Man Notices Misogyny

[Content Note: Misogyny.]

So, this piece is going around today. In it, film critic Michael Calleri recounts the collapse of a paper after its turnover to a misogynist dude, and shares an email said misogynist dude sent him about how he refuses to run reviews of any films with strong female characters.

Lots of people are saying things about it. Like Echidne, who says smart things about it! A lot of people are saying less smart things.

Not a whole lot of people have observed that it's quite an admission of privilege that Calleri could spend so much of his career not experiencing destructive misogynist impulses. Being surprised by rank misogyny is a luxury I cannot comprehend.

There are those who will argue at least it's good we're having this conversation. Is it? Is it good we're having a conversation in which a man expresses shock at rank misogyny that affected him, and lots of other men are expressing shock at rank misogyny as reported by a man? As if this indeed profound (but hardly extraordinary) incident of rank misogyny is a rarity, and not simply the vile contempt experienced by women every day put into a badly formed email?

I know. What a sourpuss. I guess I just can't get past the irony of a collective gasp at misogyny reported by a man that would never yield such notice if reported by a woman.