post class EM 11/14 class

The Tuesday evening class was very enlightening. The women took the floor and the men were the standby i.e. not the ruling hegemony – for less than an hour. I found the women were the usual – very intuitive and fluid in their communication style. The men were obviously somewhat frustrated by their limited ability to communicate. Writing is so removed. They would write and the women would accept or dismiss their ideas. I’ve never thought of my classes as dominated by men. On the other hand I’ve never noticed the women in my classes taking on secondary communication roles. Perhaps this is a far less obvious concept that has been expanded on by Cixous.
Cixous concepts of feminism are in some way similar to Derrida’s logocentrism. Language by its own nature is part of a system of binary opposites and/or hierarchical constructs. The spoken word was more dominate in our recent class – the written word seemed to take on a secondary less significant role. Cixous combined Derrrida’s concept of logocentrism and kicked it up another notch to phallogocentrism. Is the masculine the primary referent for our language (English)? Perhaps this class reminds us why popular psychologists make millions writing books like Men are from Mars/Women from Venus. Men and women must communicate differently or do they perceive what is being communicated differently. Men could have fewer tonal expressions in what they speak? Women might sound shrill and high pitched when agitated or angry. No doubt there are anthropologists slaving away trying to answer these questions.
“Every woman has known the torture of beginning to speak aloud” (bell hooks 163)
It seems somewhat tragic that so many women strongly identify with this statement. There have been times when I’ve had chauvinistic men try to put me in my place. I’ve taken my stand. I don’t get angry as much as I pity the men who feel threatened.
“We turned away from our bodies” (bell hooks 164) Will this be the new feminists’ frontier – Jamie Lee Curtis “clutch the pearls” – sat for a photo shoot untouched. She admits she is in her fifties and will not be have any more plastic surgery. She plans to age naturally. This is considered brave for an actress vying for jobs in Hollywood – The parts are slim for older un-touched women. Although there are new difficulties in finding 50 and 60 year old actresses who actually look their age. Most of them are fit and tone and look ten to fifteen years younger. The co modification of beauty is an Adorno concept – Trapped in sameness. Perhaps women and men will be able to take the next step and revel in their own personal unique style.

Perhaps Dr. Rog would consider - starting a POMO ashram. -- I see a movement afoot.