cut down by men in a talk on feminism
in my chicano studies class were talking about women this week. we finished watching Real Women Have Curves today and compared it to the play. A couple TAs and the professor were recording questions we have for the author, since she'll be here next week, and i offered on of the first points. if you dont feel like reading skip the next paragraph, the interseting part, and get to the travesty.
I asked what specific influences josefina lopez's (author of play and co-screenwriter of film) co-screen writer had in adapting the play. the main point, obvioulsy, was that he was male and the film has males in it in the first place, and they're all relied on rather than just being abusive or fuck-ups like in the play. secondly, this is an HBO movie; it was adapted to suit the usual hollywood audience, and that's the legit reason they gave her a "helper" in the first place, to adapt her play to the screen (but they can't let a feminist minority say whatever she likes so it had to be a man. men go to the movies too, right? can't let a film talk only about one sex, oh no, gotta watch out for the satisfaction of all the men with wallets out there. by the way, an example: many many men i talk to didnt like the hours, so of course they dont understand why it was in the theater, why it got good reviews, and why they made it in the first place, but even more...why they put up with seeing it. umm...hollywood generally makes movies so that they're at least acceptable to white men ages 18-30, something like that. im not one of those and i can't stand most of hte movies i see; thats why i dont watch them. that's why for all its genius the simpsons has major flaws, why romantic comedies are all the same, why i can't relate to superheros, and why i fall asleep during quentin tarantinos movies. they may be good, but they don't reach out to me in any way, do they? the hours did, real women have curves did (though much less because, no doubt, of that man's influence, and certain other movies, i guess, did too).
so my question was what role the male screen writer had in changing the play. i figure that covers all those things, and i said a little somehting to make that clear.
4 questions later a male TA at the back of the room, who you can tell (from his voice) just looked up from whatever other work was on his desk for the first time during the period, says "so, was the other screen writer a man?" yes, he was, if you had watched the credits when it was pointed out, and listened to a few things the professor said about him, and to my question carefully, you'd know that..."well, what changes did he make to the play?' oh sweet lord! this is a teacher and head of the chicano resource and step to college programs, someone whos supposed to be backing up the material, supporting the chicana girls here who had to fight hard to get into college and have a hard time getting heard, still, because they are women of color and many of them are overweight. im not, but i look grungy, short hair, no bra, boyfriends t-shirt, paint stained pants, baggy faded zipper-hoodie... what could possibly be the reason that this man didnt listen to me, and that the teachers, first of all, didnt record the key word in my question: Male, so that they had to write his up there under mine (same question except for the word man). second of all, why didnt they discuss it when i asked, and when he did they all had a thing or two to say. you have to take my word that i spoke just as loudly and clearly and probingly as he did, only i didnt have to ask if he was a man first, i already knew what i was talking about. im furious.
i should have told larry, the professor, he would have liked me to but i just walked out (on my way out that same TA was asking for extra time to grade his papers). even in environments like this there's still oppression. you know, i will mention it on monday. this isnt ok, and this is a social change class, community studies. he'll want to know that i was infuriated to be reminded that its here too, that it permeates society adn that we can study but were still a part of it and have to look from the inside, thats the whole point of community studies anyway, isnt it?
i dont think ive ever felt more muffled by anyone in my whole life. i couldnt say anything, or so i thought, because it would have been rude. now i know he was rude, and i needed to be rude back, but that's the difference between men and women, or so thats the impression i get from all three of my classes this quarter -- women know what's wrong and what's right. men do what htey can for acceptance or power (there may be very very few exceptions, but regardless how good the man is, i dont know any that will really admit that women know better (than other men, thats easy for them to say) than they are. women do it all the time, the smart ones only when its true, but they do when its true. yeah, speaking out would have been right, but im not gonna get into that.
I asked what specific influences josefina lopez's (author of play and co-screenwriter of film) co-screen writer had in adapting the play. the main point, obvioulsy, was that he was male and the film has males in it in the first place, and they're all relied on rather than just being abusive or fuck-ups like in the play. secondly, this is an HBO movie; it was adapted to suit the usual hollywood audience, and that's the legit reason they gave her a "helper" in the first place, to adapt her play to the screen (but they can't let a feminist minority say whatever she likes so it had to be a man. men go to the movies too, right? can't let a film talk only about one sex, oh no, gotta watch out for the satisfaction of all the men with wallets out there. by the way, an example: many many men i talk to didnt like the hours, so of course they dont understand why it was in the theater, why it got good reviews, and why they made it in the first place, but even more...why they put up with seeing it. umm...hollywood generally makes movies so that they're at least acceptable to white men ages 18-30, something like that. im not one of those and i can't stand most of hte movies i see; thats why i dont watch them. that's why for all its genius the simpsons has major flaws, why romantic comedies are all the same, why i can't relate to superheros, and why i fall asleep during quentin tarantinos movies. they may be good, but they don't reach out to me in any way, do they? the hours did, real women have curves did (though much less because, no doubt, of that man's influence, and certain other movies, i guess, did too).
so my question was what role the male screen writer had in changing the play. i figure that covers all those things, and i said a little somehting to make that clear.
4 questions later a male TA at the back of the room, who you can tell (from his voice) just looked up from whatever other work was on his desk for the first time during the period, says "so, was the other screen writer a man?" yes, he was, if you had watched the credits when it was pointed out, and listened to a few things the professor said about him, and to my question carefully, you'd know that..."well, what changes did he make to the play?' oh sweet lord! this is a teacher and head of the chicano resource and step to college programs, someone whos supposed to be backing up the material, supporting the chicana girls here who had to fight hard to get into college and have a hard time getting heard, still, because they are women of color and many of them are overweight. im not, but i look grungy, short hair, no bra, boyfriends t-shirt, paint stained pants, baggy faded zipper-hoodie... what could possibly be the reason that this man didnt listen to me, and that the teachers, first of all, didnt record the key word in my question: Male, so that they had to write his up there under mine (same question except for the word man). second of all, why didnt they discuss it when i asked, and when he did they all had a thing or two to say. you have to take my word that i spoke just as loudly and clearly and probingly as he did, only i didnt have to ask if he was a man first, i already knew what i was talking about. im furious.
i should have told larry, the professor, he would have liked me to but i just walked out (on my way out that same TA was asking for extra time to grade his papers). even in environments like this there's still oppression. you know, i will mention it on monday. this isnt ok, and this is a social change class, community studies. he'll want to know that i was infuriated to be reminded that its here too, that it permeates society adn that we can study but were still a part of it and have to look from the inside, thats the whole point of community studies anyway, isnt it?
i dont think ive ever felt more muffled by anyone in my whole life. i couldnt say anything, or so i thought, because it would have been rude. now i know he was rude, and i needed to be rude back, but that's the difference between men and women, or so thats the impression i get from all three of my classes this quarter -- women know what's wrong and what's right. men do what htey can for acceptance or power (there may be very very few exceptions, but regardless how good the man is, i dont know any that will really admit that women know better (than other men, thats easy for them to say) than they are. women do it all the time, the smart ones only when its true, but they do when its true. yeah, speaking out would have been right, but im not gonna get into that.