To the Editor:
Reading the cartoons depicting Inner Bitch scenarios in yesterday's D, I could not help but laugh. Yet they weren't nearly as amusing as Jason Casell's article on the magazine's debut ("New rag targets men, frats," Wednesday, January 5, 1993).
Both comic strips illustrate the befuddlement of two Inner Bitch readers over what they consider the gratuitous treatment of male anatomy in the issue. I find it rather disturbing that while numerous pieces describe the repeated rape, violation and manipulation of women, the only ones discussed in The Dartmouth and at-large are the few which refer to the previously extolled phallus.
What of the 4-year-old girl who is raped by her 17-year old cousin? The girl who is sexually assaulted by her father? The woman who cannot walk down the street without being harassed? These are not the reveries of high-strung school girls. They are women's testimonies of strength and courage when confronted with insane situations. On a campus where such incidents are the norm, these are experiences which need to be articulated.
The target of Inner Bitch, which The Dartmouth apparently missed, is women. It is a publication designed by women for women that only indirectly discusses men and fraternities. It is what is known as empowerment-the affirmation of women's anger and experiences and the inciting of action. Thus I find it disturbing that the article mentioned that "A short story about an 8-year-old girl who severs her 12-year-old brother's penis is also included." Can I assume it was not possible to print "A short story about an 8-year old girl who is tortured by her 12-year-old brother is also included"?
Further inaccuracies revealed an ignorance of campus feminist activity. The article writes that only one other publication, Spare Rib, has "focused directly on women's issues." Untrue. A widely distributed women's newspaper, Womyn's Review, published for several years.
Other errors bordered on the comic. Copies of the magazine were distributed to academic departments as well as to numerous students and faculty members, while a mere 20 were left with various houses on campus. In addition, the article describes Diamanda Galas as a "heavy metal singer." As discussed in Inner Bitch, she is a performance artist who contends with issues of pain and isolation.
Women may identify with the stories told in the magazine. And if men could let go of their groins, as illustrated in one of yesterday's comics, they might appreciate the expressions of rage described in Inner Bitch.
DOMINIQUE ELLNER '94
