[Marxism] Re: Female Pundits Could Use Help With Hate Mail

["Steffie Brooks" <steffie.brooks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Louis,

My apologies if you took offense. I meant no comparison between
marxmail (which I value highly) and other blogs etc.

I posted the commentary to indicate that women are often attacked or
intimidated (in the outer world) for posting their opinions. For
deigning to act like authorities.

Again, marxmail is NOT that kind of environment but women, I think,
have experiences in the outside world that cause us to feel on the
defensive when expressing ourselves. This might explain women's
hesitancy to express opinions on left lists, including but not
confined to this one.

In my opinion, however, the absence of more women posters is due to a
tendency by women to disengage from gladiatorial combat in the
ideological sphere, unless the stakes are clear in practical concrete
terms. Again, I don't mean to indict marxmail or other left lists for
any kind of excess or sinfulness. I just feel (but can't prove it
beyond anecdotal experience) that the tenor of the discussions, when
they become contests of rhetorical prowess, are not very appetizing to
most women.

Louis, I think you misread me. But if I expressed myself poorly, I
apologize. I truly value marxmail and hope you and all your members
and posters will continue on. I regret Louise unsubscribed and wish
her back.

Steffie

On 6/2/06, Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Steffi wrote:
> >An interesting commentary in light of the current discussion on why
> >women don't participate very much on political discussion lists.
>
>  >>I was called everything from "bitch" to "whore" and was often addressed
> as "sweetie" or "honey" before a launch of expletives. Most attackers took
> the position that I was just a cute, dumb college student (even though I
> was in my late 20s) in an effort to discredit me and I was most reliably
> attacked by a collection of right-wing Web sites and right-wing men who
> sent me letters.<<
>
> How does this relate to woman's participation here, PEN-L or LBO-Talk? I
> find even the comparison so offensive that I am inclined to shut Marxmail
> down. I have a grueling job and other political goals that compete with my
> limited time. The notion that woman do not post here because of fear of
> being called a "bitch" or a "whore" is a slander, to put it bluntly.
> Perhaps Ed George, Steffi and Louise Walker want to set up another Marxism
> list on Yahoo that will not run into the problems they have complained
> about here. But I will not allow charges that this is some kind of
> cyber-version of American Psycho to go unchallenged. I have too much
> self-respect.

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