My fourteen year old son has been telling me about film camp and the movie they produced. The very first thing he said about the movie a few days ago was "We passed the Bechdel test!"
While he was writing the script, he went to the director and mentioned the above quote and then told the kid that he would like to make one of the female characters the hero of the story. Hooray! As an aside, he also mentioned that there was a boy there telling all these really bad jokes. One of which was:
Q:"What's worse than a bee sting?"
A: "Women's Rights."
Q: " What's worse than Women's Rights?"
A: "Two bee stings."
I was shocked (possibly naively) asked him how that joke would sound with "Women" replaced by a word such as "African Americans" or "Children."
It's my own fault. It's who I follow on twitter and subscribe to in my feeds. It's stirring and stirring and will no longer be ignored, no matter how much I tell myself that it. is. a. rabbit. hole. and that I don't have the time or effort to apply to understanding it, and if I don't understand or fully comprehend it and do something about it then I have no right to feel or talk about it.
Funny how my self-talk is the antithesis of all that is rumbling inside me. The argument is lazy. It's easy. Frankly, it's embarrassing to admit that the reason I haven't read and pursued these issues (at present the three front runners are Feminism, Human Trafficking and Hunger) in the past is because I just can't imagine how I'm going to manage to SAVE ALL THE PEOPLE. Because that's what it means when you understand a problem, right? You have to do something about it.
I am afraid to post these things because I judge myself harshly on the whole "practice what you preach" issue. But maybe I don't have to write books and preach sermons. I evidently have instilled some of this into my son without much preaching. Maybe I'm not the next Tillie Burgin. Maybe I just live it. It's not large scale. It's not earth shattering. But it's where I am. My mantra for right now is:
On that note, here are some links to good sources:
Sarah Bessey is a fav and this is one of many good articles on Christian Feminism.
As is Addie Zierman's series One Small Change is freeing, eye opening and a relief to women like me who want to do something, but hesitate because it feels so "all or nothing."
Danielle Vermeer's blog is also wonderful
and of course, Rachel Held Evans. Bless her.
3 comments:
Thanks for writing your thoughts on this - in your usual wit and clarity. I feel much more in the fog about it all than you, but I do love your present mantra, which says it for me too. I feel I SHOULD be more interested in being involved in the solution, because I'm indeed one of the privileged few, and I have been the receiver of soooo much grace. The best I can do is live in my world with that same grace and where I find it possible to respond with more, to do so.
Wow!!
Your blog is so deep and thought provoking.
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