andrea dworkin

With the passing of Andrea Dworkin, I want to write some reflections on this much-maligned person.

The first time I read her name, it was in a trashy independent comic strip, called "Spacemoose". In the strip, she was made out to be like Jabba the Hutt, and attacks a pizza delivery man.

Reading about her life, it looks like she suffered a lot from violence at the hands of men. I have met some people who have been victims of violence (of various kinds) and who end up becoming hateful, which may have been the case for this person, I don't know. Initially, I didn't think there is anything wrong with starting some kind of women-only lesbian community. After all, there is a gay village here in Montreal, which serves a large segment of society. It is a thriving community and is an important part of the Montreal landscape, not to mention producing the biggest parade in Montreal. There is nothing wrong with ghettoization, in my opinion, if it is done by choice.

But then again, if one makes a comparison with race, then the idea of a women-only society does seem mysandric. After all, when Malcolm X wanted to form a black-only state in the USA, he was rightly criticized for this view. A number of Israeli zionists like Meir Kahane have advocated similar racist views. Separate but equal usually does not mean equal at all.

I agree with Dworkin on the idea that casual sex is generally a bad thing in that it often demeans people - both men and women. Pornography should be classified as hate literature if it is violent. I think that depictions of rape and bondage are illegal, as they should be.

Dworkin was a radical. And although there is nothing wrong with being radical per se, it seems to me that she lost sight of the humanist values that mark the lives of such activists as Gloria Steinem and Erica Jong (I bought and read "Fear of Flying" as a teenager because it had a sexy cover). It seems like the most noble proponents of feminism, civil rights, and the gay rights movement were intending to make all of society a better place, and to speak to our ideals, rather than our fears or animosities.

it's time to spill my guts...

Today I got hired to work as a telephone sales rep for a large department store. Next week, I begin my training. Mo' money = mo' options. Right now, I am just getting by.

It's time to break a little secret... my living situation is really the pits. It would be nice to move to a better apartment, but that will have to wait until I can be sure of a reference from my current landlord (not very likely, as relations are strained) or a job (which seems to be on its way)

A typical incident: last night I went to sleep at 11 PM, and then woke up at 4:30 AM, for no apparent reason. Then I heard my neighbors walking around, and knew it must have been them. What can I do? Nothing. The same thing happened the night before (in bed at midnite, and woken up at 6:30.) That is why I have bags under my eyes just about all the time.

A while ago, I used to play guitar at bars until 1 or 2 in the morning, but I don't do that anymore. I used to read in the evenings, but don't now. I have changed my habits, because this apartment just does not contain any noise.

the snore stopper

At a local electronics store, I noticed this device, which purports to stop snoring. Along with snoring, I tend to talk in my sleep. So I figure that this is a habit which is annoying enough to make this product worth the $80 price tag.

my first and last freestyle

I phoned into Off The Hook last week (that's wednesday the lucky 13'th) for the first time, and it will be my last for at least a year, maybe forever. It wasn't good - I can't do freestyle.

the ancient history of production

My latest ear candy is the classic Kind of Blue. The original recording was very slow, so Miles Davis took the tape and recorded it again on double speed. The faster version was released in 1957, and it was only after his death in 1991 that the original recording was released, which is now the only one that is available.

I have the original release on CD, which is now a collector's item. Any readers can feel free to give me a blank tape, and I will copy one for you.

my diverse family

Once in a while, I like to put something personal onto the net.

When I was young, I had a picture painted for me by my uncle, painted John Wilson. It hangs in my mother's house now, since my apartment is so small.

A few years ago, I had a roommate who was from Cameroon. When I told him that I had black folks in my family, he asked me if I had visited them. It seemed like such a ridiculous question to me. I said that yes, we visited them along with our white and jewish relatives.

When somebody follows a religion, like I follow judaism, there are always going to be people who think that this makes me a racist, a sexist, or a homophobe. I am none of these things, and it bothers me to have to deal with such suspicion.


[* On the topic of the non-traditional family, I might as well add that my mother's step-brother is gay, and also black, and lives with his partner in New York. He is super-cool and has been a great role model throughout my life (he gave me my first Dylan album). ]

the art of communication

Non-verbal signals (presence and absence of...) are probably the most underrated social skill. I am not good at reading things like this.

Who knows - maybe it could one day save my life...

wisdom

#

"beer before liquor? never been sicker

liquor before beer, you're in the clear."


Is this true?

see also...(in french)

congrats to Evolution

Although they are not the party that I voted for, my congratulations to this year's CSU winners, the Evolution party.

For some reason, my Concordia Link account is not working - I can log in (my user name is Tambourine_Man), but when I post, there is an error message. It started last Friday, at the same time that I had problems with blogger. Hmm...

My last message was a reply to the user named "Black Lotus" (sounds creepy enough) asking why he used the name "Ron Jeremy" on his post. But I forgot to change the subject heading, so it looks as if I am making accusations against the Evolution party.

Flyering can not by any stretch of the imagination be called cheating. Unethical campaigning, maybe, but there's lots of that to go around. For the record, I think Lotus's comments are bogus.

eventfulness

Last night there was a fire near my house. I don't really know what to write about it. It put out the power in my apartment. I was listening to music at the time, and thought I had blown a fuse until I heard the fire alarm (it just beeps - it's not really loud). I actually packed my Inorganic textbook and lab manual, picked up my guitar, and said goodbye to my apartment.

Apparently five people are now homeless. I hope they have friends or family to stay with. I wonder what it would be like to be homeless, and hope that I never have to find out.

---------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote a story which you can read here.

---------------------------------------------------------------

It's a drag to have to come to the library or the computer labs every time I want to log on. I am looking forward to getting my home computer connected this summer.

atheism and religious tolerance

Recently, I read one of my favorite weekly columnists, who was promoting a book entitled The End of Faith. At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, I think that this is one of those books that proposes atheism as a cure to most of the world's problems. Somewhat like Jacques Chirac has done with the public schools in France, but on a larger scale.

Me, I am not like most Jews (aside from being poor and somewhat detached from the community) in that I am able to hear different points of view without getting upset. And I always try to keep an open mind.

A bit of personal history here (maybe you will think it is just paranoia.) For months, I have been circulating a petition against electronic voting in the USA, like with the machines manufactured by Diebold and Triad. And for months, both my mother and I have received prank phone calls. I have received a number of vague threats on the internet. In addition, some people have been posting on the net using my name, in an attempt to ruin my reputation.

I am afraid of being a victim of American violence, or of having this affect someone close to me. I am naturally a shy and introverted person, and generally keep to myself. In the short term, it actually seems like the best thing for me to do. I do not want my life or my reputation ruined. At the moment, I am learning German in the hope of leaving this country, at least for a few years.

My friends, without my faith in God, and my faith in the justice that will eventually come to all wrongdoers, I would not be able to continue - it is my source of hope for a better future for myself and for this world. It gives me strength to continue.

When a book or a column is well-written, with wisdom, humor and wit, I'll probably want to read it regardless of whether I agree with its politics. Perhaps the mark of civilization is not the systematic destruction of traditions, but rather acceptance of the diversity of beliefs.