How Do I Give Away This Frightening Masculine Power?

(NOTE: Based on time elapsed since the posting of this entry, the BS-o-meter calculates this is 14.472% likely to be something that Ferrett now regrets.)

Kameron Hurley has a really good post on how women’s issues don’t count until men talk about them.  Go read it.
…now.
In a sane world, that would be my link, and everyone would, in fact, go read it.  After all I’ve just all but told you, “She says something so well and beautifully that I’m taking up an entire blog post in my personal space to inform you of it.  This should be the signal that, in fact, it’s pretty much a blog entry of mine, written by someone else, only a link away.”
But I know from talking to people that unless I make a big old blog post in response to someone’s post, regurgitating large chunks of what they said better, a simple “Go read it” doesn’t do it.  Few click that link.  I have to make a mini-essay out of it to convince you all that yes, she’s really written some amazing stuff, and then more of you go read it.
But then sometimes – no, actually, many times – I write about feminist topics in this way, people will link to me, as though I was the starting point in this issue, and more than a couple of times I’ve seen more discussion on my half-chewed meanderings on some woman’s topic than exists on that woman’s page.  And that vexes me.  Because Kameron’s whole point, which is correct, is that for a lot of people, the problem does not exist until a friendly white male comes along and explains it to y’all.  And even after I’ve made it official, somehow it often becomes my crusade in the eyes of many, as opposed to the essay that started it.
Which tasks me.  It tasks me.
Look, I don’t blame people for making me write things as a mini-essay; you endure my endless blatherings, obviously you like gouts of words, clearly you want more salesmanship before you move your mouse.  But there are times when I try to drop focus on someone else, and that more-than-often gets people discussing my essay as though it were the primary bit, and when that happens it’s almost inevitably about some sort of women’s rights thing.  Which makes me wonder whether I’m assisting the problem by trying to link to this shit, or merely deepening subtle biases.
So from now on, when I link from here, I’m gonna do the sales pitch for you, but I’m going to preface it with She Said It Better.  Which means that when you see that, I’m writing the essay entirely as a way to get you to pay attention to someone else, and you should know that this whole essay is a disposable sabot to impel you towards better words.  Those words should be the primary focus in any subsequent discussion.
Now shaddap and read Kameron.  She Said It Better.

1 Comment

  1. anthony
    Oct 12, 2013

    I’m sharing both her article and your blog post, because I fear, legitimately, that more people will click on a link to you than here.

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