Week 10 Victor Martinez

Victor Martinez

Week 10

Section A02

This week's readings were quite powerful and thought provoking, since it’s not often that we get to read about academic papers that deal with the oppressive nature of the current state of academia. These stories held nothing back and showed just how much rampant sexism is still found in the field of academia. It’s absolutely disgusting with how much impunity the people in power believe they have and how they then proceed to use it to target fellow academics. The message in Fight the Tower is actually rather positive, because this introduction is a call to action for all who read it. A point made in the reading is how women are not afraid to show their angry sides, and it becomes imperative that they do so. The bureaucrats that currently occupy the highest ranks in academia continue to be white males who attempt to suppress the movements of the liberated woman of color. It is that anger that empowers women and forces people to take them seriously. A common deflection of their grievances is that they are simply being unreasonable women, but this is a misogynistic idea that needs to be challenged by all of those involved in academia.  We see how the righteous anger of woman can be used against the oppressive university. It can be used to create poems and speeches and the movements we see towards bringing equity to all those in academia. This is not usurpation, but a stand against hierarchy and creating a new consciousness that welcomes new ideas and doesn’t invalidate the ideas or experiences of anyone regardless of class, sex, orientation, or race.  

Question: In what ways can people be convinced to  participate in this kind of activism even under the threat of retaliation?

References:
[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://equalityarchive.com/history/notyoursidekick/

Valverde, C., & Dariotis, W. (2017). "The Time to Fight is Now": When Asian American Women  in Academia Go Rogue. Retrieved June 3, 2017.