Activist Art: A Thousand Cuts
Completed September 2009.
~10"x~11"; pen&ink on watercolor paper.
Why are you taking this so personally?
This entire piece is an answer to that last question. When you are bombarded every day from every direction with questions and statements that lessen your worth as a woman, question your judgement, undermine your experiences, and collectively make the very loud statement that what I say and experience matters far less than how I look and what men think, it's damned hard NOT to take it personally, or to not get upset at yet another person mouthing tired misogynistic tropes without thinking them through.
When I showed this piece to a friend, she termed it "the death of a thousand cuts", hence the title. Any one statement might be innocent, but collectively they are devastating.
If you just took a nicer tone, I'm sure more people would listen.
Don't go and spoil things for everyone else!
At least you're not in [...]
Social change happens slowly.
One step at a time.
You can't have everything at once.
Anyway, I've never seen that.
I would never do that!
You just hate all men.
See, you're sexist too!
If you really wanted change you would be trying to educate people, not attack them.
I never asked for privilege!
You're just making excuses for your lack of success.
If you just really worked at it...
Of course I take you seriously.
Why are you so angry?
Sexism hurts men too!
I have lots of female friends.
My opinions are based in fact, whereas your 'experiences' are just a statistical fluke.
Where's your objectivity?
You're just paranoid.
It's just nature.
You're afraid of your own sexuality.
You just haven't met the right man.
I guess I'm just old-fashioned.
Did you see what she was wearing?
She had to expect that something like this would happen.
Sure, her mouth said no, but her body said something else.
You know how you women are.
Can't you take a joke?
I'm a nice guy, why won't you [...]
You'd be a lot happier if you [...]
Why are you taking this so personally?
Read my blog post about this piece.
Original is for sale. Contact the artist for more information.
Prints are available at my Redbubble site.
~10"x~11"; pen&ink on watercolor paper.
Why are you taking this so personally?
This entire piece is an answer to that last question. When you are bombarded every day from every direction with questions and statements that lessen your worth as a woman, question your judgement, undermine your experiences, and collectively make the very loud statement that what I say and experience matters far less than how I look and what men think, it's damned hard NOT to take it personally, or to not get upset at yet another person mouthing tired misogynistic tropes without thinking them through.
When I showed this piece to a friend, she termed it "the death of a thousand cuts", hence the title. Any one statement might be innocent, but collectively they are devastating.
Text:
Women have equal rights now, what's your problem?If you just took a nicer tone, I'm sure more people would listen.
Don't go and spoil things for everyone else!
At least you're not in [...]
Social change happens slowly.
One step at a time.
You can't have everything at once.
Anyway, I've never seen that.
I would never do that!
You just hate all men.
See, you're sexist too!
If you really wanted change you would be trying to educate people, not attack them.
I never asked for privilege!
You're just making excuses for your lack of success.
If you just really worked at it...
Of course I take you seriously.
Why are you so angry?
Sexism hurts men too!
I have lots of female friends.
My opinions are based in fact, whereas your 'experiences' are just a statistical fluke.
Where's your objectivity?
You're just paranoid.
It's just nature.
You're afraid of your own sexuality.
You just haven't met the right man.
I guess I'm just old-fashioned.
Did you see what she was wearing?
She had to expect that something like this would happen.
Sure, her mouth said no, but her body said something else.
You know how you women are.
Can't you take a joke?
I'm a nice guy, why won't you [...]
You'd be a lot happier if you [...]
Why are you taking this so personally?
Read my blog post about this piece.
Original is for sale. Contact the artist for more information.
Prints are available at my Redbubble site.