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• Wednesday, February 15, 2006 09:44 AM

  A case in point

  Curiously, Rebecca Traister's article has engendered 145 comments in response. However, the post below this one, on the "bread and roses" march by Women of Zimbabwe Arise, has gotten not a single comment.

  I actually find that news to be incredibly important and interesting. So why hasn't it brought about any discussion? Because there's lots we could talk about. These women are essentially the traditional, discontented housewives Betty Friedan talked decades ago, but their stakes are much higher than self-fulfillment: they're marching for their own survival, their own economic well-being, and that of their children.

  So why no posts? Is it simply because we all agree that this is important? Then why isn't there a flurry of exclamations of support? Why no debate about the best way to help?

  Is it that there are no obnoxious misogynist trolls whining about how if these women worshipped their husbands they wouldn't get AIDS from them?

  Or it could be that neither we, nor the trolls, give a fuck, and that we scroll right on past the meat and vegetables to the junk food posts, the stupid debates that don't matter. I'm beginning to wish that one of them would say something offensive in response to a post like that, because it might draw people's attention. It all does make me wonder whether Heffield has a point. Let's prove her wrong.

  Confidential to those who consider whining sanctimoniously about how the Salon writers never post about serious issues, I think women trying to do something about a 38-40 year life expectancy is pretty damn serious, so why aren't you there either?

  —Marianna Trench Read Marianna Trench's other letters
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