Just because one gentleman is "tired" of hearing that everything else used to be men's studies doesn't mean A. that it's not true, and B. that other people are not going to say it, seeing as C. it's true and D. it's their opinion. Are you expecting special privilege? As long as you are, there's a need for women's studies. And I'm saying that as an English medievalist who tends to believe with W.H. Auden, "never commit a social science." Flippancy aside, however, the past few months have made me see the relevance of a good women's studies program.

@Grumpus

Sounds to me as if you're having grad-student-itis. If I were going to be even nastier than usual, and I think I might, I'd say you're getting your ass kicked by the women in grad school with you. If you're a returning student, where have you been all these years? If you're an ongoing student, well, sur-fucking-prise, what did you expect? Let's put it this way. I was a bright particular star in high school. I got to college, and the competition got much, much tougher. I got to graduate school, and EVERYONE, almost, was Phi Beta Kappa, and you saw Nobel Laureates in the lunch line. You can either deal or wish you could guilt, blame or eliminate slightly more than half of the competition. Keep on grumping. It'll guarantee failure.

About Structuralism

Medievalists, back in the day, didn't tend that way. We had to make our world and our text up from primary sources and the disciplines of language and paleography. In that it's a different way to look at text, it's useful, even if I find its language impenetrable.

About privilege? Again, Grumpus: western women are privileged, and there you are, poor deprivileged you?

I call bullshit.

First off, I don't appreciate your "winding people up" on a topic that's serious to them.

Second, you strike me now as the sort of male who, once he gets female financial dependents, decides he wants more than his share of the pie because he NEEEEEDS it, and here are all these WOMEN taking pie that ought to be His Family's--when he's in graduate school.

Privileged character much? After gratifying your high, high principles doing NGO things, you're now on a grad student stipend, and you've got a FAMILY. No wonder you're angry.

So, of course, you project it.

Grad school issues? Of course I do. Don't be a perfect flake. EVERYONE who's survived grad school has issues. Ever watch PAPER CHASE and see Professor Kingsfield? It's part of the community. But I earned my doctorate without ripping people off when they NEEEEDED me 30 years ago.

If you're that worried about all these people cutting into your share, quit fooling around in grad school and get a job in the private sector. You won't last with that attitude, but you'll learn a hell of a lot more.

As for -my- attitude, oh, you don't LIKE it. Bet you get a whole lot more deference at home, and bet you got a lot more when you were NGO'ing it. Well, you're back home. No more special treatment as a graduate schlub. Been there; done that; got the T-shirt with H on it.

Didn't rip off anyone who NEEEEEDED me either.

Can you say the same?

It's a -kzin-. A science fiction creation of Hugo-winner Larry Niven.

Stipend? Sure, if you call $8 K a living wage.

As for my master's? Doctorate. And tenure track position, which I resigned to go into the private sector. I know more about academic administration and curriculum design than they'll ever let you get near.

And you don't like my complaining about your winding people up? Then, instead of blaming them for their attitudes, don't DO it.

You may be a deity to your Family and Chil-Dren, but you certainly are not very good at this. I -do- argue methodology, and yours reeks of overprivilege. In fact, your attitude is one reason I've decided -- not that it needed my imprimatur (sorry about that, janillavanilla; I'm not the validating agent, and I know it) -- that Women's Studies isn't just valid, but necessary.

I hope your female colleagues whup your butt, grumpus. In fact, I BET they are. So, you have a famileeee, a grad program, a job, kids, and you bought a house...and you're talking about privilege, especially after you came back from having a social conscience in Africa.

But you're not talking about -your- privilege.

Dear me, what a hypocrite.

Are you always that sullen, or do you simply think you've pulled off a devastating punch?

A man who could afford to travel and work with an NGO, who now has a job, a part-time MA, a family and has bought a house during a time of recession in the U.S. and dire need elsewhere -is- privileged. That is not a tactic: that is a statement of fact.

Similarly, a woman who had the opportunity to put herself through a Ph.D. program full-time, has written 30 books, and made the transition from academe to industry is privileged too, and damn well admits it.

Now, a sulker who comes up with one-liners has a different sort of privilege: that of rudeness. Care to share with the class, or are you just going to sit back there and play Eeyore with a bad case of chauvinism?