MCA's feminist legacy
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Once youve realized that youre living in a world that believes women are less than in every imaginable way, one of the things that can be most frustrating is that very few men get it. You want the people in your life, the men you care about, to understand the awful toll it can take on you. Operating in a world that sees you as less than fully human can be soul crushing but its also incredibly lonely.
When you speak up about any sense of unfairness or injustice, youre told that youre overreacting, youre too angry, too silly shut up already. It takes a tremendous amount of fortitude to be able to live in this world as a woman, let alone a woman who wants things to change.
And thats what was so remarkable and emotional about the Beastie Boys feminist turnaround. Maybe your father says sexism doesnt exist and your boyfriend disrespects you. Maybe you have to deal with assholes on the subway who rub up against you every day and laugh when you yell at them. But listening to this band that you love so much say that your pain is real, that the world is fucked up and that they are not going to participate in actions that hurt you anymore because they care about youit was the overwhelming feeling of being made visible. They were sending a clear message to their female fans: this isnt okay, we have your back, were sorry.
It was the apology we never got from the high school teacher who stared at our breasts, the acknowledgement of injustice that politicians and American culture dance aroundand it was coming from people whom we cared about and respected, people with cultural power.
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http://www.kathleenhanna.com/mcas-feminist-legacy/