Behind Steinem was a large screen, with her image projected upon it. I contemplated the symbolism of Gloria standing on the podium, alongside her larger-than-life size image. Like other public leaders, she has represented so much to so many. For countless women, she is the personification of their own struggle with gender issues.
Red Buttons had a well-tread act that he used at celebrity roasts. The punch line was about all the famous people in history that “never got a dinner.” It was kind of like Rodney Dangerfield complaining that he didn’t get any respect. On the evening of May 21st, women in New York City had the opportunity to come out and support two events that proved achievers of the female gender were getting their due.
I knew I was in for a different type of experience when the girl standing next to the balloons and boxes of animal crackers ushered me into the cavernous space of the Skylight Studios for the Mediabistro Circus, billed as “a 2-day summit on technology and the critical platforms changing the flow of media.”
Dorchen Leiderholdt, founder of CATW, has a clear-cut point of view about the motives of the subscription cable giant. She said, “HBO cynically labels ‘Cathouse’ as a documentary, when in fact it packages prostitution as entertainment.”
The need for citizens to become part of the conversation on a continuum of concerns has never been greater. Through personal action, their influence and clout can impact the larger picture. As Margaret Meade wisely said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Perhaps the most starkly emotive narrative of the set is Mukhtaran Mai’s story of survival and redemption. She was gang-raped by four men as retribution for an “honor crime” supposedly committed by her twelve year old brother (allegedly he held hands with a girl from a higher-caste tribe).
The symposium, “The Feminist Future: Theory and Practice in the Visual Arts,” January 26 – 27, proclaimed a new era while dealing with many of the concerns debated among women in other fields. How do you engage different generations in dialogue? Is the term “feminist” obsolete? Amid advances, why do so many feel overlooked?
"The Jump Rope Line" by Marcia G. Yerman is included in the Seal Press anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
Published at:
