Attack of the Short-Haired White Professors

Gyasi Ross talks about his experience in college:

12.0:  Saga of the unshaven armpit--skins and feministsI found out that the mother/woman historically controlled many Skin groups’ respective clans/societies/bands. That control apparently caused strange excitement for many Short-Haired White Professors. Moreover, these Short-Haired White Professors saw that many Skin women take many leadership positions within Skin society. Plus, it just seemed like many Skin women were the heads of households.

The Short-Haired White Professors put these facts together and came up with a very strange conclusion: Skin women are the poster children for the western white feminist movement (what Rush Limbaugh refers to as “feminazis”). The Short-Haired White Professors taught this theory in social anthropology classes that I was silly enough to take.And:Looking back, I think that my Short-Haired White Professors--and white women in general--are simply “looking” for something. Since they have historically been so oppressed, they crave an example of strong womanly leadership. Like many Skin women. These professorial white women presumably love the idea of powerful women in a “man’s world.” So they attached a fantasy image of Skin women and societies--that may have been accurate at one time--to current day Skins.

Simply put, the Short-Haired White Professors think that Skins’ gender relations are somehow better than napikwons’ and napiakis’ simply because Skin women have a history of being influential in Skin society.

Sadly, that’s not the case. Not even close. My Short-Haired White Professors paid attention to the theory and history, instead of the everyday reality of Skin women. I’ve watched many Skin women become leaders by default, not because they wanted to be.Comment:  So Native women such as Ada Deer, LaDonna Harris, Wilma Mankiller, Winona LaDuke, and Rebecca Adamson became leaders only because circumstances forced them to? And not because they're natural-born leaders and visionaries? Hmm.

I'm sure Ross has a valid point about the liberal tendency to see everything through rose-colored glasses. But given his characterization of feminists as "short-haired" women with "unshaved armpits"--not to mention "feminazis"--I suspect he's somewhat prejudiced against these women. Note that Ross considers Disney's Pocahontas a "hot" role model for Native women.

For more on the subject, see "Feminist" Mohegan Princess.

Below:  A proto-feminazi who didn't shave her armpits?