After reading Valerie Solanas' SCUM Manifesto, I, like my fellow classmates, wondered what happened in her life to make her hate men with such passion. Either way, I honestly enjoyed the article. I appreciate her desire to re-create the entire system rather than try to carve a niche for women within in. It reminded me of a discussion I had in an English class regarding feminism where we discussed its 3 phases. We decided the first phase focused on women becoming equal to men, the second chose to embrace the feminine by focusing on the differences that are unique to women, and the third phase (current phase) was about de-construction. In other words, the feminists of today are interested in de-constructing society's ideas of gender and sexuality to create more a more fluid, and inclusive society.
In reading SCUM Manifesto, Solanas clearly wants to de-construct society in its entirety and re-create a new society solely for women. However, in doing so, she is simply switching places with men by attempting to create a society they have no place in. What does she solve in living life believing "an eye for an eye." According to Ghandi, "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." In other words, although she believes her new society made for and by women will be beneficial, is she any better than the current rule makers of society who exclude women?
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