| Andrea Geyer and Sharon Hayes
by Megan E. Kennedy
Punto de Vista__Point of View
"Well, what I’m saying is fuck you and your
problems, we’ve got ours, too. Men have needs that have to be met, otherwise we will
lash out. We will destroy."
Prior to this outburst at the subway token booth, we had
been (heatedly) discussing the ramifications of the sexual revolution. What began as a
socio-historical debate immediately turned personal with his admission of rage. His
argument-a very valid one, in part-was that while women gained freedoms in education, the
workplace, and their sexuality, men still suffered from an inability to express their
emotions. Thus, society should focus on men’s needs, or else suffer the consequences.
By now we were engaged in a traditional "Us versus Them" conversation, which I
wasn’t interested in. In fact, I find it tiresome to perpetually trot out feminist
principles, gender categorizations, examples in society that prove women are denied
equality, denied transcendence. An attempt to prove that woman is superior, inferior, or
equal to man is useless, for these terms are vague and shapeless. There must be another
way to relate the sexes. There must be another translation.
We spent the rest of the subway ride in silence, and when
we arrived at the museum, I expected him to wander off on his on, allowing me the freedom
to explore. No such luck. Instead, he followed me to the second floor, where I was drawn
to the multi-channel video installation, "Cambio de Lugar__Change of Place." The
project features a series of interviews with women in Mexico City discussing the topic of
gender and feminism. Both the interviewer and the interviewee are off camera-one only sees
the face of the translator. Not only are the questions fascinating ("Do you consider
yourself gendered?"), but watching the translators struggle with both the concepts
and the language is mesmerizing. They act as vehicles of knowledge and understanding,
grappling with both words and ideas. I moved from one video screen to another, enthralled
with the concept of transmitting ideas of gender through cultures and languages. He too,
watched the screens intently. It struck me that perhaps we need a translator between
sexes. If we are to believe Hegel, fundamental to every consciousness is a hostility
toward the other’s consciousness. I am the essential Subject and you are the
inessential Other. We need a translator, a mediator to help us accept another’s point
of view. How can we transcend our subjective selves to reach understanding?
We moved around the screens silently, and the hostility
between us dissipated. By the time we left the exhibit, our conversation was fluid again.
We wondered through the rest of the museum; we were friends again. As we prepared to take
leave of each other-he was heading uptown, I, meeting friends downtown—we cordially
said our "good-byes." I walked toward my train, happy for a few moments of
silent reflection. Deep in thought, I barely noticed a group of men lounging on a bench at
the platform. As I walked by, one murmured "Nice thighs, baby...umm, I’d like to
be in-between those thighs."
No translation necessary.
Megan E. Kennedy works in the Publicity Department of a
publishing house in NYC. She holds a BA in Writing/Philosophy with a minor in Spanish.
Presently, she is planning a trip to Mexico and learning how to twirl fire. |
