I know. I told you in my last post how I hate the word "pussy" and now I'm showing off a pussy hat.
What can I say? When I first read about the project, I jumped on the Pussy Hat bandwagon (you can read about the project
here) because I believe in solidarity. Sticking together. Knitting for good. Peaceful protest. Everyone wearing the same hat.
I was going to ship my hat to Washington DC, but of course, missed the deadline (cause that's how I roll. Or fail to roll) so I gifted it to my friend, Katrina, who wore it to the march in Indianapolis because she's kind of fabulous.
There were lots and lots of hats. The hats made the news. The hats made history.
While talking to a few friends, we concluded that we all dislike the word "pussy", but agreed that the word was absolutely appropriate, having been unintentionally chosen for the movement by President Trump himself on that fateful bus ride with Billy Bush (which I was sure signaled the end of his candidacy. Silly me.)
I'm not going to try to categorize knitters, just as we shouldn't stuff anyone who marched last Saturday into some predetermined tidy little labeled box -- there were nuns, Muslims, pro-lifers, pro-choicers and even men on the March. But I've knit for most of my life, have taught knitting for the last 12 years, and have met more knitters than I can count. I have yet to meet a knitter who wasn't kind, thoughtful, and giving. (Wait. I just thought of one. And got a shiver.) I know the political leanings of only a few of my knitting friends; we don't usually talk politics when we knit together -- we talk knitting, food, knitting for others, pets, knitting, children, knitting for children, weather forecasts and knitting.
So I was surprised yesterday when one of my best friends, Pam, from Franklin, Tennessee, sent me
this link. It's the story of Elizabeth Poe, who owns a knitting shop called The Joy of Knitting in Franklin. On Facebook, she posted that women who were coming to her shop to buy yarn for the "women's movement" should shop elsewhere, because she, a Christian, believes the movement to be "vulgar, vile and evil." After Pam's note, several other knitters have sent me links to that article, and were wondering what I thought.
So, here's what I think:
1) When Ms. Poe called the movement vulgar, vile and evil, she was calling me vulgar, vile and evil. She was calling women and men I love and respect vulgar, vile and evil as well. You know how I feel about bully speech -- if she was trying to convince people of some larger truth, she lost her argument with me when she started name-calling.
2) Ms. Poe's remarks have only served to drive another wedge between women. As followers of the movement learned of her stand and statement, they reacted with a YUGE flood of comments on that Facebook post. Despite Ms. Poe's exhortation that her post was not a "platform to hash out my beliefs v. your beliefs," 13,000 replies later, that's exactly what it has become, built upon a platform she erected all by herself. I haven't read all 13,000, but lots of the posts are simple reminders of what the movement means for all women; however, many commentors are disgusted with Ms. Poe, her shop and policies (which are extreme and which I've never seen posted in any other shop -- no children, no returns/refunds/exchanges, no touching the yarn if you just put on lotion (?) and $75 an hour for knitting lessons/consultation. At that rate, our library owes me around $30,000. I'll take that in books and yarn, please). Some bully Ms. Poe right back, and you know where that leads -- anger, hatred and division.
3) This is poor business practice. Although she stated that she didn't need the business of folks like me who might craft something she sees as subversive or evil, I'm pretty sure she needs all the customers she can get -- small yarn shops struggle to stay afloat, and I'm sad to say I've seen several fail. Many knitters (me) love to travel, and in their travels, search out local yarn shops. Now, many knitters who visit charming Franklin, Tennessee won't bother to stop and shop at The Joy of Knitting. (Of course, the evil part of me wants to drive to Franklin tomorrow, have lunch with Pam, buy some yarn at this shop, knit penis cozies for Chippendale dancers and send Ms. Poe some photos. The nicer part of me tells the evil part to shut it and read the previous posts on this blog.)
4) I am a Christian, too. I don't think this is how the Jesus I love would have handled the March/Movement participants. I'm thinking there would have been some listening, some compassion, some discussion and some hugs.
5) If when we die we are judged by what people did with the things we might have sold them, a lot of people -- I'm thinking of cucumber farmers, especially -- are in big trouble.
6) Ms. Poe needs to read some history of the women's movement in the United States and say a prayer of thanks for the thousands of women who worked ceaselessly so that she can vote, hold political office, go to the college of her choice, own a business, theoretically earn an equitable salary, marry who she wishes to marry (and divorce according to her own will), receive adequate healthcare, decide when and if she should have children and then continue work after. If she would think about it, she would recognize that what she has accomplished as a small business owner is not just a result of her hard work and choices -- it is also the product of those women who had
nothing in the way of rights, career and income, but would not allow for the women of the future to be similarly afflicted.
I recognize that. And am so thankful. And cannot stay quiet because I have two daughters, two granddaughters, and so many, many young women I love (and so many more I will never know) who deserve a future where equality is no longer a debatable issue, but an unspoken reality.
Ms. Poe wrote that "the women's movement is counterproductive to unity of family, friends, community and nation."
That's not what I saw in the photos of marches all over the world, where waves of pink-hatted women linked arms, sang songs, laughed and cried together.
That not what I heard in the stories of the women who marched for awareness of women's' issues -- health, equality and an end to violence again women.
And that's certainly not what I feel. But you probably knew that.
This blog is my tiny part that movement. And I am happy to be a part. Now, I'm off to cast on ...
Life is a reality, you can't always run away
Don't be so scared of changing and rearranging yourself
It's time for jumping down from the shelf - a little bit.
