Comments on: Prepping for the Russ Special

By: Sean the Bookonaut

Sean the Bookonaut — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:12:57 +0000

Only one copy of it in public libraries in South Australia (as I might have mentioned it once or twice before).

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:26:42 +0000

I’d lend you mine if I was going to see you soon. It’s pretty awesome stuff. Still, have you read the short story we also review? When it Changed – is available free online.

By: Zoe

Zoe — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:33:01 +0000

Damnit, I was hoping to have read that book before the podcast, I haven’t been able to track down a loan of a copy of How To Suppress Women’s Writing). I was blown away by The Female Man, I keep trying to write a coherent review and just failing.

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:23:38 +0000

See, that it doesn’t track with you, is cause … you get it. But to all those other men out there who don’t think that women can write or do write or write any good or that you know there is sexism of any kind out there … well they think the analogy fits – that in the case of privilege, now is “good enough” – cause they don’t see their privilege and to them, they don’t need to change the way they view the world, they like the view. It’s comfy and “good enough”. And for them, this is what the world is supposed to be like. You can see it whenever there is a suggestion that things might need to be altered and they freak out.

By: Niall

Niall — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:44:18 +0000

I don’t think that really tracks, because in the case of privilege abolishing the “good enough” — which is not really a “good enough” — would make things better for the majority of people, whereas in the case of astronomy, abolishing the “good enough” — which actually is good enough for daily life — would make life worse for everyone.

By: AlisaK

AlisaK — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:14:08 +0000

But isn't that also the point? The social-cultural privilege of our present situation is good enough for those who profit from it and those are the ones with the power to change it, should that want to. Cept they think they are the centre.

By: Niall

Niall — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 07:56:01 +0000

Much as I admire the book — and that second quote is spot-on — I’ve always had a bit of a problem with that astronomical analogy. Leaving aside the fact that (so far as I know) it’s still possible there will eventually be a Big Crunch, which would mean the universe does have a centre, the fact is that people behave as though the Earth goes around the sun because it is good enough for daily life; and that belief was adopted over geocentrism because it offered practical improvements, such as a more accurate understanding of seasons. We haven’t adopted the more general cosmological view not just because it doesn’t offer such improvements, but because it would make a nonsense out of trying to live on this planet. I don’t think that’s a good model for the social-cultural privilege, really; our present situation is very far from good enough.

By: Sean the Bookonaut

Sean the Bookonaut — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:46:11 +0000

Tis being eagerly awaited.