At the end of her Oscar’s speech accepting Best Supporting Actress, Patricia Arquette made an impassioned plea for wage equality. It was rousing, she got Jennifer Lopez and Meryl Streep all excited, and she started a conversation about women’s rights. Her comments were particularly relevant to her industry in light of the Sony hack which revealed that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid much less in backend profits for American Hustle than their male costars. This is patently unfair, but we’re talking about large sums of money. Neither one of these women are suffering. Still, this is a fight that we can all support as women, and highly paid women should be paid as much, and offered as many advancements, as men. Full stop.
In her comments backstage following her win, Arquette kind of went off the rails a bit. She implied that LGBTQ rights advocates and people of color had not supported feminist and women’s issues to date and that it was time they did. Here’s some of what she said backstage, and you can see the video above. (That part comes in at 1:40.)
So the truth is, even though we sort of feel like we have equal rights in America, right under the surface, there are huge issues that are applied that really do affect women and it’s time for all the women in America and all the men that love women, and all the gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.
Maybe Arquette was all worked up from her win, and maybe she had a bad personal experience with friends not supporting her cause or something, and she’s overgeneralizing. That’s possible, and plus this is one of the most emotional moments of her life, she may have said some things she would regret when all the adrenaline dies down. Only on Twitter later, Arquette doubled down. Here are a few of her tweets on the matter and there’s much more on her Twitter feed.
I have long been an advocate for the rights of the #LBGT community. The question is why aren't you an advocate for equality for ALL women?
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
Wage equality will help ALL women of all races in America. It will also help their children and society.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
Guess which women are the most negatively effected in wage inequality? Women of color. #Equalpay for ALL women. Women stand together in this
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 23, 2015
I don't care if people are pissed The truth is that wage inequality adversely effects women. pic.twitter.com/5tMjJXgbGz
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015
My children are not living below the poverty line. That does't mean I don't care about the kids who are. DO YOU? Then help their moms.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) February 24, 2015
This is a great cause and she’s right. Women make 77% of what men do, and it’s time that changed. I don’t think she should have called out the LGBT community or minorities for not supporting feminism, though. As Kaiser explained to me, she could have framed it as an issue of everyone fighting these important causes together, a kind of “Yes AND” approach instead of making it sound like we need to prioritize our issues over others. We can be loud and visible without trying to one-up anyone and we can all fight together for each other’s basic rights.
Meanwhile the hacks at Fox news, particularly Stacey Dash, are trying to call out Arquette for daring to bring up this issue, which they don’t consider relevant. I’m not going to get into all that except to say that facts never get in the way of opinions at Fox News.
photo credit: WENN.com
Hmm, I see her point but as white affluent feminists have a really crappy track record of having the backs of their queer and PoC sisters, she perhaps needs to step off. Women certainly have been at the front of many equality movement but it generally wasn’t women like her. Rosa Parks she ain’t.
feminism should not be diluted and sectionalised by corralling women off into various categories of competing interests. This attitude has been evident before on this site ( incidentally, as a Brit, I am struck by the fact that the USA elected a black president but has never elected a woman). Of course economic circumstances, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, level of education and lots of other factors impact on women’s experience, as they do on men’s, but let’s not devalue the message Patricia is sending because she is white, affluent and whatever. it’s still valid. What sort of impoverished debate is it if you can only comment on issues that you have personally experienced?
+1000
This is about creating equality for everyone, belittling her because she isn’t the ‘right colour’ to comment, in your opinion, is ridiculous. Revolutions don’t happen when those who are supposed to start them quarrel, we need to stand together. People cannot help their skin colour. Intelligent white people are more than aware that we have a lot more privilege than other races. White people should not be shouted down for trying to do something good, to benefit everyone. If we did not speak up, we would face backlash for that also. Rather than trying to find fault in her actions, take that this has sparked a huge debate into female rights and use it to change the world. All woman suffer from discrimination, whatever colour their skin is. Please dont attack one woman for realising she cant use her unfair advantage to make a difference to everyone. Would you rather she did not speak up at all, because she has white skin?
Well done and well said. It is also true that it is the generous affluent in society that usually make a difference. Mary Wollstonecraft was hardly a pauper, nor were
Simone de Beauvoir, Bessie Parkes, Marie Stopes In fact, the vast majority of the great women that paved the way for us were middle or upper class people. The poor are simply too busy or lack the education to involve themselves in actions that are – at least in the beginning – intrinsically philosophical in nature.
Anne,
Patricia devalued her own message by insinuating that women of color and women in the LGBTQ community are not pulling their weight. She also devalued her own message by insinuating that white feminist have done some sort of labor for others that has not been returned to them. Not only is this untrue, I would argue that white women (feminist included) historically have been *instrumental* in the oppression of others, and were not merely passive characters in the social structure of yore. Many of the leaders of white female liberation were fully funded and supported by their social status (wealth) stemming from their relationship to white male power structures.
As for your surprise that a black male was elected president-I’m not sure what to make of it but remember that there would be no Hillary Clinton (as we know her) without Bill Clinton. The presidency as a symbol of who has it harder is laughable.
Thank you, Embertine. I have heard too many professors of “feminism” say that female activists of color or queerness were not feminist. And those women do not stick up for queer & ethnic minority issues.
I would really like to know the rationale behind those statements. As a student, albeit amateur, of feminism I am surprised that any professor of women’s studies would say that feminism is precluded by being of colour or sexual orientation. I find it very difficult to believe that that would ever have been said without serious clarification. Feminism and not just separatist feminism owes a great deal to lesbian women in the past so the statement you said was made is patently absurd.
I agree!!!! A lot of people are praising her for this “great feminist speech” but as she did that she shut down the women who are treated the worst in society. I know she had the best intentions but it doesn’t make me like her any more than I did before, she should’ve thought of what she was going to say before just blabbing nonsense.
And men of colour generally make less than white women, so for her to essentially ask POC to drop their fight to fight for her is offensive and just another part of erasure with white people and POC.
Her backstage comments completely ruined everything she said on stage and is the pinnacle of “white feminism,” to be very honest. I don’t really care for feminism if it’s not intersectional. Maybe her words got jumbled up backstage but for someone who has been so eloquent in her speeches this awards season, that excuse seems to be a little hard to believe.
A Facebook friend of mine was sort of defending her, saying that not everyone goes to college to learn about intersectional feminism. But is it really that hard to acknowledge that women of colour face a higher level of oppression than white women? I don’t need to be transgender to know that a transgender woman will face a higher level of oppression than I will.
I watched the video after reading this thread. In the moment, I’m not sure she worded those comments as well as she could, but here’s my take:
My whole young life, there was always debate over whether we’d have a black male president or a white female president first (because yes feminism does assume white women will ascend to equality before women of color). I always argued (turns out accurately) that we’d have a black male president first because liberal white men are more comfortable supporting the equal rights of men of color than their female peers. During the civil rights movement, white male (and female) college students of privilege came together in huge numbers to march, go on freedom rides, and speak out about the injustices of racism. You do not see young white men of privilege come together in the same numbers with the same degree of fervor to stop rape on campus, to support equal pay, etc.
So, for white middle class women, the issue is less that people of color aren’t putting together a feminist movement but that liberal white middle class men don’t care about this movement the way they care about civil rights.
Those comments may still be steeped in privilege and a white-centered perspective, but they’re also true.
BettyRose
Thanks for such a brilliant comment.
I despair at the way Women’s Liberation (yes, that old term is still accurate) is still treated as a minority rights issue. We are not a minority, and the bone-deep misogny that has informed Western culture for millennia is as robust as it was over 40 years ago (when many women got Really Bloody Angry)….during which time many intolerable prejudices were bravely challenged, and to varying degrees cast out of public life, and we witness progressive action even as we condemn continuing outrages.
Hatred of women though, hard-won legal equality notwithstanding, is as strong as ever, and not at all cast out; it’s woven through our major religions, and is still the default story of our entertainment culture in the West. Elsewhere our sisters are routinely mutilated, and murdered, solely because they are female, and therefore worthless.
While half the world is still regarded as second best compared to men, all those voices and energies are effectively barred from essential debates, or reduced to internecine squabbling, which keeps us handily occupied quite as much as in the old days before we got the vote.
I don’t wonder that today’s Angry Women can get tangled up in their furious outbursts: the cry is surely “Why the hell is this even still a problem? What do we have to do to shake some real action?”
Many people think our fight is over and that we won; they declare Feminism to be outdated and unnecessary. They couldn’t be more wrong.
@BettyRose and @wardlittell– Comments like this are why I come to this site. As a middle class woman approaching her 30s, I find it difficult to have conversations like this in my mundane everyday life. Brava ladies, please keep em coming!!!!
Women, we have to stop atacking each other and unite to fight sexism. Perhaps, this is exactly the meaning behind her words. Why overplay the meaning and go after her background.
This, this, and more this!!
A lot women are trying to unite. With her foolish comments backstage she caused the the separation between white women and LGBTQ and WOC. Telling someone to leave their fight for equality for their race is “white feminism” and is not intersectional at all. We have every right to be mad and criticize her.
I just think it wasn’t worded properly. She probably meant it’s time fight sexism the same way we fight racism, homophobia etc.
I think you might be right about her intent. It definitely didn’t come out well, and I fully understand why people are upset about it, but I don’t think she had bad intentions- just poor wording and probably a little bit of privilege blinders.
“Privilege blinders” is a GREAT way to put it. She gets defensive about her privilege too though… “my children are not living below the poverty line”? She doesn’t understand the criticism at all. She doesn’t get that people aren’t saying she can’t complain about wage equality because she’s rich… they’re saying she can’t single out other minorities without excluding them, and women in those communities are *especially* victimized by inequalities.
Except that people are saying that she has no grounds on which to speak out about wage equality because she’s well paid. Fox TV was on at the gym the other day and I literally yelled at the TV (in the middle of the gym, mind you) when the host made the argument that Patricia had no qualifications to speak out because she’s rich.
Yeah I mean I get the intent behind it but in a country where men of colour are actually paid less than white women and women of colour even less than that it just sounds so ignorant to be like now is the time for poc to fight for white women when at least just in terms of wage inequality they still have it far worse.
This exactly.
My history instructor said women didn’t start working until the 1960’s. I raised my hand and said black women have always worked in the country. SMH Aren’t I A Woman Too
Kate, where did your history instructor train? That’s completely inaccurate! On two counts! One, women of all colors, everywhere have worked outside the home. Did your instructor ever hear of Rosie the Riveter? Women’s work activities predate that! Also, what the hell does your instructor think women are doing when they are raising children, taking them to school, cleaning/fixing the house, serving their communities, cooking, chauffeuring, tutoring, etc. etc. etc (activities which, if you actually paid for them, would require several employees) ? All with no freaking pension.
THAT IS WORK. Sorry for the caps writing, but your instructor demonstrates EXACTLY how women’s work is devalued.
Go find another history course!
The Fox News whining was spectacularly ignorant. So they found an actress from Clueless to say equal wages are not a problem. Yep… CLUELESS.
I’m not sure why she assumes that people of color and the LBGT community don’t support equal rights for women just because they have their own equality issues. People can do more than one thing at a time. It seems an unfair generalization and unnecessarily confrontational and blaming.
@GNAT
THANK YOU!!!! And I’m pretty sure WOC and the LGBT community are usually at the forefront of women’s rights so her comment makes no sense.
No – they arnt and that’s the point – or to be clear MEN ( gay and black and white and every colour and sexual orientation in between) predominantly don’t engage in Feminist fights.
Yet people blindly ignore her inference and make it ALL about black women and gay women being worse off.
Theres a poster above saying she thought it more likely a black president before a woman because men naturally gravitate to other men and its true – there is one form of prejudice on this planet that is bigger, more insidious, more institutionalised than any other and affects a MAJORITY group ( the biggest majority group on the planet) and that Sexism.
Exactly, I don’t understand why she just assumes that the LGBT community and people of colour haven’t done anything for women’s rights. And how does she not understand that there are women of colour as well as women who are a part of the LGBT community? I feel like she meant well and I’m all for women’s rights but it’s like someone else said on this thread, I’m not looking to celebrities as social advocates anymore, they often mean well but too often, they don’t know enough about what they’re talking about.
I was a Women’s Studies major, and it’s refreshing to read so many intelligent comments concerning this issue. Quite personally, I found that LGBT analysis and deconstruction of male/female interactions and relationships, to have been invaluable in flushing out women’s theory. Sexual equality cannot be achieved without alterations in our deepest social and psychological structures.
I would agree that the “original” oppression is sexism. A black man was granted a vote in America in 1870, although it only counted for 3/5 of a vote, and many were disenfranchised by poll taxes, literacy tests and so on. Black men in England were also disenfranchised by property qualifications along with all middle class voters until about 1918. Yet, as long as our culture’s understanding about what it means to be a human being remains androcentric (male-centered), society will be structured in ways that favor men and disfavor women in the race for power and money. The interlocking systems of gender, race, and class intersect, and cause multiple jeopardy for many. The ability of men to establish political dominance corresponds to sexual dominance, by which the LGBT community has enlightened me!
it’s interesting to read the different opinions of what the intent/message was behind PA’s backstage comments…
i took them to mean that everyone should advocate for equal pay for women just as we have advocated for gay/lesbian rights and for the rights of minorities.
she is framing it as having the same importance…that’s how i see it.
she is just incredibly lovely, and eloquent, and thoughtful, and an incredible actress.
i want to congratulate her on her oscar and for advocating for women.
and i hope the backstage comments, perhaps not worded as well as her other messages, do not overshadow how spectacular she is and her acknowledgment as best supporting actress.
+1. That’s how I took it too. Unfortunately, it was very poorly worded on her part.
There’s more than a whiff of white privilege in her statements, yet anytime a celebrity uses a public platform to advocate for equality, I think that’s a great thing.
I don’t think Arquette should be immune to criticism, yet I can’t help but feel that female celebrities truly cannot win when it comes to the topic of feminism.
I agree, Bella.
I do think the fact that she spoke out for women’s rights was wonderful, and applaud her for that. Truly. I just wish she had left it at that.
**Touches Gnat’s face with Cheez-its hands**
Wow, you are really asking for some beige booty shorts memory refreshers, aren’t you?
She’s right though. I’ve been active in LGBT issues most of my life (because of family involvement in my childhood) and the misogyny can be astounding. Women are often treated as accessories to gay and transgender men.
Um, I wasn’t even going to say anything but since you brought it up.
My experience within the LGBT community hasn’t necessarily been that women are accessories to gay men (although I know so many straight girls who think it’s the cutest thing to have a gay friend, I could vomit). But while the community as a whole and on a political level (organizations and such) is very much pro women and pro equality in general, the discrimination (and racism etc.) and misogyny within the community – and on a personal level – can be suffocating and quite shocking to be honest. There’s a hierarchy in place (there are several, actually) but God forbid you call people out on it.
I am still traumatised by the seeming Hatred of women- fraus as they call them if they aren’t calling them the Cee word- on the gay gossip site datalounge. No solidarity against oppression there! I am assuming the posters aren’t typical, that would be very depressing.
Women are treated as accessories to gay white cis men. For years a lot white gay men have appropriated from black women and treated them as objects and as something to “copy” and think they can get away with it because they’re gay and will be “down” with black people. I believe to was CNN who had a great segment on this.
Right? She needs to PLEASE have a conversation with bell hooks, Toni Morrison (read between her lines), and Angela Davis, among others.
Such a shame. She had the floor and my attention at the outset. If only she would re-clarify/revise what she meant, then there would be no taint to her leadership.
GNAT
I was right there cheering her along till she got to the end of her speech (prewritten ) and she dug her heels in at subsequent press interviews
This doesn’t have to be the Oppression Olympics some of us belong to more than one marginalized group and can walk and chew gum at the same time
Her comments were insensitive because she VERY clearly had no qualms about highlighting women as a separate community from other minorities until she was called out.
When you say that the GLBT community and people of color need to support women, you’re saying that the three groups are separate. There are queer women, and there are women of color, but her comments turned them into the “other”. She may not have meant it that way, but genuine feminism hinges on intersectionality, and “white feminism” is a term that refers to statements like Patricia’s, implicitly referring primarily to white women when discussing issues like wage equality.
It’s obvious from her responses that she doesn’t think of it that way, but her subconscious, self-centered biases still came out LOUD and clear during her speech and follow-up comments, and by refusing to acknowledge that, she’s only making the problem worse. Own up to what you did, because a lot of people do it every day, and it’s still a big problem. Awareness is the first step.
Thanks Britney, you put it so much better than i did!
I just saw your comment after posting mine… I’m glad someone else mentioned intersectionality. I just used more words! But thank you for your support. This is a fight that needs to be more visible, so maybe Patricia’s ignorance will at least raise awareness.
So eloquently stated. This is how I feel about it but could not have said as well as you have. Applause.
this!
This is perfect!
Well said
This, Britney, is beautifully said.
Every anti rape anti war, pro feminist event my Mother took me to when I was growing up was VERY sparse on MEN – ive seen loads of straight people supporting gays at Pride ralleys – wheres all the gay men when it comes to trying to deal with female issues?
Most of them don’t not give a damn and im saying that as someone who has seen the misogyny in the LBGT community – Lesbians are treated like dirt with gay men at the top of the hierarchy.
This is exactly why i dont look to celebrities to be social advocates for stuff. I do think her heart was in the right place and it was great that she used her speech as a platform for equal pay – but i agree that she was just really passionate after winning. But we need to hold our politicians more accountable for their actions than celebrities. Or at least equal.
Thats why im such a brangeloonie. She can articulate herself and only speaks on things shes educated herslef about. And when she does speak she just lays down the facts without calling any particular group out or really showing her personal opinions.
I’m 100% with you about not viewing celebrities as social advocates and haha I agree about Angie too, she acknowledged the existence white privilege and how it’s helped her in a speech she made last year and she’s so articulate.
I agree. While well intentioned, when we put celebrities in the spotlight about social issues we’re rarely talking about individuals who have any real knowledge or qualifications to speak on the subject (though I do appreciate that there are some exceptions to this). Because of this I feel like they’re darned if they do and damned if they don’t. So instead I’m going to appreciate the thought and the desire to instill change, but I’m also not going to put too much weight in the words of someone whose job is to dress up as another person for a living.
Exactly.
Stacey Dash is a grade-A a**hole.
Stacey Dash is ALWAYS an @sshole, always.
no wonder Emma Watson celebrated her, they are both the faces of rich white feminists.
also the 77 % statistic is simply untrue.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/08/gender_pay_gap_the_familiar_line_that_women_make_77_cents_to_every_man_s.html
we wont make any progress if we repeat false statistics and just yell “change it” its way more complicated and also comes down to the choices women make.
Slate is a right leaning site, that’s like using Faux News for facts.
Yeah, I don’t think so. Let’s quote the basic problem of her article:
“The big differences are in occupation and industry. Women congregate in different professions than men do, and the largely male professions tend to be higher-paying. If you account for those differences, and then compare a woman and a man doing the same job, the pay gap narrows to 91 percent.”
And WHY do women congregate in lower-paying professions like, say, nurses and kindergarten teachers (to go for the most cliché ones)? Or better, why don’t men? There’s no prestige in these jobs, you don’t make that much money and there’s barely any chance of being promoted. Why don’t women seek out the male-dominated professions? Because they’re male-dominated and the chances for success are slim, at the very least they come at a higher price for women. You want to go down the path of becoming the CEO of a huge corporation? It’s possible, even while having kids. We do have those few unicorns out there. But you need to be willing to pay a higher price than men and be paid less. So let’s not lose perspective. That article is deliberately ignoring several aspects to get to that crazy 91% number. I could go on but I suspect it’s no use.
Perfectly possible to be a rich white feminist Maria – can’t change your colour, and I’m damn sure I wouldn’t be giving all my money away if I had any. Are only poor black women to be regarded as genuine feminists? Divide and rule….
I think she was speaking to the fact that women’s issues tend to get very specified (I.e. Woc rights, lesbian rights, female religion sects rights) and she was tying to say this is a issue larger than those groups that it affects ALL women and we should work TOGETHER to fight wage inequality.
I think she should have left it with the stage comments and waited for the adrenalin to wind down before adding to it.
It affects all PEOPLE. Single mothers who are being paid less raise sons, who are affected because their household income is less.
You know, I think she is getting all sorts of undeserved c*ap here. Yes she is privileged, so what? She has the right to champion a cause and this is a good one. Why do you need to be a poorly paid woman to have the right to speak against pay inequality, which as we learned actually affects even the women earning millions?
Also, I hear what she said after other communities /causes/groups supporting the issue of equal female pay, and I did not take it as insulting at all. Both LGBTQ and racist issues have been discussed in the media a lot – particularly in the entertainment industry – and I think her point was not that we should turn our attention AWAY from those issues, but rather that we ALL make equal pay an equally important issue and pay attention to it. I say Amen to that. All her twitter comments are relevant and on point and she should be applauded for bringing it up, instead of torn apart .
You don’t need to be a poor woman to champion equal pay. You just need to be aware of where you stand on the privilege spectrum and think about that before you make comments about how “we’ve” fought for “your” civil rights so not “you” should do the same for “us” to POC and the LGBTQ community. Pray tell, who’s we and who’s you?
Precisely.
It’s really odd how she first said it (backstage) but I think her later tweets are indicative that she understands both her own priveledge and that women, who she wants to help, can be gay, trans, not identify as Caucasian, both, etc. aka intersectionality.
Yes, she’s being unfairly demonized. All this talk about her privilege – she’s using it for good and she brought out the issue of women’s rights to an audience of billions. No shade from me. I think she makes a very valid point about fighting for the rights of others. I have marched for an end to discrimination for PoC and LGBTQ – but I’ve never marched for women’s pay equity. Fair enough to ask for support from the groups we as women have marched in support of.
Patricia deserves all the criticism she’s getting. She has no concept of intersectionality within feminism and saying “us” implies white women, so she’s causing this divide. As a black queer woman I should drop my fight for equality to fight for white women because what she feels like white women deserve it after allllll she’s done for us? I fight for all women but i won’t put my race and sexual orientation on the back burner for someone who doesn’t understand what it means to ACTUALLY include everyone and fight for them
How is she being “demonised” here? The comments on here have been respectful but critical of some of the points she made. Even on Twitter, majority of the top tweets are supportive of her.
She is right that women on the whole will make less than a man of any color for doing the same exact job with the same exact qualifications. I’ve seen it my whole career in IT and believe me the people who should be looking out and making sure this does not happen usually only take care of themselves and have all sorts of reason why women make less. I agree with her at least on that point.
I agree. She has a right to champion any cause of her choosing, and she doesn’t deserve shade that others felt like she ignored theirs.
You do yours; let her do hers; if they intersect and overlap and you choose to advocate in the intersection–good for you. But you cannot demand or expect others to do so simply because you want them to.
And what’s up with throwing out the “privilege” word to minimize someone and their opinion if it doesn’t meet your personal standard of soapbox material? Lately all I seem to read if someone says something deemed to be politically incorrect, they are castigated for being privileged or in need to “educate yourself”. I’m just over the inability to disagree without becoming personally judgmental and dismissive of each other….or to have your own personal experiences and observations be dismissed because you don’t fit a demographic or political persuasion.
No one seemed to shade John Legend and Common for not citing feminist issue or gay issues in their comments. So why shade Patty?
I like your drink and I like your comments dirty martini. Presumably Patricia wouldn’t be allowed to have any interest at all in discrimination against those with facial disfigurements because she’s beautiful…
I hate that .77 on dollar bit because it only applies to white women.
I get what she meant and I’m glad she clarified, however, her comment backstage is a perfect example of white feminism: there’s white women and everyone else.
I get she didn’t mean it like that, but, a lot of white women do albeit unintentionally as its socially reinforced.
Rather than understand why people got upset, she’s defending and dismissing, typical behavior.
Marginalized groups should never be told by the privileged what they should fight for, period.
+1 to everything you said. Her heart was in the right place but dismissing rational critiques really isn’t the way to go.
She called the Supreme Court the superior court which made her sound clueless. She came across as having read an article about pay equity in Marie Claire on the plane to LA and decided to add it to her acceptance speech.
That is a correct term look it up
She was referring to RBG, who is a justice on the Supreme Court. A superior court is a state-based court. A difference with a distinction. Look it up.
She’s coming across as very ignorant and spoiled.
As a bisexual woman, obviously I feel strongly about women’s issues and LBGTQ rights. And as a woman who loves and adores my friends of all races, creeds, etc. I’m for equal rights on all fronts. This is something that I think we will be continuing to fight about for some time until the leadership gap is filled. That is what I think is really the root of the problem. We need to see more diversity in leadership roles and then continue to back each other up once one of us gets those roles. That’s the only way things are going to change. And FOX news are just a bunch of blow hard talking heads disguised as “journalists” I love what Patricia said onstage and was very excited that someone thought to include that in a very public forum. That’s what I choose to focus on because it did get people talking, bottom line.
Yeah…her words rang more of:
“Look we women (white women) are struggling here and I think things would improve if you women (black, lgbt, whatever else) would work together with us to solve these issues.”
Except…historically it never works that way. Us ‘working’ together has always been struggling groups being the bodies stepped over to achieve more rights for the already privelaged. There’s a reason ‘those’ women broke up from the main branch of feminism, myself included.
I will not be anyone’s stepping stone or, forgive me, Ava Durney or David Oyelowo. I am not going to work my fingers to the bone so that I can sit in your audience and you can ignore me and make jokes about my name, color, green card status or whatever else. If feminism is struggling then fix the root and see if you don’t encourage others to rejoin. But if all you have to offer is a pretty speech from a tower already miles higher than ‘those’ women you plead for then you should save your breath.
I’m sure there’s a dozen women who can’t get a 10th of the pay these girls enthusiastically talking about feminism can, so I think the message always rings bitterly for many. Of course equal pay, greater respect, and more opportunity are goals we ALL want. Did she have any doubts? Does she think all the groups fighting everyday aren’t trying to even make .50 cents on a dollar or .25 cents to what others make?
But how do you approach the solution without acknowledging the disparity? It’s like a great comment someone made about the ‘Lean In’ book and approach to feminism. So you can lean in but what about those women who can’t even get a seat at the table or walk into the building? How do we solve an issue using ALL women when only a specific group faces the issues that are being most aggressively campaigned for?
Thank you for posting this. You get it.
White feminism is NOT the real root of feminism, but unfortunately, there are many, many who think they’re a feminist and are actually ignorant about intersectionality.
This broke and warmed my heart simultaneously, though:
“I will not be anyone’s stepping stone or, forgive me, Ava Durney or David Oyelowo. I am not going to work my fingers to the bone so that I can sit in your audience and you can ignore me and make jokes about my name, color, green card status or whatever else. If feminism is struggling then fix the root and see if you don’t encourage others to rejoin. ”
And who could blame you?! The audacity alone is infuriating.
As a white girl who grew up middle-class, it’s not just my responsibility to hold the metaphorical door open for people with less privilege, it’s also important for me to shut up and give other voices a bigger platform, realizing that we have equal value but not equal visibility or respect. And yet she has such a big platform, and she’s denying and dismissing instead of acknowledging (let alone fighting against) this endemic inequality. WHY?!
Thank you for your understanding. Truly. I’m grateful you understood exactly what that specific comment was referring to. Yeah we’re ‘invited’ to the party, but once we’re there we’re expected to sit down, shut up and smile until we’re needed for a little wink-wink joke.
It’s just not happening.
Damn right I and many others want equal pay, but we also want respect and acknowledgement.
Amy and Brittney +1000000
Both your comments are lovely – thank you for being so eloquent!!
What about Stacy Dash though? Where’s she in the feminism movement?
Nah, I’m just trolling 😉
Best comment EVER. Thank you so much for cutting through the craps. We can only hope PA, whom I like and rooted for, gets it soon but…
I am part of the LGBT community & I think PA is 100% correct. It’s time all women stand together & make this a priority. As for all the attacks on Fox News, might I point out that ALL news in this country is bought & paid for? CNN, NBC, CBS… Etc. etc. ALL have agendas & ALL do not let facts get in the way of whatever tale they are spinning. Anyone who thinks Fox is the only one is naive. The name Brian Williams ring a bell? He wasn’t on Fox’s payroll. ALL US news manipulates the facts to suit their agendas.
It’s true that they do. I stopped watching mainstream news shows long ago. I prefer to get my news from various sources on the Internet. (cross checking fact sources of course) Unbiased news from large media is almost non existent.
Well said Ginger!
I think it’s a good cause and am glad that she clarified her points. That being said, the more I read her response, the more respect I have for Cumberbatch and his response after his “colored” gaffe.
It certainly sounds to me like she has had some personal experience that is skewing her perception that lgbt and “minorities” aren’t as supportive of women’s rights. Still I think she means well here. I just wish she’d said, women deserve equal pay. Period. And not gotten lost in the weeds philosophizing about other groups.
I notice a lot of women advocating a kind of trickle down theory of wage equality. The sad truth about that is the women’s movement of the late 60s and early 70s made a conscious decision to focus primarily on the issues facing professional women, rather than “working” women, assuming the benefit would trickle down. If only it worked out that way. It hasn’t.
In fact professional women are as capable as men in exploiting women who are not in a position to negotiate- service workers, nannies, etc.–because our economic culture is based on wage arbitrage. That said, I think women in Arquette’s situation need to negotiate harder, especially when their career is on the upswing. And that means knowing what you want, how it works, especially with these backend deals. And a lot of creative people (not just women for sure) either can’t or won’t take on that responsibility and instead trust to their handlers. Mistake.
I don’t know what the answer is but maybe we can stipulate that in our culture financial exploitation is a defining characteristic, one that undermines men as well women. I think different groups fighting for rights have this idea that if they reach parity with white middle class men of yore things will be great. The reality is the financial struggle can actually intensify instead – greater opportunities — yes, sometimes — but greater risks too, and sometimes greater treachery.
Very Good comment.
I *think* what she was trying to say was that these other communities have real issues with misogyny that are endemic to the effort. African American women are often victimized by the same systems that destroy the lives of black men but get far less coverage for it. The LGBT community is notoriously problematic and often dominated by concerns affecting gay, white, cis men.
I’m not sure if she’s the one to be delivering that criticism, but it is a serious problem.
I think you’re giving her too much credit (based on how defensive she got, rather than acknowledging her privilege or understanding the deeper issues she was perpetuating). If she knew enough about these communities to identify misogyny within them, she’d know exactly why people were mad about her comments. She didn’t. She didn’t even try to actually *hear* what they were saying, which is another red flag.
However… you’re right. This is a serious problem. It’s not so much that African American men and cis white gay men are systematically misogynistic, though. Certainly this exists in every community, but the media and lawmakers are largely responsible for ignoring women, ESPECIALLY transgender women & women of color (and if you’re both… let’s not even go there). Patricia is conditioned to think like this, but it doesn’t help that she isn’t even listening or trying to understand a perspective that isn’t whitewashed.
I may be giving her too much credit. I’m not defending her, necessarily – she’s responsible for how her comments come across.
I do think society as a whole holds a greater responsibility to acknowledging it’s own issues, but the extent to which it exists in both communities is pretty staggering. Intersectionality is an issue that really needs to be brought to the forefront of social justice dialogue, that’s for certain.
Somebody’s gotta do it.
Maybe her comments were just wrong phrasings. She was bombarded with questions and she was excited with her win. Maybe it was “I desperately want to make love to a schoolboy” moment (Dumb and Dumber). Her sister, Alexis is a trans woman.
WOW, yes, how did I forget this?
Especially after she thanked “my brothers and my sister… and my other sister [:cue crowd laughter]” during her IFC acceptance speech. That made me cringe a little… she has no qualms about her “us vs. them” mentality, even though she thinks she’s on the right side.
You just need to go to datalounge to see how misogynistic gay men can be. It’s not all of them but they are. The same can be said about men of all races, they dismiss women and their problems.
But what’s most depressing are women who are buying into the sexist dogma of the right wing politics and who fight against their own interests.
Very depressing. But then again, low-income white communities are buying into the privilege dogma too, and voting against their own interests. The brainwashing is mystifying.
+1
Yes indeed; it’s the same slack-jawed analysis that maintains that the election of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister was a triumph for Feminism, in spite of the blasted woman’s embodiment of the patriarchal status quo.
I had a look in there before and it was so hateful, I stopped looking at it altogether. You’re right, even gay men can be VERY hateful towards women.
Hell yes it’s relevant and hell yes she was right to ask for more support from LGBTQ organizations. One hand washes the other. She and many other very high profile Hollywood actresses went to bat against Proposition 8 locally and broader LGBTQ issues across the nation. LGBTQ groups sought her support and now she’s asking for theirs. For all we know she asked for vocal support through back channels and was rebuffed with words such as, “We need to stay focused. If we branch out with other messages we might dilute ours”. I don’t think she’s the type who would fly off the handle without thinking long and hard about what she says. I think some actresses are doubly pissed because they’ve learned they’re getting less for the same projects even if they’re represented by the same managers (agency) as their male counter parts. That sucks. It reeks of male supremacy and it continues even in this day and age when more college degrees, Master’s degrees and doctoral degrees are earned by women than men. I say go for it Patricia.
There was nothing wrong with her backstage comments. People are reading something into them that wasn’t there due to their own sensitivities and blinders. She was welcoming people to stand in support of women. That’s all. People need to stop looking for reasons to slice things apart in their lust to find fault. Act with positivity and let’s make sure all women get the wages and rights we deserve.
It’s just people projecting onto her. I am a woman of color and I didn’t see what she said was problematic.
I agree, it’s a bunch of people projecting. Perfect analysis.
Her comments backstage were foolish and like someone said further up in the comments it’s the “pinnacle of white feminism”. It’s a complete erasure of everyone other than white women. Maybe she’s forgotten that most of the first white feminists (her precious “us”) were racist and only fought for other white women. She needs to realize thats who she sounds like.
Boom. This. Nailed it.
I do see her point that pay equality is something that will benefit ALL women. And it is true that we all need to support each other. People are bringing up the fact that white straight men are not the only ones who can promote, defend, or ignore sexism and misogyny and stand in the way of equality, which is unfortunately true- people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations are very capable of misogyny and sexism have shown that to be true.. You’ll see it from every group of people and every political affiliation. But while we’re acknowledging that fact, it’s also important to remember that women and feminists are capable of upholding, defending, or ignoring racism, homophobia, and transphobia, and many have. We could all stand to be more supportive of each other when it comes to equality.
But I also see how what she said was problematic, even though I don’t think her intent is bad. She referred to women, POC, and people in the LBGT community as if they’re automatically separate groups, and the whole “…and all the gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now” comment can easily come off as condescending and as implying that POC and people in the LBGT community haven’t been fighting for women’s rights and equality. Which definitely isn’t true. White women are not the only people who have stood up for or are standing up for gender equality, in this country or in any other.
I see no issue at all with what she said. I think people just look for things to be offended by. It is wonderful she is shining light on wage equality issues. Love her!
Honestly, Fox News is a Joke and everyone knows that.
Patricia has the facts. Feminism is simply the idea that men and women are equal. Amen people!
Yes, Fox News is a joke, and I honestly wish liberal sources would stop reposting Fox News crap (which is the only way I ever know what Faux News is saying). To me, though, feminism has grown into something larger than gender equality, to encompass a movement to deconstruct societally prescribed gender roles – a movement that benefits most people, across all gender identities and sexual orientations.
If it wasn’t for fox I wouldn’t have known about the IRS targeting opposing political groups nor would I know about Benghazi..no news is perfect but I don’t want networks telling me what only they feel is necessary, I want to hear it all.
By the way, all the heads of CBS, NBC, and ABC have a spouse working at the White House….
Nadia –
Have you considered turning off your tv and referring to sources such as The Nation and Mother Jones for political analysis?
BettyRose (I’m not stalking you!)
You said succinctly what I feel: women’s liberation is the first and last fight for a better world. Without it, we are pretty much papering over our nasty societal secrets with well-meaning legislation, whilst bigoted attitudes carry on as before.
Nadia, you do know that the IRS is charged with the responsibility of investigating whether organizations are what they claim to be, right? Also, you do know that they have ALWAYS done what Fox is accusing them of doing, right?
I understood it to mean that everyone should advocate for equal pay for women just as we have advocated for gay/lesbian rights and for the rights of minorities. I’m glad that she’s speaking about this. She just needed to word it better.
So how does Patricia feel about her own privileged position? Or is questioning that off limits?
Would people be giving Patricia this much shit if she were a man? I’m half serious here, despite the fact that yeah, she is not really understanding feminism on the level you’d hope for. Bill Gates is working towards improving equality in education. Should people refuse his advice or support because he’s a privileged white male and he “just doesn’t get it”?
OK women of color. I am trying to listen here. Give me a platform. Tell me 10 things you want me to do, on a daily basis or higher or whatever. I admit to my ignorance. Tell me some concrete things to do to help with your struggle.
I love her. I watched many of the interviews with Patricia and Ethan discussing “Boyhood”. She and Ethan are both consummate professionals; the only difference is his ego is quite large and hers is normal sized. What came through loud and clear with Patricia is she is a real person with a kind heart.
The Wage Gap is a real issue everywhere (brazenly so in Hollywood) and Patricia is a compassionate, decent person who I know was speaking beyond the issues of Hollywood to real working women.
Let Patricia bask in her Oscar win and give her the benefit of the doubt with her comments. She had a captive audience, and she used her (very limited) time to call attention to a very important social issue!
Only someone with nerves of steel could speak eloquently over that damn “go away now” music at the Oscars!
Ahhh…okay, backstage…I am a notorious skimmer. Still, I back Patricia 100%. She IS kind, but also she’s a bit tightly wound.
I think we need some humor here….”and the Oscar for Best Dog in a Starring Role goes to this brilliant Weimaraner”:
Seriously, this dog is smart, disciplined and PATIENT-attributes needed in a good actor. Check it out:
http://youtu.be/deHIpA04SXg
I agree with Patricia Arquette and I’m glad she had the courage to speak the truth. There is an extraordinary amount of violence against women every day, every hour, every minute. Where are the marches for us? We fight tirelessly for everyone else’s rights, including the planet’s – it’s about time we stood up against violence against women and fought for our rights for wage equality. She is going to start a movement – she has gotten women thinking! Yay!