And right on, Left Face! 12 Vol-1, No. 4 AIN'T I
Campus Culture
sidebar
