Preface - Electronic Poetry Center

From: Kali Tal
Subject: Re: Boy Talk
> I guess that I’m included in Kali Tal’s statement that males didn’t
> respond to messages by women.
I guess you are, if you are a male person and did not respond to messages by
women.
> I must say I haven’t noticed anyone pick up 2 per cent of anything
> I’ve posted to the list, about children’s rights, ablism, or AIDS activism.
I am interested in nonresponse that is part of a larger pattern. It may be that
nonresponse to the particular issues you mention signals an attempt on the part
of the POETICS community to "disappear" those issues. Nonresponse to those
issues, however, does not indicate that my observations of nonresponse to
women as a group are inaccurate or insignificant.
> But then, if I may make a clearly signalled snide remark,
And why would you do this? Why is a snide tone required? Not that I am
surprised–women who bring up gender inequity in, ahem, mixed company, are
often treated to snide comments, as if we were, by our mere presence,
threatening and offensive, needed taking down a notch…
> if the alternative is to be co-opted into the movement one may be
> "carving" (interesting metaphor), in the way that Kali Tal seemed to
> "welcome" Juliana Spahr as an ally when Juliana Spahr was raising
> some issues Kali Tal didn’t respond to at all, then I shall happily go
> back to lurking from all sides of this discussion.
And whose "alternative" is this? Your response is a nonresponse, it is not
directed to me, nor to any of the women who posted to POETICS. Rather, it is
a summary dismissal based upon no apparent consideration of any of the issues