newyorkette

(picture from here)

Wendy Wasserstein, uncommon woman, died today (see Charles Isherwood’s NYTimes article here). Her work was admirable, and nobody offered a better or more eloquent portrayal of the “women who embraced the essential tenets of the feminist movement but did not have the stomach for stridency.”

Now, if only the whole self-perpetuating misery of “women struggling to reconcile a desire for romance and companionship, drummed into the baby boom generation by the seductive fantasies circulated by Hollywood movies, with the need for intellectual independence and a sense of achievement separate from the personal sphere” would also rest in peace.



It’s time to stop being that woman, women!
Male domination is best overcome not by engaging in the battle of the sexes, but by being more clever than men. And is that really so hard? There are worse things oppression can impose on a woman. Wherever and whoever we are on this planet, we all belong to a group of humans that have to be more clever than some other bunch of humans.

Wendy Wasserstein’s talent drew the sociologically precise portrait of these women, but the likes of Maureen Dowd will hopefully be the last to turn that portrait into a caricature.

Thank you, Wendy.

Posted Tuesday, January 31st, 2006 at 2:24 am under etc.. Feel free to trackback from your own site. All images on newyorkette.com are the intellectual property of Carolita Johnson, and you must ask (and receive) express permission to use them or reproduce them in any way whatsoever.