The other Daughters of Dartmouth
By Joanne Schneider, Guest Columnist
Published on Thursday, February 25, 2010
Most Dartmouth women are feminists by the time they reach senior year, whether or not they identify that way. Yes, feminists. Does that word make you cringe? If it does, I’m not surprised.
There’s a different kind of feminism here, even if we don’t usually call it that. It’s the feminism that every woman develops simply by being a student at Dartmouth. Being a woman at Dartmouth forces you to become aware of your gender in a way you probably weren’t before you first came. Although that awareness could be empowering, unfortunately the message of those feminists is often lost amongst the messages sent by those who claim to be the “true” feminists of Dartmouth. These feminists have preached an alarmist, extremist and ultimately ineffective form of activism on this campus. Rather than fostering a community of men and women working together to create an environment of respect, feminism at Dartmouth seems to split not only women from men, but “feminist” women from other women.
To be clear, I am not a proponent of apathy, especially in regards to issues of gender. Quite the opposite, in fact. I am outraged that various male athletic teams still sing the version of the alma mater that excludes women, and I am continuously upset by the widespread denial of sexual assault on this campus — it really does happen here, and it happens to people you know. However, the anonymous posting of incendiary signs outside various Greek and administrative establishments early Wednesday morning, condemning them for their insensitive or disrespectful actions ("Signs contend Greek orgs. are racist, sexist," Feb. 25), is precisely the wrong way to tackle these kinds of issues.
Rather than alienating those we are trying to reform, and provoking them to defend their actions when they might ordinarily have been open to a dialogue, we should be opening up channels for discussion and candid conversation. Of course, it is important that we highlight issues that may otherwise slip from campus consciousness. Programs such as “Speak Out” and the VDay Campaign are making great strides in the awareness of sexual assault and women’s issues, and are much more effective ways of doing this.
I take issue with the obsession with anonymity on this campus, especially in the context of discussing accountability. Part of the reason I came to Dartmouth was because I wanted to surround myself with intelligent and interesting people, with whom I could share ideas and opinions. Both the recent explosion of Bored@Baker and the use of “secret” groups to make statements, are cheap shots at self-expression. I find it very cowardly and it saddens me that some feel this is the only way to express themselves. A “feminist cause” at Dartmouth is a good and much-needed cause. However, anonymously laying blame and generalizing all members of individual organizations under the same banner of “sexism” or “racism” only perpetuates the problem. It allows organizations to brush off accusations, chalk it up to another extremist cause, and get off scot-free. Instead of allowing this dismissive behavior to continue, we should be inspiring them to be the individuals in their group, ready to question traditional behaviors.
I understand that it is hard to speak up. But the reason I felt compelled to write this column is because actions such as the sign posting I’ve periodically seen at Dartmouth make me feel silenced. To the authors of the signs: lucky for you, you have given yourselves a voice, but in the process, you’ve silenced all women not involved. I do not understand why you had to make gender equality an extremist’s perspective, or why you had to use isolated incidents to generalize all members of any organization. Next time I want to call out my male or female friend for perpetuating unacceptable norms, I wonder if I’m going to be associated with you, or labeled a “crazy feminist.” I’d like to define what it means to be a Daughter of Dartmouth in my own way, and I hope to see you engaging the campus in more balanced and effective discussions in the future.
Joanne Schneider ’10 is a guest columnist and president of Delta Delta Delta sorority.
I don’t see why people could feel silenced from this — if anything it’s a chance for people to stand up and take action! We might need radicals to get the ball rolling, but that allows us reasonable moderates to be listened to!
By Anonymous on Feb 25 | 2:06 pm
I would bet good money that the commenter at 2:06 pm is in the group that is responsible for the “radical” actions yesterday
By Anonymous on Feb 25 | 4:28 pm
If young women are so offended by the behavior of those who would seek to demean and offend us, why stoop to the same level of behavior? Strength, thoughtfulness and integrity are much more powerful tools than angry rhetoric. Let’s not perpetuate the caricature of the angry feminist.
By MGC on Feb 25 | 4:29 pm
Exactly, anonymous. The point of the campaign is to be a radical catalyst to discussion and change—and obviously it’s effective because, as much as Greek leaders are saying this isn’t the way to start conversation, this has gotten people talking where before there was systematic dismissal. The signs are anonymous because they don’t belong to any one group, but rather EVERYONE who has been affected and silenced by not only these specific incidents (which are merely examples) but ALL of the racist, sexist, and otherwise intolerant behavior on this campus. If Greek leaders are so committed to dialogue and making change to encourage more tolerance and openness, which clearly hasn’t happened until now, prove it.
By Anonymous on Feb 25 | 5:01 pm
Awesome Op-Ed. To 5:01pm, if anything the discussion has moved away from the issues and more to the method, which is unfortunately counterproductive.
Clearly the signs did not belong to the author and the students who identify with her. Events like “Speak Out” and the VDay Campaign do prove that people care, and are working to create a meaningful conversation.
How can you accuse people of not being accountable while insulating yourself from accountability with anonymity?
By Jason K. Goodman on Feb 25 | 11:53 pm
To 5:01 (and others) who believe these extremist methods are effective- you could not be more wrong. While they do manage to get dialogue going on campus or the pages of the D for a week or two, they fail to enact any real change. The “Daughters of Dartmouth” hosted a similar campaign in 2008- calling out male sports teams and fraternities for their sexist actions through anonymous signs posted to walls all over campus. The mere fact that they are at it YET AGAIN shows no real change came from that attempt- only the same bickering over methods and defense of the actions we see now. This Op-Ed is spot on- anonymous signs only serve to alienate and annoy people.
By Anonymous on Feb 26 | 11:33 pm
Agree. While actions like these do have some kind of sensationalistic value in drawing people’s attention to the issue, but this seems more about antagonizing and attributing blame than anything else. Both of these actions are somewhat counter-productive; they put the “offending” organizations on the defense rather than encouraging any kind of dialogue. There’s a possibility that the org.s will address these signs in some way, or maybe even apologize, but I think it’s more likely that they will just feel attacked and feel the need to defend themselves and their reputation.
And if they do engage in a dialogue? There’s no clear group to engage with because of the anonymity of the posters.
By Leanne Mirandilla on Feb 28 | 9:28 pm
Women like you belittling yourself to make men respect you for slamming “feminists” is why Dartmouth needs people pushing the limits of what is “acceptable” female behavior.
This article is so depressing.
By Horrified on Mar 1 | 5:05 pm