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Furies

Welcome to My Green Vermont - A Blog by Eulalia Benejam Cobb.
By Eulalia Benejam Cobb
There is rage in the air these days, the rage of women. Young women, old women, tall/short/fat/thin/gorgeous/ordinary-looking women are telling their stories and shaking their fists and demanding justice. And because in this culture sweetness and passivity have always been expected of women, their rage when it emerges is doubly scary–kind of like having your pet bunny turn and bare its teeth at you.
The Greeks knew about female fury. Their mythology is full of over-the-top angry women like Medea and Clytemnestra. They even had goddesses who specialized in rage and vengeance, the Furies. Three of them, because one wasn\’t enough.
Outside of Greek mythology there haven\’t been many models for female anger, so we\’re making it up as we go along, from pussy hats and marches to pointing fingers at sexual harassers. And the latter are toppling like nine-pins, \”good\” guys along with bad.
Et tu Garrison, Al, John C.? But this is not a time to play favorites.
Remember Trump’s reaction to the accusations against Roy Moore, \”He says it didn\’t happen. You have to listen to him, also\”? Until practically yesterday, that was the response that any woman complaining of harassment would have expected to hear. Now, for the first time in human history, the victims are being listened to. They’ve even been named “Persons of the Year” by Time.
It is a kind of miracle, but will it last?
After rampaging through Ancient Greece, the Furies faded into the mists of time. And if we aren’t careful, so will the labors of today’s Furies, those who marched and protested and risked everything to speak out. The only way to ensure that this achievement isn’t lost is to put masses of women in positions of power, in the boardroom and the village council, the courts and the Congress.

Fortunately (thank Gaia, Artemis, Isis, Astarte, Sophia, and the Blessed Virgin Mary), masses of women these days are running for office, or planning to. All we have to do is elect them.

6 Responses

  1. It won't last. And what on Earth is a \”good\” guy sexual harrasser? Being generally good doesn't give anyone permission to murder; why should it grant other favors?I'd be more inclined to wonder if their other acts needed investigating.Given what happens to women who tell, I don't think women are doing that frivolously. If there are one or two among the millions, their stories will collapse, but I see no need to take that into consideration, any more than the law already allows.And women had better start wearing bodycams. And then will have to get used to being called provocateurs.When such things werre tried on me, I said no, and that was the end of it – but there should never have been a question in the first place, and I have never forgotten how icky it felt to be asked/told that someone entirely inappropriate wanted…

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