While we had a smaller turnout this month the discussion about Fight Like A Girl by Clementine Ford was lively, extended and far reaching. We felt it was an important book and I was really pleased to here that there were several people – myself included - who said it made them question how they behave and to want to improve that. It made me think that the aim of the book was a success, although it's certainly directed squarely at women as a rallying call to not just accept the status quo but to expect and demand better. The anger in the book is genuine and justified.
I found a couple of things in the book really disturbing: one was the level and amount of vitriol that has been dealt out to Ford by on-line trolls. It just never occurred to me to speak to anyone like that, and besides what on earth does it do to help anything? Secondly, I felt that there was no place in the book for me. I know I'm not the target of the book nor that as a man that I should be the centre of any narrative but as someone who tries to support women and call out offensive behaviour it's a bit like we don't exist in the writing. I feel like I'm committing some sort of heresy for saying that – it's a very hard book to say that you disagree with.
We have an extra month before the next meeting at the All Nations again. Our next book The Lebs by Michal Mohammed Ahmad should be an interesting look at contemporary society.
No comments:
Post a Comment