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June 11, 2003 [feather]
Mike Adams returns

University of North Carolina at Wilmington's resident anti-PC gadfly Mike Adams is back, this time addressing a women's studies professor at the school. His latest epistle opens:


Dear Women's Studies Professor:

I recently read the comments you made to a local newspaper during Womyn's Herstory Month (WHM), which, I believe, used to be referred to as "March." It may surprise you to know that I agree with your assertion that the university used bad judgement in sponsoring a concert by the rapper Ludacris during WHM. I don't think there is ever a good time to have the rapper sing about "bi***es" and "hos" in the name of campus diversity.

I also agreed when you told the paper that it was unfortunate that many people view feminists as "ridiculous man-hating lesbians." Your suggestion that feminists should employ humor more often in order to combat that stereotype is certainly correct. Along those lines, I hope you don't mind me writing to make a few more suggestions which will help to erode that unfortunate stereotype.

First of all, I think that it was probably a mistake when you decided to hang posters around campus in protest of the Ludacris concert. I don't question your general right to hang posters but, instead, your specific choice in this instance. I am referring to one that you created which shows a woman kicking a man in the face in an apparent show of women's "empowerment." While mine is only one opinion, I think that others will agree that such a poster could actually promote the view of feminists as "ridiculous man-hating lesbians."


Adams could go on at length on this topic--and he does. The letter is the latest installment in his project of using humor to expose the absurdities of academic double standards and political gamesmanship. The mocking, sardonic tone he is cultivating has been the subject of debate on Critical Mass, and it's worth thinking about what one gains and what one loses with such an approach. My own feeling is that Adams' is a welcome, refreshing, and revealing voice; I might not feel that way if his were the only voice raised on this topic, but in the wider context of deadly seriousness that pervades discussions about academic cant, his biting style breathes necessary life into issues that have been flogged to death without being resolved. Read his piece and see what you think about the tone of the piece, its content, and the way the tone shapes the content.

Thanks as ever to reader Fred R. for the link.

posted on June 11, 2003 12:35 PM