Good And Mad

Good And Mad

Adult nonfiction
"I first decided to write this book as a means to channel and
make sense of my own rage: how I've suppressed it or cloaked it in
more officially attractive stuff. After the 2016 election, and two
years of being assured everyday by the political press, by popular
culture, by my friends and by those on the right and the left that
there was no reason to be angry...I felt as though I might lose my
mind with the rage I'd not been able to give voice to."
If you've been raised as a woman, you're probably aware of our
nation's centuries old double standard in regard to anger expression.
Guys have to do something way over the line, say homicide, to be
considered in need of anger management training. More acceptable
expressions are considered virile, strong, insightful, and evidence of
leadership ability. The same anger, however, makes women beings to
avoid, not follow. We're ugly hags and crones. We're mentally
deranged. We're humorless. We're out of line even though we have
much more to be angry about in our patriarchal society.
"Here's the validation that I hope it can offer: that those who
are furious right now are not alone, are not crazy, are not
unattractive. That in fact, female rage in America has a long and
righteous history, one that we have, very pointedly, never been taught."
In Good And Mad: The Revolutionary Power Of Women's Anger
Rebecca Traister serves up righteous herstory. We learn about those
incidents that didn't make it into the history books. In 1917, for
example, suffragists were chaining themselves to the fences around the
White House. We learn the varied ways in which the patriarchy has
been delegitimizing and suppressing women's anger.
Traister takes an intersectional view of women's anger, adding
elements such as color and class. In particular she explores the
problematization of Black women's anger and the resistance to it, not
only from men, but from White women.
"'We are told that we are irrational, out-of-touch, entitled,
disruptive, and not team players,' writes Cooper [Rutgers gender
studies professor, Brittney Cooper] in her exploration of black
feminist anger, Eloquent Rage. 'Angry black women are looked upon as
entities to be contained, as inconvenient citizens who keep on talking
about their rights while refusing to do their duty and smile at
everyone.'"
Traister saw a great deal of potential in the wave of rage
evoked by the 2016 election of the Groper In Chief and the Me Too
movement. But she realized that this anger must be sustained over the
long haul in world in which a lot of people will strive to extinguish
it. So she ended the book with this exhortation:
"But I say to all women reading this book and to my future self:
what you're angry about now--injustice--will still exist, even if you
yourself are not experiencing it, or are tempted to stop thinking
about how you experience it, and how you contribute to it...
Being mad is correct; being mad is American; being mad can be
joyful and productive and connective. Don't ever let them talk you
out of being mad again."
If this call to arms resonates with you, you owe it to yourself
to put Good And Mad on your pandemic reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, we weren't sure whether Eugene would be able to
go to camp. If an anticipated storm hadn't fizzled out he would have
been stuck plowing. I chose to stay home. As much as I love nature,
sitting for hours on an iced over pond watching for a flag to pop up
is not my idea of good times. So I spent much of the weekend writing,
reading, playing with Tobago, and cleaning/reorganizing. I made
myself a huge serving of spaghetti. A joy of dining solo. Eugene
hates it. Sunday I did zoom church, more to harness the collective
prayer power for getting Eugene safely home than for learning the
ministerial take on the scripture of the day. (Sorry, Malcolm). As
much as I know he has great wilderness skills, he's out there alone
and accidents do happen. Like all week the meterogolists had been
warning us that not all lakes and ponds are frozen solid enough for
ice fishing. I was over the moon when his white truck pulled into the
driveway.
Now it's another work week. I'm looking forward to getting into new
material in statistics and zoom seeing my counselor. I hope your week
is starting well. (Jules)
He got home! He got home! Both my hoomans was home last night.
[Tobago]
Great big shout outs go out to Eugene who got home safely and you, our
readers, as we start a new month together.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway





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