WAM 2008 Wrap Up

WAM 2008 held at the MIT Stata Center (pictured above) has come to a close. Sniff Sniff.

Organized by The Center for New Words in Cambridge, MA the WAM conference was a huge success this year with over 600 attendees, the highest number yet in its three years in existence. Of the many panels I attended, my favorite was moderated by Jessica Valenti and discussed how to battle the Backlash we receive as Feminists.

There are a lot of people out there who think Feminism is outdated, something women needed in the 60s and 70s but that is no longer relevant in the world of 2008. To those people I say, come out from under your rock! Or as Jessica so eloquently stated:

“Just because you have an umbrella, doesn’t mean it’s not fucking raining!”

Our pop culture glosses over objectification and racism and treats these issues as completely normal and not in any way damaging. Oversimplifying issues of gender and race is a very dangerous thing. Once we become desensitized to issues that blind or oppress us, we have no power to change them. And the goal of the Backlash we are recipients of, is to silence and disempower.

By keeping discussions about Feminism and Backlash current, we keep these issues relevant. There are scores of young women who need to be taught that it is not acceptable to exploit women in our media and culture. We need to teach them that they are not expected to exploit themselves, and that there are other avenues to take to gain power, recognition and respect. It is the general public perpetuates the abusive media by consuming it. In order to make any sort of dent in the mess, there needs to be a fundamental shift in public consciousness. I believe whole heartedly that this CAN be accomplished. It takes the time and dedication of those willing to re-educate and help to open the minds of those who may not even realize the damage being done, but there are plenty of people willing to put in that time.

I had the pleasure of meeting many of them last weekend.