Rumours

Sadly, I write not of Stevie and her gang, even if she is a gypsy and reminds me every day that I am too. You can see yours too, folks.

But I’m writing about rumors of the stateside/blogging variety. I’ve heard a few things. Let’s break it down, though not Buckingham style. You’re gonna have to go buy those albums (assuming your local record shop didn’t long ago close its doors):

Rumor 1: I am a bad writer if I don’t blog. Or, I’m certainly a less relevant one. I find myself thinking the opposite. Who remains prolific if they never shut up? What if they never were? Why sample your shit for the masses? What happens when the book comes out and everyone can find it in your archives? Cribbing from yourself isn’t cool – at least not in a known context.

Rumor 2: I am a failure if I’m not asked to “guest blog.” Sorry, I was never into nepotism, and no, I would not be honored to spend my afternoon linking to a bunch of other “feminist” blog posts because you need ad revenue and are too busy to post that shit yourself. Spreading my analysis is hott, but rounding up what other people say without further commentary just doesn’t do it for me.

Rumor 3: I am not a radical feminist blogger because I don’t have a blog for that explicit purpose. This may also lead to Rumor 4. But hang on. I did have one (see, your version of cred – I did try to conform). I just got sick of trolls, multiple blogs, and participating in that kind of dialogue online. Why replicate our efforts, and why are they digital? Go do some work in your community. I’m real tired of screens as a mirage of solidarity. I am a radical feminist, and sometimes, in various locations, I blog. Thus, you are wrong.

Rumor 4: I am not a radical feminist because I don’t blog explicitly about it. That’s like saying I’m not a woman. It is inherent to my being, my relationships with others, my work. Did radical feminists not exist pre-weblogs? Please. We live so far on the fringes, I’m surprised most of us even bother with digital publishing. We have zines and journals you’ve never heard of. We live a world apart, intentionally. I don’t bring my politics to a general audience because I have no patience. Yes, this makes me a “bad” activist. I am more than fine with that.

Here are a few somewhat unrelated truths, for the sake of balance:

Truth 1: Radical feminists love men. Was it always this easy? Fuck no, and fuck if I know very many folks who get this heterosexual thing right – or the love thing in general. But radical feminists can be radical communicators, and they can meet them in men, too.

Truth 2: We are not all in this together. It is a sad reality. We are a fractured people. I spend more time worrying about animals than my sisters because I always know the animals, and we will understand each other. And when we don’t, it’s impossible to take personally.

Truth 3: I was nearly thrown off my high school newspaper staff for hanging out with the atheist Marxist among us. After he was gone, they came after me. I quit because it wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t allowed to write the truth, and it never has anything to do with how well you write anyway.

Truth 4: Writing pitches is often more time consuming and energetically draining than working on the actual piece. I so fear rejection b/c I wrote a form letter, I spend too much time making nice in my introduction. Then again, it usually works.

I know Stevie wanted the little lies, but I can’t stand them. Or maybe she didn’t. That was the era of the other woman, Christine McVie. Close your eyes if you have to, but if you aren’t outraged at this world, you aren’t paying attention.